US Navy selects Lockheed Martin and IFS for intelligent ship and aircraft maintenance
The US Navy has turned to Lockheed Martin and enterprise applications specialist IFS, to deliver an intelligent maintenance solution that will help power its digital transformation of multiple legacy systems into a single, fully modernised and responsive logistics information system, to ensure personnel spend more time focused on the mission and less on aircraft and ship repairs.
Image courtesy IFS
The IFS solution comprises capabilities for planning and executing maintenance, repair and overhaul of more than 3,000 assets including aircraft, ships, and land-based equipment. The Naval Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (N-MRO) solution combines artificial intelligence (AI), digital twin capabilities and predictive analytics to anticipate and react to potential equipment failures before they happen, which will contribute to the enhanced support of maintenance, supply logistics, real-time fleet management and other business functions for more than 200,000 sailors.
Following a comprehensive and competitive evaluation process, the US Navy selected Lockheed Martin together with IFS’s acclaimed industry-specific functionality already used by some of the world’s largest aerospace and defence (A&D) organisations. With the added support of software developer Beast Code, the solution will initially be fielded at multiple US Navy sites to help sailors and Marine Corps maintainers break down operational silos and work towards a common maintenance workflow across all ship and aircraft platforms.
The digital transformation of the US Navy’s maintenance systems will see a consolidation of assets and parts data in a central repository visualised to the users through an intuitive, mobile-friendly experience. This initiative will lead to increased data accuracy, streamlined workflows and ultimately less asset downtime and fewer unscheduled maintenance events.
Enabling Total Asset Readiness through N-MRO will ensure information is always readily available to help the US Navy achieve its desired materiel readiness and operational availability objectives. For instance, Navy personnel will be empowered to document faults, request parts, and report work completion at the point of maintenance, thereby reducing asset downtime while increasing data accuracy as an enabler of enhanced planning and procurement.
“Our goal is to provide capabilities that create real value across the Navy’s complex, multi-site operations and optimise its mission-critical maintenance processes,” said Reeves Valentine, Lockheed Martin Vice President of Enterprise Sustainment Solutions. “We want to empower Navy personnel with tools that are easy and effective to use with intuitive interfaces, streamlined workflows and timesaving, intelligent features. IFS distinguished itself by providing all of these capabilities through a single, commercial-off-the-shelf solution.”
Scott Helmer, President, Aerospace & Defence, IFS, added: “We are proud to be part of N-MRO, which will set a new global standard for Total Asset Readiness and the way defence organisations manage asset maintenance and logistics, both ashore and afloat. A&D has been a key focus industry at IFS for decades and this landmark deal stands as testament to the success of our long-term strategy and determination. Working with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy, we are already making great strides and look forward to a long and successful collaboration.”