DARPA awards $3.1M contract to BAE Systems for air mission software

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded BAE Systems a $3.1 million contract to continue developing autonomy software for air mission planning for the military.

BAE Systems has created software called the Distributed, Interactive, Command-and-Control Tool (DIRECT) that is designed to improve air battlespace awareness. Using assessment analytics, the software provides a visual interface to generate real-time alerts so operators can evaluate areas of concern during the planning and execution of a mission. It also automatically adjusts to minimize bandwidth when communications are limited and unreliable to assist in mission continuity and completion.

The software is part of DARPA’s Resilient Synchronized Planning and Assessment for the Contested Environment (RSPACE) program, which seeks to develop software that can assist air operators to better control daily operations in a complex battlespace.

“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,” Chris Eisenbies, product line director of the Autonomy, Controls, and Estimation group at BAE Systems, said.

DIRECT was created by the research and development team at BAE Systems. The company’s work for the RSPACE program is being done at the company’s facilities in Burlington, Mass., and Arlington, Va.