BMDCS in a Box

A fellow watcher that goes by the name "Serling" sent us this note on the BMDCS enclosures.

"The DTDC has done it again. Have they even heard of competition? They are apparently mandating the use of one of three companies for procurement of the computing hardware’s enclosure. Who are these companies you ask? One is one of those huge expensive machines that makes $1000 hammers, one has only been in business for 2 years and the other has never even made military enclosures. What sort of a choice is that?

Half of the enclosures don’t include power, and more than half aren’t even qualified to military standards. Who even knows what sort of lead time these things have. There’s a chance that none of the enclosures even meet the needs of the BMDCS; is there even an option to use any of those companies’ other enclosures?

I shouldn’t be surprised by this move by the DTDC, making something more complicated than it needs to be. Here’s (probably uselessly) hoping that the final product not only meets technical requirements but, for the sake of our armed forces using this product, it isn’t held up by cost, schedule, and risk."

Enclosures sound like a small detail, and insignificant compared to the larger pieces of the BMDCS puzzle. However the enclosure houses the mission software, also known as the brains of the operation. Computer hardware exposed to the elements is not long for operation. Cut off the head and the body follows!