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FEINDEF 2019: AR and Drone Inspections for Aircraft

System to be Trialed on Spanish A400M Fleet

Airbus announced at FEINDEF 2019 in Madrid that the Spanish Air Force will be the first service worldwide to adopt the company’s drone and augmented reality (AR) maintenance inspection services, with the objectives of drastically reducing inspections for large military aircraft and increasing overall fleet availability.

The innovative digital solution will initially be trialled on Spanish Air Force A400M aircraft based at Zaragoza Air Base with 31 Wing, with options to extend the technology to other aircraft, including the C295 and the CN235.

This technology has the potential to make a major contribution to maintenance tasks for our fleet. Not only is it more time and cost efficient, [but] above all it allows the upskilling of aircraft maintenance personnel, in accordance with the new digital era we all need to contribute towards in order to reap its benefits,” observed the Head of the Spanish Chief of the Air Force Staff office, Gen José Luis Pardo Jario.

The technology relies on drones equipped with sensors and high-definition cameras to scan – in a matter of hours, not days – the exterior of an aircraft undergoing a maintenance inspection. A secured connection then allows data and information generated to be displayed on tablets and AR glasses, enabling staff to quickly identify and apply maintenance procedures and corrective actions, while ensuring all inspection and maintenance procedures are formally and fully recorded on the maintenance log. Not only does this technology reduce the maintenance inspection time, it also supports the early detection of defects and helps guarantee quality and post-maintenance airworthiness.

Innovation and technological development are part of our DNA. Airbus invests considerable human and economic resources in the research and development of new processes, products and services to meet the current and future needs of our customers. We would like to thank the Spanish Air Force for its contribution and commitment to the development and maturity of this system, which is sure to revolutionise military aircraft maintenance,” commented Airbus Military Aircraft R&D Chief Engineer, José Antonio Urbano Torres.

The tests with the Spanish Air Force A400M will allow Airbus to use real user data, not only to consolidate the algorithms for safe autonomous flight of the drone around an aircraft – thus avoiding the use of scaffolding and heavy mobile equipment that risks damaging the aircraft – but also to process the terabytes of images and data as a deep learning library that allows for the development of a robust Artificial Intelligence-based defects detection system.

Through its SmartForce portfolio, Airbus is continuously developing new technologies and innovative services to help military customers assess, predict and anticipate the needs of their fleets by leveraging big data analytics, coupled to secured connectivity, to ensure the highest mission readiness.

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Publish date

05/31/2019

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