Stratofortress Intelligent Digital Twin

To meet the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF’s) need for a digital twin (DT) of the B-52H Stratofortress legacy aircraft—capable of simulating equipment integration and testing, extreme weather effects, equipment failures, and system malfunctions—Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to advance the Stratofortress Intelligent Digital Twin (SINDIT), a fully functional DT concept demonstrated as feasible during Phase I. SINDIT combines artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), model-based systems engineering, and physical modeling into a unified physics-informed ML (PIML) neural network framework. The development and training of SINDIT’s PIML model integrates: (a) physical principles—including physics-based engineering models, enforced constraints, stochasticity, regularization techniques, and multiscale behaviors; (b) USAF requirements and specifications; and (c) B-52 domain-specific engineering knowledge. This ensures the resulting DT is both physically accurate and consistent with real-world operational behavior and validated against actual aircraft performance data. During Phase I, Intellisense defined the system concept for SINDIT and conducted a feasibility study, focusing on developing a DT of the B-52H aircraft. We established requirements for 3D CAD and SysML models based on USAF documentation, and explored AI/ML techniques for modeling large, complex components using 2D drawings and images. These methods were used to generate a 3D CAD model of the B-52H, which was tested using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to simulate aerodynamic forces and airframe stresses from integrated equipment. We also developed and tested an ML model to reconstruct 2D drawings into 3D CAD models, achieving high accuracy. In addition, we created a DT for B-52H engines, modeled electromagnetic interference for the radar and AgilePod, and assessed potential RF interference. The results validated the feasibility of SINDIT, demonstrated the integration of AI/ML with physics-based methods, and showed the potential for both military and commercial applications. In Phase II, Intellisense will finalize the development of SINDIT, refine the 3D model of B-52H aircraft with integrated equipment and perform comprehensive testing and validation for various equipment configurations and operational scenarios, and prepare a functional, well-defined SINDIT prototype for USAF evaluation. This phase will conclude with the delivery of the prototype and the formulation of a commercialization strategy plan for broader deployment of the technology in Phase III.