Currently, warships come into dock for maintenance on a prescribed schedule of ‘health monitoring’ and parts replacement. Increasing reliability, however, can lead to lengthy and unnecessary maintenance, or perfectly good parts being replaced while they are still fully operational. On inspection, other parts may be identified as needing replacement but are not immediately available. This common scenario often leads to a delay in dock, increased manpower requirements and unforeseen costs.
What if data from sensors on all the components of a ship enabled a detailed condition-based monitoring programme over a reliability-centred maintenance plan?
Our team is working to make this vision a reality.
I’m excited to be working at this cutting edge of technology. At its heart is the desire to link and use data more effectively to save time and money. Sam Horry, Data Science Lead, BAE Systems
Our solution has so far been trialled aboard the Type 45 class and survey class vessels, with real-time data sent over satellite, and has provided the opportunity to collaborate further with third party maintenance contractors.
“I’m excited to be working at this cutting edge of technology. At its heart is the desire to link and use data more effectively to save time and money.” Ashwin Chandran, Programme Lead,
During these trials, we identified projected savings with maintenance time reductions allowing ships to be operational for more of their working life. This programme is just one of the ways BAE Systems can provide its customers with enhanced performance, greater operational capability and increased platform availability.
