Tapestry Solutions

Tapestry Solutions provides enterprise logistics software and services for global supply chains, mission planning, combat training and simulation systems.

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‘CAT’ Mission Planning Software to Improve Accuracy for AMC Airdrops

May 27, 2019

For soldiers in remote war zones or natural disaster victims, the sight of a C-17 Globemaster dropping life-sustaining supplies is a welcome relief – unless the airdrop misses its target and lands in enemy territory.  To help aircrews deliver loads with first-drop accuracy, Boeing Global Services’ software developers with Tapestry Solutions are modernizing the Consolidated Airdrop Tool (CAT) for the U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC).

CAT development efforts are designed to improve the accuracy, speed and safety of AMC’s high-altitude precision airdrops tailored to the specific requirements of the C-17 and C-130 aircraft. CAT will support military airdrop missions of all types around the globe.

A C-17 Globemaster drops pallets of cargo in the South Pole as part of a proof of concept flight demonstrating its ability to withstand extremely harsh environments. Recipients were members of the National Science Foundation. (Air Force photo/Lt. Col James McGann)

The U.S. Air Force chose the Tapestry /Boeing team to lead the CAT development effort under a Mission Planning Enterprise Contract II (MPEC II) delivery order valued at $26 million. The contract calls for the enhancement of CAT versions over a four-year period utilizing the agile development methodology. The final delivery of primary capabilities is projected for September 2020.

How Does CAT Work?

CAT software enables mobility airmen to calculate and plot both conventional and precision airdrop solutions to accurately deliver supplies in remote, austere environments. The software is the mission planning and execution component of the Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) – a key aerial delivery capability for the U.S. military.

JPADS uses GPS-guidance systems, steerable parachutes and an onboard computer to steer the loads to a single designated drop zone. It enables the cargo to be released from multiple points to reduce the risk of enemy fire, taking into account factors such as weather, terrain, aircraft capabilities and threats.

JPADS includes a dropsonde, a type of probe that’s dropped prior to the cargo to measure wind conditions. CAT receives this data inflight on a laptop, and runs aircraft performance and weather algorithms to determine the best point of release.

Whether their dropping beans or bullets, mobility airmen have always faced uncertainty with precision airdrops. Oftentimes, aircrews only get one pass to make a drop, and there’s a lot that can go wrong. They must consider wind velocity, air pressure, payload mass and parachute drag, all of which can make or break an airdrop mission.

Thus, CAT development efforts will reduce uncertainty through advanced data and analytics.  In addition to improving accuracy, the development efforts will provide greater automation inflight and workflow enhancements, including touch-screen capability utilizing Windows 10. This will minimize distractions caused by flight tasks in the cockpit, so aircrews can concentrate on the mission at hand.

Other improvements on the horizon include advanced algorithms for hazard/obstruction avoidance, weather assimilation capabilities and airdrop damage estimation.  Support for newer parachute systems and configurations is in the works, along with software upgrades that would allow aircrews to drop heavier loads in higher altitudes to avoid threats on the ground.

CAT Development: Right on Target

Alongside teammates Jacobs Engineering and MORSE Corp, Tapestry/Boeing employees have been working tirelessly over the past year, advancing and testing the software to meet mission-critical deadlines. Their efforts are already paying off, earning Tapestry customer praise and a 100% incentive fee last month.

Business model and Information Technology concept for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

“We are thrilled to receive this incentive fee for delivering a quality product. It epitomizes our commitment to First Time Quality and trusted partnership with our customer,” said Debbie Churchill, Tapestry’s Vice President of Mission Products & Services.

The initial CAT development effort is focused on moving to a full service-oriented architecture (SOA) model. This layered SOA architecture will enable seamless data communication between devices. It will also allow developers to easily add new functionality and services in response to new and emerging requirements.

“Embracing this new architecture will provide greater adaptability of future iterations of development to address customer needs and ensure quality,” said Noel Kelly, CAT program manager for Tapestry Solutions.  “It also will enable faster development and testing, so we can field critical software updates to the warfighter that can be leveraged as needed.”

CAT v6.1 is scheduled for delivery in August 2019 with fielding in December 2019.  Future iterations will be delivered leveraging a full agile approach, allowing for continuous advancement of capabilities and immediate feedback from stakeholders each step of the way.

 The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information
does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Contact:

Contact:

Janet Dayton
Boeing Global Services
janet.l.dayton@boeing.com

 

Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: Air Mobility Command, Airdrop, CAT, Globemaster, JPAD, Mission Planning

Tapestry to Provide Ongoing Sustainment Support for USAF’s Air Mobility Command’s Planning & Scheduling System, or “CAMPS”

June 27, 2018

618th Tanker Airlift Control Center personnel provide command-and-control over Air Mobility Command missions supporting relief efforts in Haiti. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Justin Brockhoff)

With its long history of providing advanced mission planning solutions for the U.S. Air Force, Tapestry Solutions has been selected to support the USAF Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) Consolidated Air Mobility Planning System (CAMPS) for another five years. As a subcontractor to DPRA, Tapestry will provide software development, operations and training  as follow-on to the CAMPS sustainment contract awarded in 2011.

CAMPS is a command-and-control (C2) system that enables effective planning and scheduling of airlift and tanker aircraft missions during peacetime, contingency, humanitarian and wartime operations. CAMPS provides the status of air mobility planning and scheduling activities, from initial tasking through mission completion.

The C2 system provides an integrated view of mobility requirements, resources and commitments using network-centric data solutions and a commercial off-the-shelf graphical interface.  It helps ensure efficient allocation of aircrews and aircraft – a top priority for the AMC, which must meet increased global demands for airlift missions with less capacity and at lower cost.

In addition to the CAMPS effort, Tapestry is developing an advanced airdrop mission planning software tailored to AMC’s C-17 and C-130 military transport aircraft.  As the prime contractor for this effort, Tapestry is upgrading software for the Consolidated Airdrop Tool, known as CAT, which is used to calculate and plot both conventional and precision airdrop solutions to accurately deliver supplies to warfighters in remote, austere environments.

Operating as a division within Boeing Global Services, Tapestry also provides mission planning solutions for military aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18,  F-22 and T-38, as well as the Tomahawk missile, the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit, unmanned air vehicles and several other  platforms. Drawing from decades of experience and the resources of the Boeing enterprise, Tapestry is committed to developing the next generation of mission planning technology.

A Humvee descends after it was released by Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft over Frida IV drop zone in Pordenone, Italy, Sept. 21, 2017. The Humvee is assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Paolo Bovo).

 

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information
does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Contact:

Janet Dayton
Tapestry Solutions Inc.
Boeing Global Services
tapestrymarketing@boeing.com

Filed Under: Recent News Tagged With: Air Mobility Command, Airdrop, AMC, CAMPS, CAT, software, USAF

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