Projects

Manufacturing at Speed – Digital Twins for Consistency Management

Awardee: Northrup
Category: Standards and Architectures, Digital Manufacturing, Advanced Methods
Status: Completed

Digital Twin applied to Strike, leveraging Pattern Based Systems Engineering (PBSE), with projections of applying the approach across the entire value stream.

CREATING A BASELINE
Using the Agile Systems Engineering Life Cycle Management (ASELCM) pattern by INCOSE MBSE Patterns Working Group and previous Northrop Grumman (NGC) IR&D work, NGC created a pattern of a defense engagement facilitating multiple consistent configurations. ICTT System Sciences (ICTT) provided assistance with the application and use of the INCOSE Patterns WG ASELCM pattern. NGC provided access to Cameo Systems Modeler tooling and models were made in SysML. NGC worked with ICTT and Advanced Composites Technology – Aerospace (ACT-A) to develop configurations of multiple Patterns for a Strike laminate shelf. ICTT led NGC and ACTA in the application of NGC selected use case(s) for supply chain integration including applications of the Consistency Management pattern.

UNCOVERING THE PATTERN (UTP) AND ADVANCING THE PRACTICE (ATP)
NGC led ICTT and ACTA to build on previous efforts and develop an extension for Consistency Management pattern for Supply Chain Integration enabling Manufacturing At Speed (M@S). ICTT taught PBSE through UTP and ATP illustrating Defense platform asset pattern and Consistency Management pattern for Supply Chain Integration configurations. To do this ICTT conducted UTP workshops and partial pattern generation. NGC & ICTT built-out the life cycle domain, stakeholder features, States, narrower illustrative sample “slice” of Interactions, Logical Roles, Design Components, and Requirements. This was a joint effort with NGC and ACTA to focus on the subset of models of particular interest.

This project leveraged decisions about the product (composite shelf), organizational processes, artifact information across organizational boundaries, and whether that decision-making is by humans, by automated algorithms, or by a hybrid of both. For example, decision-making in defense engagement can be due to operational situations and can occur at different hierarchical levels (e.g., platform, operational, tactical). Decision-making due to management of the entire lifecycle can be about various life cycle stages (e.g., engineering, production, sustainment, etc.) for the Strike platform. System integration in the broader ecosystem is about NGC and ACTA consistency between processes, information, and systems. These can occur at different hierarchical levels (e.g., with design activity or at higher requirements- design trade activity or cross life cycle domain levels). In both cases, general patterns can be used to (1) generate alternatives for decision-makers (people or machines or both) or (2) test alternatives for conformance to governing pattern “guard rails” that we don’t want to violate, including “explaining” violations if detected.

Model-Based Systems Engineering Frameworks

Awardee: STC
Category: Standards and Architectures, Digital Manufacturing
Status: Completed

Strategic Technology Consulting (STC), an Arcfield Company, is a highly differentiated, non-traditional defense contractor and commercial services provider, headquartered in Chantilly, VA, with a proven track record of developing, managing, and executing digital threads and providing Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Digital Engineering (DE) services for the Department of War and United States Air Force. Established in 2013, STC combines industry-leading technical expertise with innovative acquisition strategies, directly aligning contractor success with mission outcomes. STC has a team of more than 300+ MBSE and DE industry-leading subject matter experts and has led more than 100+ defense programs using a best-in-class MBSE/DE approach. Its expertise involves the complete development lifecycle, enabling successful technology transfer and bridging the valley of death between research, acquisition, testing, and fielding of operationally relevant and proven capabilities. As part of an effort executed through the DRIVE Consortium in support of the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) and the 96th Test Wing (96 TW), STC closely collaborated with AFTC and 96TW stakeholders to capture requirements, stakeholder concerns, operational behaviors, and system interactions across a portfolio of MBSE initiatives, ensuring that all modeling outputs accurately reflected the needs and priorities of the organization and aligned with AFTC’s enterprise Digital Materiel Management (DMM) strategy. STC also eliminated time-consuming, labor-intensive tasks by leveraging innovative technological practices and tools to enable faster timelines, significant cost savings, and enhanced technical resilience while maintaining high-quality solutions for national security. STC supported the development of behavioral and structural architectures, system context definitions, and model-derived technical documentation, while also guiding the creation and refinement of corporate MBSE infrastructure such as style guides, model management templates, validation suites, organizational libraries, and velocity-template-based document generation tools. STC’s solution areas also include MBSE-as-a-Service (MBSEaaS), Digital Engineering-as-a-Service (DEaaS), Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Solutions, and Custom Digital Workforce Training & Enablement. In addition to producing technical modeling artifacts, STC delivered ongoing technical guidance, demonstrations, and hands-on training to AFTC personnel to enhance modeling proficiency and ensure consistent adoption of MBSE standards. STC also supported digital technical reviews, configuration management activities, and model sustainment planning to maintain the accuracy, integrity, and long-term usability of authoritative system models across the AFTC organization. This integrated approach fostered operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making, modernizing the defense acquisition process for an edge in meeting mission-critical requirements.

Manufacturing at Speed, pt. 1

Awardee: Raytheon
Category: Digital Manufacturing
Status: Completed

The RTX Technology Research Center, Raytheon (an RTX Business Unit) and the International TechneGroup, Incorporated (ITI) proposed a 30-month effort solution for Manufacturing at Speed (M@S.1) to develop a first of kind “design-to-field” collaborative ecosystem that links investments, data, people, and tools to rapidly iterate the design through manufacturing process. Their approach disrupts the traditional systems engineering “V” to enable collaborative analysis on demand. Their Manufacturing at Speed Ecosystem allows product owners across the industry and government to view real-time virtual and real scenarios during the product development life cycle to understand impacts to manufacturing speed. Current design methodologies help companies improve overall problem solving in specific design and performance areas but have yet to demonstrate a truly agile, collaborative environment. The promises of many leading industry approaches (MBE, digital thread) fall short in providing a connected ecosystem. These approaches focus on moving data downstream, losing intent and connectivity that is organically created. This effort will specifically address this shortfall—accelerating speed to manufacturing. Their M@S.1 effort will: (i) reduce design cycle time by >45%; (ii) reduce manufacturing/test cycle time by >50%; and, (iii) reduce procurement time >70%. Their proposed ecosystem will be applied to RTX’s EAGLE product family, a revolutionary modular electro-mechanical product used in multiple Air Force & other DoD programs. Their demonstration showed >45% estimated improvement in design to manufacture speed, improved yield, and change traceability to understand impact.

Manufacturing at Speed – Odysseus Genesis

Awardee: Knudsen Institute
Category: Manufacturing Readiness, Advanced Methods
Status: Completed

Four Barriers to be Broken
Project Odysseus Genesis accelerated the initial development of Project Odysseus with a focus on increasing the speed in utilizing new and non-traditional small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) by removing initial barriers to entry into the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). These barriers include: 1. the current passive non-data-driven outreaches to discover new suppliers; 2. a lack of quality Technical Data Packages (TDPs) for SMMs to use; 3. a slow, inefficient, and costly vetting process done at the National Stock Number (NSN) level; and 4. complying with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements for receiving Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). To be more specific, the first barrier is the current passive process of sending out a Request for Information (RFI) or Sources Sought (SS) during the pre-solicitation phase of procurement, relying on potential new suppliers to constantly seek out such notifications. The second barrier, a lack of quality TDPs, results in a set of NSNs that are not feasible for SMMs to become a source of supply. Anecdotal evidence suggests that only large companies are willing to make the time and investment to reverse engineer DIB parts. The third barrier is the difficulty for a new SMM to become an approved source for an NSN. For parts that are not competitively bid due to only one responsible source (SAR 6.302-1), new suppliers must make the effort to submit a Source Approval Request (SAR) package for approval, which is only good for that specific part. For parts open to competitive bidding, new suppliers must go through First Article Inspection (FAI), which slows down the time to delivery and introduces inefficiencies and potential costs for the supplier. The fourth barrier relates to the secure transfer and storage of technical data or TDPs. As TDPs are categorized as CUI, they require all data holders to be CMMC level 2, requiring investment and a 3rd party to help self-certify.

Four Solutions to these Barriers
Project Odysseus addressed these four barriers with a suite of related technology solutions: 1. The Semi-Autonomous Data Engine (SADE) to create an Evergreen Data Asset on potential SMMs that allows for analyses on compatibility with the defense industry’s needs; 2. a network of providers to create modern technical requirements on NSNs lacking technical data; 3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities that enable new suppliers to be evaluated on manufacturing capabilities that link them to multiple relevant NSNs; and, 4. the Cloud CAD/CAM Program Operator (C3PO), a cloud-based system that reduces CMMC cybersecurity burden on new suppliers needing to see CUI while allowing them to use their existing Computer Aided Design (CAD) & Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) tools.

Manufacturing at Speed – Supply Chain Readiness and Review

Awardee: Spark Cognition with Boeing
Category: Manufacturing Readiness
Status: Completed

This proposal specifically addresses the Statement of Objectives for M@S.2 and lays out a detailed use case and research plan for the exploration of the military supply challenges encountered by a crucial and representative aerospace and defense industrial base leader. Avathon aimed to highlight the significance of addressing these challenges with a collaborative enterprise architecture to extend the applicability of the USAF’s advanced operating concepts like Agile Combat Employment (ACE) into the supply chain domain. By understanding complexities inherent in Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) supply chains and their associated obstacles, they can identify potential solutions to improve the overall readiness and effectiveness of the force and industrial base in the context of a peer fight. They believe the deployment of AI Software can greatly impact the speed at which critical information and inferences can be developed and decisions made across supply chains, and thus improve over today’s solutions.

Avathon observed this step change benefit in the deployment of AI through working with some of the largest organizations in the world including BP, Shell, and OEMs within Aerospace and Defense. This includes solving unique data science problems and delivering scalable SW architectures for deployments at scale, many of which have resulted in patents and unique technological breakthroughs.

The use case defined builds upon work between Avathon, OEMs, and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to create better designed parts for current and new build aircraft and stretches into the supply chain to:
‐ Generate predictions for current and future weapons programs to identify and predict lead times as well as the viability of the supply base and perspective supplier difficult to predict lead times.
‐ Assess and identify risk in the supply chain using knowledge graph technology enabling faster decision-making and enhanced data sharing.

Manufacturing at Speed – Quantum Computing for Aerospace and Defense

Awardee: IBM & Cleveland Clinic
Category: Advanced Methods
Status: Completed

OAI hosted a two day workshop as part of a study that was facilitated by IBM for the purpose of identifying impactful applications of quantum computing for aerospace & defense. The workshop was attended by many DRIVE Consortium members as well a number of representatives from various Air Force Research Lab Directorates and other government entities. The workshop participants produced a litany of potential applications that would be impactful for aerospace and defense. This comprehensive list was evaluated by the participants and the potential applications of quantum computing were prioritized, identifying the top four applications most worthy of further research. These four impactful areas of interest were published by IBM in a document titled, “Exploring Quantum Use Cases for the Aerospace Industry, Accelerating development of new productsand advanced materials.” This paper can be found at https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/quantum-aerospace. A follow-on effort built upon this effort to drill deeper into one of the four use cases identified namely, the use case of “Accelerated Material Development”. This follow-on effort was driven by a subset of the workshop attendees from Raytheon and Rockwell Collins as well as quantum computing SME’s from IBM, AFRL\RQ senior scientists and OAI to drill into how quantum computing can be impactful for challenges encountered with hypersonic material development. This team team published a paper once the effort was completed entitled, “Quantum Computation for for Hypersonic Chemistry and Materials.” The Cleveland Clinic engaged in the project by bringing their quantum computing expertise given they have had an on-site quantum computer at the Clinic for a few years. Theyalso provided insight into how they have utilized quantum computing for some of the challenges that they face within helth science that are synergistic to aerospace (i.e. logistics, material development, etc.).

Manufacturing at Speed – Digital Twins for Consistency Management

Awardee: Northrup
Category: Standards and Architectures, Digital Manufacturing, Advanced Methods
Status: Completed

Digital Twin applied to Strike, leveraging Pattern Based Systems Engineering (PBSE), with projections of applying the approach across the entire value stream.

CREATING A BASELINE
Using the Agile Systems Engineering Life Cycle Management (ASELCM) pattern by INCOSE MBSE Patterns Working Group and previous Northrop Grumman (NGC) IR&D work, NGC created a pattern of a defense engagement facilitating multiple consistent configurations. ICTT System Sciences (ICTT) provided assistance with the application and use of the INCOSE Patterns WG ASELCM pattern. NGC provided access to Cameo Systems Modeler tooling and models were made in SysML. NGC worked with ICTT and Advanced Composites Technology – Aerospace (ACT-A) to develop configurations of multiple Patterns for a Strike laminate shelf. ICTT led NGC and ACTA in the application of NGC selected use case(s) for supply chain integration including applications of the Consistency Management pattern.

UNCOVERING THE PATTERN (UTP) AND ADVANCING THE PRACTICE (ATP)
NGC led ICTT and ACTA to build on previous efforts and develop an extension for Consistency Management pattern for Supply Chain Integration enabling Manufacturing At Speed (M@S). ICTT taught PBSE through UTP and ATP illustrating Defense platform asset pattern and Consistency Management pattern for Supply Chain Integration configurations. To do this ICTT conducted UTP workshops and partial pattern generation. NGC & ICTT built-out the life cycle domain, stakeholder features, States, narrower illustrative sample “slice” of Interactions, Logical Roles, Design Components, and Requirements. This was a joint effort with NGC and ACTA to focus on the subset of models of particular interest.

This project leveraged decisions about the product (composite shelf), organizational processes, artifact information across organizational boundaries, and whether that decision-making is by humans, by automated algorithms, or by a hybrid of both. For example, decision-making in defense engagement can be due to operational situations and can occur at different hierarchical levels (e.g., platform, operational, tactical). Decision-making due to management of the entire lifecycle can be about various life cycle stages (e.g., engineering, production, sustainment, etc.) for the Strike platform. System integration in the broader ecosystem is about NGC and ACTA consistency between processes, information, and systems. These can occur at different hierarchical levels (e.g., with design activity or at higher requirements- design trade activity or cross life cycle domain levels). In both cases, general patterns can be used to (1) generate alternatives for decision-makers (people or machines or both) or (2) test alternatives for conformance to governing pattern “guard rails” that we don’t want to violate, including “explaining” violations if detected.

Manufacturing at Speed – Odysseus Genesis

Awardee: Knudsen Institute
Category: Manufacturing Readiness, Advanced Methods
Status: Completed

Four Barriers to be Broken
Project Odysseus Genesis accelerated the initial development of Project Odysseus with a focus on increasing the speed in utilizing new and non-traditional small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) by removing initial barriers to entry into the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). These barriers include: 1. the current passive non-data-driven outreaches to discover new suppliers; 2. a lack of quality Technical Data Packages (TDPs) for SMMs to use; 3. a slow, inefficient, and costly vetting process done at the National Stock Number (NSN) level; and 4. complying with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements for receiving Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). To be more specific, the first barrier is the current passive process of sending out a Request for Information (RFI) or Sources Sought (SS) during the pre-solicitation phase of procurement, relying on potential new suppliers to constantly seek out such notifications. The second barrier, a lack of quality TDPs, results in a set of NSNs that are not feasible for SMMs to become a source of supply. Anecdotal evidence suggests that only large companies are willing to make the time and investment to reverse engineer DIB parts. The third barrier is the difficulty for a new SMM to become an approved source for an NSN. For parts that are not competitively bid due to only one responsible source (SAR 6.302-1), new suppliers must make the effort to submit a Source Approval Request (SAR) package for approval, which is only good for that specific part. For parts open to competitive bidding, new suppliers must go through First Article Inspection (FAI), which slows down the time to delivery and introduces inefficiencies and potential costs for the supplier. The fourth barrier relates to the secure transfer and storage of technical data or TDPs. As TDPs are categorized as CUI, they require all data holders to be CMMC level 2, requiring investment and a 3rd party to help self-certify.

Four Solutions to these Barriers
Project Odysseus addressed these four barriers with a suite of related technology solutions: 1. The Semi-Autonomous Data Engine (SADE) to create an Evergreen Data Asset on potential SMMs that allows for analyses on compatibility with the defense industry’s needs; 2. a network of providers to create modern technical requirements on NSNs lacking technical data; 3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities that enable new suppliers to be evaluated on manufacturing capabilities that link them to multiple relevant NSNs; and, 4. the Cloud CAD/CAM Program Operator (C3PO), a cloud-based system that reduces CMMC cybersecurity burden on new suppliers needing to see CUI while allowing them to use their existing Computer Aided Design (CAD) & Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) tools.

Manufacturing at Speed – Digital Twins for Consistency Management

Awardee: Northrup
Category: Standards and Architectures, Digital Manufacturing, Advanced Methods
Status: Completed

Digital Twin applied to Strike, leveraging Pattern Based Systems Engineering (PBSE), with projections of applying the approach across the entire value stream.

CREATING A BASELINE
Using the Agile Systems Engineering Life Cycle Management (ASELCM) pattern by INCOSE MBSE Patterns Working Group and previous Northrop Grumman (NGC) IR&D work, NGC created a pattern of a defense engagement facilitating multiple consistent configurations. ICTT System Sciences (ICTT) provided assistance with the application and use of the INCOSE Patterns WG ASELCM pattern. NGC provided access to Cameo Systems Modeler tooling and models were made in SysML. NGC worked with ICTT and Advanced Composites Technology – Aerospace (ACT-A) to develop configurations of multiple Patterns for a Strike laminate shelf. ICTT led NGC and ACTA in the application of NGC selected use case(s) for supply chain integration including applications of the Consistency Management pattern.

UNCOVERING THE PATTERN (UTP) AND ADVANCING THE PRACTICE (ATP)
NGC led ICTT and ACTA to build on previous efforts and develop an extension for Consistency Management pattern for Supply Chain Integration enabling Manufacturing At Speed (M@S). ICTT taught PBSE through UTP and ATP illustrating Defense platform asset pattern and Consistency Management pattern for Supply Chain Integration configurations. To do this ICTT conducted UTP workshops and partial pattern generation. NGC & ICTT built-out the life cycle domain, stakeholder features, States, narrower illustrative sample “slice” of Interactions, Logical Roles, Design Components, and Requirements. This was a joint effort with NGC and ACTA to focus on the subset of models of particular interest.

This project leveraged decisions about the product (composite shelf), organizational processes, artifact information across organizational boundaries, and whether that decision-making is by humans, by automated algorithms, or by a hybrid of both. For example, decision-making in defense engagement can be due to operational situations and can occur at different hierarchical levels (e.g., platform, operational, tactical). Decision-making due to management of the entire lifecycle can be about various life cycle stages (e.g., engineering, production, sustainment, etc.) for the Strike platform. System integration in the broader ecosystem is about NGC and ACTA consistency between processes, information, and systems. These can occur at different hierarchical levels (e.g., with design activity or at higher requirements- design trade activity or cross life cycle domain levels). In both cases, general patterns can be used to (1) generate alternatives for decision-makers (people or machines or both) or (2) test alternatives for conformance to governing pattern “guard rails” that we don’t want to violate, including “explaining” violations if detected.

Ontologies within Weapons System Development

Awardee: Ethar
Category: Standards and Architectures
Status: Completed

This study involved a focused assessment of how industrial ontologies and knowledge graphs could address persistent information-integration challenges across Department of the Air Force weapon systems development, manufacturing, and maintenance environments. The project examined the readiness and applicability of existing ontology resources for DAF ManTech needs, with particular attention to aerospace manufacturing use cases where disconnected data, inconsistent terminology, and limited semantic interoperability can impair decision-making, production efficiency, maintenance planning, and knowledge reuse. Ethar assembled ontology, knowledge graph, standards, and augmented reality expertise to identify and evaluate relevant ontologies from trusted sources, conduct an AI-assisted literature review, define ontology evaluation criteria, explore a DAF-relevant “Hole Alignment for Fabrication” use case, assess enterprise knowledge graph platforms, and establish the foundation for a testbed capable of supporting future competency-question and sample-data evaluation. The work produced a baseline assessment of the industrial ontology landscape, identified candidate ontologies and technology gaps, recommended future development and testbed priorities, and clarified how semantic knowledge layers could enable more interoperable, context-aware, and AR-enabled manufacturing workflows. The value of the project is that it gave AFRL and DAF stakeholders a practical roadmap for moving ontology and knowledge graph concepts from research into operationally relevant defense manufacturing applications, including improved data accessibility, decision support, quality control, collaboration, and future real-time guidance for technicians and engineers.

Model-Based Systems Engineering Frameworks

Awardee: STC
Category: Standards and Architectures, Digital Manufacturing
Status: Completed

Strategic Technology Consulting (STC), an Arcfield Company, is a highly differentiated, non-traditional defense contractor and commercial services provider, headquartered in Chantilly, VA, with a proven track record of developing, managing, and executing digital threads and providing Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Digital Engineering (DE) services for the Department of War and United States Air Force. Established in 2013, STC combines industry-leading technical expertise with innovative acquisition strategies, directly aligning contractor success with mission outcomes. STC has a team of more than 300+ MBSE and DE industry-leading subject matter experts and has led more than 100+ defense programs using a best-in-class MBSE/DE approach. Its expertise involves the complete development lifecycle, enabling successful technology transfer and bridging the valley of death between research, acquisition, testing, and fielding of operationally relevant and proven capabilities. As part of an effort executed through the DRIVE Consortium in support of the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) and the 96th Test Wing (96 TW), STC closely collaborated with AFTC and 96TW stakeholders to capture requirements, stakeholder concerns, operational behaviors, and system interactions across a portfolio of MBSE initiatives, ensuring that all modeling outputs accurately reflected the needs and priorities of the organization and aligned with AFTC’s enterprise Digital Materiel Management (DMM) strategy. STC also eliminated time-consuming, labor-intensive tasks by leveraging innovative technological practices and tools to enable faster timelines, significant cost savings, and enhanced technical resilience while maintaining high-quality solutions for national security. STC supported the development of behavioral and structural architectures, system context definitions, and model-derived technical documentation, while also guiding the creation and refinement of corporate MBSE infrastructure such as style guides, model management templates, validation suites, organizational libraries, and velocity-template-based document generation tools. STC’s solution areas also include MBSE-as-a-Service (MBSEaaS), Digital Engineering-as-a-Service (DEaaS), Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Solutions, and Custom Digital Workforce Training & Enablement. In addition to producing technical modeling artifacts, STC delivered ongoing technical guidance, demonstrations, and hands-on training to AFTC personnel to enhance modeling proficiency and ensure consistent adoption of MBSE standards. STC also supported digital technical reviews, configuration management activities, and model sustainment planning to maintain the accuracy, integrity, and long-term usability of authoritative system models across the AFTC organization. This integrated approach fostered operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making, modernizing the defense acquisition process for an edge in meeting mission-critical requirements.