Royal Navy's 1710 Naval Air Squadron launch innovative product with Microsoft

In line with British Science Week (10-19 March), the Royal Navy’s Portsmouth-based 1710 NAS (Naval Air Squadron), in partnership with Microsoft, has launched an innovative data exploitation application, Motherlode, with the potential to change the game in aircraft availability for the senior service.

1710 NAS is a forward support Squadron with a strong reputation for conducting deployed aircraft repair, scientific material investigation and helicopter monitoring support all over the world.

The launch of Motherlode marks a major milestone for 1710 NAS and the wider Royal Navy, offering far-reaching implications for operational capabilities across the service. By harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology and collaborating with partners such as Microsoft, the Royal Navy is positioning itself at the forefront of innovation in the defence industry.

Beginning as a concept at RNAS Yeovilton, the application has been developed by 1710 NAS in Portsmouth over the last year and will enable engineers to process maintenance data much more quickly; what previously used to take months will now be reduced to a matter of minutes using Motherlode. The burden on engineers to pore through data will be significantly reduced, driving more efficient maintenance and ultimately enabling aircraft to get out on operations much more quickly.

The Squadron’s Commanding Officer, Commander Nicholas Almond said: “The launch of Motherlode is a significant development for naval aviation with the potential to transform the way in which aircraft maintenance is carried out using smarter decision making.

“The collaboration between the Royal Navy and Microsoft has been fantastic and fundamental to the success of this project.”

Allen Hart, Microsoft Client Delivery Partner, UK Defence said: “It’s been an exciting project for Microsoft, and we hope this collaborative endeavour will help the Royal Navy maximise aircraft availability.”

Following the launch, Royal Navy personnel are now being trained on the use of the system back at RNAS Yeovilton and RNAS Culdrose. This training will ensure that personnel are fully equipped to use the system’s advanced analytics and real-time data processing capabilities to optimise maintenance schedules, predict component failures, and improve overall fleet readiness.