Condition Based Maintenance Fleet Implementation and Maintenance Decision Making Through Utilization of Prognostics Data by Operational Units

In response to the guidance issued from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Department of the Army (DA) for a Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) force structure, the Apache Attack Helicopter Project Management Office (AAH PMO) is moving forward with the implementation of a CBM enabled environment. This environment digitally integrates data on and at-aircraft, at-unit and at-enterprise to facilitate CBM, leveraging previous investment of key technical initiatives and existing enablers. To guide this effort the Apache Attack Helicopter Project Office's Logistics Modernization Division has drafted an Apache CBM+ Strategic Plan that coordinates technical initiatives and enablers with specific tasks and milestones through 2015. The Apache CBM+ Roadmap focuses on implementing a CBM enabled environment through four major objectives: reducing soldier burden, increasing operational availability, enhancing safety, and reducing operational & support costs affecting fleet management. This paper will outline the process being used by Apache to utilize the prognostic early warning of incipient failures and proactively implement CBM on the operational fleet and the benefits that have been seen by applying the concepts of CBM.