Andreas Bernhard: Sikorsky Uses New Digital Tools in CH-53K Devt Process

Andreas Bernhard, CH-53K chief engineer at Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky business, has said Sikorsky has adopted software tools such as LCA and CATIA V5 and other digital technologies to produce a paperless design of the CH-53K helicopter, Rotor & Wing International reported Monday.

“It’s all model based; there are no more drawings,” he said at the SciTech Forum hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Florida.

Bernhard discussed the company’s use of digital tools to change the way it designs and develops helicopters and other aircraft.

He said CH-53K is expected to bring more revenues by 2020s as Sikorsky works to produce and deliver the aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Bernhard also noted about Sikorsky’s development and adoption of data downloading and processing technologies for its helicopters.

“What we have done over these past 10 years is develop the automated tools, the data mining, the decision-support technologies such that we can allow our operators to fly longer hours with less downtime and lower maintenance costs,” he added.