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Andy Adams, Deputy Chief Eng PE, UK MOD�Rob Ashmore, Chief Technologist - Software, UK MOD�Antony Powell, Consultant, YorkMetrics

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP):

Through-Life Software Management

October 2023

[UK Official]

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GCAP Introduction

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is a tri-lateral partnership (UK, Japan, Italy) to deliver a sixth-generation combat aircraft.
From a UK perspective, this will be part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which is a system of systems that may include uncrewed aircraft, new sensors, weapons, advanced data systems and secure networks.
For both GCAP and FCAS, interoperability with networks of allies and partners, including the U.S. and NATO, is vitally important.

[UK Official]

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GCAP Software - Scope

For our purposes, software is inherently linked to the notion of “programmability”.
Our remit includes, for example, AI and data, as well as things like applications, virtualisation techniques, operating systems and board support packages. It also includes complex electronic hardware.
It also includes things like tools, processes, people and organisational culture.
It excludes generic office-style items.

[UK Official]

Board (Complex Electronic Hardware)

Board Support Package

Operating System

Middleware / Containers

Virtualisation

Firmware

Data

Applications

Artificial Intelligence

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GCAP Software - Criticality

GCAP will be a software-reliant system
Software is a (perhaps, the) key delivery risk
Software is a (perhaps, the most) significant contributor to operational capability
Software needs to be considered as an integrated part of systems engineering

[UK Official]

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Delivery Risk

Historical evidence demonstrates software is a key delivery risk, and a modern air system will use much more software, across a much wider breadth than historically.
We need evidence-based estimates to inform generation of programme schedules.
We need measurement, particularly leading indicators, to monitor and control progress against those schedules.

[UK Official]

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Operational Capability

Being able to deliver change to the operational system is key to maintaining effectiveness in a complex, contested, dynamic environment.
Unless we can do this, adversaries will adapt faster than us, and our operational effectiveness will diminish.
A modern air system has to be as different from its predecessors as the Internet is from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It needs to enable frequent, sometimes rapid, change, within a controlled, regulated environment.
We need measurement to drive continual improvement in our software delivery.

[UK Official]

delivering and updating with pace to field systems which remain relevant in rapidly evolving environments

it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change

Software is not the only way of delivering change, but it is the primary means of doing so

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The Software Challenge

GCAP must produce a number of integrated, large-scale, complex, software-intensive systems (comprising millions of lines of code), across a range of international organisations. It will operate in complex, dynamic, regulated environments, in the presence of a cyber advanced persistent threat. It will require frequent (sometimes rapid) changes at all levels to deliver sustained capability over the next 50 years.

[UK Official]

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The Software Challenge

[UK Official]

Some aspects of this are relatively common. Some aspects are relatively uncommon. The combination is highly unusual.

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What Might Good Look Like

[UK Official]

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Ambition

Build a plausible, evidence-based schedule.
Monitor progress against that schedule.
Identify and evaluate continuous improvements.

Communicate efficiently with senior leaders.
Communicate effectively with peer disciplines.
Build a curated, documented body of knowledge to inform future practice.

[UK Official]

To what extent does effective communication need a shared (possibly interactive) model?
How can we balance insight with classification and commercial sensitivities?

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Lessons Learned?

The dubious saying: �“It will be different this time”.
The constraints and risks are high. We don’t want to re-learn existing lessons. Inevitably we will get our own scars.
We need to shift the culture of software engineering within the global enterprise.

[UK Official]

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(Some) Project Challenges

[UK Official]

Internationalization

So we need standards and semantic precision

Scale, complexity and interconnectedness

We cannot consider pieces in isolation, �but it is difficult to see everything all at once

Pace of program and pace of change
Limited precedent, especially for modern approaches

For example, we do not know whether to talk about LOCs or HOCs or feature points or story points or ...

Possibly the “Perfect Storm” for measurement and estimation challenges? Or, maybe it is the “Biggest Opportunity”!

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(Lots Of) Opportunities

Our people.
Lean and agile.
Early-ish programme involvement.
Tooling and automation.
Architecture.
Defining the culture.
This community.

[UK Official]

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Approaches

Measurement (PSM & ISO/IEC/IEEE 15935) for Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery, security, safety, data, edge, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, enterprise, …
Controlled semantics via Knowledge Graphs and Integrated Model-Centric Engineering (IMCE).
Automated real-time pipeline data, visualization and decision support.
Real-time estimation and predictive analytics with machine learning.
Continuous evaluation and improvement.

[UK Official]

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Three Questions (To Prompt Discussions)

[UK Official]

How do we achieve the right cultures and behaviours, specifically for software, but also more generally?
How do we integrate best practices and lessons learned, especially in relation to modern software development approaches?
How do we leverage as a measurement and estimation community, cognisant of classification and commercial hurdles?

But, any and all thoughts are welcome here!

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Contacts:

�Andy Adams, MOD Deputy Chief Engineer - PE (andrew.adams318@mod.gov.uk)�

Rob Ashmore, MOD FCAS Chief Technologist - Software (rdashmore@dstl.gov.uk)�

Antony Powell, MOD GCAP Metrics (antony.powell@yorkmetrics.com)��

[UK Official]