- AI software modernises Royal Navy helicopter support.
- Smarter logistical and engineering decisions offered to
personnel in seconds.
- Faults with equipment will be raised before issues become
problematic and costly.
A new AI tool could produce solutions to military engineering
problems in seconds, helping keep more vehicles at readiness for
deployment.
At Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, a collaborative project
between 1710 Naval Air Squadron (based in HMNB Portsmouth),
DE&S Digital AI Team and Royal Navy Engineers is showcasing
pioneering new capabilities to innovative defence software tool,
‘Motherlode’ which now utilises artificial intelligence.
‘Motherlode’ is now an artificially intelligent software that
processes aircraft maintenance data at a rapid pace, reducing
lengthy problem-solving tasks down to seconds. This cutting-edge
software ensures that engineering problems are detected at the
earliest possible point, rather than when the fault becomes
problematic, allowing personnel to order spares ahead of issues
arising.
Minister for Defence Procurement, , visited RNAS Yeovilton to
witness first-hand the capabilities the new technology, which
will be used across multiple platforms including the Wildcat
Maritime Attack helicopters.
The Minister’s visit comes ahead of the UK government’s AI Summit
at Bletchley Park on 1 and 2 November. Investing in artificial
intelligence is paramount to the continued modernisation of our
Armed Forces and is a priority for the government.
Minister for Defence Procurement, , said:
By investing in the power of artificial intelligence, we are
ensuring that our defensive assets are not only technologically
superior, but also operate with precision, efficiency, and
amplified safety.
We should be proud to harness the UK’s exceptional AI talent and
foster the collaboration between our brightest minds in
technology and the future of defence capabilities.
The AI-enabled software will be capable of analysing historical
data tailored to environmental and aircraft specific conditions
to predict failures within equipment more accurately, allowing
smarter decision making from the back office to the frontline.
1710 Naval Air Squadron, Commanding Officer Commander,
Nicholas Almond, said:
This is just the beginning of the AI journey for the Fleet Air
Arm. There are multiple use cases being explored, leveraging AI
to enhance our data exploitation capabilities to maximise
aircraft availability for frontline operations.
By implementing smarter logistical and engineering decisions,
Motherlode will also help to ensure key defence equipment will be
optimised, whilst remaining cost effective.
The full capability will be rolled out by the end of 2023 across
all Royal Navy helicopters, and we are exploring its use on other
Defence equipment like land-based vehicles such as the
Foxhound.
Prime Minister, recently announced the
creation of the Frontier AI Taskforce with an initial £100
million of funding to spearhead the UK’s leadership in this area.
The UK spends more money on AI safety research than any other
government in the world, with the AI industry in the UK employing
more than 50,000 people and contributes £3.7 billion to our
economy.
