CS/03CASE STUDY

Predictive Maintenance
for a Defense Fleet

A defense fleet operator shifted from scheduled, calendar-based servicing to data-driven condition-based maintenance — using explainable ML models and ISO 13374 data models to predict component degradation, optimize spares, and improve fleet readiness.

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At a Glance
Capabilities
Unified Fleet Data Foundation
ML Degradation & RUL Models
Explainable Decision Support
CBM+ Sustainment Dashboards
Technologies
Machine LearningDigital-Twin ModelingISO 13374 Condition-MonitoringCBM+ Frameworks
Delivery Model
Data engineering + ML + analytics practice · Embedded with client engineers
[01]Business Context

A defense fleet operator held back by scheduled servicing and siloed data

A defense fleet operator engaged We As Web to reduce unplanned downtime and sustainment costs across its platforms. Historically, the organization relied on scheduled, calendar-based servicing. While the operator possessed vast amounts of maintenance logs, sensor telemetry, and parts records, this critical data was siloed and rarely leveraged to anticipate platform failures. The client sought to transition to a modern condition-based maintenance (CBM+) approach, which defense sustainment organizations are increasingly adopting to keep fleets mission-ready.

Key Context
Maintenance logs, sensor telemetry, and parts records siloed across disparate systems
Calendar-based servicing missing early-warning signs of component degradation
High unplanned downtime driving sustainment costs and readiness gaps
Stock-outs grounding platforms while excess capital tied up in unnecessary inventory
[02]Client Needs

What prompted the project

To modernize their sustainment operations, the defense fleet operator had to balance availability, cost, and explainability — with humans staying firmly in control of every decision.

N/01

Maximize Availability

Keep more platforms mission-ready while simultaneously lowering the overall lifecycle cost of the fleet.

N/02

Adopt Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM+)

Transition away from reactive and calendar-based servicing toward data-driven, predictive interventions grounded in real component state.

N/03

Optimize Spares Inventory

Accurately anticipate parts demand to reduce stock-outs that ground platforms, while avoiding capital being tied up in unnecessary inventory.

N/04

Human-in-the-Loop Decision Support

Implement a system that keeps maintenance engineers in control of every decision, rather than relying on fully automated "black-box" actions.

[03]The Challenges

Why an expert partner was required

The initiative faced several structural and data-centric hurdles — particularly the lack of a unified, trustworthy view of fleet health.

Pre-Project ChallengeSiloed Data
Fragmented Systems
Crucial maintenance, supply, and telemetry data were fragmented across multiple disconnected systems, severely limiting any analysis.
No Common Schema
Without a shared data model, the same component could appear under different names in different systems.
Impact
Even sophisticated analytics couldn't run on a foundation that wasn't there.
Pre-Project ChallengeLack of Proactive Analytics
No Early-Warning Signals
Existing data was rarely used to anticipate component failures, leaving the operator blind to early-warning signs of degradation.
Reactive Maintenance
Maintenance was triggered by either the calendar or by a failure — never by prediction.
Impact
Unplanned downtime became a structural cost of doing business, eroding fleet readiness.
Pre-Project ChallengeNeed for Explainability
Mission-Critical Decisions
In a defense context, maintenance engineers require transparent, explainable indicators they can trust before making critical platform decisions.
No Black-Box Outputs
A "the model said so" output is unacceptable when a wrong call can ground a platform or compromise safety.
Impact
The analytics layer had to be designed for trust, not just accuracy.
[04]Solutions Provided

What We As Web delivered

We As Web delivered a comprehensive predictive-maintenance analytics platform designed as a decision-support tool — not an autonomous decision-maker.

S/01

Unified Data Foundation

Integrated, cleaned, and normalized maintenance, telemetry, and supply data around the ISO 13374 condition-monitoring data model.

The team integrated the operator's fragmented maintenance, telemetry, and supply data into a single, governed platform.
Records were cleaned, normalized, and structured around the ISO 13374 condition-monitoring data model to enable coherent analysis across the entire fleet.
S/02

ML Degradation & RUL Models

Machine-learning models that detect early-warning signatures of component degradation and estimate remaining useful life (RUL).

We developed ML models specifically to detect early-warning signatures of component degradation.
The models also estimate the remaining useful life (RUL) of the parts responsible for the most downtime and cost.
S/03

Explainable Indicators

Models surface explainable indicators — not black-box outputs — rigorously validated against historical failure records.

The models were designed to surface explainable indicators rather than black-box outputs.
Models were rigorously validated against the operator's historical failure and maintenance records before being put into use.
S/04

Decision-Support Dashboards

Dashboards and alerts that help sustainment teams plan maintenance, prioritize platforms, and optimize spares.

Created dashboards and alerts that allow sustainment teams to plan maintenance before a failure occurs.
Teams can prioritize platforms based on readiness impact and optimize spare parts holdings against predicted demand.
[05]Results Achieved

From calendar-based servicing to data-driven sustainment

The shift to predictive analytics provided immediate and long-term sustainment benefits — across fleet health, supply chain, and human control.

R/01
Unified, governed analytics platform

Successfully created a single, governed data foundation for fleet health — a crucial prerequisite for any credible predictive-maintenance program.

R/02
Proactive degradation tracking

Delivered trusted, explainable ML models that accurately flag early signs of component wear and estimate remaining useful life.

R/03
Targeted CBM+ maintenance

The operator successfully shifted from calendar-based servicing to condition-based interventions, directly targeting the specific components that drive the most downtime.

R/04
Optimized supply chain

Enabled spares-holding optimization against predicted demand, significantly reducing both operational stock-outs and unnecessary capital expenditure.

[06]Technology & Team

Explainable AI for mission-critical sustainment

A focused stack — machine learning, digital-twin modeling, and the ISO 13374 condition-monitoring standard — designed for trust in a defense context where wrong decisions are costly.

Technology Stack
Machine Learning (ML)Digital-Twin ModelingCondition-Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+)ISO 13374 Condition-MonitoringTime-Series Anomaly DetectionExplainable AI (XAI)Fleet Telemetry PipelinesSpares Demand Forecasting
Team Composition
Data EngineersMachine Learning EngineersAnalytics Practice TeamDefense Maintenance Engineers (client)Sustainment Organizations (client)
[07]Conclusion

When fleet readiness depends on explainable prediction

In defense sustainment, "the model said so" is not a decision. By grounding the analytics layer in the ISO 13374 condition-monitoring standard, building explainable ML models, and keeping engineers firmly in the loop, we gave this defense fleet operator the ability to predict component degradation and plan interventions before failures occur.

The result is a sustainment organization that runs on data — not on the calendar, and not on reactive firefighting. Spare parts are aligned to predicted demand, engineers trust the indicators they see, and the fleet stays mission-ready at a lower lifecycle cost. For any organization running critical platforms, this is what predictive maintenance looks like when it's designed for trust, not just accuracy.