A Decision-Making Framework for the KC-46A Maintenance Program

Comparative Vacuum Monitoring Solutions to Advance U.S. Air Force KC-46A Condition-Based Maintenance Plus

“…Blond et al [1,6] informed our survey of relevant CBM+ technologies and programs by modeling and analyzing a proposed CBM+ environment for the KC-46A. Expanding on these foundations, we studied sensor-based CBM+ enablers, such as CVM, to identify potential starting points for the USAF to incorporate CBM+ into KC-46A maintenance operations.…”

“…The presented conclusion from this statistic is that "90% of aircraft ground time for systems scheduled maintenance does not change the condition of the aircraft," describing the need for a condition-based maintenance approach to task scheduling [14]. This is especially applicable to the KC-46A based on its maintenance program's underperformance in availability, reliability, and maintainability, as described in [1], and absence of CBM+ activities/improvements.…”

“…After decades operating the B767 and related aircraft fleets, Delta's lessons learned in applying CBM+ are recognized as improving its operational performance and advancing the regulatory environment to enable predictive maintenance for the KC-46A [7,8]. Lastly, Blond et al prescribe a related decision-making framework for the KC-46A maintenance program which includes CBM+ solutions as an AMOC to optimize a preventative maintenance task [1]. The authors of [9,10] cite these types of practical applications as needed to build empirical evidence supporting the implementation of CBM across use cases.…”

“…The KC-46A can carry 200,000 pounds of fuel and refuel nearly every U.S. and allied aircraft. As of July 2022, 61 of 179 planned aircraft are fielded at various USAF and Air National Guard bases which operate and maintain KC-46A aircraft [1].…”

“…The decision-making framework defined in [1] to identify the SHM advancements which will be most impactful in improving the KC-46A maintenance program.…”