This guide establishes the joint structural performance and verification requirements for the airframe. These requirements are derived from operational and maintenance needs and apply to the airframe structure which is required to function, sustain loads, resist damage and minimize adverse operational and readiness impacts during usage for the entire service life. This usage pertains to both land and ship based operations including take-off, catapult, flight, landing, arrestment, ground handling, maintenance, and flight and laboratory tests. This specification also provides for trade studies and analyses to identify and establish certain structural design parameters and criteria which, as a minimum, are necessary to enable the airframe to meet these structural performance requirements, consistent with the program acquisition plan for force level inventory and life cycle cost.
