Northrop Grumman and Missile Defense Agency surpass cost targets

PUBLISHED: 27 Jul 2015 @ 21:53 | Comments (0) |

Multimillion-dollar savings from 2014 efforts; software efficiency to benefit hundreds of MDA users

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) have achieved nearly $7 million savings through the Modeling and Operations Software Affordability Initiative during 2014, exceeding the $5 million savings targeted.

In collaboration with the MDA, Northrop Grumman launched the initiative to decrease software development costs while increasing productivity and creating more enhanced users’ experience for a critical ballistic missile defense system (BMDS) software community. The initiative focuses on streamlining frameworks, interfaces and tool sets for use in BMDS modeling and simulation and operations.

“We are delighted to achieve significant cost savings in 2014 through efficiencies targeting best-of-breed code reuse and we anticipate even greater savings this year,” said Ken Cox, director, missile defense integration, Northrop Grumman Information Systems. “Next, we’re rolling out changes such as interfaces with a common look and feel that will reduce user time and effort expended.”

Improvements include the development of intuitive user interfaces through modern, streamlined user experience (UX) processes. Northrop Grumman was able to realize significant savings in UX-based user interface development across multiple MDA activities through a systematic software reuse approach. The company is also applying its UX expertise in conjunction with common tool sets to optimize software design, development and sustainment efforts.

Defense Acquisition University methodologies were used to calculate the software productivity and savings data.

Modeling and simulation software plays a key role for affordable development and assessment of the BMDS since ground and flight tests require substantial resources. Software used for operating selected systems of the BMDS is also improved by this initiative.

The Modeling and Operations Software Affordability Initiative is executed under the Joint National Integration Center Research and Development Contract (JRDC). As the MDA’s prime contractor of the JRDC, Northrop Grumman leads the highly interdependent activities necessary to enhance the BMDS and bring those capability improvements to warfighter operations, including: BMDS-level modeling and simulation, ground and flight tests, war games, exercises, mission-critical operations and enterprise networks.

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