NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION ORGANISATION AC/323(AVT-144)TP/362 www.rto.nato.int RTO TECHNICAL REPORT TR-AVT-144 Enhanced Aircraft Platform Availability Through Advanced Maintenance Concepts and Technologies (Amélioration de la disponibilité des plateformes d’aéronefs par l’utilisation des technologies et des concepts évolués de maintenance) The Report of an investigation by the AVT-144 Technical Team, which includes information contributed during the Workshop documented in RTO-MP-AVT-144. Published June 2011 Distribution and Availability on Back Cover NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION ORGANISATION AC/323(AVT-144)TP/362 www.rto.nato.int RTO TECHNICAL REPORT TR-AVT-144 Enhanced Aircraft Platform Availability Through Advanced Maintenance Concepts and Technologies (Amélioration de la disponibilité des plateformes d’aéronefs par l’utilisation des technologies et des concepts évolués de maintenance) The Report of an investigation by the AVT-144 Technical Team, which includes information contributed during the Workshop documented in RTO-MP-AVT-144. The Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) of NATO RTO is the single focus in NATO for Defence Research and Technology activities. Its mission is to conduct and promote co-operative research and information exchange. The objective is to support the development and effective use of national defence research and technology and to meet the military needs of the Alliance, to maintain a technological lead, and to provide advice to NATO and national decision makers. The RTO performs its mission with the support of an extensive network of national experts. It also ensures effective co-ordination with other NATO bodies involved in R&T activities. RTO reports both to the Military Committee of NATO and to the Conference of National Armament Directors. It comprises a Research and Technology Board (RTB) as the highest level of national representation and the Research and Technology Agency (RTA), a dedicated staff with its headquarters in Neuilly, near Paris, France. In order to facilitate contacts with the military users and other NATO activities, a small part of the RTA staff is located in NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The Brussels staff also co-ordinates RTO’s co-operation with nations in Middle and Eastern Europe, to which RTO attaches particular importance especially as working together in the field of research is one of the more promising areas of co-operation. The total spectrum of R&T activities is covered by the following 7 bodies: • AVT Applied Vehicle Technology Panel • HFM Human Factors and Medicine Panel • IST Information Systems Technology Panel • NMSG NATO Modelling and Simulation Group • SAS System Analysis and Studies Panel • SCI Systems Concepts and Integration Panel • SET Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel These bodies are made up of national representatives as well as generally recognised ‘world class’ scientists. They also provide a communication link to military users and other NATO bodies. RTO’s scientific and technological work is carried out by Technical Teams, created for specific activities and with a specific duration. Such Technical Teams can organise workshops, symposia, field trials, lecture series and training courses. An important function of these Technical Teams is to ensure the continuity of the expert networks. RTO builds upon earlier co-operation in defence research and technology as set-up under the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD) and the Defence Research Group (DRG). AGARD and the DRG share common roots in that they were both established at the initiative of Dr Theodore von Kármán, a leading aerospace scientist, who early on recognised the importance of scientific support for the Allied Armed Forces. RTO is capitalising on these common roots in order to provide the Alliance and the NATO nations with a strong scientific and technological basis that will guarantee a solid base for the future. The content of this publication has been reproduced directly from material supplied by RTO or the authors. Published June 2011 Copyright © RTO/NATO 2011 All Rights Reserved ISBN 978-92-837-0131-6 Single copies of this publication or of a part of it may be made for individual use only. The approval of the RTA Information Management Systems Branch is required for more than one copy to be made or an extract included in another publication. Requests to do so should be sent to the address on the back cover. ii RTO-TR-AVT-144 Table of Contents Page List of Figures xiii List of Tables xx Acknowledgements xxi Programme Committee xxii Authors xxiv Executive Summary and Synthèse ES-1 Chapter 1 – Introduction 1-1 1.1 Objective and Scope 1-1 1.2 Approach Used by Technical Team 1-1 1.3 Other Relevant NATO RTO AVT Panel Investigations 1-2 1.4 Terminology 1-2 Chapter 2 – The Importance of Aircraft Platform Availability 2-1 2.1 Introduction 2-1 2.2 The Contribution of Availability to Military Capability 2-1 2.2.1 Military Capability 2-1 2.2.2 Force Effectiveness and Readiness 2-1 2.2.3 Aircraft Availability – A Key Measure of Force Effectiveness and Readiness 2-2 2.2.4 Relationship of Capability, Effectiveness and Availability in Systems Modelling 2-2 2.2.5 Availability and Mission Reliability 2-3 2.2.6 Maintenance-Free Operating Period (MFOP) 2-4 2.2.7 Availability Targets 2-5 2.2.8 Efficiency and Availability 2-6 2.3 Aircraft Availability in Some NATO Air Forces 2-6 2.3.1 Aircraft Availability in France 2-7 2.3.2 Aircraft Availability in the UK 2-8 2.3.3 Aircraft Availability in the USA 2-12 2.4 Goals and Strategies for Improving Aircraft Platform Availability Including Mission 2-19 Reliability 2.4.1 Availability Depends on the Need for Maintenance and the Associated Downtime 2-19 2.4.2 Through Life Goals for Optimizing Aircraft Availability 2-20 2.4.2.1 Goals for Aircraft Design and Development 2-20 2.4.2.2 Goals for the Maintenance/Support System 2-21 2.4.3 Joint Goals and Strategies for Minimising the Need for Maintenance 2-22 2.4.3.1 Maximise the Inherent (Design) Reliability and Mission Reliability 2-22 RTO-TR-AVT-144 iii 2.4.3.2 Achieve the Inherent (Design) Reliability and Mission Reliability in 2-24 Service 2.4.3.3 Limit Maintenance to Essential Tasks 2-25 2.4.4 Joint Goals and Strategies for Minimising Downtime for Required Maintenance 2-26 2.4.4.1 Design the Aircraft for Maintainability (Ease of Maintenance) 2-26 2.4.4.2 Reduce Downtime for Servicing 2-28 2.4.4.3 Reduce Downtime for Replacement/Restoration of Lifed Components 2-29 2.4.4.3.1 Focussed Design for Maintainability 2-29 2.4.4.3.2 Extend Remaining Useful Life 2-29 2.4.4.3.3 Improve the Scope and Accuracy of Usage Monitoring 2-29 2.4.4.3.4 Use On-Condition Inspections Instead of Component 2-29 Replacement/Restoration (Condition-Based Maintenance – CBM) 2.4.4.4 Reduce Downtime for Inspections (On-Condition and Failure Finding 2-31 Tasks) 2.4.4.5 Reduce Downtime for Age Exploration 2-32 2.4.4.6 Reduce Downtime for Diagnostics 2-32 2.4.4.7 Reduce Downtime for Failures that Cannot be Duplicated (CND) 2-33 2.4.4.8 Reducing Downtime for Repair 2-34 2.4.5 Health Monitoring and Management (HUMS/SHM/PHM/DPHM/IVHM) 2-35 Chapter 3 – Some National Perspectives on Aircraft Maintenance/Support 3-1 3.1 Poland 3-1 3.1.1 Effect of Political Change on Aircraft Maintenance 3-1 3.1.2 Reverse Engineering 3-1 3.1.3 Collection and Analysis of Maintenance and Operational Data 3-1 3.1.4 Monitoring of Aircraft Loads and Usage 3-2 3.1.5 Diagnostic and Non-Destructive Inspection Systems 3-3 3.1.6 Changes in Maintenance Systems 3-5 3.2 France 3-6 3.2.1 Change Motivated by Poor Availability and High Costs 3-6 3.2.2 Evolution in Design and In-Service Support to Achieve Deployability and 3-7 Repairability 3.2.2.1 French Air Force and Navy Experience with Deployed Operations 3-7 3.2.2.2 The Use of Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) to Achieve Deployability 3-7 and Repairability 3.2.3 Structure Intégrée de Maintien en condition opérationnelle des Matériels Aéronautiques 3-8 du ministère de la Défense (SIMMAD) 3.2.3.1 SIMMAD’s Genesis 3-8 3.2.3.2 SIMMAD’s Position in its Institutional Environment 3-9 3.2.4 Innovative Maintenance Concepts 3-11 3.2.4.1 The Case for Outsourcing 3-11 3.2.4.2 Maintaining the Rafale 3-11 3.3 Czech Republic 3-13 3.3.1 Historical Events 3-13 3.3.2 The Development of the Maintenance Concept for the L-159 Light Combat Aircraft 3-14 3.3.3 Engine 3-16 iv RTO-TR-AVT-144 3.3.4 Avionics 3-16 3.3.5 AMOS Flight Data Recording System 3-16 3.3.6 Reliability and Availability 3-20 3.4 Netherlands 3-20 3.4.1 Availability as a Global Performance Indicator 3-20 3.4.2 Integrated Weapon System Management 3-21 3.4.3 Measures to Improve the Availability of the F-16 Fleet 3-21 3.4.4 Prognostic Health Monitoring 3-23 3.5 Sweden 3-24 3.5.1 Introduction 3-24 3.5.2 Description of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) 3-24 3.5.3 Life-Cycle Management at FMV 3-26 3.5.4 Integrated Operations and Maintenance System 3-28 3.5.5 The Availability Performance Program (APP) 3-31 3.5.5.1 Purpose and Content of the APP 3-31 3.5.5.2 The Importance of Understanding Operational and Support Requirements 3-33 3.5.5.3 Integration of the Design of the Aircraft and the Support System 3-34 3.5.5.4 Optimising the Support System with Respect to Availability and Cost 3-35 3.5.6 The Application of FMV’s APP to Recent Aircraft Programs 3-36 3.5.6.1 The Jas 39 Gripen 3-36 3.5.6.2 Nordic Standard Helicopter Program (NSHP) 3-42 3.6 United Kingdom 3-47 3.6.1 Introduction