BAE Systems has secured a contract from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to continue the development of autonomy software to improve air mission planning for the military.
The company developed software known as the Distributed, Interactive, Command-and-Control Tool (DIRECT) to improve air battlespace awareness.
DIRECT was developed as part of DARPA’s Resilient Synchronized Planning and Assessment for the Contested Environment (RSPACE) programme, which is aimed at the development of human-centred software decision aids that can assist daily operations in a complex battlespace.
The $3.1m Phase 3 contract will allow BAE Systems to continue to develop the software.
BAE Systems autonomy, controls, and estimation group product line director Chris Eisenbies said: “New users have found DIRECT easy to learn, indicating we are well on our way to providing a software decision aid that will help planners adapt to plan changes, make real-time decisions faster, and more effectively execute their missions.”
According to the company, DIRECT uses assessment analytics to provide an easy-to-use, visual interface to generate real-time alerts for operators. This feature allows them to assess areas of concern during the planning and execution of a mission.
In addition, the software has the ability to minimise bandwidth when communications are limited and unreliable to assist operators in mission continuity and completion.
BAE Systems will have the opportunity to take part in a demonstration at the end of phase three in August or September in an airforce facility, reported airforcemag.com.
The company is carrying out work for the RSPACE programme at its US facilities at Burlington in Massachusetts and Arlington in Virginia.
Uncharted Software is BAE Systems’ partner in the RSPACE programme.
