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Project Announcement: LRU/WRAs Demonstration and Evaluation for IFD Implementation Depot Level Maintenance at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division

A potentially faulty electronic system in the field can compromise reliability and safety for the public. Electronic maintenance poses an ever-increasing challenge for the technician today because of the limitations of current No Found Fault (NFF) equipment and training.  The reduced size of electronic chips, coupled with increases in their interactions and complexities of equipment, have led to difficulties in diagnosing system faults; when these faults occur at the component level and are intermittent in nature.  Often this very expensive equipment is replaced and not repaired, thus increasing transportation costs for the general public.

The purpose of this collaboration is to build upon the experiences of Fleet Readiness Center South West and Hill Air Force Base in utilizing the Intermittent Fault Detection & Isolation System (IFDIS) and Voyager Intermittent Fault Detector (VIFD) to assess the best strategy to implement this game-changing electronics maintenance capability into Fleet Readiness Centers. This technology will be evaluated at NSWC Crane to determine if the IFDIS and VIFD meet the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) Strategic Goals and Initiatives for establishing an industrial maintenance capability.  A primary goal of NSWC Crane is to deliver a unique mix of value to PMA-265, thereby helping to positively affect the Operations and Support (O&S) levers, which will have a direct impact on Total Ownership Cost (TOC).

The objective of this project with NSWC Crane is to expand use cases for Intermittent Fault Detection (IFD) technology and to make qualified determinations on its potential effectiveness as a depot maintenance sustainment solution.  For example:

  • Evaluating the potential to operate this capability as a joint interoperable maintenance capability in the depot.
  • Developing new applications for IFD testing across various electrical components.
  • Evaluating the prospective opportunities to improve field- and depot-level maintenance across the NAE that can be leveraged by all the services.
  • Demonstrating and Evaluating the readiness of electronics and weapons systems by industrializing IFD technology, test protocols, and processes into a depot environment.

To learn more about this project contact CTMA@ncms.org. We encourage the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), including Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs).