An initial trial last December of a prototype system meant to standardize logistics tracking for Coast Guard assets is now being fielded to support one of the service’s HC-144A maritime patrol aircraft with plans to expand the implementation to additional Ocean Sentry aircraft this summer, the service said on Wednesday.
The trial in December of the Coast Guard Logistics Information Management System (CG-LIMS) showed the prototype had a 100 percent accuracy rating for the training and performance categories and a 94 percent rating for support of unit level maintenance.
The CG-LIMS will ultimately help the Coast Guard better manage configuration, maintenance supply chain and technical data as it migrates from the legacy Asset Logistics Management Information System (ALMIS) through technical refreshments. The Coast Guard said the new system will provide improve management decision-making by its operators by “integrating and displaying all mission support information in a comprehensive view.”
The Coast Guard in 2011 awarded Mythics, Inc., a potential $42.8 million contract for software licenses for CG-LIMS. The service is doing the systems integration.
The GC-LIMS is being implemented at the Coast Guard’s Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., and was applied to an HC-144A for initial testing. Later this summer the system will cover the remaining four aircraft at the center and by the spring of 2015 all 18 HC-144As that the Coast Guard is acquiring will be supported by CG-LIMS.
Operators should expect full delivery of the unit level maintenance support this summer, Capt. Jonathan Duff, the CG-LIMS project manager, said in a statement.
Eventually, the Coast Guard hopes to expand CG-LIMS across its aviation, surface and shore-based assets and facilities although the pace of this expansion will be budget dependent. The service expects that CG-LIMS will help it save money in support costs as outdated ALMIS components are replaced.