Platform Aerospace Prime Contract Award – NAVAIR NAWCAD, Vanilla UAS Digital Twin

PRESS RELEASE               

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release Dec 15th 2020
For More Information Contact:
Greg Pappianou
Chief Growth Officer
greg.pappianou@platformaero.com
301-863-9253

Dec 15, 2020 (Hollywood, MD) - Hollywood, MD – Platform Aerospace announces the award of a Department of the Navy (DON) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I prime contract to develop Digital Twin Technologies to Improve Mission Readiness and Sustainment.

Digital twin solutions are virtual twins of a physical product, and can be used to refine engineering designs, assist in predictive maintenance, and mock-operate a product in a variety of operational environments prior to actual fielding.  For this SBIR, digital twin techniques will be applied to Platform Aerospace’s Vanilla Unmanned UAS, a world-record holding ultra-long flight endurance ISR UAS.

 The digital twin solution will be developed with the assistance of Ozen Engineering, Inc., an ANSYS certified Elite Channel Partner. The digital twin solution will produce a physics-based digital replica of Vanilla’s final drive assembly that mimics actual conditions in a test environment.  This model in turn gives the Platform-Ozen team the ability to predict and measure actual wear and deformation from operations, as well as document any variations caused by new parts being added to the aircraft.

“The digital twin program places Vanilla on the cutting edge not only of long-endurance ISR UAS, but also predictive modeling.  This technology will simultaneously accelerate Vanilla’s fielding and provide valuable modeling lessons-learned to the Navy’s air fleet writ large,” says Platform Aerospace CEO, Kurt Parsons.

Following validation of the modeling techniques, the team intends to expand the number of modeled components and conditions thereby giving operators the ability to predict the impact of adding new equipment as well as operational changes, such as flying over a mountain range in extreme weather conditions.  This technology will greatly enhance the long endurance capabilities of Vanilla UAS.

 If you’re interested in hearing more or would like to tour our operation in Hollywood, MD, please contact Greg Pappianou (greg.pappianou@platformaero.com).

Vanilla Unmanned is owned and operated by Platform Aerospace

Platform Aerospace is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) dedicated to supporting the warfighter and its customers’ success.  Platform is AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certified, and specializes in manufacturing, modification and prototyping, and engineering services on a rapid timeframe. Platform has demonstrated its ability to take complex systems from “the back of the napkin to flight” through hundreds of successful projects over the past 27 years for defense, civil government, and commercial customers.

COMFRC Public Release 2020-307. Distribution Statement A – Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.