AI for Airworthiness
Background Summary
Military aircraft modifications require airworthiness certification against MIL-HDBK-516Cbefore operational fielding. Traditional processes consume 18-36 months per project,driven by manual evidence assembly and criteria matching to produce the engineeringcompliance certification product. Senior experts must match certification basis criteria totest data, assess compliance, calculate MIL-STD-882E risk, and draft standardized reportswith complete traceability. Manual review scales poorly as experienced engineers retire,creating workforce gaps. AFLCMC Mobility Directorate program offices managing KC-46,C-130, C-17, KC-135, and C-5 fleets require faster certification without compromisingsafety rigor or regulatory acceptance.
Shipcom AI delivers the only AI-enabled airworthiness auto-compliance tool withoperational DoD deployment. The system automates compliance assessment against MIL-HDBK-516C Sections 11 (Avionics), 12 (Electrical Systems), and 13 (E3). Built on VerifiableClaim Architecture principles, the platform combines deterministic AI reasoning withontology-driven knowledge graphs to generate DAF-compatible compliance reports withcomplete traceability. Human-in-the-loop workflow preserves human certificationauthority through CAC-based digital signatures while AI accelerates evidence assemblyand risk assessment. Deployment progressed from operational Section 13 baselinethrough current Phase III SBIR expansion to Sections 11 and 12, with Platform One IL-5production hosting serving Wright-Patterson, Tinker, and Warner Robins AFBs.
Figure 1: the Shipcom AI Airworthiness Compliance Generator
Value Proposition
Compresses certification timelines from 18-36 months to 6-12 months and reduces expert labor hours by 40-60%, accelerating modification fielding. Addresses workforce gaps as engineers retire, capturing institutional knowledge in auditable formats. Complete audit trails provide traceability from requirement through compliance to test results.Government acceptance across AFLCMC/WL program offices positions the capability forAFMC-wide adoption. Conservative human-in-the-loop design maintains human authority over safety-critical decisions, ensuring regulatory acceptance.
Metrics: 85-100% SME match rate validated on Section 13 | 40-60% expert hour reduction | Four-year SBIR pedigree (2022-2026) | Three-location deployment serving seven program offices | Platform One IL-5 production hosting.
Technical Differentiators: Only operational AI airworthiness tool with DoD validation | Knowledge graph foundation enabling relationship-aware reasoning | ERAD-H operational template structuring compliance determinations | Cross-domain architecture validated across airworthiness and armaments domains | Version-controlled standards library tracking MIL-HDBK-516 evolution (516A through 516C) with ontology architecture enabling rapid integration of future standard revisions including 516D.