scope:

This specification covers the specific requirements for Users (Equipment Type) Manuals; the general requirements are covered in MIL-M-81273A. This type of manual shall be written at the appropriate technical level in order that users of the manual can readily understand and perform the required functions. Careful attention must be given to the level of education of the reader. Both general educational level and specific areas of training will affect the scope of the publication.

Users manuals are written for personnel responsible for deploying equipment and preparing equipment for deployment. For some types of equipment, this may require, in addition to deployment procedures, coverage for loading, maintenance, emergencies, and aborts. Users manuals appear in different forms, depending upon the audience and the type of weapon and deployment system. The users manual may be the small, pocket-type book containing skeletal information as in the pilots handbook, may be a job-oriented manual as in a fire control operators handbook, or may be a detailed, involved manual for a weapon carried aboard a ship in the ready condition for extended periods of time. This specification is primarily applicable to complex ordnance such as missiles maintained in the ready condition by the user over long periods of time. However, by appropriate variation of emphasis and minor alteration in organization, this manual type may be adapted to suit a variety of equipment types both simple or complex, and reusable or expendable. The procuring activity will invoke appropriate portions of this specification to adequately define the required manual.

Most procedural manuals such as Assembly and Test types are written for personnel who are specialists in weapon types such as a mineman or a torpedoman. However, the deployment of weapons is usually accomplished by personnel who are specialists in the deployment system rather than the weapon types. For example, the guided missile, SUBROC, normally assembled and maintained by Guided Missile Technician, is carried aboard a submarine and operated upon by torpedomen. As a result, descriptive material must place emphasis on those items handled by the users; procedural information must treat weapon procedures in detail and deployment procedures should be treated in a skeletal manner. In preparing a Users manual, the cognizant writer must shift his viewpoint to accomodate a reader who is frequently out of his speciality.