USMC Putting Prognostics in its Vehicles

Good car owners take their vehicle in for maintenance after a certain number of months, or a certain number of miles, whichever comes first. Depending on the vehicle's age and mileage, the dealer's mechanic will have a list of standard systems to check and/or replace. It's the same for the military, with the added pressure that vehicle breakdowns in a combat zone are not acceptable. So the inspections and rebuilds take place regularly, and it's considered better to replace a working part with a new one than risk problems later. Unless, of course, land vehicles included the same sort of proactive diagnostics ("prognostics") that are making their way into aircraft and helicopters. Maintenance could then take place only when necessary, keeping a higher percentage of vehicles in service, saving some money, and creating faster turnaround time for real problems.

That's the aim of the US Marine Corps' Embedded Platform Logistics System….

Lockheed Martin just announced a $144.8 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to develop it for the Marines' aging AAV7 Amtracs amphibious assault vehicles, its LAV wheeled APCs, and MTVR medium trucks. As part of the Marine Corps Logistics Modernization programs, modifications will be made to add sensors, on-board computers, displays and devices necessary to monitor vehicle performance. Using data captured from individual vehicle sensors, the Enhanced Platform Logistics System will provide predictive data and failure analysis.

Once that data is available, of course, it has applications well beyond just the individual vehicles. The contract also calls for the creation of databases and end-user management applications to offer accurate fleet operational status and system health reporting, and improve the availability of logistics information to commanders.



According to Debra Palmer, vice president of Lockheed Martin Enterprise Logistics Solutions, the new system leverages many of the concepts and lessons learned from Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter program's Autonomic Logistics Information System; and from the United Kingdom's Joint Asset Management Engineering System (JAMES).