A Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a connected physical asset and encompasses its entire product lifecycle. Its value stems from the ability to shift work from a physical environment into a virtual or digital environment, which leads to significant decreases in the resources needed to design, produce, and keep aerospace assets operational. The objective of the paper is four-fold:
- Provide the Aerospace community with a common definition of the Digital Twin;
- Illustrate Digital Twin capabilities through a number of applications and value examples;
- Discuss the alignment between the Department of Defense (DoD) Digital Engineering Strategy and aerospace industry’s viewpoint of the Digital Twin; and
- Identify future focus areas and activities for accelerating value realization from the use of Digital Twins.
This paper was published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and is endorsed by AIA.
