Northrop Grumman wins USAF JMPS contract

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $19 million contract from the US Air Force to enhance and maintain the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) Framework.

The JMPS Framework comprises the core elements and functions for the JMPS family of scalable, extensible and configurable tools and decision aids that automate planning for sensor, weapon or aircraft missions. These missions range from day-to-day training and proficiency flying to peacetime operational/exercise sorties and complex combat scenarios.

The delivery order was awarded under the Mission Planning Enterprise Contract (MPEC) II from the Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. Northrop Grumman will update and improve the JMPS Framework by architecting a shared mapping capability to eliminate multiple, independent mapping products. The company will modernize the software to optimize computing resources, provide a more enhanced plug-in capability for components and applications and enable modular installations. Northrop Grumman will also provide lifecycle support for fielded versions of the framework.

Northrop Grumman continues its role as a leader in the development of advanced mission planning systems with this delivery order, the second MPEC II award this year. The company's open-architecture approach to the JMPS offers third-party integrators a robust capability to reconfigure, substitute and extend application functionality. This has enabled common mission planning across services, platforms, weapons and sensors.

"Our history with JMPS goes back to the original architecture of the system, which gives us the insight into the 'what' and 'why' that is critical to making this effort a success," said Mike Twyman, vice president of integrated command, control, communications and intelligence systems for Northrop Grumman Information Systems. "Our innovative approach assures the framework will serve the warfighter well into the future while reducing the government's total ownership cost."

Under the direction of the Electronic Systems Center, Northrop Grumman's efforts will simplify and reduce product maintenance, improve mission planning processing runtime and reliability and facilitate the integration and test of new applications.

The Northrop Grumman team includes DCS Corp., Alexandria, Va.; Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho; and The Software Revolution Inc., Kirkland, Wash.

Source: Northrop Grumman