Talk on “Naval Systems Project Management and Engineering Challenges”
By Ir. Mustaffa Bin Tek
A talk entitled “Naval Systems Project Management and Engineering Challenges” was organized by the Project Management Technical Division (PMTD) on the 19 October 2010 at the C & S Lecture Room,Wisma IEM. The talk was delivered by Ltd Cdr Ir. Ahmad Mazlan Hj Zahari (Rtd) ,MIEM,P.Eng,CEng,FIMarEST and chaired by Ir.Lee Boon Chong (Chairman of PMTD). A total of 35 participants attended the talk.
Picture 1. Ir. Lee Boon Chong and the Speaker
The main scope of the talk as mentioned by the speaker was about the Naval Weapons, EngineeringPrinciples, Project Management and Maintenance Doctrine.
In a naval ship he pointed out that the major components are the sensors which are the eyes of the ship, the weapons installed on board the ship, the processing power and lastly the communication system.
On the weapons systems, the components he mentioned were the detection system i.e. the radar(radio detection and ranging) delivery or tracking system and processing power system.
Ir.Ahmad Mazlan continued with the statement on ‘How Naval Weapon came into existence’ and the historical background of ships being fitted with canons in conquest of territory. He also described how the small vessels are able to demobilize the big ships with the technical innovation and invention by engineers.As time passes,sensors,weapons,processing power /competency and communications are the technical evolutions undertaken by the engineers.
The speaker continued the talk which also centered on the following areas:-
Sensors-Radar System, Contact, Identification Friend or Foe, Gyro System, Combat Management System, Types of Missile Guidance, Exocet Missles, CIWS, Falkland War Strategy, Purchasing Challenges, Competitive Price, Export Restrictions ,Long Term Sustainability, Maintenance &Defense Policy, Technical Issues and the Challenges.
The speaker also stressed that an engineer’s role is of the utmost importance in the operation and maintenance of a naval ships.Due to the complexity and the high cost of operation and building a naval ship, countries like the United States of America insist that the Captain of a naval ship must possess a degree in engineering in line with the advancement of technological innovations.
The Speaker also elaborated on the surface contacts, automatic identification system. This encompass the ship particulars which will transmit a coded signal,an interrogated process, decoded and then re-transmit to determine a friendly or a hostile vessel.
On the importance of the threat assessment, the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), the speaker quoted the case of the Iranian Airways due to the malfunctioning of the IFF, the US war vessel in the vicinity of the war zones fired a missile that blew up the aircraft and 135 people were killed.
On the Long Term Sustainability policy,a warship may cost from RM 750 million to 1 Billion and 50 -60 % cost is meant for the weapons and the sensors. Also the ship need to be maintained for a period of 25 to 30 years and thus the amount of money involved is exorbitant.
On the Maintenance and Defense Policy the speaker pointed out the various level of maintenance such as for Level 1 is onboard servicing, for Level 2 is the line card replacement, for Level 3 is the component replacement and forLevel 4 is the component overhaul and calibration. However the above maintenance process has to go back to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM),thus monopoly is still the game of the day.
Lastly the speaker showed the look of the future naval ships which are powered by electric motors, thus the existence of compression engines will be the glory of the past. Also the future war of the sea shall use the tactical data network through advancement in ICT.
The session on Q &A was conducted before the closure of the talk by Ir.Iziddin Bin Abdullah Ghazali,the PMTD committee member.
Finally in appreciation a momento from IEM was presented to the speaker by Ir. Noor Iziddin Abdullah bin Ghazali.
I agree organizing systematically (ie, creating a process in place) is the most essential step. However, its easier said than done. Thats one area where its wise for small business to invest money on professional project management certifications like pmp courses.
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