Autonomous software for tactical autonomy from BAE Systems chosen for AFRL program

News

June 23, 2022

Lisa Daigle

Assistant Managing Editor

Military Embedded Systems

Autonomous software for tactical autonomy from BAE Systems chosen for AFRL program

BAE Systems graphics.

BURLINGTON, Mass. BAE Systems has won a $7.8 million contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop tightly integrated machine learning (ML) software as part of the Multi-Sensor Exploitation for Tactical Autonomy (META) program, which is aimed at enabling advanced situational awareness and automatic target recognition (ATR).

Under the terms of the agreement, the BAE Systems FAST Labs research and development group is tasked with delivering its Environmentally Adaptive Geospatial Learning and Exploitation suite of ML and fusion algorithms. The system, according to the contract win announcement, integrates multiple elements of BAE Systems’ autonomy portfolio to enable high-confidence detection, tracking, identification, and intent understanding for critical mobile targets in contested environments, including targets that are camouflaged, concealed, or deceptive.

The META program follows the successful deployment of the BAE Systems Multi-intelligence ATR for Geospatial Intelligence Capabilities technology, which the company developed under the AFRL “Study of Emerging Exploitation Developments” program.