6 Ways to Reduce Aerospace and Defense Program Risk

Electrical system issues have derailed a number of high profile platform development programs. The incessant demand for increased platform performance, coupled with the trend toward implementing more capabilities using electrical systems, have made development programs less certain. New sources of risk, unique to electrically intensive platforms, must be mitigated. Realizing these risks not only hampers program execution, but also threatens careers, and in the worst case, imperils corporate viability.

Electrical system digital twin to reduce program risk

This presentation describes how a development environment employing a complete digital twin of the platform electrical system reduces program risk. It discusses the importance of employing a mature and fully functional, multi-domain digital thread to enrich the digital twin throughout the platform’s lifecycle: from definition, through design, into production and throughout its operating life for sustainment. It covers the role that automation and reuse play in reducing electrical system implementation risk. Finally, it explains how validation techniques with direct, continuous access to the electrical system digital twin can be applied to reduce integration and compliance risk.

Benefits of reducing program risk

Those adopting this approach also accrue productivity advantages across the domains of the electrical discipline. Furthermore, they often reduce their cost of quality, achieving functional and compliant first articles with fewer design/integration/production iterations. Many also find that their need for costly ECOs is vastly reduced. However, these are all collateral benefits, subordinate to the ability to de-risk their programs and achieve their expected end.

Key learnings to reduce program risk

• How an electrical system digital thread reduces ECOs
• Utilizing design data to improve quality and enable sustainment
• Continuous design development analysis to reduce integration risk

Who might be interested in reducing program risk

• CTOs
• Engineering management
• Program management