To support the TORNADO MAUSER BK 27 mm Cannon’s in-service operation and maintenance, the MOD’s international guns, missiles and rockets (IGMR) project team (PT) required a complete review and update of the equipment’s air publication (AP).
This involved a team of technical authors and illustrators collecting, collating and reviewing technical information from two main sources:
- The six-year-old existing AP;
- The manufacturer’s literature, featuring upgrades and modifications to the equipment.
The Technical Publications team at CDS:
- Collected and reviewed the source data against the existing AP; and
- Redesigned and restructured the guidance for the next edition of the AP to:
- Encompass new information; and
- Remove redundant or obsolete information
Our staged production of the AP enabled the PT’s technical authority and the maintainers in the gun bays to fully review the publication as production progressed.
CDS attended the hands-on reviews, working alongside the Project Team and the maintainers to capture first hand any comments, suggestions and changes required.
The solution
CDS collected and reviewed the source data against the existing AP. The results of the review required the CDS team to redesign and restructure the next edition of the AP to encompass new information and remove redundant or obsolete information.
The AP was produced in stages allowing for a complete review of the updated publication by the technical authority in the PT and by the maintainers in the gun bays. CDS attended the hands-on reviews with the PT, working alongside the Project Team and the maintainers to capture first hand any comments, suggestions and changes required to the AP being reviewed.
CDS’ understanding of the technical aspects of the equipment allowed the production process to advance at a pace to meet the PT delivery schedule. Operation, maintenance and other related activities were updated, rewritten and developed with the PT and gun bay maintainers.
All topics were reorganised and, wherever necessary, new procedures written by our technical authors, with supporting images created by our illustrators. CDS technical authors and illustrators attended meetings, validation and reviews, as well as live firing tests at various UK locations.
The Parts Catalogue was updated and, wherever necessary, images amended or created. All NATO Stock Numbers were screened using the MoD’s Item of Supply Information System (ISIS) to ensure that the most up-to-date and relevant information is used.
The AP underwent a significant amount of rework and was subject to, at varying stages, quality assurance activities both by the CDS team and the PT.
A number of drafts were issued to facilitate the reviews. The final AP was delivered to the PT in the required format with an option for reproduction.
During this AP project, certain maintenance-significant procedures were highlighted by CDS which have subsequently led to improved safety, performance and reliability.
A white paper outlining the case study can be found here.