October 23, 2025
Integrated Product Support (IPS) has transformed how major defense agencies plan, field, and sustain complex engineering systems. By incorporating sustainment planning directly into design and acquisition strategies, IPS delivers mission readiness, cost optimization, and unprecedented system availability of critical systems throughout the product lifecycle.
Please Note: In defense and aerospace industries, terms like Integrated Logistics Support (ILS), Integrated Product Support (IPS), Logistics Support Analysis (LSA), and Product Support Analysis (PSA) are often used interchangeably, despite having subtle differences in definitions within the broader context of system sustainment and lifecycle management. In this article, for all intents and purposes, ISS will refer primarily to “IPS” and “LSA” (although other similar terminology exists).
The roots of systematic support for mission critical defense systems trace back to the 1950s when maintenance engineering first entered US Department of Defense (DoD) policy. With the increasing complexity of weapons systems during the 1960’s came a clear increased total cost of ownership (for example, true support costs).
This opened the door to the foundation of the LSA process predominantly used today, including considerations from technical data to manpower and training. This fundamental change ensured every new weapons system incorporated sustainment thinking early in development. Over the next four decades, each service branch began adopting customized practices, steadily maturing into a cohesive logistics discipline.
Check out the video below which brings the history and evolution of these standards to the forefront.
ISS has remained committed to pioneering innovations that keep warfighters equipped and adaptable for over 40 years. Reach out today to schedule a demo, revisit the above video for a quick refresher, and discover how ISS can revolutionize your approach to your IPS requirements with SLICwave LC.
Interested in learning more? Please feel free to contact your ISS account representative for more information. You may also explore ISS’ training course website for available training opportunities.