Predictive maintenance tool from C3.ai uses artificial intelligence AI to forecast aircraft maintenance

Jan. 30, 2020
Experts expect the Pentagon to adopt artificial intelligence for business before experimenting with greater levels of autonomy on the battlefield.

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley outpost awarded C3.ai Inc. in Redwood City, Calif., a contract for software that predicts when military aircraft will need repairs. Defense News reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

30 Jan. 2020 -- The artificial intelligence (AI) tool would make more aircraft available for missions and could potentially save billions of dollars in maintenance costs. The deal is worth as much as $95 million and is expected to run for five years.

In late 2017, just 90 days after first meeting with Department of Defense officials, C3.ai reached a prototype agreement to evaluate and process maintenance records from the E-3 Sentry (AWACS) and to plan for repairs.

The deal was later extended for the evaluation to include the C-5 Galaxy and eventually the F-35. That prototype period ended in December. During that period, the C3.ai predictive maintenance software was able to forecast about one-third of unscheduled maintenance events to subsystems.

Related: Special Forces sets May technology demonstration for artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive modeling

Related: Army investigates the role of artificial intelligence on sensor processing, Next Generation Combat Vehicle

Related: F-35 is about to get a lot smarter, using artificial intelligence to compile mission data files

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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