Building Maintainability into the MA-60
Utilizing ITEM ToolKit™, Xi'an Aircraft Company has designed and built a short to medium range aircraft known as the MA60 (Modem Ark 60). As a systems integrator Xi'an selected vendors with a proven reliability track record. From the engines to avionics, vendors were first identified and then the list was pared down to suppliers that offered the highest degree of reliability and maintainability. Using the Reliability Block Diagram Module, systems were broken down into their sub components and the analysis was rolled up to predict the overall aircraft reliability. In critical areas where sub system reliability is high, redundancy was built in and demonstrated using ITEM ToolKit™.
Due to the high dispatch requirements, maintainability was also a critical factor in the design. Procedures, tools and access panel necessities were identified using the MainTain™ module in ITEM ToolKit™. Maintenance procedures, mean time to repair (MTTR) and tools required for the task were calculated or identified. Where routine maintenance was needed, sufficient access doors are available such as in the avionics equipment, hydraulic and air conditioning system bays.
As ITEM ToolKit™ had predicted; the MA-60 has proven to be an inherently reliable aircraft with a low level of maintenance.
About Xi'an Industry Group
Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group is the leading Chinese company in aircraft design and manufacturing. Since 2001, Item ToolKit™ has been used to perform reliability, safety, and maintainability analyses for all systems of the MA60 aircraft.
About ITEM Software
We were established in 1986 with the mission of becoming a leading, global vendor of software tools for risk assessment applications with a focus on reliability, availability, maintainability and safety.
Today our solutions are widely used throughout the world by major companies and government agencies in sectors like defense, aerospace, electronics, telecommunication, energy, medical and transportation.
We pride ourselves for our exceptional customer loyalty, which is a direct result of our total commitment to product quality and outstanding customer support. We service our clients from our regional offices in California, Maryland and the United Kingdom, and our affiliates in Asia, Australia and South America.
