Point of impact: Delivering mission essential supplies to the warfighter through the Joint Precision Airdrop System

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Abstract
Soldiers know firsthand the criticality of having mission essential supplies and equipment arrive at the right place, at the right time. This is of particular importance when operating in remote locations around the world where hostilities are prevalent, terrain is restrictive and mission accomplishment has strategic implications. The Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) is a guided logistical resupply platform that delivers supplies and equipment in a precise manner to Soldiers operating in restrictive or hostile terrain from a high altitude when conventional means of resupply are unavailable, unrealistic or ill-advised. Our current force structure requires a system that can operate in a dynamic and mercurial environment in order to rapidly adjust to changes on the ground. The research paper will explore the JPADS from a Systems Architecture perspective in order to decompose the system and provide critical system details, which will aid in the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) analysis that will follow. The outcome of this research is to not only provide recommendations to the project sponsors working on the JPADS, but to illustrate the value of using Systems Engineering methodologies and tools to analyze complex systems and challenges.