The Office of the Secretary of Defense has competitively awarded a $2.1 million grant to the University of Maryland interdisciplinary team that includes the Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise, CALCE EPSC and other partners at the A. James Clark School of Engineering.

The group will conduct a 12-month project to develop a prototype Web-based supply network using the most advanced technologies to acquire and deliver replacement parts quickly on an as-needed basis. CALCE will focus on electronic prognostics. The project will involve a demonstration of real time health assessment to enable fault detection, diagnostics, and remaining life prognostics for cost effective maintenance of F/A-navy fighter jets. The prognostic information will be linked with novel wireless communications to relay these needs to maintenance officers and automatic identification techniques (RFID is the most common current example) to locate parts in the supply chain - all integrated through a secure web portal. With this demonstration project, the researchers plan to develop a Web portal and an implementation roadmap that can eventually be put into practice on a wide scale -for F/A 18s as well as other planes and weapon systems.

This work will represent the first effort to implement the "Sense and Respond Logistics" concept envisioned by the Department of Defense as part of its Force Transportation effort. The objective is to develop a 21st century interactive supply chain system for the U.S. military-one which will get repairable military equipment back into battle sooner and at less cost, for example beginning the process while a plane is still in flight.

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