Latest news with #AugmentedRealityMaintenance
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon awards $5 billion contract to speed up ship manufacturing
The Defense Logistics Agency Maritime Mechanicsburg awarded a $5 billion contract this month to six businesses with the goal of boosting ship manufacturing at speed. The Maritime Acquisition Advancement Contract is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract designed to accelerate procurement processes. The MAAC has five one-year options at $1 billion each and can potentially reach up to $10 billion. 'There are significantly long lead times the Navy faces ... this contracting vehicle streamlines and reduces our end of the administrative lead time,' Elizabeth Allen, DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg's deputy director, said in a release. The contract will see companies including SupplyCore, Atlantic Diving Supply, Culmen International, ASRC Federal, Fairwinds Technologies and S&K Aerospace manufacture parts for an array of U.S. Navy vessels, including Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines. SupplyCore is taking on the task of supplying the Navy with components spanning a wide array of different vessel types, including carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles and other systems. 'We are honored to support the naval warfighter through the MAAC, a contract that underscores our dedication to sustaining the operational readiness of our military,' SupplyCore President and CEO Peter Provenzano said in a release. The Navy continues to be under immense pressure to speed up the process of shipbuilding and modernize methods of repair and manufacturing. Recently, the Navy implemented Augmented Reality Maintenance Systems on five vessels to modify the process of troubleshooting systems at sea. The service is also turning to 3-D printing to manufacture components for vessels at a more rapid pace. In its fiscal 2026 budget proposal, the Navy requested $989 million to modernize drydock facilities at its four public shipyards, which average over 107 years old.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Five Navy ships now outfitted with augmented reality maintenance tech
Five U.S. Navy ships now have working Augmented Reality Maintenance Systems that allow technicians to remotely troubleshoot problems from a sailor's point of view. Within less than a week, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division installed the systems, also known as ARMS, on the aircraft carrier Nimitz and the guided missile destroyers Curtis Wilbur, Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, Gridley and Fitzgerald. The new systems are designed to circumvent the costly need for subject matter experts, who are often based ashore, to physically travel to ships to provide tech support. The Augmented Reality Maintenance Systems use mixed reality technology, such as smart glasses, to allow sailors to show subject matter experts shipboard system issues in real-time. At the same time, sailors are able to access manuals, blueprints, 3D models and other tools while experts provide remote guidance. The ARMS team is reported to be looking at other options for mixed reality headsets. 'The biggest win in this case is that the sailor fixed the problem, not the external SME,' Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division Commanding Officer Capt. Tony Holmes said in a release. 'ARMS capability goes to the heart of enabling sailor self-sufficiency, and keeping our warships in the fight.' The milestone marks the first time the systems have been installed for operational use. The move towards remote maintenance technology comes as the Pentagon continues its drive to cut spending and increasingly integrate digital systems into the Navy. This month, the Navy tested a missile launch from an unmanned aerial vehicle, and has also announced a planned Future Unmanned Vehicle Industry Day to encourage private industry's involvement in developing new unmanned surface vehicle technology.
