The U.S. Air Force plans to adopt a software development practice known as Agile DevOps to update the military service’s Air Operations Center weapons system.The service branch said Thursday it terminated a contract with Northrop Grumman to start a AOC Pathfinder program to facilitate the delivery of modernized AOC functions to warfighters within a year after launch.
Northrop received a stop-work order in April after the Senate Armed Services Committee declined to authorize reprogrammed funds for the AOC 10.2 network upgrade effort.
“Our goal is to create operational value by getting modernized AOC capabilities to Airmen as quickly as possible, and to improve it continuously while leveraging progress made on AOC 10.2,” said Lt. Col. Jeremiah Sanders, a program manager at Hanscom Air Force Base.
Sanders added the Pathfinder approach will constantly deliver application and security updates that will incorporate feedback from airmen and AOCs.
The Air Force will partner with the Defense Department‘s Defense Digital Services and Defense Innovation Unit Experimental organizations on Pathfinder at the AOC program office in Hanscom AFB.
The service branch is also working with Congress to assess funding options for the upcoming program.
