Air Force awards $100M AI readiness platform contract

Air Force selects contractor for unified readiness system

The U.S. Air Force has awarded VivSoft Technologies a $100 million production contract to develop the Aerospace Readiness Enterprise System (ARES), a platform designed to replace the service's fragmented collection of aircrew scheduling, training, and readiness-management tools with a single AI-enabled environment.

The service announced the Other Transaction Authority agreement Tuesday and plans to begin deploying ARES across major commands starting in 2027. The system will eventually serve more than 149,000 airmen across multiple Major Commands (MAJCOMs).

Why it matters

The Air Force currently operates a patchwork of legacy scheduling and training platforms that require extensive manual data entry and offer limited cross-command visibility. By consolidating six separate systems into one enterprise architecture, the service aims to free up substantial administrative time for operators while giving commanders real-time readiness insights they lack today. The shift represents a broader military trend toward integrated software platforms that can scale across large organizations rather than point solutions developed independently by individual commands.

From prototype to production

VivSoft's selection follows a 90-day competitive evaluation phase in which multiple vendors built ARES prototypes and delivered them to operators for hands-on testing. The Air Force used operator feedback from that phase to inform its contractor decision.

Because airmen have already tested and validated the system during prototyping, the service will move directly into production without an additional development phase, according to Col. Brian Benton, Air Education and Training Command Integration Center lead.

"This effort represents a fundamental shift in how the Air Force approaches flight operations," Benton said in a statement. The platform is being built as Software-as-a-Service within the Air Force's new Operations Enterprise Architecture and is intended to serve as "a one-stop shop for an Airman's entire career."

Capabilities and AI integration

ARES will automate scheduling, training, and readiness management functions that currently require manual processes. The system is designed to assign personnel and resources, identify and resolve scheduling conflicts, and track training qualifications across the force.

According to the Air Force's initial requirements, the platform should support up to 160 sorties per day per flying squadron while providing commanders with real-time readiness visibility.

The system will incorporate machine learning and live data feeds to optimize scheduling decisions and reduce the number of training sorties required to maintain readiness standards. It will also offer predictive modeling and trend analysis to help commanders anticipate future readiness gaps and training-pipeline bottlenecks.

Rollout and continuous improvement

The Air Force plans a localized rollout in 2027. During deployment, the service's Kessel Run software factory will work alongside VivSoft to visit Air Force bases across the United States, gathering operator feedback to drive ongoing platform updates.

"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.

Details of the contract and deployment timeline were first reported by Defense Scoop.