Modernizing Aerospace PLM Systems Without Risking Data Integrity

Aerospace engineers don't fly prototypes that haven't been stress-tested, yet enterprise leaders regularly bet $50M+ on "Big Bang" PLM migrations that have a 70% failure rate. In an industry where a single data integrity error can ground a fleet or derail a multi-year manufacturing cycle, the traditional "rewrite from scratch" approach isn't just expensive—it's negligent.

TL;DR: Modernizing Aerospace PLM systems requires moving away from manual code archaeology toward Visual Reverse Engineering, reducing migration timelines by 70% while ensuring 100% data integrity through automated API contract generation.

The $3.6 Trillion Bottleneck in Aerospace Engineering#

The global technical debt load has reached a staggering $3.6 trillion, and nowhere is this more visible than in Aerospace and Defense. Legacy Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems—often built on aging Java applets, Oracle Forms, or monolithic C++ backends—hold the "source of truth" for complex Bill of Materials (BOM), CAD metadata, and compliance records.

The problem? 67% of these legacy systems lack any meaningful documentation.

When a VP of Engineering decides it's time for modernizing Aerospace PLM, they usually face a grim reality: an 18-24 month timeline where developers spend 80% of their time performing "software archaeology"—trying to figure out what the old code does before they can write a single line of new React code.

The Cost of Manual Modernization#

Why Traditional PLM Migrations Fail (The 70% Problem)#

Most modernization projects fail because they treat the legacy system as a "black box." Developers attempt to replicate complex business logic—developed over 20+ years—by reading stale documentation or interviewing retired engineers.

⚠️ Warning: Relying on tribal knowledge for PLM migration is a recipe for data corruption. If the logic governing your "Effectivity Dates" or "Part Revisions" is misunderstood during the rewrite, your entire supply chain data integrity collapses.

Aerospace systems are uniquely difficult to modernize due to:

1. •Strict Regulatory Compliance: Every change must meet AS9100 and FAA/EASA audit trails.
2. •Long Asset Lifecycles: A plane designed in 1995 must still be supported in 2025.
3. •Complex Interdependencies: A change in a wing assembly impacts 10,000+ child parts.

Replay changes the paradigm. Instead of guessing what the code does, Replay uses Video as the source of truth. By recording real user workflows within the legacy PLM, Replay visually reverse-engineers the application's DNA.

The Visual Reverse Engineering Framework for PLM#

To modernize without the risk of a total rewrite, we follow a four-step automated extraction process. This ensures that the business logic remains intact while the underlying tech stack is catapulted into the modern era.

Step 1: Workflow Capture (The "Recording" Phase)#

Instead of reading code, record the experts. A senior engineer performs a standard task—such as "Initiating a Part Change Request"—while Replay captures the network calls, state changes, and UI elements.

💡 Pro Tip: Capture edge cases during the recording phase. Replay’s AI Automation Suite can identify hidden validation logic that manual documentation usually misses.

Step 2: Automated Component Extraction#

Replay’s Blueprints engine analyzes the recording and generates clean, documented React components. It doesn't just copy the look; it maps the functional intent.

typescript
// Example: Generated React Component from Legacy PLM Screen
// Source: Legacy Java Applet - "Part Revision Module"
// Generated by Replay AI Automation Suite

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { Button, TextField, Alert } from '@/components/ui';

interface PartData {
  partNumber: string;
  revision: string;
  status: 'Draft' | 'Released' | 'Obsolete';
  lastModified: string;
}

export const PartRevisionManager: React.FC<{ partId: string }> = ({ partId }) => {
  const [data, setData] = useState<PartData | null>(null);
  const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);

  // Replay preserved the complex validation logic from the legacy system
  const validateRevision = (rev: string) => {
    const revRegex = /^[A-Z]{1,2}$/;
    return revRegex.test(rev);
  };

  const handleUpdate = async (newRev: string) => {
    if (!validateRevision(newRev)) {
      setError("Invalid Revision Format: Must be 1-2 uppercase letters.");
      return;
    }
    // API Contract generated by Replay based on legacy network traffic
    await fetch(`/api/v1/plm/parts/${partId}/revise`, {
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify({ revision: newRev })
    });
  };

  return (
    <div className="p-6 border rounded-lg shadow-sm">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold">Modernized Part Revision: {data?.partNumber}</h2>
      {error && <Alert variant="destructive">{error}</Alert>}
      <TextField 
        label="New Revision" 
        onChange={(e) => handleUpdate(e.target.value)} 
      />
      <Button onClick={() => {/* Logic preserved */}}>Submit Change Request</Button>
    </div>
  );
};

Step 3: API Contract Generation#

One of the biggest risks in modernizing Aerospace PLM is breaking the connection between the new UI and the legacy database. Replay automatically generates OpenAPI/Swagger contracts by observing the traffic between the legacy frontend and the backend.

yaml
# Generated API Contract for Legacy PLM Integration
openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: Aerospace PLM Bridge API
  version: 1.0.0
paths:
  /parts/{partId}/bom:
    get:
      summary: Retrieves Bill of Materials with recursive child parts
      parameters:
        - name: partId
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Successful BOM retrieval
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/BOMResponse'

Step 4: Technical Debt Audit & Validation#

Before deployment, Replay’s Technical Debt Audit compares the legacy workflow against the new modernized flow. This ensures no business logic was dropped during the transition.

💰 ROI Insight: Companies using Replay see an average 70% time savings. What used to take 18 months of manual coding is now completed in weeks, allowing teams to focus on new feature development rather than maintenance.

Ensuring Security in Regulated Environments#

For Aerospace and Defense, cloud-only solutions are often a non-starter. Modernizing Aerospace PLM requires a platform that respects ITAR, EAR, and SOC2 requirements.

Replay is built for these constraints:

• •On-Premise Availability: Keep your proprietary engineering data within your own firewall.
• •SOC2 & HIPAA-Ready: Enterprise-grade security protocols for sensitive data.
• •Zero-Trust Architecture: Ensure that only authorized personnel can record and extract system logic.

The Future Isn't Rewriting—It's Understanding#

The "Big Bang" rewrite is a relic of the 2010s. The future of enterprise architecture is understanding what you already have. By using Replay to document without archaeology, you turn your legacy system from a liability into a library of reusable assets.

• •Library: Automatically build a Design System from your existing screens.
• •Flows: Map the architecture of your entire PLM ecosystem visually.
• •Blueprints: Edit and refine the generated code in a low-code/no-code environment before exporting to production.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How long does legacy extraction take?#

While a manual rewrite takes 18–24 months, Replay typically extracts and modernizes a complex PLM module in 2 to 8 weeks. The automated extraction of a single screen takes approximately 4 hours, compared to the 40 hours required for manual reconstruction.

What about business logic preservation?#

Replay captures the actual execution of business logic by recording user interactions and system responses. This "Video as source of truth" ensures that even undocumented validation rules (common in 20-year-old systems) are captured and translated into modern API contracts and frontend logic.

Does Replay support on-premise deployments?#

Yes. Given the high-security requirements of the Aerospace, Government, and Financial sectors, Replay offers full on-premise deployment options to ensure your source code and manufacturing data never leave your secure environment.

Can Replay handle legacy systems with no API?#

Absolutely. Replay’s visual reverse engineering works by observing the DOM and network layers of the application. If the system has a UI, Replay can extract the logic, even if the underlying "API" is just raw database calls or legacy mainframe protocols.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay - see your legacy screen extracted live during the call.