PERFORMANCE TESTING OF SHIPBOARD ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

Performance evaluation of shipboard electronic systems entails debugging the systems in a laboratory environment, placing then in service and relying on system operators to provide feedback. General testing can be performed at selected sites by system designers, but each site where equipment is to be installed can offer unique problems. It is impossible to predict all the scenarios. Unique problems are more the rule than the exception when equipment is destined for Navy ships. Ship deployments make for difficult logistics when sending test teams to evaluate system failures. So, out of necessity, if newly installed equipment receives the proper inputs and generates the proper outputs, it is accepted and becomes the sailor's responsibility to maintain. In cases where documentation is ambiguous or incomplete, it is left to the sailor's ingenuity to continue testing and training on equipment. This is generally obtained through computer simulations and back-to-back testing which can provide results for ideal conditions, but does not take the dynamics of interference into account. Remote site testing is the only way to get a true representation of equipment performance and training problems. Electronic system operators on board Navy vessels are fortunate, they have help. There exists an organisation available near major naval ports worldwide whose existence is to test electronic systems performance. The testing utilises electronic systems as they would normally be configured for operations. This organisation is the Shipboard Electronic System Evaluation Facility (SESEF).