Pulling all these technologies together in a military context can add efficiency, flexibility and maneuverability to U.S. forces, said Jacques Gansler, director of the university's Center for Policy and Private Enterprise. Gansler was undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics in the Clinton administration. Unique Prognostics Use

A unique element in the proposed system's technological chain is the use of prognostics -- the warning systems built into the F/A-18s and other advanced military hardware that can detect unusual mechanical performance and analyze a likely cause, Gabriel said.

"The goal is to develop sensors within the platform -- in this case, the F/A-18 aircraft -- to detect failures and to broadcast the failures to the maintenance crew before the aircraft lands" on an aircraft carrier, he said.

That gives the carrier's crew "enough time to understand where that landing aircraft ought to be located on the shipboard, or to be prepared for what is needed to repair the aircraft very quickly, if that's possible, so they'll have better management of the fleet activities," Gabriel said.

If the project is successful, the U.S. Navy could use the system to improve logistics support for its entire fleet, according to Gabriel. He estimated that the effort could save the military tens of millions of dollars.