"The challenge is taking the data that you want to share — you got to understand it, and how you want to share it — and then write the applications that give you that data quality at the highest level, and compress timelines for those decision makers," said Randy Walden, head of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.
The demonstration, dubbed Project Hydra, was partially funded by the Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency, says Lockheed Martin's Dan Markham.
Onshoring and investment in military-specific semiconductors anchor a cornerstone of the defense industrial base.
The Air Force is "driving toward" 2023 for initial operating capability for Skyborg, says AFRL Director Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle.
The Air Force intends to get rid of three of its four BACN-equipped EQ-4 Global Hawks, but increase the number of piloted E-11 BACN aircraft through 2026.
The NGAD program "represents a chance to design an airplane that is more sustainable than the F-35, if in fact the F-35 cannot get its cost-per-flying-hour down," said outgoing AF acquisition head Will Roper.
The exercise also served as the Air Force's third "On Ramp" demo for its Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), demonstrating a new software for battlefield situational awareness.
CDAO’s Advana data analytics platform is ingesting data from about 500 DoD business systems.
Boeing, General Atomics, Kratos, and Northrop Grumman won awards. Notably absent: Lockheed Martin.
Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, head of Air Forces Europe, said allies must be included in JADC2 development: "You can't just bring them in in execution and go: 'Hey we built the plan, so, sorry, just do what we told you."
SDA Director Derek Tournear, and his boss Mike Griffin, want to delay SDA's integration with Space Force until after 2023.
"Regardless, it is light years faster than starting from scratch each time," Bill Greenwalt said of the IDIQ contracts.
Modeling and simulation get an AI upgrade for more realistic training and improved autonomous platforms.