U.S. Navy Gets Its First Warship Equipped With AI For System Monitoring

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) has become the first warship to deploy Enterprise Remote Monitoring Version 4 (ERM v4), an artificial intelligence (AI) powered system designed to predict maintenance issues and improve fleet readiness.

The system, developed by Austin-based company Fathom5, helps crews identify equipment failures before they occur, reducing maintenance disruptions and keeping more ships mission-ready.

ERM v4 is a part of the Pentagon’s Condition Based Maintenance Plus initiative, which aims to use machine learning to enhance maintenance planning for ship crews, shore commands, and logistical units.

The system is expected to increase the Navy’s combat readiness, ensuring more ships are available for deployment in case of a large-scale conflict.

According to Zac Staples, a retired Navy officer and CEO of Fathom5, the Navy currently operates in three cycles: one-third of ships are deployed, one-third undergo major depot-level maintenance, and the remaining third are in varying stages of readiness.

He stated that AI-driven maintenance could help keep more ships prepared for deployment.

ERM v4 replaces the Integrated Condition Assessment System (ICAS), which has been in use since the 1990s. On the USS Fitzgerald, the system analyzes 10,000 sensor readings per second from the ship’s hull, mechanical, and electrical (HME) systems.

The AI then makes maintenance recommendations, which are directly integrated into the ship’s maintena…

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