The U.S. Navy is facing delays in shipbuilding goals due to a slow adoption of digital-design tools, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. These tools have revolutionized the process for commercial ships and military aircraft, with the Air Force fast-tracking design and prototyping using 3-D modeling and digital twinning.
The United States is relying on new ships to deter China in the Pacific, as China’s Navy is expected to grow significantly by 2030. The U.S. Navy is only maintaining around 290 battle force ships through 2030 compared to China’s growing fleet.
Shipbuilders are eager to use new technologies like digital twinning and augmented reality, but face obstacles from the Navy, such as slow provision of necessary data for digital models. Many older ships have design information in 2-D, posing further challenges for shipbuilders.
The Navy needs to be more explicit in demanding the use of new digital tools in ship design and support the investment required to acquire and implement them, according to the report. The GAO makes seven recommendations for the Navy and lawmakers to address these challenges.
