The problem
In naval aviation, the most consequential maintenance data is created at the aircraft, on the flight line, often with the network off. The signature is not. A Collateral Duty Inspector witnesses an inspection at the airframe and signs for it minutes to hours later, at a terminal, from memory or a note.
Everything downstream inherits that gap: readiness reporting, mishap investigation, and the predictive maintenance the fleet is now building on top of those records.
The approach
- Captured at the point of work. Each sign-off becomes an individually attributed event, recorded on the ruggedized computers already used on the flight line.
- Sealed while disconnected. Events are chained so that alteration, reordering and insertion are detectable, and held in an append-only queue while the device is offline.
- Verified before it counts. On reconnection, the whole chain is checked before anything reaches the system of record. A batch that fails is rejected, with the reason stated.
Where it stands
A working software prototype demonstrates capture, chaining, verification and rejection end to end.
Its cryptography is simulated, and all data is synthetic. No real or controlled maintenance records are used. Moving to hardware-backed signing, and proving the records hold up when a device itself is compromised, is the research ahead.
A demonstration is available on request.
Founder
Aaron Hensley — Founder and Principal Investigator
Retired Navy Aviation Structural Mechanic First Class (AM1), with twenty-one years in naval aviation maintenance on H-60 aircraft at organizational, intermediate and depot level. He held Collateral Duty Inspector and Collateral Duty Quality Assurance Representative designations: he has signed the records this work is about, and audited them.
At his final command he directed the replacement of a paper certification-record program with smart-card digital signatures, which passed six internal and external audits with zero findings.
Company
- Legal name
- Signal Tactical Group LLC
- UEI
- JUH7WW841JH8
- CAGE
- 23ZT9
- NAICS
- 541715 (primary) · 541511 · 541512 · 541519
- Business size
- Small business
- Location
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
Contact
For program, partnership or demonstration inquiries:
aaron@signaltacticalgroup.com