A Need-focused Approach to Air Force Engine Health Management Research

This paper outlines the work that the author has done to develop a structure to help direct engine health management (EHM) research. It discusses the definitions of the relevant EHM terms, outlines the essential elements of an EHM system, deduces the aims of an EHM system through the contributions it can make to the top-level Air Force goals, and uses this to create an EHM vision. It then proposes a method of grouping EHM research programs in terms of their scope and offers a first order method of rating their likely impact. Finally, it raises a number of important issues that need to be considered when developing an EHM system