Start integrated, stay integrated: Unlocking new levels of efficiency for aerospace and defense

The aerospace and defense industry operates at the edge of innovation, constantly pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation, while maintaining the highest standards for safety and performance. From new aircraft technology to complex defense systems, these products are advancing every day. However, their high level of complexity presents significant challenges.  

The question isn’t just about building these complex machines, but about building them correctly, efficiently and in a way that adapts to ever evolving demands. Siemens’ approach to systems engineering is to “start integrated and stay integrated” – an approach that is not just beneficial but critical.  

Aerospace and defense product development is uniquely complex 

Modern aerospace and defense products are intricate ecosystems where software electrical electronics and physical components intertwine to create smart, connected and highly specialized solutions. For example, think of a fighter jet – it’s a symphony of advanced avionics, propulsion systems, weapon platforms and sophisticated control software, all needing to work in perfect harmony. 

The traditional “build then integrate” approach, where different teams work in silos and attempt to merge their efforts at the very end, inevitably leads to: 

• Missed requirements: Critical functionalities or interactions are overlooked until late in the development cycle. 

• Late discovery of design issues: Problems that could have been identified early on surface when they are most expensive and time consuming to fix. 

• Schedule delays and cost overruns: Resolving these late-stage issues derails project timelines and budgets. 

Starting and staying integrated unifies design, requirements and digital twins from day one

At its core, “start integrated and stay integrated” is a fundamental shift in mindset and methodology. It means embracing a holistic approach to product development in A&D from theinitial concept stage and maintaining that interconnectedness throughout the entire product lifecycle. It’s about moving away from fragmented, document-centric processes and toward a unified, data-driven environment. 

For aerospace and defense, this translates into: 

1. Integrating mission intent and system needs within a comprehensive digital twin: This isn’t just a 3D model; it’s a repository of all product information, from design specifications and material properties to behavioral models and performance data. By integrating design intent and system needs directly into this digital twin, every decision, every change and every iteration is immediately reflected and accessible across all disciplines. This ensures everyone is working from the same single source of truth. 

2. Establishing a requirements-driven development process: Requirements are the key to any successful A&D project. A “start integrated and stay integrated” approach supports a robust requirements-driven development process. This means: 

• Clear, unambiguous requirements: Defined early and meticulously 

• Traceability: Every design choice, every test case and every component can be traced back to a specific requirement. 

• Continuous verification: Requirements are continuously validated against the evolving design and system behavior. 

3. Enabling interconnectivity between design and system requirements using open, integrated tools: True integration demands an open, interoperable and flexible product lifecycle management (PLM) environment – also known as system lifecycle management (SysLM). This environment acts as the central nervous system, connecting various engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, electronics, software) and their respective tools. 

This robust interconnectivity ensures that: 

• Changes in design automatically trigger updates in related requirements and vice versa. 

• Cross-functional teams have real-time visibility into the entire system. 

• Suppliers and partners can be seamlessly integrated into the development process, fostering early collaboration and mitigating supply chain risks. 

Key factors required for success in increasingly complex A&D industry   

There are many critical benefits of a “start integrated and stay integrated” approach for aerospace and defense: Accelerated development cycles: By catching issues early and streamlining collaboration, projects can move from concept to deployment while streamlining certification. 

• Reduced costs: Minimizing rework, late-stage fixes and manual integration efforts directly translate to substantial cost savings. 

• Enhanced product quality and reliability: A holistic, requirements-driven approach ensures that products are built to the highest standards, meeting stringent safety and performance regulations and airworthiness certification. 

• Improved agility and adaptability: The ability to quickly adopt changing requirements and new technologies is crucial in the A&D industry. 

• Better decision-making: With a comprehensive digital twin providing a single source of truth, decision-makers have access to accurate, up-to-date information, leading to more informed choices. 

Compliance by design: Integrating compliance requirements from the outset guarantees products meet all necessary regulations and standards without costly retrofitting. 

Elevate your systems engineering process

The A&D industry faces unique challenges, but it also has the opportunity to lead the way in adopting advanced methodologies. By embracing a “start integrated and stay integrated” approach, organizations can overcome complexity, accelerate innovation and deliver the next generation of groundbreaking products with confidence.  

Siemens’ integrated systems engineering solutions empower you to establish a unified product definition and an optimized architecture right from the initial concept phase.  

By adopting a data- and system-modeling approach, you can leverage Siemens’ open development environment. This environment supports standardized modeling (SysML) that integrates seamlessly with a leading PLM system, ensuring compatibility with existing processes, systems and data.  

Siemens tools are designed for accessibility, fostering cross-domain collaboration among stakeholders, from experts to occasional users. The low-code environment further enables easy creation of personalized, user-centric applications without compromising core functionality. 

These solutions also guarantee seamlessly integrated and scalable cross-domain engineering. You can benefit from the most comprehensive digital twin, powered by best-in-class, interoperable digital tools for mechanical, electrical, electronics and software engineering. These tools connect effortlessly with both the PLM backbone and the system modeler/architect.

Engineers can utilize the integrated product definition and architecture, alongside robust PLM services like configuration, change and variability management. This allows for closed-loop testing with simulation models to quickly and cost-effectively optimize product performance, while meeting customer, safety and sustainability requirements. 

Finally, Siemens’ integrated systems engineering solutions promote early integration with suppliers and partners. Siemens’ solutions are open, interoperable, secure and enhanced with a low-code environment so you can easily incorporate supplier inputs. This leads to improved requirement definition, optimized system design, reduced supply chain risks and more effective collaboration. 

Learn more about Siemens’ systems engineering solutions, including requirements management solutions.