{"id":64193,"date":"2023-01-19T21:12:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T21:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/01\/19\/us-army-turns-to-predictive-maintenance-to-cut-mishaps\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:46:12","slug":"us-army-turns-to-predictive-maintenance-to-cut-mishaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2023\/01\/19\/us-army-turns-to-predictive-maintenance-to-cut-mishaps\/","title":{"rendered":"US Army turns to predictive maintenance to cut mishaps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Government Accountability Office is praising the military\u2019s use of predictive maintenance \u2014 meaning repairs made before equipment breaks \u2014 to avoid accidents and save money, according to a recently released report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach has long been encouraged; indeed, the Pentagon issued a policy two decades ago meant to promote predictive maintenance adoption. But GAO said it wasn\u2019t until recent years the services began making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army, for instance, first implemented predictive maintenance on AH-64 helicopters in 2005. By 2012, the service was using this approach with the UH-60 helicopter as well as some vehicle programs. By early last year, it had installed predictive maintenance capability on 65% of its CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter fleet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maj. Gen. Thomas O\u2019Connor, the Army Aviation and Missile Command commander, told Defense News in an interview this month that the approach is bolstering safety and saving money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, it was far more challenging to catch early wear and tear on parts that could, if unaddressed, lead to serious or fatal accidents. Or the Army swapped out too early parts with plenty of life left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, O\u2019Connor said, the service is increasingly catching problems before they generate in-flight issues for its aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery day we are getting these red flags,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cWe\u2019re removing components and replacing them earlier in order to save short-term readiness and prevent any catastrophic failures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one instance, a UH-60 Black Hawk<\/a> was experiencing some abnormal tail rotor vibrations. Using predictive maintenance capabilities, the Army determined a gearbox was failing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the teardown inspection, we determined that this one was within hours of catastrophic failure, which would have likely resulted in loss of aircraft,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another instance, the Army identified through sensor data that an AH-64 Apache<\/a> attack helicopter\u2019s nose gearbox was operating abnormally. The Army removed the aircraft from service and determined the part was about to fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army also identified abnormal vibration in a UH-60 main rotor swashplate, tore it down and discovered the bearings were giving out, which could have led to another catastrophic event<\/a>, O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told Defense News the service is increasingly relying on technology to help it determine what repairs are needed when.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the CH-47 fleet, for instance, the Army used to perform major service on the helicopters at two key times: after 200 flight hours and again after 400 flight hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a lot of historical data that helps drive us to understand component wear and services and all associated with the CH-47 fleet,\u201d he said. With the help of that data, \u201cwe extended that [second] service out to 620 flight hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t