Tapestry Solutions

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

Delivering Weapon Planning Software – Faster, Better and Smarter

Tapestry Solutions will play a major role in modernizing Weapon Planning Software (WPS) over the next decade using an agile software development approach. The Boeing Global Services subsidiary is upgrading the WPS software under 10-year contract recently awarded by the U.S. Air Force. The WPS contract has a ceiling value of $259 million.

A pilot assigned to the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, Langley Air Force Base, Va., prepares for a demo. The F-22 is among multiple platforms that will receive WPS upgrades. (DoD photo: Staff Sgt. Ryan Campbell)

The WPS suite – a core component of the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) – will enable U.S. and partner nations to collaboratively plan for precision strike warfare on a more powerful software platform. It supports precision-guided munition (PGM) planning for A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52, F-15E, F-16, F-22, F/A-18 and F-35 aircraft.

“We are proud to deliver next-generation weapons software to our warfighters – and deliver it faster and more cost-effectively using an agile development approach,” said Debbie Churchill, vice president, Mission Products and Services, Tapestry Solutions.  “This will ensure our forces maintain the precision strike advantage, because in today’s battlespace, success depends on data, speed and interconnectivity.”

Why Agile Development?

Agile development places an emphasis on delivering many rapid iterations on a shorter timeline, allowing for a faster deployment of scalable, modular software. It enables developers to quickly respond to evolving requirements while ensuring quality.

“Agile software approach improves our ability to achieve first-time quality while meeting mission-critical deadlines,” said Jeff Mintzlaff, Tapestry’s director of Mission Planning. “This approach reduces costs, because customer involvement and buy-in are accomplished early and often in the development cycle.”

Many defense programs still use the traditional “waterfall” model, in which development is more structured and linear in nature. Waterfall development flows in a step-by-step sequential process, from conception and design through testing and deployment.

Tapestry’s WPS developers are also leveraging a software development model, called service-oriented architecture (SOA) to make it easy to integrate new capabilities over time. SOA is built with loosely coupled “services” that form a modular, layered architecture. SOA allows for greater customization and modularity that allow an enterprise system to evolve without costly redevelopment.

“Our development approach will ultimately aid in a faster release velocity for U.S. Air Force,” said Mintzlaff. “This will provide greater flexibility to integrate new weapons, platforms and emerging enabling technologies for the WPS program.”

A Closer Look at WPS & JMPS

Airman pictured at screen with B-1 bomber mission planning software, which will be upgraded under the WPS program. (DoD photo/Airman 1st Class Peter Thompson)

The WPS software suite helps warfighters plan every detail of a mission, including route planning, flight simulation performance, threat avoidance, and points for weapons launches. The program centers around JMPS mission planning requirements for precision-guided munitions, such as laser-guided bombs and cruise missiles. PGMs are the weapon of choice for the U.S. Department of Defense, because they provide a high degree of accuracy in all weather conditions while avoiding widespread collateral damage.

The WPS program leverages Tapestry’s expertise in navigation, guidance and control telemetry technology, as well as its extensive experience with JMPS development. For the JMPS effort, software developers in St. Louis, Mo., are creating an innovative, cost-effective Unique Planning Component (UPC) for the F-15, F/A -18, F-22, and T-38.  The UPCs allow the warfighter to prepare the aircraft data necessary for mission execution.

The UPCs are a critical part of a system-of-systems called the Mission Planning Environment, or MPE, which provides the ability to interactively plan and validate missions. The MPE gives crews a full range of mission information, from preflight data reports to post-flight debriefing materials.

ABOUT TAPESTRY SOLUTIONS

Tapestry, which is part of Boeing’s services business, brings decades of experience developing mission planning software solutions for military aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18, F-22 and T-38, as well as weapons systems software for the Tomahawk missile and Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.

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

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

 

U.S. Air Force Selects Boeing to Provide Weapon Planning Software

Boeing [NYSE: BA], through its subsidiary Tapestry Solutions, received a 10-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide Weapon Planning Software (WPS) for numerous aircraft and weapons platforms used by U.S. military and allied forces. The mission planning software is designed to help military customers plan every detail of a mission, including routes, threats and points for weapons launches.

The B-52 bomber is among the multiple platforms that will receive Weapon Planning Software upgrades (Boeing photo)

The award, potentially valued at $259 million, includes the development, enhancement and support of the WPS suite – a core component of the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) architecture, which enables collaborative mission planning and data sharing capabilities between military services. The WPS suite supports JMPS requirements related to precision-guided munition planning for A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52, F-15E, F-16, F-22, F/A-18 and F-35 operational units worldwide.

“We are looking forward on building on our partnership with the U.S. Air Force as we help to fulfill their mission planning needs with the WPS suite,” said Debbie Churchill, vice president, Mission Products and Services, Tapestry Solutions. “It will ensure our customers have the critical data they need to get from mission plan to execution more efficiently with the use of faster, more powerful and intuitive weapons planning capabilities.”

Tapestry, which is part of Boeing’s services business, brings decades of experience developing mission planning software solutions for military aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18, F-22 and T-38, as well as weapons systems software for the Tomahawk missile and Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.

# # #

Contact:

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

Published May28, 2019

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

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

 

Tapestry Earns CMMI® Level 3 Recertification for Mission Planning Software

Demonstrating its commitment to quality and continuous process improvement, Tapestry Solutions announced it has maintained its Level 3 Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) certification for its Mission Planning software and services.

As a Boeing Company, Tapestry has achieved its CMMI Level 3 rating for the fourth consecutive time since 2009. The CMMI Institute-credentialed certifications are valid for three years.

Jens Pohl, VP of Engineering and Technology

“Achieving CMMI Level 3 recertification once again reflects our ongoing commitment to quality – and our passion to deliver best-of-breed solutions by meeting or exceeding the highest industry standards,” said Jens Pohl, Vice President of Engineering and Technology for Tapestry Solutions.

CMMI is a globally recognized certification and ratings system awarded to organizations that achieve the required standards for the planning, engineering and managing of the software development process.

Its compilation of best practices are designed to improve performance, enhance key capabilities and utilize critical business processes – while managing risks in software, product and service development.

Tapestry’s Mission Planning team has earned CMMI certification for all its programs and associated processes, including configuration management, software quality assurance and supply management.

Five levels of Maturity set standards and best practices for improved performance. An appraisal at Level 3 indicates that the organization is performing at a level in which processes are well characterized and understood, and are described in standards, procedures, tools and methods that are tailored to each program.

During the Level 3 recertification process, auditors reviewed 18 process areas and 12 best practice areas. A total of 216 areas require evidence for compliance using work products, meeting notes, logs, presentations, etc. These were followed by interviews with key players.

ABOUT TAPESTRY’S MISSION PLANNING SOLUTIONS
Tapestry Solutions is a leader in the development of mission planning software, services and solutions that provide the warfighter with fully integrated battlefield mission planning capabilities. We provide mission planning solutions for military aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18,  F-22 and T-38 as well as weapons systems, bombers and unmanned air vehicles. Tapestry also develops software for the USAF Air Mobility Command’s Consolidated Airdrop Tool (CAT), and provides technical support services for the U.S. Navy’s TacMobile P8/P3/Triton ground station. Our technologies give warfighters the critical data they need to execute missions, including route planning, threat management and situational awareness.

Contact:
Janet Dayton
Marketing Communications
jdayton@tapestrysolutions.com
marketing@tapestrysolutions.com 

 

Tapestry Software Engineer Celebrates Golden Year Anniversary

Dave Pflasterer, center, celebrates 50 years with Tapestry Solutions. He is pictured with Robin Wright, President & CEO (at left) and Debbie Churchill, Vice President, Mission Products and Services (at right).

Anyone reaching the 20- or 30-year anniversary mark is rare enough to merit recognition at most companies today. But Dave Pflasterer took that anomaly a few decades further when he recently celebrated his half-century work anniversary at Tapestry Solutions, a Boeing Company.

Fifty years ago, Dave began his career at McDonnell Douglas, writing software for a milling machine. After McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997, Dave became part of Mission Planning teams with Boeing/ Tapestry, serving in various roles for programs including the Tomahawk, F/A 18, F-22, and occasional periods with F-15.

Today, he serves as the F-22 Lead Software Test Engineer with Tapestry’s Mission Planning team at the company’s office in St Louis, MO.

“We are pleased to honor Dave for achieving this incredible milestone.  His dedication, loyalty and commitment to excellence has inspired others and helped grow our business,” said Debbie Churchill, vice president, Mission Products & Services.  “The consistency of dedicated team members like Dave is the foundation for our success.”

As a global leader in information management software and services, Tapestry Solutions provides mission planning solutions for military aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18,  F-22 and T-38, as well as weapons systems, bombers and unmanned air vehicles.  The company is currently developing the next generation of mission planning technology that will help the U.S. Air Force fully integrate and automate its force-level planning system.

These are among the programs that Dave has worked on over the years. Dave earned his degree in mathematics in 1965 from Union University, Tenn., in 1965; however, he did not jump into the workforce right away. Instead, he stepped up to the plate as part of the San Francisco Giants minor league baseball organization from 1965-1967, where he played for the Fresno Giants, the Lexington Giants, the Magic Valley Cowboys, and the Arizona Instructional League Giants.

In fact, Dave played alongside Bobby Bonds for the Fresno Giants and against future greats including Tony La Russa, Reggie Jackson, and Rollie Fingers. At the end of the ’67 season, he returned to St. Louis, attended Washington University, and received a Master’s Degree in Computer Science.

In 2013, 46 years after beginning his baseball career, Dave was inducted into the Union University Sports Hall of Fame. His .525 batting average still stands as the top batting average for a season at that University.

Besides his careers in baseball and software, Dave has enjoyed a happy family life. He and his wife, Sue, have three children. Hats off to Dave!

 

 

Tapestry Solutions to Highlight its C4I Mission Planning Services for the U.S. Navy’s TacMobile Program at WEST 2017 Conference

SAN DIEGO,  February 21, 2017 – Tapestry Solutions, Inc., a global leader in information management solutions for defense and commercial customers, will highlight its mission planning services for the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Mobile (TacMobile) program at the WEST 2017 conference – the premier naval conference and exposition, which opens today and runs through Feb. 23 in San Diego, Calif.  Tapestry’s representatives will be on hand in Boeing’s booth #1315 during the conference, co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute.

Tapestry Solutions, a Boeing Company, provides technical support and services for the TacMobile program under a five-year contract awarded in 2015. TacMobile calls for fixed and mobile Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) capability for Navy commanders and their subordinate commands. It is key program for the Navy’s PMW 750 Carrier and Air Integration Program Office, which delivers integrated and interoperable C4I capabilities and support to our Navy’s aircraft carriers, amphibious ships, command ships and aircraft.

boeings-p-8-poseidon

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon

TacMobile’s ground elements support the P-3C and P-8A Poseidon’s anti-submarine warfare and maritime aircraft operations, including mission planning, data processing and analysis. Tapestry supports the design, development, integration and sustainment for the currently fielded C4I systems as well as future system upgrades.

“We are proud to provide technologies that will heighten situational awareness for our naval commanders – C4I technologies that will pinpoint the location and status of enemy and friendly forces,” said Michael Spencer, Tapestry’s Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. “These software solutions will help our warfighters achieve better and faster decisions needed for mission success – and that’s what we’re all about.”

The company provides command-and-control / C4I capabilities for three key business areas:

  • Mission Planning Systems: In addition to its TacMobile efforts, Tapestry helps plan, prepare and execute combat missions for aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18, F-22 and T-38. Tapestry also provides mission planning solutions for unmanned vehicles, weapon systems and bombers, including the Tomahawk cruise missile and Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit. The company’s technologies give warfighters the critical data they need to execute missions, including route planning, threat management and situational awareness.
  • Mission Command Training and Simulation: Tapestry provides high-fidelity modeling and simulations to help prepare warfighters for battle. This includes planning, designing and conducting combat training exercises in Live, Virtual, Constructive and Gaming environments. The company’s engineers manage and fuse the exercise data, combining multiple sensor feeds such as video, audio and positional data, to support large-scale, joint and multinational training events as well as small-unit tactical exercises.
  • Logistics Operations: Tapestry provides a wide range of logistics software tools for deployment and distribution management, command-and-control and business operations, and logistics modeling and simulation. Through data fusion and software integration, the company transforms raw data into meaningful and useful information, giving customers actionable insights needed to make critical decisions.

Tapestry Solutions, Inc. is a global provider of information management software and services for defense, government and commercial markets. Backed by our parent company, The Boeing Company, we help solve logistics challenges for the world’s largest and most complex supply chains. We also provide mission planning, training and simulation support to maximize readiness for our warfighters. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Tapestry supports customers from more than 50 locations around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Afghanistan, Kuwait, the UK, South Korea, Australia and Germany.

West Evite

Media Contact:
Janet Dayton
jdayton@tapestrysolutions.com

Tapestry Solutions Honors Top Two Employees with Pouliot Award – The Company’s Most Prestigious Award Given in Memory of its Slain Co-Founder, Mike Pouliot

Mike Pouliot

Mike Pouliot

SAN DIEGO, February 8, 2017 – Tapestry Solutions, a global provider of information software and services for defense and commercial customers, is pleased to present its prestigious Pouliot award to employees Mike Becker and Tom Spahr for upholding the company’s long-standing tradition of excellence and core values.

The annual Pouliot award is given in memory of the company’s co-founder, Mike Pouliot, who was tragically killed during a terrorist attack in Kuwait while installing the company’s simulation software for the U.S. military in 2003. He left behind his wife, Carol, and two young daughters. He was only 46 years old when he gave his life for his country.

“Mike Becker and Tom Spahr are well-deserving of this award – they represent the top 1% of our employees,” said Robin Wright, president and CEO of Tapestry Solutions. “These men embody the company’s core values – our passion, spirit and pride in what we do.”

Tom Spahr

From left, Debbie Churchill, VP of Mission Product Services (MPS), with Tom Spahr and Jeff Mintzlaff, MPS Program Director.

Spahr received the award for his outstanding leadership, engineering savvy and customer service in his role as Program Manager for the Weapons Programs, based in Saint Louis, MO.  His supervisors describe him as a “consummate leader and recognized expert across Mission Planning and Military Products and Services arenas with the ability to execute potential business ventures.” Under his leadership, Tapestry’s weapons orders soared by 100 percent and revenue increased by 15 percent in 2016.

Becker, who is based in San Diego, was honored for his passionate dedication to Tapestry’s customers and colleagues in his position as Product Design Manager for Tapestry’s GOLDesp MRO & Supply product line. His customers, including military forces in the Middle East, often request his presence on a project because “they know their requirements will be met with quality engineering and service,” according to Tapestry’s leadership team.

mike_becker

From left, Rick Annett of Logistics Product Services and Mike Becker.

“We are proud to have very dedicated people like Tom and Mike who truly care about the success of their customers.  The result has been customers who love us – customers who will go out of their way to maintain their relationships with us,” said Michael Spencer, Tapestry’s Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.

Such was the case with Mike Pouliot, whose close relationship with Tapestry’s customers helped drive the success of the company’s primary product lines: Vision XXI and the Joint Deployment Logistics Model, or JDLM, which is still in use today.

Pouliot’s strong belief in working with the end-user was the primary reason why he went to Kuwait.  He believed that to provide effective tools, you needed to be with the users in their operational environment.

Although he never served in the military, Pouliot dedicated his life to providing our warfighters with the tools they needed for mission success. With a degree in Aerospace Engineering, his entire career was built around advancing various military systems. All the while, he lived his life with strong principles, extreme integrity and moral values.

In 1993, Mike and two of his business associates created Tapestry Solutions. His unique style of management earned him not only the respect of his employees, but also their friendship and love. His sudden death was a devastating loss to his family, friends and colleagues, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.  It was also the first assault on U.S. civilians in Kuwait, according to this CBS News Report.

It’s been over a decade since Mike was killed in the line of duty. But his legacy still lives on in the hearts of all those he touched and within the company he built – a company that continues to grow and prosper as a result of its people and their customer-first commitment.

“The Pouliot Award is representative of our core values – the way we do business – as we fulfill Robin Wright’s vision for a ‘One Tapestry Team,’ ” added Spencer. “That’s because our people are our greatest asset, serving our customers with excellence.”

Mike with Daughters

Mike Pouliot with his daughers, Tessa and Megan, who were one of his greatest pride and joys.

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

Contact:

Janet Dayton
Tapestry Solutions Inc.
jdayton@tapestrysolutions.com

 

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