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The increased geopolitical tensions have brought in the development of new generation vessels, emphasizing their modularity, survivability, resilience, and battle-hardening capabilities. The evolution of the battlefields also accelerated the development of autonomous systems such as USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle), mini-ROV or Remotely Operated Vehicle.
Consequently, naval shipyards are actively engaged in developing these advanced naval platforms and their associated systems.
Developing the next-generation naval defense platforms requires a seamless connection and synchronization of various engineering disciplines to identify optimum solutions. In addition, executing flawlessly is essential to meet project requirements, encompassing effective planning, coordination, and access to accurate information. To achieve these objectives, the shipbuilders need to connect different departments and disciplines around the virtual twin of the ships, ensuring technical requirements, schedules, and budgets are met through digital continuity and model-based engineering.
The Model-Based approach to overcome vessels complexity
The complexity of modern naval ships and submarines arises from the need to confront a highly uncertain battlefield, characterized by asymmetric and hypervelocity threats like drones and cyber-attacks. Additionally, they must navigate congested electromagnetic environments, contend with new generations of sonars and radars, and be equipped for multipurpose missions ranging from surveillance (against drug and human traffic) humanitarian (rescuing refugees), counter piracy, and ensuring control of “Seabed warfare” and conventional warfare. Thus, adaptability to different mission profiles and upgradability by design, along with enhanced operational availability, have become key demands from naval operators.
Meeting these challenges necessitates a transformation in the acquisition process, with a shift from traditional document-centric approaches to connected and trusted models that provide digital continuity in the entire lifecycle. Many defense organizations are already embracing these principles and transitioning towards model-based acquisition. Extending Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) upstream is also attractive for shipyards, as it helps validate concepts and designs, avoiding costly errors, particularly with tools like CATIA.
To succeed, naval programs need to:
- Integrate Innovation: Bring together expertise and enable seamless collaboration across the enterprise.
- Optimize Capability: Allow the possibility to select the best solutions by connecting different stakeholders.
- Improve Outcomes: Use connectivity to manage the complexity of execution and enhance project outcomes.
- Maintain Capability: Implement upgrades through the lifecycle while maintaining a dominant capability.
Enhancing Performance & Innovation with Virtual Twin
A model-based approach also benefits requirement management through early simulation, enabling accurate prediction and better definition of project specifications. This approach ensures effective requirement specification management with full traceability throughout the asset’s entire lifecycle, as well as efficient progress monitoring across various activities. Early simulation minimizes physical prototyping and testing, thereby shortening development cycles and fostering innovation. The virtual twin is thus an executable virtual representation of a physical system of systems, offering unique capabilities.
In case of submarine engineering, the use of Virtual Twin and Design-driven Simulation Tools facilitate the development of modern Undersea Defense Technology. It responds to the need of stealth in submarine design, particularly in terms of radar cross-section (RCS) and hydrodynamic wake on the water surface. The MODSIM (Unified Modeling and Simulation) approach can be employed to analyze and optimize the submarine’s geometry to minimize its RCS and wake.
In the case study “Designing a Stealthier Submarine with Design-driven Simulation Tools”, presented at Undersea Defense Technology event, engineers used CAD and CAE data on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to optimize the design process, allowing for quicker identification of optimal solutions. The article emphasizes the benefits of the MODSIM approach in enhancing stealth, reducing RCS, and improving overall submarine design, in alignment with the defense industry’s move towards model-based acquisition and digital transformation. It also highlights the importance of the collaboration of various specialists, including naval architects, radar engineers, and computational fluid dynamics experts, in a multi-domain workflow.
Collaborate on one Single Source of Truth
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides a comprehensive solution to support naval shipyards digital the adoption a model-based approach and accelerate innovation. The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform connects the entire shipyards and the naval industry ecosystem in a unified environment, supporting all disciplines and ensuring a single source of truth. This platform helps capture and manage customer requirements and industry regulations, ensuring that the final asset is built to specification. Additionally, it enables the transformation of initial concept ideas into complete virtual twins of the ships, facilitating engineering and production validation through coordinated collaboration.
In conclusion, the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform serves as a unified environment that fosters imagination, creation, and delivery of the next generation of naval vessels. By bringing together multi-disciplinary teams and enabling continuity, it facilitates the development of complex and connected products at an accelerated pace, serving as the essential single version of truth to transform ideas into innovative realities.
