Integrated Hybrid Structural Management System (IHSMS)

The US Navy has long relied on time-based maintenance to sustain the airworthiness of military aircraft. Historically, these practices have contributed to significant maintenance burden. The Integrated Hybrid Structural Management System (IHSMS) program is developing structural health management (SHM) capabilities for the CH-53K rotorcraft to move beyond conventional flight-hour based maintenance towards a reliability-based maintenance framework. IHSMS incorporates a number of wired and wireless sensor technologies and analytical methods into a modular SHM system that integrates directly with the aircraft's existing Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS). IHSMS is being developed for transition to the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter while being designed for adaptability to other Navy and Marine Corps applications. This paper provides an overview of the IHSMS program, the design development approach, and execution strategy adopted by Sikorsky and US Navy to develop and mature an integrated rotor and airframe SHM system to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6.