Single-Site Inventory Model for Repairable Items

In this chapter we develop the basic model for a single operating base. Our objective is to develop a curve showing system availability for a fleet of aircraft as a function of optimal spares investment over a group of items. Our assumption here is that each item is equally important, and that a backorder for any item is equally serious in that an aircraft is grounded. Remember that a base backorder implies there is a “hole” in an aircraft when the items needed are all first-indenture items. We assume that cannibalization is not performed to consolidate backorders onto the smallest number of aircraft. (In Chapter 4 we relax the assumptions that all items are first-indenture and in Chapter 8 cannibalization is considered.)