Update: Covid-19: US Air Force postpones April ABMS demo

The US Air Force (USAF) has postponed its upcoming April Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) internet of things (IoT) combat concept demonstration due to concerns over Covid-19.

The demonstration will now take place in June, USAF Chief of Staff General David Goldfein told reporters on 18 March. All members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Pentagon’s top leadership, were to attend the demonstration, he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Strohmeyer, NORTHCOM scenario co-ordinator, delivers a capabilities brief to senior leadership during the first-ever Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) demonstration on 18 December 2019 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The USAF is delaying its second ABMS demo from April to June. (US Air Force)

The USAF will use this extra time between ABMS demonstrations to try to advance some of the system’s technologies. Gen Goldfein said that the service succeeded with 26 of 28 line items from the last December demonstration, which he called too many.

USAF spokesman Clay Lancaster said on 25 March that the additional time between ABMS demonstrations will allow for more detailed integration analysis and modeling. These models will be used to predict performance and then compare the modeled results to the real results from the demonstration. Lancaster said this extra time will allow for developmental testing that supports demonstration products and services.

The joint team, in planning for the second ABMS demo, will further develop ABMS capabilities across three main areas: domain awareness, Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), and defeat mechanisms. Lancaster said the USAF, for domain awareness, is excited to improve integration with several cross-domain sensors such as over-the-horizon radar (OTHR), unattended ground sensors, and moving target indication (MTI) capability servicing several of the “One ABMS” product lines.