Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2024 - 8

Digital Twins
and defense companies are increasingly
considering or evaluating the development
of digital twins of the end-to-end
processes of their supply chains to obtain
a more complete view of the procurement,
production and delivery processes.
Others are considering the use of digital
twin technology to track parts throughout
their life span in an effort to improve
maintenance schedules and protocols.
The Potential Cost of Innovation
With data breaches making news headAs
aerospace and defense companies continue to embrace the concept of digital twins for an expanding
number of use cases, securely transferring and storing the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) associated
with digital twins is becoming increasingly important. (Image: Smithers)
lines every day, scrutinizing the security
of digital operations is more critical than
ever before, especially for the key data
held by U.S. DoD contractors. These
contractors are global and have been
preparing for the release of the Cybersecurity
Maturity Model Certification
2.0 (CMMC) requirement. CMMC will
require a third-party independent assessment
to confirm compliance with NIST
SP 800-171 for all contractors processing,
storing, or transmitting CUI. The data
contractors need to protect may be a blueprint,
a detailed description of a component,
or data that can be fed directly to a
CNC machine. However, when the digital
component is an exact copy, as they
must be for a digital twin, the stakes are
significantly higher. Now sensitive data
has interfaces and interactions with the
real world and other systems.
In this web of digital interconnectivThe
Department of Defense defines CUI as " government-created or owned UNCLASSIFIED information
that allows for, or requires, safeguarding and dissemination controls in accordance with laws, regulations,
or Government-wide policies. It is sensitive information that does not meet the criteria for classification
but must still be protected. " As more defense contractors embrace the concept of digital twinning, the processing,
storing and transmitting of CUI in a secure and protected manner is a challenge that the industry
will have to continue to address. (Image: MuhammadArif)
technology over the next 5-10 years.
As an example, a June 2023 survey of
150 aerospace and defense organizations
published by Capgemini resulted
in 80 percent of those surveyed noting
that they have an ongoing digital twin
development program. The remaining
20 percent had plans on starting one.
According to the report, key factors
driving companies to invest in digital
twins include increasing sales (63 per8
cent),
providing an advanced training
environment for employees (68 percent),
reducing time to market (70 percent)
and reducing development costs
(71 percent).
Additionally, in its 2024 Aerospace
and Defense Industry Outlook, Deloitte
identified a new and growing use case for
digital twins among manufacturers that
goes beyond producing a final product.
The report notes that some aerospace
mobilityengineeringtech.com
ity, it's essential to consider the route
any piece of data takes from the physical
to the digital world and back. This is
crucial as the more 'touchpoints' a digital
twin has, the higher the likelihood
of a security breach or data corruption
issues. For instance, a temperature sensor
gathering information on a factory
floor could lead data through a series
of processes before it is integrated into
the digital twin. Each of these processes
must be secure and costs associated
with these security measures must be
considered from the outset.
The potential rewards of digital twinning
are significant, but so are the risks.
Organizations currently executing digital
twinning projects should be compliant
with NIST SP 800-171 today. The AI/
ML platforms they are using should also
be compliant. NIST SP 800-171 is effectively
a set of cybersecurity requirements
Aerospace & Defense Technology, June 2024

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Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2024

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