Monkton Helps U.S. Air Force Maintainers Streamline Workflows on Their Phones

Secure Edge Computing on the Flight Line using iOS Devices

For every hour of flight time the Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon requires 17 hours of maintenance. The C-17 Globemaster clocks in at 20 hours of maintenance, and the ultra-high-tech B-2 stealth bomber needs a whopping 51 hours per just 60 minutes of flight. It’s no wonder a quarter of all enlisted USAF personnel are aircraft maintainers. 

As evidenced by the hours outlined above, maintenance is critical to the USAF. And no step in the process can be rushed, skipped, or delayed. As such, when the Air Force was faced with updating antiquated maintenance data systems, they knew the faster they could acquire a secure mobile app, the better.

That’s exactly why the USAF chose to work with Monkton, an industry leader in secure, rapid Edge-capable development.

The Challenge: The High Cost of High-Maintenance

The Air Force knew traditional ways of maintaining combat aircrafts on the flightline were no longer working. Time spent walking to and from centralized depot databases combined with labor-intensive, hand-written, and paper-based processes were incredibly taxing.

Before BRICE for iOS, developed by Monkton, maintainers didn’t have a way to log their actions while working on the flight line. They had to stop what they were doing, put away their tools, and walk to a desktop computer. Maintainers had to sign in to the computer, log into their system, and then record maintenance data. Multiply that by the sheer volume of work done every day, and these inefficiencies added up to $153 million annually in lost time, according to USAF estimates—not to mention the frustration and strain on airmen who just wanted to get their jobs done. Ultimately this time-consuming process also resulted in decreased productivity and erroneous data.

What the Air Force needed was a way to document maintenance tasks where and when they take place. But, with so much sensitive information about the inner workings of cutting-edge military hardware, the solution also had to be extremely secure.

The Solution: Meeting Maintainers on the Tactical Edge

Edge Computing enables rapid communication by bringing computation and data storage closer to the end user, where the work is done. As an architecture rather than a specific technology, Edge Computing is also greater than the sum of its parts—think links and nodes combining to form a full communication network. This distributed system brings storage closer to the source(s) generating data and enables the flow of real-time information. Edge Computing is also significantly faster and more reliable than other computing methods—and it improves data integrity.

That’s precisely what the USAF needed. So, to meet the branch’s unique needs—and bring maintainers into the digital age—Monkton created and deployed the first Edge-powered iOS mobile app of its kind, BRICE. Short for Battle Record Information Core Environment, BRICE empowered combat aircraft maintainers to perform their jobs directly on the flight line by entering maintenance data into an iPad.

Gone are the back-and-forth trips to the office to log data. The Edge-capable BRICE app provides maintainers access to live data about parts availability, and work order status from anywhere—and it all happens with the tap of a button, similar to ordering a rideshare or food with a smartphone.

The best part? This convenience doesn’t come at the expense of security. BRICE is also fully NSA NIAP compliant, thanks to Monkton’s Rebar platform.

The Result: Missions That Live on the Edge

A whopping 81% of BRICE testers said Monkton’s easy-to-use app saved them at least an hour per day. The Air Force has also estimated it will recoup between one to three hours daily per maintainer, with a total annual return on investment of $8,500 per maintainer. 

Secure Edge Computing on the flight line is also essential for a better tomorrow because it enables maintainers to do their job where it takes place—the flight line. Edge Computing provides critical reliability, privacy-protected data, faster processes, and improved data accuracy. Maintenance depots can now harness the power of mobility and most importantly, improve their air readiness for future wars.

With BRICE, maintainers can spend more time on task with increased air readiness. The app also alleviates the need for maintainers to pack up their tools and walk back to the depot to log into a computer. By capturing data at the point of repair, the USAF is recouping tremendous time while improving data accuracy.

Outcomes

Time and cost savings

Average savings of 1-3 hours per day, per user

ROI of $8,500 per user, per year

Data integrity

60% improvement in data documentation with decreased documentation time

Hardware

98% of users satisfied with devices delivering the NSA NIAP compliant mobile app

Build Better Faster

EdgeMX, inspired and informed by BRICE with Monkton’s MVP program

Acquiring new technology can be a time-consuming process for Federal agencies, with years often passing between when a proposal is accepted and a mission-ready product is delivered. But Monkton’s differentiator is actionable results. Our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) program aims to deliver a product that’s ready for acceptance testing within 6 months. With BRICE, the Monkton team outdid themselves, going from design kickoff to user acceptance testing in 3.5 months. While creating BRICE, Monkton developed EdgeMX, a framework for quickly building Edge-capable and highly secure apps. 

By combining EdgeMX with Monkton’s MATTER IDIQ, Federal agencies can get highly secure, Edge-capable mobile apps in months, rather than years. Reach out today to find out how Monkton can help your agency rapidly acquire new technology.