DVIDS – News – Inaugural Navy Exercise Tests Dozens of Ship Maintenance Technologies Aboard Decommissioned Destroyer

A wide range of robots crawling in, on and beneath a decommissioned U.S. Navy destroyer, in addition to alternative components being additively manufactured on website, comprised only a small a part of the exercise that occurred through the first-ever U.S. Navy Restore Expertise Train, or REPTX, held Aug. 22-Sept. 1 at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) in Ventura County, California.

Groups from numerous firms in addition to tutorial and authorities laboratories arrived from all over the world with their know-how purposes to conduct demonstrations and area experiments aboard the decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer, generally known as the Self Protection Take a look at Ship (SDTS). The ship is operated by personnel from Naval Floor Warfare Heart, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) in Port Hueneme, California, a area exercise of Naval Sea Programs Command (NAVSEA) and positioned at NBVC.

NAVSEA’s Naval Programs Engineering and Logistics Directorate Expertise Workplace (NAVSEA 05T) sponsored REPTX 2022, which was hosted by NSWC PHD and held each pierside and aboard the SDTS, which took to the ocean for the second week of the occasion.

The aim of the inaugural train was to see if the know-how can sort out real-world fleet upkeep and battle-damage associated repairs of ships whereas working in a real maritime setting — boosting the Navy’s skill to maintain ships at sea by aiding sailors in finishing up wanted repairs.

“The format gives a sensible fielding setting, each pierside and underway, permitting groups the prospect to area, regulate, be taught and retest their options,” stated Janice Bryant, sustainment know-how program supervisor at NAVSEA 05T.

“REPTX didn’t simply showcase know-how however utilized it to unravel Navy challenges,” Bryant added. “It was a problem-centric occasion that promoted collaboration reasonably than competitors. Many issues require a fancy answer, and a number of individuals have unbiased items of that answer.”

The greater than 60 REPTX individuals demonstrated applied sciences designed to handle 4 focus areas: visualization, command and management aids, ahead manufacturing and expeditionary upkeep.

The know-how additionally wanted to be able to taking up a “day job” — in different phrases, serving a goal that provides worth to Navy ships and crew on a routine foundation. And, it needs to be user-friendly sufficient for a ship’s crew to be taught shortly.

“Our priorities as a warfare middle are to ship and maintain readiness, modernize and keep the present fleet, and area the floor fleet of the longer term,” stated Capt. Andrew Hoffman, NSWC PHD commanding officer. “REPTX demonstrates these priorities by permitting each business, authorities and academia to work side-by-side whereas exploring revolutionary upkeep ideas that we will quickly ship to our forward-deployed warfighters.”

Roughly 20 reservists from the Navy’s Surge Upkeep (SurgeMain) program offered that ship’s crew perspective as they obtained hands-on with a lot of the know-how, studying learn how to function the remote-controlled robotics, sporting augmented actuality (AR) headsets to view restore directions and movies, measuring corrosion on the deckplate of the SDTS, and extra.

“The SurgeMain sailors usually don’t get probabilities like this to offer enter on new applied sciences, so it was vastly vital for them to have that chance,” stated REPTX Mission Supervisor Suzie Simms. “On the finish of the occasion, all the SurgeMain sailors who participated stated they wish to be concerned once more subsequent yr.”

Situations the place reservists have been in a position to remotely management robots included figuring out unknown objects on the aspect of the ship’s hull, detangling a fouled propeller, measuring the depth of metallic wastage as a consequence of corrosion utilizing ultrasonic waves, and inspecting tight areas that may be troublesome or harmful for a human to enter.

A number of firms introduced AR know-how to the SDTS, offering each communication and real-time visuals throughout simulated battle harm evaluation situations in addition to restore work directions and movies that may be seen by means of the headset whereas concurrently trying on the broken space.

Additive manufacturing know-how put in in compact transport containers each pierside and aboard the SDTS offered the potential to 3D print alternative components as wanted in quite a lot of supplies.

Different situations concerned ship-to-shore communication methods, inspection and restore instruments, and above- and below-water visualization units.

Expertise suppliers assisted SurgeMain reservists in utilizing and demonstrating the know-how aboard the SDTS throughout week two — this time in a real maritime setting because the vessel went underway off the coast of Port Hueneme. Unmanned aerial car (UAV) operators obtained an opportunity to fly their camera-equipped drones across the ship to examine it.

The principle objectives of the UAV demonstrations throughout REPTX have been to establish points like corrosion and misplaced objects and to check the UAVs’ capabilities to help in battle harm evaluation and restore — a key focus space for the Navy — by quickly creating digital fashions, amongst different issues.

In a single situation, a flange with a leaky gasket was the main focus of a collaborative effort on the final underway day of REPTX. The SDTS crew had recognized the problem within the ship’s state room, and a number of other know-how suppliers labored on a repair with SurgeMain sailors.

A reservist used an AR headset through the situation to attach remotely with a topic skilled elsewhere to assist examine and measure the defective flange.

Armed with measurements of the flange meeting, two additive manufacturing firms collaborating in REPTX later 3D-printed components that may very well be used to switch the flange and gasket within the state room.

Different underway demonstrations examined, repaired and monitored very important gear on the ship.

Individuals and organizers agreed that among the greatest issues to return out of REPTX have been the spontaneous collaborations between attending organizations that exposed extra environment friendly makes use of of their particular person applied sciences when used collectively.

Together with the deal with collaboration, organizers designed the occasion to be academic for everybody concerned.

“REPTX facilitated studying on each the federal government and participant sides,” stated Jason Bickford, analysis supervisor at NSWC PHD. “We’ve heard unanimous optimistic suggestions from individuals that it was a helpful expertise for them.”

The educational expertise was impactful in that it was fingers on, operationally primarily based and held aboard an energetic ship.

Bryant stated that subsequent steps embrace figuring out learn how to make investments $2 million in follow-on funding to additional develop applied sciences for fielding within the fleet. The REPTX workforce may even launch to the general public a complete after motion report on the occasion.

In the meantime, discussions are underway for a sequel.

“Occasions like REPTX allow NAVSEA to be extra agile and aggressive sooner or later struggle,” Bryant stated. “Offering entry to Navy belongings, crew and issues permits conventional and non-traditional gamers to have interaction collectively, shortly and successfully. Persevering with efforts like REPTX are important because the Navy appears to be like to construct a extra resilient and sustainable fleet and revolutionary and responsive industrial base.”

Further photographs and movies of the train can be found at https://www.dvidshub.web, key phrase: REPTX.