Embedded Software & Software Integration: The 76th SWEG has comprehensive embedded software and software integration capabilities for multiple weapon systems. Embedded software primarily references the operational software on-board a weapon system that enables the mission capabilities required for a specific weapon system or platform. These examples range from software capabilities associated with mission computing, weapons, radar, electronic warfare, navigation and communication. Software integration references the ability to integrate multiple subsystems/capabilities into a singular architectural baseline to ensure these systems can all function together to ensure a successful mission capability. With this in-depth experience, 76th SWEG currently supports a variety of these capabilities on B-2, E-3, B-52, B-1, and currently is posturing to support new and emerging workloads for the future.
Ground Systems & Mission Planning: Ground Systems infrastructure provides the required hardware, software, network, and encryption to facilitate the operation of the Ground Support Systems across local and remote locations. Ground Systems provide the tools and applications required for operational units to plan operational missions, conduct post mission analysis, support configuration and data management operations, and enable training functions. The 76th SWEG supports a variety of Ground Support Systems ranging from rapid flyaway capability with the Micro Ground System (MGS) to extended deployment support with the Deployable Ground System (DGS) alongside the suite of training systems supporting both operational and maintenance training needs. Efforts to further modernize the Ground Support systems will drastically improve reliability of the current systems while also establishing the architecture for future workloads. Mission Planning systems process Air Tasking Order information, weather and Threat Information as inputs to a complex system which allows warfighters to plan Air Combat and support missions. These systems provide survivable aircraft routing and weapon delivery solutions within a short time frame. Mission planning systems are used to execute conventional and nuclear combat missions along with air delivery and refueling operations. These systems provide data outputs to the aircraft that are used by the onboard aircraft computers to operationally execute the commanders intent for Joint Planning.
Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for conditioned based maintenance provide logistic insight into component failure rates based on signal ourput from line-replaceable units (LRUs). Recorded flight data is cleansed and normalized to allow for various Machine Learning/Deep Learning (ML/DL) Models to be trained. These Sensor-Based algorithms (SBAs) are then used to predicate Remaining-Useful-Life (RUL) and Probability of failure, which then allows the System Program Office (SPO) and the Conditioned Based Maintenance Rapid Sustainment Office (CBM+RSO) to reduce the amount of unscheduled maintenance, increasing fleet reliability. Machine Learning can also be applied to images (Computer Vision) and advancements are being made to provide insight into Machine Learning “black box” decision making.
Simulation & AR/VR: Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality within the 76th SWEG Research Lab (SWERL) is utilized to research the potential of commercial and government off the shelf (COTS/GOTS) hardware and development tools to create sustainable systems to support the training of operations and maintenance of DoD systems. One of the focuses of the SWERL is utilizing VR & AR to create a cost-effective safe environment to train future system maintainers, operators, and aircrew. Simulation within the 76th SWEG supports the sustainment of legacy systems and developing new systems that utilize simulations to reproduce DoD systems functionality to create environments that safely train maintainers, operators, and aircrew.
DevSecOps: DevSecOps (DSO) is a software engineering culture and practice that aims at unifying software development (Dev), security (Sec), and operations (Ops). The main characteristic of DevSecOps is to automate, monitor, and apply security at all phases of software development: plan, develop, build, test, release, deliver, deploy, operate and monitor. DSO helps to break down silos and stovepipes to deliver the best product at the right value. Its speed tight cycle time enables user feedback and reduces integration risk while the quality capability matches users’ needs while minimizing delivered defects. We can focus deliver a small set of working capabilities vs. a large set of partial capabilities and collaboration synchronize efforts of government, prime, and suppliers. DSO overall provides leadership with visibility into the state of the SWEG DSO improvement goals in order to create group DSO processes, training, technical demonstrations, tools repo, state of surveys and reporting.