{"id":55082,"date":"2018-09-25T18:18:11","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T18:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/25\/air-force-looks-to-data-analytics-to-help-solve-b-1-c-5-maintenance-challenges\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:00:37","slug":"air-force-looks-to-data-analytics-to-help-solve-b-1-c-5-maintenance-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2018\/09\/25\/air-force-looks-to-data-analytics-to-help-solve-b-1-c-5-maintenance-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"US Air Force turns to data analytics to solve B-1, C-5 maintenance challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Air Force is making changes to the way it sustains the B-1B Lancer bomber<\/a> and C-5 Super Galaxy cargo plane<\/a>, moving to a maintenance approach that will allow it to use data analytics to predict problems, the acting head of Air Force Materiel Command said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the B-1 and C-5 fleets transitioned to a conditions-based maintenance model last month, Lt. Gen. Robert McMurry, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, told Defense News in a Sept. 18 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the aging fleet situation that we have, we probably need to be using data better to take care of it \u2014 which is a drive toward what most everyone right now is saying is the right way to manage fleet sustainment, which is through condition-based maintenance and data analytics,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we\u2019re trying to bring that on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The approach \u2014 which involves using algorithms to predict the need for repairs rather than waiting for a part to break \u2014 is a standard practice in the commercial airline industry to help reduce maintenance-related delays or cancellations, but has been less common in the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\t