- Both architectures split mission software from safety-critical flight systems
- The Agile Mission Suite standard sets modular, vendor-agnostic design guidance
- The Autonomy standard enables autonomy software to move between aircraft
The Air Force has made public the technical standards underpinning two reference architectures that govern mission systems and autonomy software. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced the release on Tuesday.
Both architectures separate mission software from safety-critical flight systems and hardware. That split lets the service update mission capability without affecting airworthiness. It also eliminates multiyear proprietary redesigns that closed systems require. Industry can reach both documents through the Open Arsenal Portal.
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What Do the Two Reference Architectures Cover?
The Agile Mission Suite Government Reference Architecture, or AMS GRA, sets design guidance for mission suites that are modular and vendor-agnostic. The Air Force compared the result to an app store, with well-defined interfaces between hardware and software that allow new capabilities to be fielded without waiting on hardware refresh cycles. AMS GRA absorbs two earlier standards, Open Mission Systems and the Big Iron framework for electromagnetic spectrum operations.
The Autonomy Government Reference Architecture, or A-GRA, establishes a common baseline for building, testing and scaling autonomous capability. It defines the interface that enables autonomy software to move between autonomous collaborative platforms. The Air Force calls the resulting acquisition strategy “Mission Autonomy Sold Separately.”
Col. David Liu, senior materiel leader for the architecture and systems engineering group, said publishing the standards openly gives industry the blueprints for integrating its work into weapon systems.
How Has A-GRA Already Been Used on CCA Aircraft?
A-GRA is not new to the collaborative combat aircraft program. The Air Force validated the architecture in February, its first official government validation.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. integrated Collins Aerospace‘s Sidekick autonomy into the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin that same month via A-GRA.
Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury later flew under Shield AI’s Hivemind software and switched to Anduril’s own Lattice MA during a single flight, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Dennis D’Angelo, executive director of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, said the service can no longer afford closed, proprietary platforms and is moving from bespoke systems toward agile ones.
The Air Force said non-proprietary interfaces are meant to widen the vendor base, drawing in nontraditional contractors alongside established ones.
