BAE to make new software for DARPA

RESTON, Va., Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The Pentagon's DARPA agency has chosen BAE Systems to make new military software systems.

BAE Systems said in a statement last week that it had "been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency -- DARPA -- to create advanced software development tools and processes that meet changing military needs. The work will adapt large-scale software systems to address emerging threats such as asymmetric warfare."

"DARPA's Producible Adaptive Model-based Software -- PAMS -- program will develop software that enables systems to learn from their performance relative to changing conditions and adjust accordingly. The initial contract is valued at $3.4 million and includes a $3.4 million option for a second phase," BAE Systems said.

"Department of Defense systems are increasingly software-intensive, so it's important for future net-centric systems to adapt to changing war fighter requirements," said Joseph McCarthy, vice president of communication and tactical networks for BAE Systems. "PAMS will significantly improve the effectiveness and reduce the cost of developing complex software systems compared to traditional approaches."

"The PAMS tools and processes will be tested using flight-control and vehicle-management software and on software-defined radios, such as the Joint Tactical Radio System, to show their applicability across various software domains," BAE Systems said.

BAE Systems said its PAMS team "also includes Vanderbilt University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Work on the first phase of the program, which is expected to run until January 2009, will be conducted at BAE Systems facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts; Wayne, New Jersey; and Johnson City, New York."