BAE Systems continues ACK work
The DARPA vision for its Adapting Cross-Domain Kill-Webs programme. (Photo: DARPA)
DARPA awards Phase 2 contract for BAE to develop software under the Adapting Cross-Domain Kill-Webs programme.
DARPA has picked BAE Systems for further development of its Multi-domain Adaptive Request Service (MARS) software to ‘enable semi-autonomous, multi-domain mission planning’, the company announced on 31 August.
The $6.5 million Phase 2 contract, awarded under the Adapting Cross-Domain Kill-Webs (ACK) programme, follows a successful Phase 1 demonstration.
In Phase 1, the FAST Labs R&D division in BAE Systems worked with Carnegie Mellon University and Uncharted Software to create MARS. The Phase 1 demonstration highlighted how this software updates plans in real time during a live exercise, by ingesting information feeds to track the state of planned tasks and then generating options to adapt the plan to insert new tasks.
Under Phase 2, BAE Systems will scale up MARS capabilities designed to help operators make informed decisions by automatically identifying available assets across domains, and then rapidly assessing the costs and benefits of using those assets when adapting mission tasks.
ACK will culminate in a full-scale demonstration in an operationally realistic setting.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Pentagon’s FY26 defence budget proposal is $130 billion more than US Congress plans to provide]()
Pentagon’s FY26 defence budget proposal is $130 billion more than US Congress plans to provide
The House Committee on Appropriations approved a FY2026 bill reducing investments in main defence programmes.
-
![What role could holographic and 3D capabilities play in the warfare of tomorrow]()
What role could holographic and 3D capabilities play in the warfare of tomorrow
Holographic and 3D technologies have been lauded by some for their ability to provide technical and operational advantages for military training and planning. But is the hype truly justified?
-
![Unfolding the Golden Dome for America: Seven things you should know about the programme]()
Unfolding the Golden Dome for America: Seven things you should know about the programme
Shephard talked to multiple experts about the most pressing concerns and considerations regarding the air defence system advocated by President Trump.
-
![Industry welcomes UK Strategic Defence Review, but pressure remains on future defence investment plans]()
Industry welcomes UK Strategic Defence Review, but pressure remains on future defence investment plans
While industry reception to the SDR has been positive, questions still remain from analyst and trade associations about what this could mean for future investment and the future UK Defence Industrial Strategy.
-
![UK Strategic Defence Review puts emphasis on autonomy, airpower and munitions]()
UK Strategic Defence Review puts emphasis on autonomy, airpower and munitions
The UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was launched as one of the first acts of the UK’s new Labour Government in June last year. The review has recommended a major big-picture reform of the country’s forces.
-
![Foreshadowing of UK defence review suggests it is light on programme details]()
Foreshadowing of UK defence review suggests it is light on programme details
The UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was designed to answer two questions: What is needed to fix UK defence and make it fit for the 2040s, and what do you get for a fixed financial profile? The SDR outlines that work still needs to be done on specifics.
