BAE Systems Inc. has received a $3.1 million Phase 3 contract from DARPA to continue its autonomy software developments, which aim to advance the resiliency of military air mission planning.

This falls under the Resilient Synchronized Planning and Assessment for the Contested Environment (RSPACE) program.

According to DARPA, the RSPACE program “is developing human-centered software decision aids that, based on the commander’s intent, will help operators throughout the [command and control] C2 enterprise control daily operations in a complex battlespace—composing mission packages (coordinating across the network as needed), responding to emerging opportunities, and assessing progress towards achieving the commander’s intent.”

BAE Systems’ software to upgrade air battlespace awareness is known as Distributed, Interactive, Command-and-Control Tool (DIRECT), which harnesses assessment analytics. Operators who use this system can utilize a visual interface that sends alerts in real time. Thus, the air team will be able to assess dangerous areas throughout various stages of a mission.

In addition, during periods of spotty communication, the software minimizes bandwidth automatically.

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

BAE Systems will continue its work for the program at its Massachusetts and Virginia facilities.