Upgrading aerospace system architecture with AI and SysML v2 – Summary

As previous episodes of the Talking Aerospace Today podcast explored, current approaches to systems engineering need to adapt to meet rising product complexity in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry. To ensure the safe, successful integration of new systems such as electronics and software in aircraft and spacecraft, A&D companies need tools that enable more cross-domain collaboration and traceability in their strategies. Fortunately, such capabilities can be found in artificial intelligence (AI) and SysML v2.

In the latest episode of Talking Aerospace Today, Todd Tuthill, Vice President of Aerospace, Defense, and Marine for Siemens Digital Industries Software, continues discussing systems engineering in A&D with Dale Tutt, Vice President of Industry Strategy for Siemens. This time, they focus on the role AI can play in evolving systems engineering to meet today’s challenges in A&D, as well as how SysML v2 differs from its predecessor and the benefits it can bring to companies’ system architectures.

The automation potential of AI

There are a number of value propositions that AI has, according to Todd, especially in the areas of knowledge capture and retention. The application that Todd highlights in regard to evolving systems engineering is its automation capabilities. A problem that many aerospace engineers experience is how they want to do engineering, but much of their time is spent performing menial tasks such as transferring data, creating test reports, and more. Many of these tasks can be delegated to AI, freeing up more time for engineers to focus on critical engineering work and get things done faster.

There are plenty of software tools existing today that fulfill this kind of automation, but what makes AI special is just how robust it is. As Todd says, AI taking on mundane tasks is just the beginning. As the technology develops, it can be capable of higher level thinking and start doing more complex tasks, perhaps even one day generating designs for parts and components. The sheer number of things AI can automate has enormous potential to multiply aerospace engineers’ impact and bridge the gaps between disparate engineering domains, bringing a more holistic form of systems engineering into reality.

The democratization of systems engineering with SysMLv2

Another tool Todd and Dale highlight for its potential to transform systems engineering in aerospace is SysML v2, the systems modeling language that builds upon its predecessor, SysML v1. While SysML v1 gave engineers an efficient way to describe and model their work, one issue was how difficult it was to share data between systems with it. Even if one were using the same system, exporting a file and then reimporting it could result in a different answer. SysML v2 fills in these gaps between systems by providing a better, standard framework to openly share data between systems, enabling companies to develop entire system architectures rather than islands of data.

Dale goes on to state how SysML v2 not only promises to evolve systems engineering, but also democratize it. Not only does SysML v2 enable easier access to data between systems, but also because of the way the language is written, it is easier to be introduced to a broader set of engineering teams and let them leverage its capabilities. As systems engineering becomes more engraved in A&D companies’ DNA, SysML v2 can help make that transition smoother.

Transforming systems engineering

Whether by automating increasingly complex tasks or accelerating the transfer of data between systems, artificial intelligence and SysML v2 have significant potential to help A&D companies make their systems engineering strategies more holistic and collaborative. Integrating these technologies and pursuing such strategies can better position companies to meet the challenges facing the industry today head on and unleash the aircraft and spacecraft of tomorrow.

Tune into the Talking Aerospace Today podcast to learn more about the future of systems engineering in A&D.

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Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.