Specifically targeting the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD's) support contracts, LIOS broadly seeks to improve equipment availability, through-life performance and deliver a programme of capability upgrades. It will also support the acceleration and modernisation of the Army to become more agile, integrated and expeditionary in line with the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy and Land Industrial Strategy.
Delivering the UK military’s operational priorities across air, land and sea will require an innovative and robust approach to procurement and ongoing support in all areas of defence spending, as budgetary pressures mount.
Within the land environment specifically, significant shifts are planned, with the SPTC ending in 2025 and LIOS taking effect the same year. This will involve a case-by-case review of all systems, platforms and equipment categories as they transition into through-life support arrangements that aim to deliver a step-change in platform availability and through-life performance via more frequent updates and upgrades.
“Through life capability management (TLCM) and planning is ever more prevalent in the land environment, because the new land vehicle platforms have been or are being procured,” says Leonardo UK’s Acting Vice President of Sales, Electronics, Jan Boyes. “Meanwhile, we are also seeing a consolidation of the entire fleet, taking it from more than 30 different platforms to fewer than 20, in order to reduce complexity and expenditure.
“Since LIOS is about how new and enduring UK platforms will be supported, there must be a focus on how to drive efficiencies in the procurement of spares, new capability, Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO), and post-design services, as well as having a smart way of managing support to our vehicles to increase vehicle availability through outcome-driven contracting.”
Enterprise Transformation
As a company, Leonardo has a history and high-level experience across domains of saving money through support, MRO and training, allowing funds to be reinvested into enhanced warfighting capability for the UK.
This has been achieved through Leonardo’s significant investment into digital information technology, in order to understand and manipulate MOD and industry data to best effect.
One such example is the Typhoon Total Availability eNterprise (TyTAN), which has delivered a 40% cost-saving over the 10-year budget through greater consolidation and efficiency in the supply chain, and ultimately allowed money to be reinvested into the new capability such as the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk2).
Another programme following this model is the AW159 Wildcat helicopter Integrated Support and Training (WIST) contract where Leonardo’s focus is on improvements in planning, maintenance and training, adopting a joint approach to equipment support, asset management, digital tools and configuration capability.
“This expertise developed through TyTAN and WIST will be increasingly important in the land environment as budgetary constraints tighten,” says Jan, pointing to Leonardo’s ability to provide upgraded support, enterprise transformation, and long-term improvement and sustainability capabilities.
Demand Forecasting
Another key consideration in planning is demand forecasting – taking information sources from partners, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and MOD – and then creating information advantage by allowing this data to determine what spares, consumables and commodities should be purchased. This in turn should inform how you ensure platform availability, output and training for operations.
However, the transition from the Afghanistan-type of approach, dealing with insurgencies, to the Ukraine-Russian conflict, which requires far greater reliability on force projection, adds a layer of difficulty to planning.
“In our experience, the customer knows what they want, but not how to deliver it, given the complexity of the current supplier network. Additionally, they need to improve training effectiveness, platform availability, understand configuration and deliver capability of equipment in a very uncertain operational environment,” explains Jan.
“Through life capability and support focuses on understanding that extant capability in ever-changing environments, such as urban warfare or desert combat, so that you have the right equipment in the right place at the right time.”
Strategic Partnerships for Enhanced Operational Efficiency
Recognising that introducing new capability, enhanced training, efficient investment and effective planning are crucial principles of 21st century military campaigns, collaboration between the end-user and industry is the overarching factor that ties all these elements together.
Leonardo has demonstrated a strong capability in value chain mapping, solution design and strategic partnerships with other organisations. By working collectively, they aim to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from reduced costs and improved supply capabilities.
Through a deep understanding of each stakeholder's long-term goals, Leonardo has developed commercial models that align with a shared operational output and solution. Collaboration with industry partners leads to better results for customers, as it fosters joint understanding of operational challenges and solutions.
This collaborative approach focuses efforts on essential activities, improving operational effectiveness and addressing issues such as the introduction of new platforms without support solutions, significant obsolescence, and the availability of training and vehicles.