Recently, the "Jiuzhou Famous Scholars" series of high-end lectures was held at the 2-4195 lecture hall in the Innovation Harbour of Xi'an Jiaotong University. The event was jointly organized by the Communist Youth League Committee and the School of Aerospace Engineering. It was part of the series of reports supported by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology's College Students' Science and Technology Association Support Program and received support from the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Duan Zhuoyi (former chief designer of a major national project) was invited to give a special report titled "Construction of an Innovative R&D System Based on Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Its Application in Project Practice".

The report meeting was presided over by Li Yujing, the deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Committee of the School of Aerospace Engineering. Shen Shengping, the dean of the School of Aerospace Engineering, delivered a welcoming speech. Meng Hao, the deputy secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee of the school, presented the honorary certificate of an off-campus mentor of the "Climbing Program" practical platform to Chief Designer Duan Zhiyi.

Duan Zhuoyi emphasized in his report the critical importance of model-based systems engineering in the equipment development process. He pointed out that equipment design is not merely a stacking of technologies but a strategic task closely linked to future combat systems. In today’s complex operational environment, equipment development must transition from platform-centric design to system-of-systems design, using models to conduct in-depth analysis and precise prediction of operational requirements, thereby ensuring combat effectiveness and system interoperability. He elaborated on the application of MBSE in large-scale complex equipment development, illustrating the entire process from "scenario capture, data accumulation, model construction, to solution optimization." Through the example of KFC store location selection, he demonstrated how data models support optimal decision-making, highlighting that model-based design functions similarly across fields—enabling continuous iteration and refinement of equipment functionality and performance through upfront simulation and optimization. Centered on the concept of "having a blueprint in mind," he explained the progressive decomposition from operational requirements to system architecture, down to subsystem and component design, as well as the corresponding traceability mechanism. He further noted that during development, teams construct virtual battlefield environments to provide all personnel with a unified and intuitive understanding of how the equipment will operate in real combat, ensuring a holistic perspective rather than fragmented, isolated efforts.

During the interactive session of the report, three students raised questions related to learning methods, innovation and changes in demand. Duan Zhuoyi suggested that students should start from the "scenarios", cultivate a systematic thinking from the part to the whole, and promote technological innovation through forward-looking thinking on future demands and scenarios. Changes in demand are the norm, and the advantage of models lies in their ability to support the dynamic changes in demand and ensure that equipment development is not affected by sudden changes in demand. Through this report, students gained a more intuitive and three-dimensional understanding of "model-based systems engineering", and became more aware that they should actively cultivate systematic thinking, scenario awareness and model capabilities in their future studies and research, and closely integrate their personal growth with the modernization of national equipment construction.