The Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman [NOC] to develop mission planning capability for its B-1 Lancer fleet on the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) platform.
The order has a potential value of $26 million if all options are exercised, the company said in a recent statement. Northrop Grumman was competing against Boeing [BA] for the work.
JMPS is a family of scalable, extensible and configurable tools and decision aids that automate planning for sensor, weapon or aircraft missions. BAE Systems was chosen in 2008 to perform the work leading to JMPS Version 1.4 (Defense Daily, June 23, 2008).
JMPS as a whole provides support for unit-level mission planning of all phases of military flight operations. The program is used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The Army mission planning office also sits in on development meetings and is working to adopt the system.
JMPS integrates fixed and rotary wing aircraft, weapons–including precision guided munitions (PGMs) and cruise missiles–and sensors into a single operating picture.
The program began in 1997 with the objective of replacing legacy planning systems and providing crews with automated flight planning tools for aircraft, weapons and sensors. Northrop Grumman was selected in 1999 to develop JMPS Version 1.0, the framework and common software components for the system.
In July 2001, the Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a follow-on contract to develop JMPS Version 1.1. That version was the first operational JMPS to be fielded and was used by Navy F-14, F/A-18, and E-2C aircraft. Version 1.1 augmented the initial capability with cryptography, Global Positioning System connectivity and PGM planning functions. Version 1.2, also developed by Northrop Grumman, enabled linking of PGM routes to aircraft routes.
In May 2003, the Air Force increased and centralized mission planning funding, which resulted in the program being designated a Preliminary-Major Defense Acquisition Program.
Under the new B-1 deal, Northrop Grumman will develop, maintain and integrate planning components unique to that bomber platform’s mission into JMPS and integrate with other mission planning environment components necessary for the fielding of the capability. Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity.
“We have been privileged to maintain a close relationship with the B-1 Bomber community that gives us insight into the warfighter’s perspective,” said Mike Twyman, vice president of integrated command, control, communications and intelligence systems for Northrop Grumman Information Systems. “This is especially important as mission planning and execution cycles become a continuous process.”