This paper & presentation will discuss the direct parallels between Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS’s) “Product Model centric Strategy” and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) “Digital Engineering Strategy” (DES). These NNS and Navy strategies can be related through the five DES foundational elements (listed below, NNS related efforts in BLUE) necessary for a Digital Engineering Ecosystem to thrive: 1. Formalize the development, integration, and use of models to inform enterprise and program decision making (NNS-Strategy for Digital Thread and Digital Twin) 2. Provide an enduring, authoritative source of truth (NNS-Configuration Managed links between Navy Databases and Digital Product Model) 3. Incorporate technological innovation to improve the engineering practice (NNS-Implementation of AR/VR, laser scanning, IOT and other technologies incorporated into production processes) 4. Establish a supporting infrastructure and environment to perform activities, collaborate, and communicate across stakeholders (NNS-Integrated, Secure Cloud Environment) 5. Transform the culture and workforce to adopt and support digital engineering across the life cycle (NNS-integrated Digital Shipbuilding (iDS) for digital manufacturing)

This paper & Presentation focuses on NNS’s strategy, vision, and the development of an Aircraft Carrier “Intelligent Digital Twin” for lifecycle sustainment. The concept of an Intelligent Digital Twin is completely consistent with NNS’s efforts to integrate digital capabilities based on smart technologies throughout the Digital Thread. The new capabilities will utilize connected digital information to form a holistic view of operations. This view promotes a safer workplace, efficiency, and reduced downtime to allow assets to remain in service longer.