Lone Star Analysis Secures Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Contract

Lone Star Analysis was awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract totaling $799,926.00 to support the Naval Aviation Enterprise. Contract execution will be accomplished using the TruNavigator® platform for the development and delivery of near-real-time cartridge actuated device/propellant actuated device (CAD/PAD) digital twins to support service life adjustment decisions. The digital twins being developed are ‘failure’ twins which will capture and analyze the accumulation of meaningful stressors for real-time representations of individual component useful life.

“Naval aviation continues to experience issues with CAD/PAD shortages, obsolescence, lot failures, diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages (DMSMS), and production and shipping delays,” said Steve Roemerman, chairman and CEO, Lone Star Analysis. “Lone Star’s software and digital twin technology will help support readiness and safety decisions across multiple naval aviation platforms.”

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has lifecycle ownership accountability for more than 2,500 different CAD/PAD types with over 805,000 individual components installed on active aircraft. Each component type has unique failure mechanisms that ultimately drive safety, cost, and logistics uncertainty. Current maintenance practices fail to consider uncertainty, resulting in components being removed when there is still significant effective useful life. Understanding and accounting for uncertainty, Lone Star helps better manage asset service life.

The vision of the SBIR digital twin project is to establish a non-intrusive system of automated analysis solutions that deliver near the real-time performance and useful life projections by device and serial number. Eventually, the solution will fulfill associated maintenance intervention metrics for the entire CAD/PAD inventory. Phase I leveraged preliminary F/A-18 ejection seat work conducted by Lone Star and focused on operationalizing the capability. The end goal is the delivery of a secure, web-based capability that is accessible via the Navy’s network. This capability will be authorized to connect to authoritative government data sources as required to monitor and predict CAD/PAD service life and performance. The solution developed will facilitate service life adjustment decisions and support optimized inventory management.

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