Applying Best Practices to Military Commercial-Derivative Aircraft Engine Sustainment2016

Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) parts and designated engineering representative (DER) repairs are parts and repairs that are provided by third-party companies and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to be airworthy and interchangeable with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts or repairs. Currently, all major U.S. carriers use PMA parts and DER repairs in their own fleets so they can introduce competition, save costs, and maintain a more robust supply chain of parts and repairs. The Department of Defense (DoD) is interested in increasing its use of similar kinds of alternate parts and repairs.

This report assesses the feasibility and extent to which DoD might decrease its aircraft operating and support costs without a loss of safety or reliability through the increase...