Raytheon Company and Uptake, a leader in the development of industrial-use artificial intelligence software, have partnered to bring predictive maintenance capabilities to the U.S. Marine Corps teams using M88 armored recovery vehicles, the company announced on Monday.
"Commanders should have data-driven confidence that the vehicles chosen for a critical operation are not trending toward an issue right when it matters the most," said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "These kinds of decisions don't just save dollars and ensure mission success– they save lives."
With the partnership, Raytheon will provide the technical ability for onboard recording, processing and transfer of large quantities of sensitive data over secure Wi-Fi. Uptake will supply a suite of advanced artificial intelligence software that offers actionable insights at the component level.
Current maintenance and logistics decisions are event based or timeline driven, but militaries are increasingly using advanced data analytics and condition-based monitoring to identify problems and provide alerts before they happen. The M88 will ensure predictive maintenance strategies to improve long-term vehicle health and maximize availability.
Raytheon's partnership with Uptake will help improve the Department of Defense’s (DoD) processes by leveraging commercial best practices in support of national security.
"To shift from reactive to predictive maintenance requires advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies," said Brad Kewell, Uptake's Founder and CEO. "We want to radically improve mission readiness, success and safety for deployed Marines at the tactical edge."
In addition to Raytheon’s partnership with Uptake, Raytheon also partnered with IronNet Cybersecurity in Feb. 2020. The companies will continue to develop cyber platforms that could be used to defend operational and information technology systems against threat actors.
The cyber tools would include managed security services with threat sharing and analysis tools and would be part of the companies’ collective cyber defense offering for national security systems and critical infrastructure.
"Protecting critical infrastructure is no longer a private sector concern, but a national security imperative,” said John DeSimone, vice president of cybersecurity and special missions at Raytheon’s intelligence, information and services unit. “This partnership offers the integration of advanced cyber products and operations experience to the global market."
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2019 sales of $29 billion and 70,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 98 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I® products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries.
