Abstract:
The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (SAC) and the U.S. Army Aviation Development Directorate - Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (ADD-AATD) have jointly sponsored the Capability-Based Operations and Sustainment Technology-Aviation (COST-A) program. The objective of COST-A has been to develop and demonstrate an integrated set of high-value diagnostics, prognostics, and system health management technologies for six different rotorcraft systems with a focus on reduced maintenance burden without sacrificing safety. A major challenge was the integration and verification of constituent technologies within a fully-integrated, representative software environment in parallel to technology development and validation. This paper describes the COST-A integrated system and technology verification process used. Over 40 advanced technologies were successfully integrated and verified within the COST-A system. Results documented herein focus on integration and verification highlights for each of the six rotorcraft systems to illustrate the challenges, technical approach, general success, and lessons learned.