The Connected Battlefield and Digitally Enabled Sustainment: The Case of the CH-53K

In his recently published article, Rob Mather of IFS, focused on the paradigm shift to the connected battlefield.

This used to be conceptualized as network centric warfare, but it has become a different animal as distributed forces enabled by new genration C2 and ISR enable a whole new capability for forces operating at the tactical edge,

In my recent visit to the warfighting training center for the Navy at Fallon Nevada, the Martime ISR officers have argued that the change is becoming so significant that they are really MSRD officer. That is Maritime surveillance, reconnaissance and decision enabling officers. The point being is intelligence as understand in a legacy context is simply to slow to enable decision making at the tactical edge.

Operational tempo is increasing and the need to have higher levels of readiness for the operating force is critical.

In his article Mather highlighted an important aspect of the evolving digitally enabled force:

“Assets themselves become stakeholders – and provide a direct window into force readiness

“There is no longer just a one-way flow of info out to the asset from command. Many smart assets are now collecting data and engaging in two-way communication with other assets, and that two-way communication turns them into stakeholders.

A single U.S. Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle, as per Deloitte, can generate 70 terabytes of data within an operational span of 14 hours. Multiply that by 1000 in a drone swarm scenario and you can start to see the challenge facing commanders today in collecting the vast amounts of data available and distilling that data into actionable insights.

“Or, consider a scenario where the asset itself, combined with predictive maintenance solutions, can tell the operator BEFORE the machine breaks down that a part is going to fail and alerts the operator, possibly even self-triggering a repair workflow by picking parts and scheduling a technician.

“However, getting a total view of asset readiness from this vast dataset can be challenging—and further complicated by the involvement of defense contractors who may be responsible for performance-based logistics (PBL) agreements to keep assets mission-ready.”

For this to happen organizationally requires significant change in how the operating force is managed and sustained.

As an example of this, the CH-53K highlights the need for crafting a new type of sustainment enterprise symmetrical with what the aircraft has been built to be able to do in an operational setting,

The aircraft is built with a digital backbone and by means of a digital twin.

This digital twin allows for precise replication of the build of each aircraft but also for opening up significant new ways to sustain the deployed force, and particularly one that is distributed and is far away from supply depots.

In other words, a digital aircraft provides a significant foundation for re-working the sustainment enterprise. The way I look at it, the digital backbone on the CH-53K has enabled the digital twin to drive the design and evolution process. As experience is gained from the use of the aircraft and data flows back to the digital twin, this will allow for configuration control and adaptation.

In addition, with the rapid arrival of advancing technologies, such as 3-D printing, which the Marines are clearly working with, distributed operations can be combined with digital manufacturing driven by the digital twin as well.

This means that the digital backbone on the aircraft allows not only for predictive maintenance and the organizational possibility of greater accuracy in having parts moved closer to areas of the operating force of the particular aircraft, but that 3-D printing can allow for the capability to provide for enhanced sustainability in the field and in the areas of operation.

To discuss this significant change, a podcast based on my report dealing with the impact of a digitally advanced aircraft on the sustainment enterprise has been generated using the NotebookLM system.

The report which the podcast discusses the impact of the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter’s digital capabilities on military sustainment.  Laird interviewed a Sikorsky representative and long time USMC maintenance officer to explore how digital maintenance, predictive analytics, and data sharing can improve readiness and reduce costs.

The report also considers the strategic context of the CH-53K’s introduction, highlighting the need for resilient supply chains in an era of great power competition.  This necessitates a shift from traditional performance-based logistics models to more adaptable systems capable of handling surge operations.

Finally, the report envisions a future where digital technologies, including 3D printing, enable distributed manufacturing and enhance sustainability at the tactical edge.

For a look at digital twins and sustainment, read the following:

https://www.techtarget.com/sustainability/feature/How-digital-twins-can-help-support-sustainability

Featured photo: U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461 walk to CH-53K King Stallions at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Aug. 5, 2022. This was the first time the Marine Corps deployed the King Stallion in an exercise. HMH-461 is a subordinate unit of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the aviation combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Henke)