BAE Systems has been awarded a Phase 3 contract worth $3.1 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further the development of autonomy software, in an effort to improve the resiliency of air mission planning for the military.

​The goal of the Resilient Synchronized Planning and Assessment for the Contested Environment (RSPACE) program is to develop human-centered software decision aids that can help air operators better control daily operations in a complex battlespace. As part of the RSPACE program, BAE Systems has created software called the Distributed, Interactive, Command-and-Control Tool (DIRECT) to improve air battlespace awareness.

The software uses assessment analytics to provide an easy-to-use, visual interface to generate real-time alerts so operators can evaluate areas of concern during the planning and execution of a mission.

BAE Systems notes that the software also automatically adjusts to minimize bandwidth when communications are limited and unreliable, which helps with mission continuity and completion.

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

DIRECT is part of BAE Systems’ autonomy technology portfolio. It was created by the company’s research and development team.