Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research announces the
installation of a VISION – an automated technology system designed to transform rotor
blade maintenance, repair and training – at the Mississippi Army National Guard Aviation
Classification Repair Activity Depot (AVCRAD) facility in Gulfport, Miss.
The project is a collaboration between NIAR, Mississippi AVCRAD and the Aviation and
Missile Command (AMCOM).
A ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring demonstrations, interactive exhibits and facility
tours was held today. Those in attendance included Colonel Andy Ratcliffe, Mississippi
AVCRAD facility commander; Colonel John Morris III, AMCOM chief of staff; Matt Tomblin,
NIAR director of Automation Research; and Major General Bobby Ginn, Jr., adjutant
general of Mississippi.
VISION is an advanced robotic system for inspecting and repairing UH-60 helicopter
blades through modernized thermal shearography, thermography and laser profilometry.
VISION transforms the helicopter blade inspection and repair process, providing faster,
more accurate inspections; improved safety in blade maintenance; and detailed, actionable
repair reports.
The system was developed in Wichita at NIAR’s Automation Research Center and transported
to the AVCRAD facility in Mississippi. VISION is capable of inspecting multiple types
of blades, with plans to expand to additional blade models in the future.
About NIAR The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University provides
research, design, testing, certification and training to the aviation, defense, manufacturing,
and related industries. NIAR has a $400 million annual budget, a staff of 1,600 and
nearly two million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across
the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. Core competencies include Industrial
Modernization of Materials and Manufacturing; Digital Transformation and Sustainment
Modernization; Test and Evaluation; Engineering, Certification, Modification and Prototyping;
System Automation and Digital Manufacturing. NIAR is a department within the division
of Industry and Defense Programs at Wichita State. wichita.edu/niar
