US Air Force wants to transition software aboard C-130s

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force needs industry’s help to transition software onboard C-130s to a DevSecOps approach to allow easier, more frequent updates.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Air Mobility Command is assessing contractors’ abilities to provide a cloud-native, agile software development platform for the four-engine turboprop transport aircraft in service since the 1950s, according to a request for information posted Feb. 18. Under the proposal, the companies would plan the best way to transition legacy C-130 software to the DevSecOps rapid software development process, with releases in iterative cycles.

“The end goal is to establish a lean, user-centered approach that will ultimately redefine how capability is delivered to the warfighter while meeting all regulatory testing and cybersecurity requirements,” the RFI stated.

The Air Force is looking for two companies to partner with C-130 maker Lockheed Martin, to develop a strategy with an implementation and cost schedule, the RFI said.

After the six-month study, the Air Force expects to award a $1 million contract to implement the results. An RFP to provide the transition services is expected in the second quarter of this year.

“This effort seeks to avoid the pitfalls of up-front waterfall requirements processes and backend waterfall test and delivery processes, and move the Program Office and its contractors to a true agile culture using cloud-native tools,” the RFI stated, referring to older software development processes.