A new non-parametric estimator for instant system availability.

Instant availability of a repairable system is a very important measure of its performance. Among the extensive literature in system availability of the steady state, which is the limit of instant availability as time approaches infinity, many methods and approaches have been explored. However, less has been done on instant system availability owing to its theoretical and computational challenges. A new non-parametric estimator of instant availability is proposed. This estimator is both asymptotically consistent and efficient in numerical computation. Multiple numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the performance of the new estimator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]