Accelerating Program Success in the Aerospace & Defense Industry Published On - February 22, 2023 XDINNOVATION 3DExperience Accelerating Program Success in the Aerospace & Defense Industry The Aerospace & Defense industry is facing an unprecedented challenge as customer expectations become increasingly higher while program complexity and production rate agility become more important. In order to compete, both OEMs and suppliers must accelerate innovation, drive efficiencies, and move towards the factory of the future. This requires a new way of conceptualizing, designing, manufacturing, testing, certifying, and sustaining air and space vehicles. That’s why reaching new heights in program success is such an important goal for those in the aerospace and defense industry. Addressing Complexity with Virtualization To reach these new heights of success, organizations must bridge the gap between the virtual world and reality to accelerate from concept to operations. This can be done by utilizing modern engineering tools like digital twins throughout their program lifecycle. Digital twins are virtual models that represent real-world assets on a 1-to-1 basis using simulations that capture real-time data from both physical systems and their environment. By creating digital twins of their assets – including products, processes, people – organizations can gain insight into how they work together in real-time scenarios helping them anticipate misalignments before they occur so they can make faster decisions with confidence. Pursue Long-Term Strategies Another way to reach new heights in program success is through long-term strategies that focus on cost reduction pathways while leveraging advanced technologies such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) for predictive analytics. This will enable faster decision making based on accurate data insights which will lead to increased productivity by optimizing programs through better use of resources throughout all stages of development from concept to operations. Additionally, pursuing long term strategies will help mitigate risk associated with procurement costs due to market fluctuations or unexpected changes in demand as well as delays caused by unforeseen events or supply chain disruptions. Reaching new heights in program success requires organizations to bridge the gap between the virtual world and reality for accelerated concept-to-operations processes as well as pursue long term strategies that leverage advanced technologies for predictive analytics used for faster decision making with increased productivity at lower costs. With this approach to program success organizations in the Aerospace & Defense industry will be better equipped to compete in today’s demanding environment while meeting customer expectations of lower costs, higher standards and greater capabilities than ever before.