The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) has notified Safran Helicopter Engines of the Dominno research market (innovative engine maintenance data). The objective is to develop a first so-called “connected” engine capacity in order to facilitate the organization of maintenance operations. This innovative study will last 25 months and has a budget of € 2 million.

Dominno is at the heart of the ambition of the military programming bill 2019-2025, of which innovation is one of the main priorities. Maintenance through innovation is also part of the plan for the transformation of the aeronautical MCO that was desired by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly. The recovery of the availability of military equipment, particularly helicopters, is a priority of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The Dominno project will participate fully in this objective by improving the operational availability of the turboshaft engines and controlling support costs.

Dominno is developing a “predictive maintenance” of military helicopter turboshaft engines using innovative monitoring technology. The challenge is to have tools that can be used, from existing or new sensors, to collect data on the use of the engine and its health, then to exploit it via “big data” technologies and, finally, to adapt the maintenance according to the state of the engine.

This project will identify the data to be collected and their modes of transmission, define the monitoring architecture and develop first algorithms with high added value. This is a first stage of technological development that will ultimately reduce the number of scheduled dropouts to perform audits and inspections. It is also about making the most of the real life potential of critical parts.