QinetiQ trials Active RFID system to track aircraft equipment

QinetiQ and the Harrier IPT have just started a one year ‘Proof of Concept’ evaluation of an active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that automatically tracks critical aircraft equipment between designated zones.

The Forward Maintenance Asset Tracking (ForMAT) proof of concept underlines the IPT’s drive for efficient assurance of operational capability and through enhanced visibility of assets, will improve aircraft turnaround, reduce stock holdings resulting in financial savings and minimise the effort spent looking for them. Around 1200 ‘high value/critical’ items, some costing up to £50k, including aircraft role equipment, Line Replacement Units (LRU) and Special to Type test equipment, held within the Forward Maintenance areas at RAF Cottesmore, have each been tagged with active RFID devices located within ‘remove before flight’ flags.

Now when aircraft are scheduled for maintenance, all the necessary modules, components and tools can be easily located anywhere within the designated zones, eradicating time and effort spent hunting for them. Tighter asset control should also result in optimised stock holdings, potentially eliminating the need for the MOD to invest in equipment duplication, thereby freeing up millions for other activities.

“This active RFID proof of concept programme supports our continual Logistics Transformation Process and has already demonstrated that we can improve asset tracking to the point of use,” stated Wing Commander Andy Read, OC Forward [Maintenance] at RAF Cottesmore. “The ForMAT system has enabled us to rapidly install and evaluate commercially available automated asset tracking equipment and it is now providing key data for further supply chain analysis. With an upgrade to a web-based solution that we intend to deploy later in the proof of concept phase, improved asset visibility information can be provided direct to the point of use in the operational Squadrons.”

OC Forward Maintenance at RAF Cottesmore is supporting this ‘nominal cost’ Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) which supports key aims of the MOD’s Logistics Transformation strategy including manpower usage optimisation and further improvements to the management of equipments within the supply/maintenance cycle.

“High priority equipment and tools are being tracked by the system across seven key areas and 16 zones which include each of the four aircraft maintenance and operational Squadron hangars, plus the Main Gate so that equipment can be tracked around, on and off the base,” added Andrew Barker, the Active RFID business manager at QinetiQ. “Now, when an aircraft comes in for maintenance or operational re-role, the appropriate components and tools can be located more rapidly, resulting in minimum downtimes.”

This proof of concept trial is still in the early stages but QinetiQ is confident that it will significantly improve efficiency and help the armed forces to deliver capability. It is looking to deploy Maintenance Asset Tracking (MAT) both within other MOD areas and in a number of commercial sectors. QinetiQ is also working in the area of passive RFID tagging and portable self powered GPS systems which further enhance its overall tracking offerings.

Technical Notes
QinetiQ’s Forward Maintenance Asset Tracking (ForMAT) system incorporates active RFID technology based on commercially available products from Wavetrend and ‘SAINT ACTIV’ asset tracking software from Datrotech. This has been uniquely combined and deployed with a WiFi system that receives/transmits the information from the RFID reader networks. Currently a 32 bit data stream provides the unique electronic ID for each ‘tagged’ item. This is then correlated on a server with the specific equipments providing location data. An upgrade to a Web based system will also be available during the proof of concept.

The active tags are themselves fixed to test equipment or fitted into ‘remove before flight’ flags resulting in zero impact on safety procedures and minimum addition to current operating procedures. The tags have passed clearance tests for operation on aircraft although they have not been authorised for flight at this time. Imminent upgrades to the Tags will increase the data stream to 128 bit and include condition sensors such as temperature and humidity and a GPS version that incorporates the QinetiQ high sensitivity GPS system. These upgrades will increase flexibility enabling individual rather than zoned location tracking. It also opens the way for remote condition monitoring of equipments that could be directly interfaced with the existing maintenance and supply control systems to further enhance asset management, logistic control and radically improve
maintenance strategies.

QinetiQ’s understanding of military logistics procedures, the communications and electronic systems already used on the aircraft and its experience in other key areas like electro-magnetic compatibility testing, uniquely enabled it to undertake and deliver this programme. Adaptation and enhancement to system performance in this practical aircraft maintenance environment is already being incorporated to factor out instances like ‘zone hopping’ where tags occasionally appear to move between adjacent zones due to signal reflection. The practical experience gained in this proof of concept also provides valuable information to other central MOD supply chain improvement initiatives.