Purpose: This study conducts a RAM-C-based alternative analysis of a laser weapon system to evaluate the availability-cost impact of supply-echelon reconfiguration during the operational phase.Methods: Alternatives were defined based on different supply-maintenance mappings and evaluated using the RAM-C analysis tool (LCSC Suite) with an integrated OSLO-ESPA workflow.Results: The alternatives were compared with the baseline in terms of operational availability, MTBF/MTTR, total-time distribution, and inventory cost. Among them, the baseline (Original) provided the best availability-cost trade-off, whereas Alternative A improved MTBF at a higher cost, and Alternative B exhibited lower availability with the highest cost.Conclusion: The baseline support structure provided the best availability-cost trade-off under the given conditions. The proposed approach offers a quantitative framework for RAM-C-based support-structure decision-making for laser weapon systems.
Park et al. (2026) studied this question.