Air Force accelerates warfighter tech, releases foundational open architectures

  • Published
  • By Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Continuing its aggressive push to transform defense acquisition, the Air Force has published two foundational open systems architecture technical standards: the Agile Mission Suite Government Reference Architecture (AMS GRA) and the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A GRA). 

This architecture release signals a fundamental shift in how the service acquires, upgrades, and sustains its weapon systems. By cementing a government-owned, modular, open-systems approach, the Air Force is breaking traditional vendor lock to rapidly accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge, superior capabilities directly warfighters across the Department of War. 
Dennis D'Angelo bio portrait. (USAF photo by Jim Varhegyi).

Dennis D'Angelo bio portrait. (USAF photo by Jim Varhegyi).
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“We can no longer afford to buy closed, proprietary platforms," said Dennis D’Angelo, Executive Director, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. “The public release of these GRAs proves that we are committed to upgrading our weapon systems at the speed of modern software. We are changing the paradigm from buying bespoke systems to buying dynamic, agile weapon systems…all with the intent of improving mission outcomes"

These newly released architectures serve as the catalyst for this acceleration, prescribing a standardized technical baseline for future development. The AMS GRA establishes the framework required for rapid mission system integration across platforms, while the A GRA sets the common baseline for developing, testing, and scaling autonomous capabilities.

“Publishing these standards openly is a clear signal to industry that we are not just asking for innovation but are also providing the blueprints required to integrate that innovation into weapons systems,” said Col David Liu, Senior Materiel Leader, Architecture and Systems Engineering Group. “We encourage industry partners and developers to explore the architectures and learn about upcoming integration.”

By decoupling mission systems from safety critical systems and hardware, AMS GRA and A GRA allow for rapid updates to mission software without impacting airworthiness. This modular approach allows programs to bypass multi-year, proprietary redesigns and instantly swap in best-of-breed solutions from a diverse industrial base.

Industry partners and developers can access AMS GRA and A GRA by visiting the Open Arsenal Portal at https://open-arsenal.gitlab.io/.