Page 38 - ADT MARCH 2021 Online Magazine

ple legacy systems into a single, fully modernised and responsive particular are increasingly being used in mili-

executing maintenance, repair, and overhaul of more than 3,000 Databook, an in-depth survey of the military
Navy assets including aircraft, ships, and land-based equipment. drone capabilities around the globe, over 100
military organisations now have some form of
2. Maritime digitization to manufacture and sup- drone capability—and a rising number now have
port naval systems is on the near-term horizon combat experience using unmanned systems.
The proliferation of military drones will only grow
logistics information system. The solution will support planning and tary operations. In fact, according to the Drone [ COLUMN ]
– digital shipyard investment will quintuple with an expected rise in spending of US$11.1
My next prediction involves the digitization of shipyards across the billion in 2020 to US$14.3 billion by 2029.
globe in the maritime and naval sectors. Much like the U.S. Navy,
shipbuilders, maintenance providers and other military operators In addition to removing human soldiers from
are beginning to realise the value of digitizing operations.
harm, unmanned systems also bring about cer-
tain operational advantages. For instance, being
Research and Market Data sees the digital shipbuilding sector unencumbered by life support systems (breath-
poised for explosive growth—from US$591.63 million in 2019 $2.7 ing apparatus, ejection seats) means ‘uncrewed’
billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 21.1 per cent. This will be fueled aircraft can carry larger payloads with sensors
by rising adoption of digital twins in the shipbuilding industry and for improved intelligence and reconnaissance
increasing use of new manufacturing technologies.
or carry more fuel which allows for longer trips.
Digital oversight of maritime and naval assets begins not at sea, but
right at the beginning of a ship’s lifecycle—in the design process and Drone Maintenance and Support
at the manufacturing plant. This means shipbuilders themselves will Questions to be Answered
have to prioritize digital advancements in the coming years. Take IFS The key near-term area of focus I see with the
customer, Australia’s largest defence prime contractor, submarine inevitable growth of unmanned systems space
and warship builder ASC, that recently announced a company-wide is the sustainment of these military assets. As
digital transformation programme. The comprehensive programme this is something military organisations are still
will set the ground for the ASC digital shipyard transition—facili- scoping out, consider these thoughts from
tating more streamlined processes, enhanced integration between Australian Defence Force Captain, Stephen
systems, and the expanded use of real-time data to drive optimised Wardrop: “One of the key questions that must
decision-making across the organisation. The ASC digital transfor- be answered is how the Army should structure
mation programme will strengthen its enterprise resource planning maintenance support for UAS (Unmanned Aerial
system and introduce advanced technologies to enable its workforce Systems) into the future. UAS maintenance is
and optimise its capabilities to support the sovereign sustainment much more widely scoped than just the Air
of the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins Class submarine fleet, now Vehicle (AV)—it encompasses the Ground
and into the future. Control Station, launch and recovery equipment
including automatic take-off/landing systems,
Digital Shipyard Progress Will be Rooted in and all communications equipment involved in
controlling the receiving data from the AV and
Enterprise-wide Software its payload(s) during flight.”
Any successful naval or maritime digital transformation programme
means putting in place a full Integrated Data Environment (IDE) to The key to drone sustainment and support is
ensure these barriers to executing a digital transformation project very similar to the all-encompassing ecosys-
are removed, requiring close collaboration from military organisa- tem I’ve outlined in my first two predictions, with
tions, industry players and software providers. critical importance being placed on having an
But in order to build a naval or maritime digital transformation pro- end-to-end system to link all data sources and
gramme, most organisations need a digital overhaul. They need an stakeholders. This means unmanned system
enterprise-breadth system that can do more than simply manage design, manufacturing, supply chain and after-
essential MRO or supply chain processes and optimise scarce market services need a digital backbone capable
resources and assets in isolation. They require a software system to support sustainment now and into the future
that’s agile enough to act on the increasing data volume and com- .
plexity to deliver quantifiable operational benefits.
Closing the Data Gap
As military equipment and supporting technol-
3. Unmanned system usage will expand by ogy development continues apace, this growing
one-third over the next decade – dedicated data disconnect will need to be a key focus
maintenance strategies must emerge point for all players in the defence ecosystem,
We’re looking further forward in my final prediction, into the world including military operators, in-service support
of unmanned systems and drones—which are increasing in use providers and OEMs themselves. Putting in
across land, air, and sea. There is a high degree of R&D investment place a powerful data backbone now, will be the
planned in the unmanned systems sector going forward, drones in key to military logistics success going forward.

38 | March 2022 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ ADT