Ball Aerospace to Build Prototype Data Processing Framework for U.S. Air Force's FORGE Program
December 04, 2018
BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace was selected to build an adaptable, open-source framework testbed to support ground processing needs for the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). This prototype works with third-party processing applications and helps visualize the time-critical processing performance in satellite ground systems, ensuring timely and reliable missile warnings, battlespace awareness and technical intelligence.
The Mission Data Processing Application Framework (MDPAF) testbed enables data to be collected for the Air Force's Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) program for Overhead Persistent InfraRed (OPIR) ground processing. OPIR is crucial for the U.S. Air Force and decision makers to understand threats and make time-critical decisions, while gathering long-term technical intelligence data on foreign missile systems.
"Ball will leverage a modern system design approach which merges development, security and operations, known as DevSecOps, or DevOps with security built into the process," said Steve Smith, vice president and general manager, Systems Engineering Solutions, Ball Aerospace. "We will begin with the practices and services Ball developed for DARPA's Hallmark program and adapt them to the mission needs of SMC."
Ball Aerospace has been on the leading-edge of OPIR development for many years with an understanding of the objects, events and unique processing requirements necessary to translate the data into actionable information. This includes both real-time processing for missile warning/missile defense missions and near-real-time technical intelligence/battlespace awareness missions. FORGE provides Ball the opportunity to leverage its OPIR knowledge and the mission-adaptable Hallmark architecture to ensure ground processing mission success today and anticipate the emerging capabilities of tomorrow.
Through the adoption of a self-service integrator model, Ball has developed a framework where third-party developers can use its DevOps pipeline without the need for additional integration support – eliminating any potential bottlenecks. Ball's secure DevOps approach enables continuous integration and continuous deployment of new capabilities into operational ground systems without any loss of time in operations, an approach used today in the commercial marketplace. This DevOps environment allows independent stakeholders to quickly and effectively integrate their applications into one architecture while providing maximum deployment flexibility for the government. Ball's deployment solution is infrastructure-agnostic, allowing the government to search for best price among cloud-processing vendors.
Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet, deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. Go Beyond with Ball.® For more information, visit www.ball.com/aerospace or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 17,500 people worldwide and reported 2017 net sales of $11 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "targets," "likely," "positions" and similar expressions typically identify forward-looking statements, which are generally any statements other than statements of historical fact. Such statements are based on current expectations or views of the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied. You should therefore not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements and any of such statements should be read in conjunction with, and, qualified in their entirety by, the cautionary statements referenced below. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be different are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product demand fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; competitive activity; footprint adjustments and other manufacturing changes; failure to achieve synergies, productivity improvements or cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; customer and supplier consolidation, power and supply chain influence; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or a loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; currency controls; changes in foreign exchange or tax rates, including due to the effects of the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; and tariffs or other governmental actions in any country affecting goods produced by us or in our supply chain, including imported raw materials, such as pursuant to section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962; b) our aerospace segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the company as a whole include those listed plus: changes in senior management; regulatory action or issues including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological developments and innovations; litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and governmental policies both in the U.S. and in other countries, including the U.S. government elections, budget, sequestration and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and successful or unsuccessful joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures, including with respect to the Rexam PLC acquisition and its integration, or the associated divestiture; the effect of the acquisition or the divestiture on our business relationships, operating results and business generally.
SOURCE Ball Aerospace