PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center has become the nexus for cutting-edge, safety critical software systems that deliver battlefield advantages for U.S. Soldiers.
While the Armaments Center is synonymous with developing weapons and ammunition hardware that formulate the U.S. Army’s lethal backbone, its software operates unseen in a critical juncture where Soldiers and complex systems perform battlefield coordination, advanced command & control and precision fire control that safely delivers modern firepower.
Be it operating a Handheld Mortar Ballistic Computer, generating fires through the modern Artillery Execution Suite (AXS), or entering precise fire missions using the Portable Excalibur Fire Control System, Soldiers routinely carry out complex military missions swiftly, accurately and safely, using Armaments Center-developed software.
Writing code that operates lethal systems cultivates a culture with a fundamentalist’s focus on safety and quality. This was affirmed in January when the Armaments Center earned its second Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper Award for Software Maintenance, and in spending nearly two decades as the only Army organization appraised with a Maturity Level 5 designation in the CMMI Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration Development scale.
Recently, the Armaments Center Director, Chris Grassano, signed the “Armaments Center Modern Software Engineering Policy” which embraces the use of modern software development tools and techniques. This includes Agile software development and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) architecture, as well as Continuous Integration / Continuous Development (CI/CD) and DevSecOps workflows and tools aligned with the state of the art in the field.
Agile software development has seen growing influence since 17 software practitioners published a manifesto in 2001 that highlights values such as constant collaboration, early and continuous delivery of software, working directly with customers, embracing changes in requirements and favoring software delivery over documentation. It is now widely considered the industry-standard model for the software development lifecycle.
Drawing on best practices and Agile principles employed during AXS development, the Mortars Software Development Team has led the charge on this, working to modernize legacy mortar fire control software for both mounted and dismounted units. The team developed the Common Fire Control Framework, a modular, flexible software architecture designed to adapt to evolving requirements, which enabled the creation of the Mortars App. These initiatives thrived at the Department of Defense’s Weapon Systems Software Summit.
Additionally, the Mortars Team pinpointed opportunities to modernize external processes which had historically slowed delivery to the warfighter. They created a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to integrate Army Interoperability Certification (AIC) testing into its software development lifestyle.
Previously, an external agency had conducted AIC testing, which increased scheduling demands and costs. By leveraging integrated test teams and incorporating interoperability testing into planned test events, the new SOP reduced risks, costs, and delivery timelines.
Agile-based success can also be found in the AXS Development Team. AXS is software that helps streamline artillery operations, providing a more friendly and adaptable platform compared to its predecessor, the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System.
The AXS Team fuses government leadership and industry expertise to deliver secure, high-quality software to the Capability Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, and Network. Using the Scaled Agile Framework, the AXS team delivers capabilities in three-month increments while meeting the needs of the Army Capability Manager for Fires Cells and Targeting. Through continuous integration, continuous deployment automated testing and deep system knowledge, the team has supported live-fire experiments with major artillery platforms.
This government-led Agile approach allows the team to pivot on a dime in response to senior priorities, without delays caused by contract modifications. This transformative approach is occurring at an optimal time, as the Department of War has placed a tremendous focus delivering new capabilities at the speed of modernization.
The United States Ballistics Library (USBL), a modern, Agile-developed alternative to the NATO Ballistics Kernel, also stands at the forefront of the Armament Center’s software modernization efforts. Created at the direction of Army Chief Technology Officer Alex Miller, the USBL can be deployed as a standalone capability or integrated as a cloud-based microservice. It was launched in February 2025 and is well ahead of schedule, with full implementation in the cards this year.
The Armaments Center Software Factory (ACSF) was established to support the need to rapidly deliver weapons systems software such as United States Ballistics Library, Artillery Execution Suite, and the Common Fire Control Framework. The ACSF is a collection of people, tools, and processes that integrate enterprise tools into continuous integration pipelines to automate the build process, implement cybersecurity scanning early and often, and quickly produce working software that meets the needs of the Warfighter. ACSF is a unique software factory optimized for delivery of secure, high-quality weapons systems software.
ACSF integrates enterprise services such as the Army’s DevSecOps organization, with GitLab machines, project-specific tooling and custom continuous integration pipelines. It does this while maintaining compliance with Department of War and Army policies, including Army Directive 2024-02, which enables modern software development and acquisition practices.
Through initiatives such as CF2, AXS, USBL, and ACSF, the Armaments Center strives to redefine how safety-critical defense software is developed. The Armaments Center pursues a culture of improvement, embracing Agile-development and partnering with industry leaders, delivering secure, reliable and advanced software capabilities, and ensuring U.S. forces stay dominant on the modern battlefield.