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The Department of the Air Force has selected VivSoft for a production Other Transaction Agreement to field the Aerospace Readiness Enterprise System, or ARES, a next-generation aircrew management platform that has already been vetted by operators during a prototyping phase.
By moving directly from prototype to production under an OTA, the service is skipping parts of the traditional procurement cycle to deploy the software more quickly across the force. “The development team is laser-focused on ensuring the warfighter’s voice and agile feedback remain baked directly into the platform from day one,” said Col. Eric Robinson, AETC Command Future Enterprise Systems and Production integrator. “This enterprise consolidation is designed to simplify administrative steps, returning valuable time to the warfighter so they can focus on the mission.”
ARES is intended to replace six legacy applications with a single, enterprise system hosted in a modern environment and ultimately serving more than 149,000 Airmen. For operators and schedulers, the Air Force says the platform will cut scheduling work from hours to minutes. Commanders are set to receive live readiness dashboards with instant digital waiver routing, and resource managers will get automated data synchronization to reduce repeat data entry across units.
The design centers on four pillars. A “Mission Engine” brings together scheduling, training syllabus management, and safety checks in an AI-assisted interface tailored for high-tempo flying operations. Predictive analytics will help leaders forecast training pipelines and upgrade timelines months ahead. Historical training records will be preserved through seamless data migration. And the platform is built on a Zero Trust architecture to keep mission-essential scheduling available in contested or degraded conditions.
To keep changes aligned with real-world needs, joint teams from Kessel Run and VivSoft plan to visit bases to observe daily workflows and capture feedback for rapid software updates. Local rollout schedules, training materials, and unit deployment timelines are expected as the system prepares to go live across major commands next year.
Kessel Run, the development partner on ARES, sits under the Department of the Air Force’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management. That office oversees the DAF Battle Network, an effort to connect sensors, effectors, and logistics systems to sharpen situational awareness, accelerate decisions, and direct forces more effectively.
