July 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

Air Force Expands AI-Based Predictive Maintenance

By THERESA HITCHENSon July 09, 2020 at 4:23 PM

WASHINGTON: The Air Force plans to expand its “predictive maintenance” using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to another 12 weapon systems, says Lt. Gen. Warren Berry, deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering and force protection.

“I continue to believe that predictive maintenance is a real game changer for us as an Air Force,” he told the Mitchell Institute today. “There's a lot of power in moving unscheduled maintenance into scheduled maintenance, and we're firmly convinced that it will improve our readiness and improve our combat capabilities by doing so.”

“We have long been a fly-to-fail force,” he explained, simply waiting for aircraft to quit working and then trying to fix them by moving parts to wherever the planes were grounded. But today's unpredictable and relatively slow approach to getting fighters and bombers back in the air simply won't be possible in future conflicts, as Russian and China seek to degrade US communications including via cyber attacks and attacks on US bases.

The service has made “logistics under attack” one of its key priorities as it shifts focus to deal with globalized peer conflict, asking for $3 billion in 2021 to fund various efforts.

Berry noted that the Air Force is “talking to” the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) about best practices and lessons learned as it pushes ahead with its two key predictive maintenance initiatives: “condition-based maintenance plus (CBM+) and “enhanced reliability centered maintenance (ERCM).

The service has been using CBM+, which involves monitoring platforms on three aircraft: the C-5, the KC-135 and the B-1. “They've been doing it for about 18 to 24 months now, and we're starting to get some real return on what it is that the CBM+ is offering us,” he said.

ERCM, he explained, “is really laying that artificial intelligence and machine learning on top of the information systems that we have, the maintenance information system data, that we have today, and understanding failure rates and understanding mission characteristics of the aircraft and how they fail,” he said. While he said he didn't have the list at his fingertips, Berry said the dozen weapon systems being integrated would come under the ERCM effort by the end of the year.

Berry said that there are a number of other changes to how the Air Force does logistics that will require future focus, especially the question of how best to preposition supplies in the European and Pacific theaters. He noted that the Pacific region presents particular problems because of the wide geographic dispersement of allies there.

“I think we need to fundamentally change how we think about prepositioning our assets,” he said. “And that really does require partners and allies, in not just prepositioning the material and equipment, but prepositioning capacity and capability — whether that's through operational contracting support or whether that's through things that are actually on the installation that we can take advantage of.”

“We're not going to be able to bring what we could bring in the past,” he added, “and so much of what we are going to use is probably going to have to be there.”

This is going to require new ways to partner with allies and friendly nations in those regions, he said, noting that the European Deterrence Initiative and the Pacific Deterrence Initiative might help. “But, we're gonna have to make those a little bit more foundational moving forward,” he said.

Finally, Berry stressed that improved command and control is going to be the base of all of the Air Force's efforts to establish “adaptive operations and agile combat employment” — concepts for operating in a distributed manner from a large number of small operating locations in a peer conflicts. As a 2019 study on “distributed operations” by RAND explains, “this type of distributed air operations in a contested environment represents a significant shift in the way the Air Force has operated since the end of the Cold War.”

Berry said that “Log C2” is related to Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), another top Air Force priority as Breaking D readers are well aware.

“JADC2 is about having the decision advantage in multi- domain operations, and so in the log enterprise sustainment we want to have that same decision advantage in order to support multi-domain operations because sustainment and logistics follows operators,” he said. “And so we've got to be able to have the sense orient and respond posture ... to be able to support multi-domain operations in the way that the operators plan to employ.”

This involves moving to replace old IT systems with modern capabilities, including cloud storage and data fusion from multiple sensors — whether those be onboard an aircraft such as the F-35 or from a machine doing specific maintenance.

“That data really is the key to our awareness of what's happening in the environment, and what's happening in the broader enterprise, to include at home and the depots and the broader supply system,” he said.

https://breakingdefense.com/2020/07/air-force-expands-ai-based-predictive-maintenance/

On the same subject

February 11, 2021 | International, Land

US Army begins ‘light tank' soldier assessment without BAE Systems' prototype
by Ashley Roque US Army soldiers are in the midst of a five-month assessment of two different ‘light tank' prototypes – one version by BAE Systems and the other by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) – but the former company has yet to deliver any of its vehicles, according to industry and the service. The army kicked off its Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) soldier vehicle assessment (SVA) on 4 January and it is anticipated to continue through to June, Ashley John, director for public and congressional affairs for the Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems, told Janes on 27 January. Under the larger programme, both BAE Systems and GDLS are under contract to deliver 12 MPF prototypes to the army and soldiers are slated to test out four vehicles of each variant. However, this testing phase began with vehicles from only one company – GDLS. We have received 12 prototypes in total, and four ballistic hull and turrets,” John said. “We will continue to receive the remaining prototypes throughout fiscal year 2021.” Although John did not disclose which company produced the delivered prototypes, a GDLS spokesperson confirmed that the company delivered its 12th and final prototype to the army at the end of December 2020. GDLS's delivery completion means BAE Systems has delivered only two ballistic hulls to the service. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-begins-light-tank-soldier-assessment-without-bae-systems-prototype
March 18, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 17, 2020
ARMY Phoenix Logistics Inc.,* Gilbert, Arizona, was awarded a $516,000,000 cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract to provide capabilities to the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability across the range of warfighting functions. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 16, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0010). Rock Island Integrated Services, Rock Island, Illinois, was awarded a $7,463,098 modification (P00024) to contract W52P1-J-19-C-5003 for base operations support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Rock Island, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of March 14, 2021. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Illinois, is the contracting activity. NAVY DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $104,085,696 modification (P00050) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost reimbursable contract (N00421-17-C-0033). This modification exercises an option to provide maintenance and logistics support on all aircraft and support equipment for which the Naval Test Wing Atlantic has maintenance responsibility. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $47,233,324; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,038,915; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $921,844 will be obligated at the time of award, $13,038,915 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International Inc., Defense & Space, Tempe, Arizona, is awarded $72,817,953 for an indefinite-delivery, performance-based logistics requirements contract for the repair, replacement and program support for auxiliary power units used on combat jets, maritime surveillance and cargo aircraft models (the F/A-18, A-G, P-3 and C-2). Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (50%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (39%); and various contractor facilities (11%). Work is expected to be complete by March 2022. The work performed also provides coverage for the main fuel controls and electronic control unit used on the F/A-18 and the P-3 engine driven compressor. This contract includes a two-year base period with no options. Annual working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $36,555,518 will be obligated for delivery order (N00383-20-F-0WP0) that will be awarded concurrently with the contract. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-20-D-WP01). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $65,815,333 cost-plus-incentive, fixed-price-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-13-C-5225 for the production and engineering services of the Navy's Undersea Warfare Systems (model AN/SQQ-89A(V)15) for surface ships. Work will be performed in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania (54%); Clearwater, Florida (22%); Syracuse, New York (7%); Manassas, Virginia (6%); Hauppauge, New York (5%); Oswego, New York (5%); and Tewksbury, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be complete by May 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy); 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy); and 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount $65,815,333 will be obligated at the time of award, and $50,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. The Haskell Co., Jacksonville, Florida, is awarded a $9,498,353 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the P680 CH-53K cargo loading tower at the Marine Corps Air Station in New River, North Carolina. Work will be performed in New River, North Carolina, and is expected to be complete by April 2022. The work to be performed will provide a high-bay facility that will house an operations trainer to support CH-53K helicopter pilot and crew chief training program. Construction includes a deep pile foundation, grade beams and reinforced concrete slabs to provide the building's base while reinforced concrete masonry unit exterior walls and a standing seam metal roof provide the building enclosure. This facility will provide a covered, all-weather training environment for the ground operations aircrew trainer, a fuselage trainer device, pallet storage, retrieval and build-out packages associated with troop deployment and mobility. The facility includes high-bay roll-up doors and concrete drive aprons to accommodate moving the aircraft frame in and out of the building. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,498,353 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with five proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-C-0066). AIR FORCE InDyne Inc., Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $51,386,233 modification (P00042) to previously awarded contract FA2517-18-C-8000 for Solid State Phased Array Radar Systems (SSPARS). This modification provides for the exercise Option Year Two for the management, operation, maintenance, and logistical support of SSPARS. Work will be performed at Beale Air Force Base, California; Cape Cod Air Force Station, Massachusetts; Clear Air Force Station, Alaska; Thule Air Base, Greenland; and Royal Air Force Fylingdales, United Kingdom, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount were obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $143,875,078. The 21st Contracting Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $45,000,000 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the Quicksilver Device prototype. This contract provides for the design, build, and test of an operational Quicksilver Device prototype. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Reston, Virginia, and is expected to be completed March 18, 2027. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition, and fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $7,491,567 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8684-20-D-4000). (Awarded March 16, 2020) Data Computer Corp. of America, Ellicott City, Maryland, has been awarded a $7,201,113 fixed-price incentive-firm target modification (P00025) to contract FA880-6-16-F-0002 for the Western Range Modernization Network operations, maintenance and sustainment. This modification supports an increase in operational requirements. Work will be performed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 and space procurement funds are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Capps Shoe Co.,* Lynchburg, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $15,396,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for men's poromeric shoes. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a one-year base year contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Virginia, with a March 17, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1246). The Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $9,312,000 undefinitized, firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-CB04) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-19-G-CB01) for electronic modules for the H-53 aircraft. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a two-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Texas, with a March 7, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CORRECTION: The contract announced on March 12, 2020, for American Autoclave Co., Jasper, Georgia (SPE4A8-20-C-0001), was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is March 17, 2020. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2115416/source/GovDelivery/
December 9, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Lockheed Martin contracted for test equipment, special tooling for F-35s
The company received a $153.4 million contract to procure test equipment and special tooling for current and future production of the F-35. ByChristen McCurdy Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $153.4 million contract to procure test equipment and tooling for the F-35 Lightning II. The deal covers special tooling and special test equipment "required to meet current and future F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production as well as full-rate production rates," the Department of Defense said Friday in a news release. The modification to a previous contract uses aircraft funds from fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 and combines purchasing funds of $55.8 million from the Air Force, $51.9 million from the Navy and and $22.2 million from the Marine Corps, as well as $17.6 million from non-U.S. Department of Defense partners and $5.8 million from foreign military sales funds. The full amount of the contract has been obligated to Lockheed at the time of the award, $39.9 million of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work on the contract will take place at a variety of locations inside and outside the United States, with the bulk of the work taking place in Rome, Italy, and Redondo Beach, Calif. Work is expected to be completed in December 2023. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/12/06/Lockheed-Martin-contracted-for-test-equipment-special-tooling-for-F-35s/1831575675959

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