The Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) faces a significant challenge in maintaining the Air Force’s weapon systems: predicting and managing the availability of rarely needed parts. These components, due to their infrequent and unpredictable usage patterns, have been difficult to forecast using traditional methods.
Imagine trying to predict how many spare tires you’ll need for a fleet of delivery trucks—fairly straightforward, right? Now imagine trying to do the same for a specific, rarely used sensor that only needs replacing once every few years on a handful of trucks. That’s the challenge AFSC faces with certain aircraft components.

Previously, AFSC relied on historical usage data, which proved unreliable for these specific parts. This often resulted in an imbalance—a surplus of some components while others were out of stock when needed. For example, they might have ample inventory of a particular engine part but be critically short of a specialized fastener for a different system. Such shortages can lead to aircraft being grounded due to a lack of parts, impacting mission readiness.

To address this, AFSC’s Quantum Computing Integrated Development Team (IDT) is partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory, industry, and data science experts in the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing to develop cutting-edge, commercially available quantum computing to revolutionize aircraft sustainment. This technology allows more complex calculations, enabling analysis of intricate supply chain factors to generate more accurate predictions than available through traditional analyses