Nexter and CKP Engineering experiment predictive maintenance on Leclerc tank.

The SIMMT (Structure intégrée de maintien en condition opérationnelle des matériels terrestres, Integrated structure for maintaining land equipment in operational condition) has awarded Nexter and CKP Engineering a contract to test predictive maintenance on the Leclerc tank. The project was born in March 2020, a few months after the Forum Entreprises Défense (FED), during which CKP Engineering was hosted by the MCO-T and the GICAT in the show's innovation area.
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Leclerc MBT of the 5th Régiment de Dragons during the rehearsal of the 14th July 2019 military parade (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The SIMMT wanted CKP to join forces with a military vehicle manufacturer to carry out a predictive maintenance experiment on the oil circuit of a vehicle. Wishing to instrument the engine of the Leclerc tank, CKP logically turned to Nexter to collaborate on the project. In concrete terms, after the launch of a pre-study phase, this order enables the integration of HUMS-type sensors and post-processing algorithms supplied by CKP Engineering on the engine oil circuit of a Leclerc demonstrator. After several days of testing, the data collected will be analyzed jointly by teams from CKP and Nexter's Customer Services Department (CSD), who will publish their results in the fall of 2021. This type of collaboration, where a French industrial prime contractor and a young French company share their skills, is one of the objectives promoted by the SIMMT as part of the MCO-T 2025 strategic plan.

CKP Engineering, an innovative company founded by Julien Ferrazzo, is recognized for its powertrain architectures (engine, gearbox and transmissions). In addition to its network of experts and agile, high-performance industrial partners, CKP brings to this project more than 15 years of expertise in operational predictive maintenance solutions.

For its part, Nexter is relying on the technical expertise and experience acquired over the past ten years in the in-service support of the Leclerc tank. By taking part in this experiment, Nexter also intends to capitalize on its investments made as part of the ERMES program (2019-2021), which consisted of deploying HUMS sensors on a fleet of 40 VBCIs in the Mourmelon and Canjuers training grounds. The analysis of the field data is now shared with the French defense procurement agency (DGA) and the SIMMT in order to optimize the management of this vehicle fleet.

Julien Ferrazzo, the founder of CKP Engineering, is delighted with this partnership: "We are bringing together the best of both worlds. More than a vehicle, Nexter brings us architects who have experience in the field. Together, we are sure to succeed. Thanks to this fusion of know-how, we are able to adapt maintenance to each tank. Nourished, unfiltered exchanges with total confidence from experts who know the vehicle's constraints perfectly."

Michel Fornos, head of the innovation and training department within Nexter's Customer Services Department, believes that "this experiment has the great merit of showing the operational reality of predictive maintenance, which makes it possible to consider its deployment on all or part of the fleets in service."