By Marina Malenic
The 951st Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom AFB, Mass., has awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract award to a group of five contractors to provide mission planning software systems and tools that will help to quickly transfer mission plans and other data to aircraft avionics for all the military services.
The Mission Planning Enterprise Contract (MPEC) has a ceiling of $919.64 million over five years, with an option period of an additional five years, according to officials at Hanscom. The Air Force developed the original MPEC program, which began in 2004, to “eliminate duplication efforts with mission planning acquisition,” according to the Air Force.
The companies in the pool are: Northrop Grumman [NOC] Space and Mission Systems Corp., Herndon, Va.; Boeing [BA] Defense, Space and Security, St. Louis, Mo.; DCS Corporation, Alexandria, Va.; BAE Systems National Security Solutions Inc., San Diego, Calif.; and Lockheed Martin [LMT] System Integration, Owego, N.Y.
DCS Corporation was not included in the first MPEC. Instead, Tybrin Corp. of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., was in the pool.
Naval Air Systems Command awarded the initial Joint Mission Planning Systems contract to Northrop Grumman, then Logicon, in 1999 before the MPEC was established.
Under the new contract, the government will prepare a statement of work for each delivery order, which will essentially become “mini-contracts,” according to the Air Force. The companies will then compete against each other for projects such as mission planning support for the F-16, F-22 and F-15 aircraft; target acquisition weapon software; or a new electronic warfare capability.
A spokeswoman for Hascom said that the Electronic Systems Group expects to release approximately 11 delivery orders over the next 12 months. According to an industry source, approximately 10 task orders are expected each year thereafter, contingent upon funding availability.
An Air Force official said the companies were carefully chosen out of a larger group of contractors. Only the most highly qualified were included in the pool, he said.
“We laid out stringent criteria for the capabilities the contractors had to have, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting the best quality and most cost-effective products for our users,” said Ken Klonoski, 951st’s Chief of Plans and Programs.
Mission planning software allows planners to build what is referred to as a “mission profile.” For example, they can establish an aircraft’s route, factoring in such details as targets, terrain, enemy surface-to-air threats, intelligence data, the type of cargo or weapons being carried, weather predictions and refueling information. Maps and other imagery can be included in the data packages.
Mission planning also encompasses tasks such as establishing communication networks. For example, if a pilot is flying a joint or coalition mission, the planning software will allow for communications across service and international platforms. It can also help with determining when to release weapons in order to improve accuracy, officials said.