{"id":14427,"date":"2019-07-20T13:23:03","date_gmt":"2019-07-20T13:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/20\/it-aint-broke-but-still-fix-it-how-predicting-repairs-is-transforming-maintenance\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:33:41","slug":"it-aint-broke-but-still-fix-it-how-predicting-repairs-is-transforming-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/07\/20\/it-aint-broke-but-still-fix-it-how-predicting-repairs-is-transforming-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"It ain\u2019t broke, but still fix it: How predicting repairs is transforming maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force is going all-in on a new maintenance technique that it hopes will allow it to predict when parts are going to fail on aircraft before they break \u2014 and save vast amounts of time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conditions-based maintenance technique, called CBM+, will allow the Air Force to use predictive analytics to track when parts on airplanes are likely to break, and schedule a convenient time to have a maintainer swap out that part ahead of time. It has already been tested on C-5M cargo planes<\/a> and KC-135R tankers at 10 bases around the world, and has also been used on the B-1B Lancer bomber<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In effect, the Air Force no longer wants to wait for old and worn-out parts to break, but swap them out befrore they reach that point. When the Air Force flies its planes until they break, they have no choice but to take them out of action<\/a> and send them into the shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s not the most effective way to do it. By waiting until the last minute, maintenance shops might be full up or out of necessary parts, and those planes might have to wait their turn. This takes them off the line for longer than they might otherwise need to if they planned this work out in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where CBM+ comes in. In a Friday conference call with reporters, Brig. Gen. Steven Bleymaier, director of logistics, engineering and force protection for Air Mobility Command, said that the last thing the Air Force wants to do is send a team of maintainers across the world to go fix a vital aircraft that\u2019s been sidelined on a mission. This will be a huge leap forward toward avoiding unscheduled maintenance that might be inconvenient for everybody, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat this is able to do is allow us to keep our promises to the warfighters that depend on us, and allow us to save time and money over a long period of time,\u201d Bleymaier said. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking for ways to reduce churn for our maintainers out there, and also our operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private aviation companies such as Delta Airlines have been using such a program for years and achieved tremendous savings, Bleymaier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And CBM+ is going to only grow from here. Parts of the program are slated to go into effect for all variants of the C-130H and J aircraft this summer, and then the C-17 will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe results are exciting,\u201d Bleymaier said of the first tests. \u201cThey really show us we\u2019re going to see results and savings in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maj. Todd Downs, the Air Force\u2019s lead for CBM+ integration, said the program has two elements: Predictive Algorithm Development, or PAD, which collects data from sensors and diagnostic systems already installed in aircraft, and runs it through algorithms to figure out how much certain components or systems have likely degraded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a part hits a certain degradation limit, Downs said, it trips an alert. That lets maintainers in the field know they need to replace that part before it breaks entirely, which would take the plane off the line \u2014 or could even put its crew in danger, if it breaks in-flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\t