scope:

This Defence Standard encapsulates Maritime Combat System Group Policies and Procedures for Combat System Integration across the Surface Fleet and is a document suitable for contractual purposes in equipment procurement.

Purpose

The purpose of Def Stan 21-88 is to promulgate system integration policies to be followed for functional integration activities at every stage in a platform or system's lifecycle. The term 'system' can refer to a single equipment or group of equipment procured within a system boundary. It includes the traditional combat system and mission system1 equipment and equipment on platforms satisfying a less direct war fighting role. The boundary of what is included will differ from platform to platform. Traditionally it has been focussed on weapons, sensors and command and control stopping at the tactical data links communications. Increasingly it includes all communications systems both on and off platform plus platform management systems.

The policies and procedures described in this Def Stan are intended to be scaleable. They can be applied to a single system or a whole platform where the platform, in terms of it 'Combat System' can be large or small.

A platform or combat system will have its own specific roles and responsibility matrix detailing the roles in both organisational and contractual terms. The MCS organisation has defined the roles of Approval Authority, which is generally MoD, and Technical Authority which is generally Industry. The work undertaken and the authority held by each organisation will be platform specific and determined at the outset of a programme. For CSH fitted platforms the combat system authority is the Maritime Combat System Integrating Authority (MCS/IA) or a member of his team and hence this term is used in this Def Stan.

Issue 4 of the Def Stan 21-88 is a completely new issue aimed at addressing the wider integration needs of future platforms as well as reflect the policies in current use in legacy platforms. Part 1 of Def Stan 21-88 provides overall polices and procedures applicable to all platforms. This part covers the CSH policies and procedures and is taken from Def Stan 21-88 Issue 3, specifically Appendix C.