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Air Force to develop apps that will last 100 years

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Senior Master Sgt. Sindy Narcisse records on her smart phone a C-5M Super Galaxy preparing to connect with a KC-10 Extender June 6, over northern California. Narcisse was one of more than 15 Air Force Reservists assigned to the 349th Air Mobility Wing who took part in an orientation flight that allowed the wing top performers to experience the wing’s aerial refueling mission. During the weekend, the 349th AMW hosted an Air Force Specialty Code Training Weekend, providing reservists with hands-on, realistic training that helps members hone their skills. The AFSC Training Weekend centered around the wing’s ability to respond to a major earthquake in northern California, while working in concert with other military, federal and state agencies to provide relief and support where needed. Narcisse is assigned to the 349th Aerospace Medical Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Stephen J. Collier/Released)

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $7.8 million contract to develop mobile applications that will be viable for 100 years, regardless of changes in mobile devices and operating systems.

The contract, part of DARPA’s Building Resource Adaptive Software Systems program, was awarded to a team led by Raytheon BBN Technologies, according to a Raytheon news release. Among the goals is to develop technology that will modify software as needed to stay current.

“Mobile apps are pervasive in the military, but frequent operating system upgrades, new devices and changing missions and environments require manual software engineering that is expensive and causes unacceptable delays,” said Partha Pal, principal scientist at Raytheon BBN. “We are developing techniques to eliminate these interruptions by identifying the way these changes affect application functionality and modifying the software.”

The Raytheon team includes Securboration, Inc., Oregon State University, Vanderbilt University and Syracuse University.

About 

Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.