Lockheed Martin has been awarded a US$10m (A$10.5m) contract to develop software for the MH-60R ‘Romeo’ and MH-60S ‘Sierra’ helicopters to support the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS).
JMPS replaces older mission planning systems and uses commercial-off-the-shelf architecture that will standardise how mission flightplans are filed across the US military.
“The MH-60 module will give Navy Seahawk pilots access to the military’s most advanced mission planning tool, allowing pilots to easily capture and load preplanned data in a format compatible between both helicopter types,” George Barton, Lockheed Martin’s director of naval helicopter programs said. “Once airborne, the aircraft’s avionics will know what mission to prosecute, the intended route and navigation waypoints to use, the communications frequencies, weapons and sensors it will employ, as well as other critical information.”
The system will be developed and tested over the next 30 months and is planned for deployment in late 2012.
