Integrated Mechanical Diagnostic System (IMDS) Fleet Introduction for U.S. Navy/Marine Corps Helicopters: an Update

Condition Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+) is one of six initiatives the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Future Logistics Agency is implementing to streamline logistics and provide the customer with end-to-end service. A CBM program is a maintenance concept intended to predict failures based on real-time assessment of equipment condition obtained from embedded sensors. CBM+ has the potential to decrease the cost of maintenance, and at the same time, to increase the operational readiness of the system (Ref. 1). The U.S. Marine Corps is in the process of deploying the Goodrich Aerospace Integrated Mechanical Diagnostic System (IMDS) upon the CH-53E helicopter fleet. Commercially known as Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS), IMDS performs tracker-less rotor balancing, drive system diagnostics, engine performance, and regime recognition for structural usage monitoring. The combination of a heavily time-based maintenance environment coupled with the deployment of IMDS make the Marine Corps CH-53E helicopter fleet a logical proving ground for the Future Logistics Agency CBM+ doctrine. This paper will focus on the process for improvements in cost and readiness to be enabled by IMDS. Near term plans for the implementation of health and usage monitoring techniques for the purpose of attaining CBM credits will be presented. Examples of scheduled maintenance action reduction, overhaul and removal extensions, and improved readiness are included with a systematic approach of integrating IMDS into the squadron concept of operations.