I. Program Overview. Organization Name/Program Name: Program Leader Name/ Position/Contact information , Phone.

Transcription

1 I. Program Overview Organization Name/Program Name: Program Leader Name/ Position/Contact information , Phone Program Category Program Background: What is this program all about? (No more than one page). The overarching need for this program History of the program The product that is created by this program Scope of work original & updated Expected deliverables Current status of the program Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS), Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS- D), Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR) Pablo Gonzalez II Program Manager, UCAS-D (310) System R&D/SDD program or project The objective of the UCAS-D Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR) effort was to demonstrate that autonomous unmanned aircraft systems could be aerial refueled. This capability unlocks the true potential of unmanned ISR and Strike systems and contributes significantly to sea and land-based power projection capabilities of the Nation s military. NGAS was contracted to continue previous related X- 47B software development to complete its demonstration of U.S. Navy Probe/Drogue style Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR). Accordingly, the UCAS-D contract, originally awarded during 2007, was extended in 2014 to demonstrate autonomous aerial refueling a far-reaching goal never before achieved. The program s scope included the maturation of previously developed and identified software and hardware through the use of laboratories and surrogates. After validation, these products were to be integrated into an X-47B air vehicle and demonstrated during flight test to prove Navy-style probe-and-drogue aerial refueling. That goal was achieved on April 22, 2015, when an X- 47B air vehicle rendezvoused with a KC-707 tanker, engaged the refueling drogue and took on over 4,100 pounds of fuel. The AAR effort is now successfully concluded. II. VALUE CREATION Value: 50% of category score What is the long-term value, competitive positioning, Customers. From an operational perspective, this capability represents a significant advancement in long range/long endurance unmanned system capability for the Navy and, potentially the Air Force. The UCAS 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 1

2 advantage, and return created by this program to your: Customers National interests, war fighter Company Strength, bottom line, and shareholders Scientific/technical value (particularly for R&D programs) 50% of category score Excellence and Uniqueness: What makes this program unique? Why should this program be awarded the Program Excellence Award? program matured technologies to inform future CV based UAV programs and with adequate/deep weapons magazines, it will enable the Navy to project around-theclock, long range, survivable persistent ISR and strike from aircraft carriers beyond the ranges of enemy threats.. This leap in operational capability will keep the Nation s carrier force highly relevant for additional decades. Because of this capability, carriers can and will enhance the strategic options of the President and the Navy. Additionally, AAR offers practical value in day-to-day carrier operations by enabling the UCAS to remain airborne for extended periods of time enabling the Carrier Strike Group commander to maintain near total battlespace situation awareness - while affording the embarked air wing extended periods for maintenance with no concurrent flight operations. Furthermore, this development has the potential for installation in manned aircraft, allowing automatic in-flight refueling when an operational circumstance dictates. Adding UCAS with AAR capability to the air wing means that no matter where a carrier is operating in the world, multiple UCAS aircraft can be self-ferried from other ships or from CONUS in a matter of hours, thus providing additional ISR and Strike capability almost in real-time. USAF application. An in-flight refuelable system such as UCAS can also be adapted for land-basing in support of USAF ISR and Strike. Unmanned Aircraft Design. Importantly, engineering design-wise, AAR provides aircraft designers with considerable flexibility, especially for a Combat UAS: no longer are range and endurance primary design criteria; because of AAR, designers have additional flexibility with trades to allow them to maximize payload and stealth characteristics and weapons capacity because they have better options for fuel and therefore range and endurance. AAR allows the designers to close on the best possible stealth design and to maximize payload capacity all, primarily because of reduced on-board fuel requirements. Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Savings. There are additional and easily quantifiable LCC savings of an unmanned combat air system over a manned counterpart. For manned systems, there is need for both training aircraft and hundreds of flight training hours annually; not so the 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 2

3 unmanned system: operators train with no need to have an aircraft in the air, no large numbers of training aircraft are required, less-expensive (than pilots) operators (possibly enlisted specialists), can be trained to manage the systems, and approximately half of the manned deployable aircraft are needed to fulfill standing surge deployment requirements. Fatigue Life Equivalent (FLE) savings. The greatest physical stressors on carrier-borne aircraft are catapult launches, arrested landings, and the regular requirements for pilots to practice landings ashore (field carrier landing practice FCLP). Because the ratio of launches and landings per flight hour is so low relative to manned aircraft, aerial refuelable UCAS will most likely require less unscheduled maintenance and realize greater-thanexpected airframe life than traditional, manned, carriercapable aircraft. R&D Value. The R&D aspects of the effort, to include the successes and failures associated with the development and integration of multiple technologies such as navigation, vehicle management, etc., are directly applicable to other programs manned as well as unmanned. The lessons learned will yield value for years to come in ways that are not even yet envisioned. Uniqueness. This is a pioneering historic effort - never before been achieved and in this case, achieved by a team of young/mid-level engineers who were given the task, permitted to work the problem(s), and, through their own initiative, teamwork and expertise succeeded in most admirable fashion. It provides the nation a national security advantage that it will be able to leverage for decades or more. Their achievement, a capability that dramatically enhances the value of unmanned aircraft systems to a degree that will forever change the ways in which conflicts are fought only adds to the uniqueness of this success. Further to its uniqueness: The program was accomplished on cost and schedule virtually unprecedented in development of this nature. In the future, when it is reviewed from the vantage point of historical hindsight, it will be considered a marvel of management and technology. Very seldom has such a ground-breaking capability been achieved within such limited time and cost constraints AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 3

4 III. ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES/BEST PRACTICES Strategic Operations 30% of the score On an on-going basis how do you track and improve the value of this program to your customers, corporation, organization, and employees? Specifically, what processes, tools and practices have allowed the value of your program to increase? Team Leadership 30% of category score Teaming What unique processes and practices have you put in place to maximize team collaboration and efficiency? Supply Chain With the broader distribution of design, development and production responsibility across the supply chain what unique tools, processes and practices have you put into place to ensure integration of the total supply chain (up/down/across)? People Development Among the most important roles of a leader is the This was a cost- and schedule-constrained demonstration. The organizational structure was collapsed from nine to two Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to reduce management overhead and to maximize the allocation of available resources to the engineering tasks. Daily reviews of performance against schedule and cost were performed. A weekly program rhythm was established with program metrics shared openly with the team and with the customer. Additionally, the NG team developed a unique performance tracking tool: the Program Management Mission Control Center (PM-MCC). It integrated several different databases for cost, schedule and performance into a single, query dashboard. Updated daily, it provided the joint NG and Navy team instant status of critical program metrics. The PM-MCC also generated cost and schedule forecasts, and was consequently of great value in coordinating with the customer to generate/receive test notifications and flight clearances; this helped significantly to keep the effort on schedule. Ultimately, the PM-MCC proved to be so useful that it was identified by the customer as a NAVAIR Best Practice and was implemented across other NAVAIR programs. Teaming. The UCAS-D AAR team was in the unique position of being able to focus on a single goal: making the X-47B capable of aerial refueling during the spring of 2015 and receiving the customer-mandated 3,000 pounds of fuel. This kept the team aligned and motivated. The relationship with the customer was atypical in that it was close, open, and fast-paced, with significant effort spent on both sides to ensure clear and direct communication up, down, across and between the teams. Person-to-person engagement with the customer was a critical component of the effort s success. NG leadership met with their Navy test team counterparts once each week for informal fireside chats. The casual meetings allowed both sides to share information or concerns in an unstructured environment. The goal of these meetings was to correct misunderstandings, eliminate surprises, and mitigate or resolve issues before they became problems. There is little doubt that they were also responsible for the resounding success of the AAR Flight 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 4

5 identification and development of talent. What unique processes, tools and practices have you put into place to ensure people are developed and given the opportunity to risk, fail, recover and fully contribute. What metrics have you put into place to ensure this effort is effective? Operations 40% of category score Cycle Time Please describe what your Readiness Review, which was completed with the fewest number of action items in the history of the program. Supply Chain. The supplier relationship was cemented back in 2005 by making each company of the Joint Industry Team (JIT) a true partner outside of contractual obligations. This was successfully continued through special recognition of superb support. Accolades were shared with every supplier as each goal was achieved. Moreover, it was clear to the suppliers that the program s previous achievements together with the soon-to-beproved AAR capability offered excellent promise for future business: success will beget success. Whenever possible, supplier hardware and software was brought into the system integration laboratory as early as possible to help ensure a properly performing and integrated system. As was demonstrated in the lead up to first flight and the carrier work it is much more cost effective and safer to discover issues and anomalies in the lab rather than while airborne. This practice also worked to the supplier s benefit as it generally provided enough time to correct shortcomings and still keep to the schedule. People Development. Good leadership develops talent, just as it always has. It is essential to the survival of any organization. In the case of the AAR effort, NG leadership positions were filled by relatively junior engineers all of whom had both the requisite technical and programmatic qualifications, but who also had demonstrated the ability to mentor junior personnel. And these junior leaders were allowed to lead. Even more junior personnel were selected to participate on the program based on their skill sets, as well as their past performance and a stated desire to work on a fast-paced pioneering effort. No metrics were attached to the mentoring effort as such successes or failures defy discrete quantifiable measurement. Rather, personnel were evaluated per the standard corporate processes. However, the ultimate and undeniable measure of performance is the fact this historic objective was achieved on cost and schedule. Cycle Time and Efficiencies. The aforementioned PM- MCC was invaluable in identifying and forecasting trends and potential pitfalls before they had substantial schedule and performance impacts. Indeed, the early identification 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 5

6 program has done to reduce and continue to improve the cycle time required for the phase of life cycle in which you currently are executing (design/develop, produce, sustain). Include in your description the tools, processes and practices used as well as the metrics. Efficiencies Affordability and breaking the cost curve are among the most important challenges facing all program managers. Describe the areas you have targeted to improve your costs and how you resolved these challenges for each target. Describe how your program has developed or implemented new and unique tools, processes and practices to reduce cycle time for your program s specific stage of the lifecycle (design/develop, produce, sustain). Planning, Monitoring, and Controlling What are the most significant change elements your program dealt with in the past 36 months, and what unique best practices and processes did you implement to make these changes. (Examples of change: intellectual property, shortages of critical supplies/raw materials.) of issues allowed the early application of fixes, such that the effort could be held to cost and schedule. The team also developed isolated, or firewalled, software functionality elements. Their isolation was such that internal variables could be changed real time without a requirement for recertification. This was especially valuable in reducing cycle time. Additionally helpful was the inherent autonomous performance of the system. Rather than flying a test sortie multiple times to compensate for the inaccuracies of a test pilot, a complete test could often be achieved in one just one flight because the air vehicle flies as programmed predictably every single time. In other words, it is incapable of performing other than as it is programmed. Costs. The UCAS-D team developed a Remote Test and Control Center (RTCC) which allowed responsible engineers to monitor specific system performance during actual test flights from San Diego, eliminating considerable travel. This provided tremendous cost savings and enabled work efficiencies as the engineers were able to return directly to their work spaces in the event a test sortie was scrubbed. The NG team realized early that the Return On Investment (ROI) for laboratory infrastructure and effort was very high, particularly for modeling and simulation. A dollar spent in the laboratory typically saves many dollars and a great deal of schedule later in the program. The NG SIL (Systems Integration Laboratory), with software loaded, replicates an actual X-47B air vehicle system. Loaded with a specific script, the team can execute hundreds of tests in a fraction of the time that those tests could be performed by a human. This capability was demonstrated to the customer who subsequently agreed to move a substantial amount of work from the already overburdened Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) benches to the NG SIL. This was critical to the preservation of schedule, and was additionally a primary reason why only one new software build was required for the execution of the AAR effort. Planning, Monitoring & Controlling. The PM-MCC, which integrated several different databases for cost, schedule and performance into a single, query dashboard, was exceedingly valuable in planning, monitoring and 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 6

7 controlling the effort on a daily basis. Its forecasting utility was useful in helping to determine whether or not changes were actually required. Perhaps the biggest challenge was securing the extension of the UCAS-D contract to actually perform the AAR work, given the limited available funds and the high technical risk. This decision was eased by performing the necessary ground work in order to demonstrate the team s readiness to take on the challenge. The historical data provided by the PM-MCC aided in providing reliable predictions to substantiate and support the decision to proceed. IV. ADAPTING TO INNOVATION AND COMPLEXITY: (HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR PROGRAM S UNIQUE COMPLEXITIES) Identify the Program s Market Uncertainty level How new is your product to your market and users, based on the definitions below. Then describe how you deal and address this specific uncertainty: - Derivative an improvement of an existing product/system. - Platform a new generation in an existing product line. - New to the Market a product or system adopted from another market - New to the World - breakthrough product, never seen before Identify the Program s Technological Uncertainty using the definitions below. Then describe how you deal and address this uncertainty: - Low-tech: application of mature, well-established Level of Market Uncertainty* (choose one) Derivative New to Market Platform X New to the World As the first successful demonstration of truly autonomous aerial refueling, this effort is New to the World. Nonetheless, the demonstration did fit all the choices to some degree. Certainly as a Derivative it improves the capability of existing unmanned systems. And as a Platform it is a new generation of capability that enhances the next generation of manned and unmanned aircraft. No doubt, AAR is New to the Market as it is a new adaptation or iteration of traditional aerial refueling practices. And certainly, it is New to the World as a breakthrough (technological, operational and practical) product never seen before. Market Uncertainty. This aspect of AAR is not one of if, but rather one of when. The customer advantages are readily apparent even before rigorous trade studies or analyses. That market uncertainty is not a chief concern, but is borne out by the fact that the Navy contracted for the effort; it recognized the significant benefits to be realized if the effort was successful. This is an innovation that had been pursued by various customers for two decades. Technological Uncertainty Level (choose one) Low Technology X High Technology Medium Technology Super High Technology The technological uncertainty of the project was considerable as several aspects of the effort involved new technologies 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 7

8 technology - Medium Technology: existing technology modified to meet new design requirements - High-Technology: recently developed new technology - Super High Technology: nonexisting technology that needs to be developed during the program. Identify the level of your System Complexity using the definitions below. Then explain how you are dealing with this level of complexity: - An Assembly performing a single function. - A Sub-system fitting within a larger system. - A System a collection of subsystems performing multiple functions. - An Array a System of Systems ; a widely dispersed collection of systems serving a common mission. (precision GPS, etc.) that all had to be integrated such that AAR could not only be demonstrated, but also performed in a manner that was safe for the participating aircraft, the public, and the environment. Uncertainties were dealt with through engineering analyses and extensive laboratory tests of software and hardware that, when appropriately matured, were migrated to manned surrogate aircraft. Issues and lessons learned from the surrogate flights were re-addressed in the laboratory and then validated. When all of the various elements were assessed as fully ready, they were integrated into the X-47B. Finally, during actual X-47B testing, near-real-time updates and modifications were made such that success was achieved on the scheduled day. System Complexity (choose one) Assembly System Sub-System X Array of Systems Any high performance aircraft manned or unmanned is inherently complex. For an unmanned autonomous, triplex (triple-redundant) system, the level of complexity is even higher because there is no pilot in a cockpit who can be depended on to make decisions and fix problems. Complexity was substantial as there are so many variables, equipment and software, which must be fully tested. Aside from the AAR-specific elements onboard the aircraft (vehicle management, navigation and position keeping, aerial refueling hardware, etc.), the system included the shore-based command and control element, communications links, GPS connectivity, and the aerial refueling aircraft. Adding to program complexity were substantial logistics, maintenance and technical support effort that reached well beyond the base at NAS Patuxent River. Complexity was dealt with by assembling an innovative team, gaining a complete understanding of the objective, followed by an intensive derivation of the requirements necessary to achieve them. Confirming those requirements with the customer then clearly communicating them to the IPTs and suppliers, and subsequently developing the necessary software and integrating it into the required hardware were critical. Regular interchanges real, open communication between the customer, the IPTs, suppliers, and program management, to identify and resolve issues were equally important. Collocation of the NG team with the customer was a practical 2015 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 8

9 Identify the Pace and Urgency of your team s effort using the definitions below. Then describe how you deal with the program s pace requirements: - Regular timing no specific time pressures. Fast/Competitive time to market is important for competitiveness. - Time Critical there is an absolute and criticalto-success deadline. - Blitz there is a crisis element driving the need for immediate response advantage that yielded intangible benefits. Real value was gained when the customer was able to see issues firsthand and literally put hands on the system. This socialized the customer and facilitated rapid issue resolution. It also made for a real team rather than a distant overseer. Pace and Urgency (choose one) Regular Timing X Time Critical Fast/Competitive Blitz While many technical demonstrations have the luxury of schedule flexibility, the AAR effort was bound by the availability of funding and the Omega KC-707 aerial refueler. Adding to these constraints was the necessity to develop schedule margin to allow for the uncertainties of weather in the test area. These pacing requirements were met, as described earlier, through regular and clear communications between the IPTs, suppliers, program management and the customer. Further, a ready, well-equipped, well-trained and well-provisioned technical, maintenance and test team was on site to quickly deal with technical, maintenance and logistics issues AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 9

10 METRICS (HOW DO YOU MEASURE PROGRAM S PERFORMANCE) 40% of category score Customer/Performance - How do you measure the impact of your program on your customer and your customer s satisfaction? Include a description of unique/new metrics, as well as numerical evidence (normally a percentage or rate). Focus on the unique metrics developed to provide an efficient way to effectively communicate this information to your customers and within your organization beyond your program team. 20% of category score Team - How do you measure and assess the impact of your program on your team development and employee satisfaction? 40% of category score Unique Metrics - Describe unique metrics you are using to measure your program s progress and how you focus it for outstanding and future success. Performance Measurement (i.e., customer objectives) was fairly succinct: rendezvous on the tanker, execute approach, station keep, engage the drogue and transfer fuel. The results fully met the customer s objectives. During program execution, a primary means of measuring progress was tabulating the planned test points completed. Additionally, the customer provided traditional evaluations through the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) which, when shared through the team, allowed us to measure the impact of the program on our customer and his satisfaction. A more personal measure of the customer s satisfaction is a declaration made by the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation (UCA) program manager: What we accomplished today demonstrates a significant, groundbreaking step forward for the Navy The ability to autonomously transfer and receive fuel in flight will increase the range and flexibility of future unmanned aircraft platforms, ultimately extending carrier power projection." The two most obvious metrics of the success of the program on team development and employee satisfaction are, 1) a turnover rate that is almost non-existent, and 2) the fact that the very ambitious goal of AAR was actually achieved. More formally, anonymous surveys collected data on not only employee satisfaction, but also on ways by which the effort might have been improved. Other examples of unique metrics we used to measure the program s progress included: 1. Test Execution Rate/Efficiency By tracking laboratory test execution metrics we were able to forecast the impacts of proposed improvements and their specific and likely cost/benefit. 2. Program Action Request (PAR) Resolution Rate By actively monitoring the PAR generation/resolution rate during development and initial testing, and comparing that rate to historical trends, the leadership team was able to provide reliable forecasts of testing completion. This supported a stable Estimate At Completion (EAC) of cost. 3. Cost and Schedule Performance Indices By monitoring cost and schedule variances, the quality of the budget baseline was established early, enabling proper allocation of management reserve to address critical risks and issues. Consequently, reliable projections of cost informed required investments in risk reduction activities AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 10