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DESP II...

...was created to provide engineering and high level technical services in support of all Air Force weapon systems, components, and support equipment. The primary mission will focus on the insertion of proven technologies and methods into Air Force systems and processes. DESP II replaces the original Design Engineering Support Program (DESP).

In 1997 the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) expanded the Design Engineering Program (DEP) into DESP to meet the future diversified engineering needs of AFMC. The concept works on the principle of having a separate designer and manufacturer. It opens the door to companies with high level design expertise, engineering support services, and minimal production capability, as well as manufacturing houses with little design capability. The concept removes the conflict of interest between design and production biases (i.e., having a contractor push the more expensive of two technically satisfactory designs). It was the intent of the Air Force to create and implement a program to provide engineering and high level technical services in support of all AFMC weapon systems, components, and support equipment. The primary mission of DESP focuses on the insertion of proven technologies and methods into Air Force systems and processes.

USAF’s decision to sustain and enhance weapon systems demonstrates the confidence in these systems but also implies that continuation and modernization activities will become critical as they age. Additionally, DESP programs should consider evolved higher technologies for insertion into current weapon systems as operational requirements continue to push the envelope beyond which these systems were originally designed.