Modular design has long been the foundation of sound systems engineering approaches to enable rapid, efficient and reproducible designs that facilitate upgrades in complex systems like those found in the aerospace industry. Although modularity and interoperability have long been requirements for US military weapon systems, the Department of Defense (DoD) only recently required a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) for major acquisition programs, including for vertical flight aircraft. MOSA is now enshrined in law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.
The precipitating reason why this became a requirement in US code is debatable, but the facts aren’t. As technology spirals shorten, systems become more complex, and the cost of procuring and sustaining weapon systems increases exponentially. Operational overmatch in the current and future operational environments is heavily dependent on faster technical upgrades, increased interoperability and, probably most important, affordability during the entire lifecycle of a major weapon system.
Extract from Forbes. Extract from me, Abrams tanks have been withdrawn from front-line use in Ukraine due susceptibility to attacks by drones costing ten thousand times less.
In an age when flat-pack cardboard drones operate on the front line, whilst we won't be seeing DIY and modelling material among the principal players, we can imagine them performing in expanded roles as extras.
