AC/MC-130J

Abstract

This project supports the development, rapid prototyping, integration, automation, and testing of the AC-130J and MC-130J aircraft. The AC-130J Ghostrider provides close air support (CAS), air interdiction, and armed reconnaissance in support of special operations and conventional forces in contested and degraded environments. The MC-130J Commando II provides clandestine, or low visibility, single or multiship, low-level infiltration (infil), exfiltration (exfil), and resupply of Special Operations Forces (SOF), by airdrop or airland and air refueling missions for special operations helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, intruding politically sensitive or hostile territories. Incremental upgrade and agile software delivery approaches will be used to rapidly prototype, integrate and mature SOF capabilities onto the AC-130J and MC-130J aircraft. Efforts like Integrated Tactical Mission Systems (ITMS) provide critical automation and integration of SOF Tactical Mission Systems (TMS), including navigation, communication, precision fire control and aircraft defensive systems required for safe flight in AC-130J and MC-130J aircraft. Requirements include upgrades to integrate and automate SOF TMS such as Airborne Mission Networking (AbMN) interoperability, data fusion and improved situational awareness (SA), improved threat detection and avoidance, integrated terrain following (TF) / terrain avoidance (TA) and Silent Knight Radar (SKR) improvements, defensive countermeasures (DCM) suite, Precision Strike Package (PSP) interoperability, integrated electronic warfare (EW), and embedded training. Integrating and automating SOF mission systems that deliver these capabilities is critical to fielding SOF-capable AC-130J and MC-130J aircraft to be more lethal, resilient, survivable, agile, and responsive in support of the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS).

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Document Details

Document Type
Project
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2024
Source ID
S875_1160403BB_7_0400_PB_2024

Tags

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems

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