The evolving security landscape in Europe, the Middle East and Asia demonstrates that contemporary warfare and defence are increasingly determined by two critical domains: information and logistics. Logistics – the operational availability of equipment, its maintainability, the supply of spare parts, and the efficient allocation of maintenance capacity – has become a decisive factor. In this context, the digital twin concept plays a fundamental role.
What Is a Digital Twin?
A digital twin is a digital representation of a complex defence or industrial platform. It is not a detailed manufacturing blueprint but a functional decomposition of the system into logical modules – either from the perspective of operational logic (e.g., maintainability or replaceability) or according to the supply chain.
Each module contains key parameters such as cost, operating hours, service intervals, MTBF or MTTR. These data form the basis for simulation and optimisation algorithms.
A digital twin enables:
- life-cycle cost (LCC) calculation,
- optimisation of spare parts,
- modelling of platform availability,
- what-if scenario analysis.
In other words, a digital twin is not a technical novelty but a strategic decision-support instrument for acquisition planning, operational management and long-term sustainability.
How Is a Digital Twin Obtained?
The model is usually provided by the manufacturer. In aviation, its creation is standardised through ASD S3000L or its US–UK equivalents. In practice, however, the delivered model is often only generic. If the platform is procured with industrial participation or offsets (e.g., 40% of components supplied by domestic industry), the model must be adapted and enriched to reflect these modifications. This responsibility typically lies with system integrators.
Experience shows that high-quality data must be supplied in the S3000L standard, or in de facto standards such as the OPUS Suite analytical system developed by the Swedish company Systecon and widely used across NATO. OPUS not only converts data from S3000L but also enhances the model with real operational data in accordance with the S5000F standard. This makes it possible to verify whether the manufacturer has provided accurate documentation and whether there are grounds for penalties, warranty claims or post-warranty repairs.
Strategic Importance
Without a digital twin, it is impossible to conduct credible life-cycle analyses of military equipment. For armed forces, this represents the difference between efficient investment utilisation and the risk that modern platforms become operationally or financially unsustainable. Obtaining a complete and validated model from the manufacturer is therefore not a formality, but a key prerequisite for national defence readiness and the responsible use of public funds.
What Comes Next?
In the next parts of this series, we will examine concrete examples of digital twins in practice – from the F-35 and KC-390 to the Leopard 2 and Gripen. We will also explore how digital twins contribute to reducing life-cycle costs, how they relate to PPBS, and how artificial intelligence increasingly influences their development.
Tomáš Ječný
Business Development Director, PragoData a.s.