The complex, multifunctional nature of defense systems, along with the wide variety of system types, demands a structured but flexible analytical process for testing systems. This chapter summarizes commonly used techniques in defense system testing and specific challenges imposed by the nature of defense system testing. It highlights the core statistical methodologies that have proven useful in testing defense systems. Case studies illustrate the value of using statistical techniques in the design of tests and analysis of the resulting data. The chapter focuses on the unique statistical challenges of designing operational tests, many of which can be attributed to the process, but some of which are inherent to the complexity of the systems and the missions system operators must complete. It provides an overview of the process of designing experiments for military systems with operational users in an operational environment.
Suggested Citation
Freeman, Laura J., Thomas Johnson, Matthew Avery, V. Bram Lillard, and Justace Clutter. “Testing Defense Systems.” In Analytic Methods in Systems and Software Testing, 439–87. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119357056.ch18.