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2nd International Conference on Structural Integrity and Exhibition 2018

Life extension of UAVs: a case study of Indian UAVs

XV Portuguese Conference on Fracture, PCF
2nd International 2016, 10-12 February 2016, Paço2018
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Manu Jain*, S Rajashekar,Conference
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manujain@ade.drdo.in

* Manu Jain. Tel.: +91-80-25057482 ; fax: +91-80-25057227.

E-mail address: manujain@ade.drdo.in
2452-3216 © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and peer-review
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Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Peer-review under responsibility of the SICE 2018 organizers.
10.1016/j.prostr.2019.05.024
 Manu Jain et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 184–190 185
2 Manu Jain / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

This paper describes the need, requirements, methodology including the Non Destructive Test (NDT) methods
and preventive maintenance procedures and lessons learnt from the life extension of Lakshya and Nishant UAVs.
These UAVs have been designed for unique roles and operations, they have special requirements for recovery /
retrieval which limits their operational life.

2. Life extension necessity

2.1. Design predicted life

It is very difficult to provide full life cycle clearance/prediction at initial stages of design because of non-
availability of data on exact operations, storage conditions etc. Thus it is prudent that initial life be decided
conservatively with maximum safety and extreme conditions taken into account and after completion of initial life
period UAV can be subjected to inspection and tests. If UAV clears inspection and tests its life can be extended.
This also enables a better understanding of how the operating environment effects the performance and life of UAV.

2.2. Usage pattern

The usage pattern of the services are quite different. In some cases full flying life is consumed within years and it
is not advisable to discard the airframe as it still has a lot of residual calendar life. In other cases full calendar life is
completed without even reaching half of operational life. This variation in usage affect the availability of UAV for
operations and sometimes leads to increase in buffer stock/inventory. It is prudent to extend the life of aircraft so
that it can be utilized to its full potential, without increasing the level of inventory.

2.3. Time and resource constraints

It may not be always possible to replace a UAV immediately due to limits of supply line and resources. Life
extension of UAVs helps in this and UAVs can be effectively utilized in the time of need.

2.4. Economy of use

Life extension also helps in reduction of UAV cost. Total cost can be amortized over more number of
operations/flights. This also help in rationalization of fleet strength.

3. Requirements for life extension of UAV

3.1. Study of effect of operational environment on UAV

As the UAV is deployed in the actual operational environment, it is essential to constantly monitor the effect of
structural damage, load patterns experienced, corrosion and upgrade the design data for prediction of actual life.
This study also provides better understanding and effectiveness of maintenance procedures, which can be suitably
modified to cater for environment conditions.

3.2. Identification of critical components

Critical components are identified based on the wear/tear and frequency of replacements and can be subjected to
detailed inspection and preventive maintenance. This also helps in inventory management. This data helps in
focusing the life extension procedure to the essential components.
186 Manu Jain et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 184–190
Manu Jain / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000 3

3.3. Field data

 Log book of operations and maintenance record

 Repairs, modifications and concessions provided
 Criticality of operations and requirement
 Timelines available

4. Methodology of life extension

The first step in life extension of UAV is to determine the viability and cost. The full service record is
reviewed and if there is any major failure or incident then it has to be thoroughly probed. The following procedure is
followed:

4.1. Airframe

4.1.1. Structural integrity and stiffness

This is ascertained with the help of frequency measurement by Mechanical Impulse Response test.
Frequencies during life extension are compared with the base frequency. The allowable deviation limit is 5.0%.

4.1.2. Visual examination

This is conducted on all critical airframe parts with the help of a magnifier. Glass magnifier and optical
microscope are used for the assessment of the corrosion depth.

4.1.3. Endoscope visual examination

This is carried out for the non-accessible parts like inner wing areas, fuel tanks. This helps in detection of
corrosion and damage in the areas which cannot be examined directly.

4.1.4. Liquid dye penetration examination

Liquid dye penetration examination which is one of the most popular Nondestructive Examination (NDE)
methods in the industry used to examine the surface level cracks, and damages to the critical areas. This method
is more economical, versatile, and easy to implement on the parts with complex shapes and requires minimal
training when compared to other NDT methods.

4.1.5. Radiography
Radiography is another Nondestructive test which is carried out to examine the internal cracks of the bulk
heads, spider castings and critical parts to rule out any internal cracks or damages.

4.2. Electronic/electrical items

Every subsystem has a history card in which all the operations, repair and modifications are recorded. Line
Replaceable Units (LRU), have to go through shake check, visual inspection, bench check, Environmental
Stress Screening (ESS), followed by bench check. If any fault is noticed during any stage the following can be
pursued:

4.2.1. Repair
Repair takes place when the units are not maintained or handled properly. The failure report, defect
investigation and the rectification are recorded in the history card of the units.

4.2.2. Modification
Modification takes place when similar failures occur in different units (similar LRU), then the defects have to be
analysed and the required rectification has to be carried out. Most of the time the modification takes place when the
 Manu Jain et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 184–190 187
4 Manu Jain / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

component is obsolete or requires advance technology. The modification will have to be incorporated in the other
units also. This should have the concurrence of the design group of the project.

4.2.3. Overhauling
Overhauling is required for the life extension of the Air Vehicle. After the repair / modification and overhauling
the units undergo visual inspection, bench check and finally airborne units have to undergo mandatory
Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) and it has to be qualified as per the Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP).

4.2.4. Replacement
If any unit does not pass the ATP or is Beyond Economical Repair (BER) then that unit has to be rejected and
replaced.

5. Life extension of Indian UAVs

Every UAV has a shelf life and operational life based on its design criteria, role envisaged, storage and
environmental conditions. Indian services have deployed various configurations of UAVs for various objectives
/applications under different operational environments.
Each UAV is designed with a different design philosophy and structural materials, which calls for a wide range
of life extension procedures and techniques. Retiring/discarding a UAV without full use of its life, maximizing
performance and minimizing cost is not advisable. This will lead to wastage of resources and time. India believes in
value, attaching the importance of the performance of the UAV to its cost. Indian services prefers to overhaul or
extend the life of UAVs with minimum or limited resources available to meet the operational requirement of
airworthiness of the UAVs.
Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru has designed & developed various classes of UAV’s which
have been inducted into the tri-services and utilized successfully. In this paper, a high speed UAV named Lakshya
which is an Advanced Pilotless Target aircraft and a low speed UAV named Nishant which is a surveillance aircraft
are considered. These UAVs have unique characteristics and operational environment, details of these is presented
in table 1.

Table 1. Characteristics and operational environment of Lakshya and Nishant

Operation/Function Lakshya Nishant
Launch Mode/Phase  Zero Length Launcher  11m rail launch, Hydro Pneumatic Launcher
Mission/Work  Target firing practice  Surveillance
 Gunnery practice  Border patrolling
 Scoring practice  Target acquisition
Material  Mostly metal (aluminum, steel etc.)  Mostly glass fiber reinforced composite, with
metallic bulkheads
Recovery/Retrieval  Parachute system  Parachute & Landing bag
 Sea recovery/Land recovery  Land recovery
Life  10 years shelf life  10 years shelf life
 10 sea dunking/Land recovery  15-20 landings

ADE’s Lakshya and Nishant UAVs have under gone life extensions to ensure that they can continue to be
airworthy even after their use by date. ADE has followed the following criteria for life extension of UAVs
 The number of UAVs in operation / usage or available in the squadron and criticality of their requirement
 Operational & storage environment which is based on the location of the squadrons
 Component availability and technology obsolescence
 Reliability and safety of operations in extended life
 Economical savings from maximizing the potential use of the UAVs and lower maintenance cost.
188 Manu Jain et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 184–190
Manu Jain / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000 5

 Effectiveness of life extension procedures based on the type of UAVs (Metallic structures, Composite
structures etc)
Lakshya life extension is carried out on completion of original prescribed life of 10 sea dunking / 10 years of
storage Manu Jain et al. (2016). This is a major life extension, which is done at the base. UAV is stripped open and
after thorough inspection extent of damages/corrosion is documented (Fig 1, a and b). A detailed scheme of repair
and restoration is proposed Manu Jain et al.(2009). After successful completion of repair and all the base integration
checks (mechanical and electrical), Lakshya is cleared for 5 flights or 2 years of storage life whichever is earlier.
Once Lakshya has completed its extended life of 5 launches/2 years of extended storage, minor life extension can
be taken up at the user premises Manu Jain et al. (2009-2016). Structural integrity checks, dye penetration test (Fig
2, a and b), endoscopic examination (Fig 3a), radiography (Fig 3b), rigging and electrical integration are carried out
and UAV life is extended for 2 launches/6 months whichever comes first. Depending on the state of UAV minor life
extension can be carried out several times. At present an average Lakshya with full life extension has completed
more than 20 flights i.e double of original predicted life.

Fig. 1. Deriveting of aileron skin (b) corrosion on wing surface

Fig. 2. DP test of wing bracket (b) DP test of rear fuselage joint

Nishant is mostly made of GFRP, which does not have the consistent behavior or life prediction techniques as
metallic parts. The recovery conditions of Nishant also vary frequently because change of location and terrain. Thus,
life extension of Nishant cannot be done for a large number of flights or fixed duration. In case of Nishant
continuous inspection of critical parts are carried out after every flight, beyond original life of 15 flights. The
airframe is subjected to frequency check (Fig 4a) and dye penetration test of critical components is mandated.
During the parachute landing/ recovery if airframe sustains any damage, the components/modules are to be repaired
or replaced. If damaged structure is repaired then it is subjected to requisite static load of (Fig 4b) to ensure that
deflections are within the permitted limits. Nishant life extension has been carried out on experimental basis and the
life of UAV has been extended to two fold of the original calculated life.
 Manu Jain et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 184–190 189
6 Manu Jain / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000

Fig. 3. Endoscope examination of fuel tank (b) Radiography of fuel tank crack

Fig. 4.(a) Nishant structure frequency check (b) Load test of repaired wing

The cost effectiveness of life extension can be seen from Fig 5, compared to original cost a life extended
Lakshya’s cost is reduced by 20% and 31% if utilized for 1.5 times and 2 times of original life if compared to cost
of a new UAV. Similarly Nishant’s cost is reduced by 11.5% and 20%.

Fig. 5. Cost effectiveness of life extension

6. Lessons learnt

6.1. Implementation of structural health monitoring

At present life of a UAV is fixed as number of flights or storage duration. UAV is subjected to mandatory
inspection and life extension program after completion of these lifes. An integrated structural health monitoring
190 Manu Jain et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 184–190
Manu Jain / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2018) 000–000 7

program will ensure that sensors are embedded at critical locations at the production stage itself. This will
facilitate online monitoring of loads experienced and the life can be determined continuously, thus reducing the
number of inspections and test required for life extension.

6.2. Management of inventory

The inspection and checks related to life extension have resulted in a great amount of knowledge on the usage
patterns and storage conditions. This knowledge is being leveraged to manage the inventory of spare parts.

6.3. Post induction support

The condition of UAV is a factor of handling and uses. This also provides indication of how much post
induction support is needed. If the usage is low and condition of UAV is not good it gives evidence of poor
maintenance control. Frequency of operator training and maintenance crew checks can be determined based on
the data

6.4. Continual improvement

The data from life extension also provide base for improvement. Critical parts or more frequently replaced
items design/production control can be improved as detailed in R Vasantha et al. (2017).

7. Conclusion

As the UAV progresses in its operational life deterioration of structure and components cannot be stopped but
it could be minimized/slowed by suitable maintenance and prevention techniques, thus making the life extension
of aircrafts possible. Continuous monitoring of operations and maintenance with proper recording of data
facilitates the decision on life extension of UAV. Life extension of UAVs has proved that a considerable amount
of cost and time can be saved to the user. Many Lakshyas and Nishants have completed life extension programme
and achieved better reliability, enhancing the operational capability of squadrons.

Acknowledgements

Authors thank Director, ADE for his continuous encouragement for quality improvement and permitting us to
present this paper. The authors also acknowledge Shri V Dakshina Murthy of Quality Assurance Division, ADE
and support staff from assembly for valuable guidance and encouragement in writing this paper.

References

Stevan Maksimović, Zoran Vasić, Radoljub Došić : Service Life Extension Program for Aircraft Structures, Scientific Technical Review,
2015,Vol.65,No.3,pp.46-54
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document (2009)
Manu Jain, S Rajashekhar, V Subramanian, V Ashok Rangan :Lakshya life extension reports, Field trial reports (2009-2016)
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