In-Service Design Changes

UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Regulatory Article 5312 RA 5312 In-Service Design Changes Rationale Following the introduction of an aircraft type into Service use it may be necessary to incorporate design changes to overcome deficiencies or to satisfy in-service requirements, eg improve safety, operational efficiency, capability, reliability, maintainability, and to ease production or overcome obsolescence. In-service design and procedural changes that affect aircraft must be conducted within a Safety Management System (SMS). In accordance with the SMS, it is imperative that the aircraft Safety Case, Release to Service (RTS) and supporting documentation are reviewed and updated. Contents : In-Service Design Changes Regulation In-Service Design Changes Prior to embodiment, all proposed in-service design changes shall be assessed for safety and the Aircraft Document Set (ADS) updated accordingly. When emergency clearances are to be given, they shall be assessed for safety so far as is practicable and shall be reviewed when the emergency has passed. Acceptable Means of Compliance General 1. In-service design changes to aircraft and associated equipment should be conducted using Design Organization Modification (DM) and Service Modification (SM) procedures as described in RA 5313. 2. On initiating a design change PT should engage the Release to Service Authority (RTSA) and other specialist organizations at the earliest opportunity to allow sufficient time to assess the proposal and agree what evidence, if any, is required. This should enable the RTSA to incorporate the proposed change into the RTS and for the PT to update the Safety Case. 3. When an SM is incorporated, it should normally be superseded by a Design Organization (DO) cover modification to maintain configuration control of the drawing set; a cover modification should invariably to be sought when spares are affected. 4. The PT should ensure that, when selecting a DO for any design change, the DO has been approved under the MOD Design Approved Organization Scheme (DAOS). DAOS approval is a mandatory requirement defined in RA 5101. Safety 5. The safety criteria for modifications to an aircraft, their associated equipment and software for peacetime and emergency flying should be in accordance with the RA 1200 series. 6. All DM and SM should be supported by their own Safety Cases, which should be assessed against, and integrated into, the whole aircraft Safety Case. 7. The PT should conduct a review of the whole aircraft Safety Case when progressing all design change proposals. Responsibilities 8. The PT should take responsibility for: a. Ensuring that a modification submission is comprehensive, accurate and RA 5312 Initial Issue UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Page 1 of 6

Regulatory Article 5312 UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Acceptable Means of Compliance worthwhile in terms of its acquisition cost and impact on support costs, is properly sponsored. b. Identifying how the modification is likely to affect the maintenance of an aircraft or equipment and consider the requirement to amend any relevant maintenance schedules where appropriate. c. Arranging for a Trial Installation (TI) and Proof Installation (PI), as required. d. Notifying stakeholders, through a Routine Technical Instruction (RTI), of programme completion. e. Conducting a post-project evaluation of the modification s progression and embodiment, compiling a report on the objectives, costs and benefits achieved against original assumptions and, if applicable, assessing the value for money. f. Assessing the lessons learnt for future reference and adjusting procedures accordingly. g. Producing the embodiment plan, which needs to be agreed at a clearance conference. h. Maintaining configuration control in accordance with RA 5311. i. Ensuring that safety, airworthiness and engineering risks and through-life costs introduced by design changes are identified and reduced to As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). j. Engaging the RTSA throughout the in-service design change process as appropriate to ensure that sufficient evidence is made available to enable the changes to be incorporated into the RTS. k. Employing a rigorous system for managing modification programmes. l. Ensuring that a review of the aircraft Safety Case is undertaken when incorporating design changes. m. Obtaining appropriate specialist advice and endorsements, specifically where the Safety Case, RTS and aircraft/equipment clearances are affected. n. Ensuring that the appropriate Management Information System is updated. 9. Additionally, Equipment PT should take responsibility for: a. Ensuring that no equipment is installed in a UK military aircraft, or flown in a UK military aircraft without the prior approval of the appropriate platform PTL, whether for trial purposes or in-service use. b. Ensuring that the Safety assessment for the equipment design change is promulgated to the appropriate platform PT for integration in the platform Safety Case. 10. Front Line Commands (FLC) should take responsibility for: a. Supporting the need for modification. b. Agreeing the modification programme. c. Managing, as agreed with the PT, modification embodiment programmes carried out using FLC resources. Proof Installations 11. If a PI is to be carried out at a Service establishment, the PT should take responsibility for: a. Determining the type and mark of aircraft required and, if relevant, the modification state required. Page 2 of 6 UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED RA 5312 Initial Issue

UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Regulatory Article 5312 Acceptable Means of Compliance b. Deciding whether the PI will be embodied by a Contractors Working Party (CWP) or by Service personnel. c. Arranging for provision of the Draft Modification Leaflet (DML). d. Arranging for provision of the modification kit. 12. If a PI is to be carried out at a Service establishment, the FLC, in consultation with the PT, should take responsibility for ensuring that: a. A suitable aircraft and embodiment opportunity are identified. b. Suitable facilities are made available if the PI is to be embodied by CWP. c. Arrangements are made for Service tradesman to do the work when the PI is not to be embodied by CWP. d. The selected authority level K gives the required level of priority to embodiment of the PI, subject to any overriding operational commitments. e. Additionally, where Service personnel are used, the authority level K must ensure that whilst normal responsibilities and regulations apply, the need for detailed assessment of the PI, and for drafting any report regarding any unsatisfactory features, may influence the seniority/experience of the personnel selected. No deviation from the DML is allowed without prior consent of the PT. 13. Full details of the parts, material and special tools required to embody a modification should be contained in the modification leaflet. In the leaflet, the terms modification set and modification kit may be used. Guidance Material General 14. Modification development and approval procedures for DM and SM are contained in RA 5313 and RA 5308. 15. Configuration Management (CM) systems, including the ADS and Integrated Logistic Support systems, must be updated in accordance with RA 5311 for all inservice design changes that affect aircraft or equipment configuration. Safety 16. The aircraft Safety Case and RTS must be reviewed and updated for all proposed design changes, including those for trials purposes. 17. The aim is to meet the requirements of an in-service design change within the project s safety targets. In some instances the design change may not be achievable within the safety targets and subsequent contingency operations must be covered. In all cases a safety analysis must be performed and the Safety Case updated in accordance with RA 1000 series. 18. PT may use the MOD Form 755 (SM2) Safety and Support Questionnaire (SSQ) when assessing the effects of design change proposals against the Safety Case. Modification Committees (MC) 19. Committees of technical and operational stakeholders normally conduct the management of the modification process. 20. An MC is normally chaired by the PT Project Engineer. Membership also includes PT staff covering project management, finance, engineering and supply, the Resident Project Officer, contractor s representatives, plus Equipment Capability Customer and user staffs. Equipment PT and any associated flight simulator or synthetic trainer organizations may also represented when necessary. 21. PT may form separate MC for aircraft, engines and equipment. MC must approve all modifications appropriate to the aircraft, engine or equipment type and are RA 5312 Initial Issue UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Page 3 of 6

Regulatory Article 5312 UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Guidance Material required to award a classification that reflects their urgency and application. 22. Simple modifications may be approved and classified by the MC when first presented. Modifications that are more complex may be authorized for a Trial Installation and/or flight trials before being approved and classified. 23. Preliminary studies of in-service-proposed modifications are normally made by a Local Technical Committee (LTC) or equivalent. Technically approved proposals are then forwarded to the relevant committee for consideration. 24. Modifications to software are managed by Software Configuration Control Boards, either locally or at the Software Configuration Management Board, mirroring the LTC and MC functions. Software modification procedures are detailed in AP 100D-10. Modification Proposals 25. Modification proposals stem from: a. Continued development to meet the specification. b. Faults in service. c. New operational roles or the need to improve the effectiveness of existing roles. d. The need to improve reliability, maintainability or cost-effectiveness. e. Obsolescence of items or equipments. 26. FLC, operational and engineering staffs and the PT must assess proposals. If it is agreed that the proposal will be pursued, the PT will manage the modification s development, using the most appropriate procedures. Control and scrutiny of the process are afforded by the use of committees to validate the proposal, its costs, progress and effect on other programmes. 27. Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) can be applied in very specific circumstances when it is desired to procure new equipment and put it to operational use extremely quickly. It applies when the need arises for a rapid purchase of off-theshelf or already developed equipment available from industry, or military stock from a friendly nation. 28. Operational Emergency Staff Requirements are processed on a priority basis in relation to normal Staff Requirements. The procedure is used when the circumstances require the urgent development and production of new equipment to meet an essential operational requirement. 29. Modifications are promulgated in tables in the Topic 2 of the platform or equipment, and/or must be recorded in the appropriate logistic information system, where required. For modifications that affect the handling of aircraft or equipment, refer to RA 5312. Alterations to modification leaflets are issued as amendments to the Topic 2. Proof Installation 30. The DO may have to satisfy the PT that the modification can be embodied, and if necessary tested, without undue difficulty using Service effort, using the modification set and leaflet intended for issue. To confirm this, the PT may require the modification DO to conduct a PI of the modification. The PT must liaise with the FLC and authority level K of the designated Stn/Ship/Unit, stating any specific requirements, including the nature of any reports required. 31. A PI must remain embodied unless otherwise ordered by the PT. If the PI identifies any unsatisfactory features, the PT must instruct on any precautions or special measures that are to apply. Recording of the PI in aircraft and work documents must be as for an approved modification, except that entries must include the bracketed annotation (PI). Page 4 of 6 UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED RA 5312 Initial Issue

UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Regulatory Article 5312 Guidance Material 32. The authority level K of the unit carrying out the PI must report the outcome of the installation to the PT using the format at Annex A. Modification Embodiment 33. Embodiment will be dependent upon the availability of aircraft, modification kits and workforce. Aircraft will generally be modified during Depth maintenance; repairable components will generally be modified during repair or reconditioning. Modifications will not normally be embodied Forward; however, when warranted by flight safety or operational requirements, modifications may be campaigned and this may require embodiment at both Forward and Depth. In this case the PT will liaise with FLC to manage an expeditious embodiment programme. Modifications must be incorporated in accordance with the priority accorded by the agreed embodiment plan. 34. The aircraft PT is responsible for arranging the modification of aircraft in storage. Depending on the storage category, aircraft will be modified either during their storage or immediately prior to issue. 35. The equipment PT is responsible for arranging the modification of equipment in store. 36. The Flight Simulator and Synthetic Training (FsAST) PT is responsible for arranging the embodiment of the modification into platform Synthetic Training Equipment. Modification Kits 37. Once modification kits are available, expeditious modification embodiment is of prime importance to achieve maximum operational capability, reliability and maintainability from aircraft and equipments. Modification embodiment at all lines of maintenance must be given a high priority and must be actively managed. 38. A modification kit consists of one of the following: a. A modification set and Service-supply items and/or Government Furnished Equipment added by the equipment supply depot before issue to the embodying unit. b. An aggregation of Service-supply items required for a modification, but not requiring a modification set. 39. A modification set is supplied by the contractor and consists of: a. All items of the contractor s own manufacture. b. Items that have been issued to the contractor on embodiment loan to complete the modification set. c. The necessary AGS (Aerospace General Stores) parts. d. All necessary bought-out items. (An item bought by one contractor from another). e. Replacement seals, gaskets and similar consumable items needed for those assemblies that will be disturbed when embodying the modification. Contractors Working Parties 40. The PT may approve the use of CWP, in accordance with MAP Chapter 4.8.2, to embody modifications either at a Stn/Ship/Unit or at the contractor s works if the PT and FLC agree that the work required is outside Service capacity. RA 5312 Initial Issue UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED Page 5 of 6

Regulatory Article 5312 UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED ANNEX A PROOF INSTALLATION REPORT Report of Proof Installation of Modification... on [Aircraft type] The Proof Installation of the above modification has been carried out and functionally tested as required on Aircraft Serial No and the following observations are submitted: 1. Completeness of: 1.1 Modification kit (including Service supply items) 1.2 Unit Supply items 1.3 Special tools 2. Completeness of drawings 3. Accuracy of Provisional Draft Modification Leaflet (DML) or DML 4. Difficulties with embodiment 5. Recommended amendments to DML (including any comments on handling and operational aspects) 6. Other remarks: 7. The Proof Installation is considered: Satisfactory* Satisfactory as amended* * delete as appropriate Unsatisfactory* Authority level K Signature: Date: Page 6 of 6 UNCONTROLLED COPY WHEN PRINTED RA 5312 Initial Issue