Battle Management System: Two decades of revolutionizing the battlespace

Battle Management System: Two decades of revolutionizing the battlespace

By Dorina Watermolen, NSWCDD Corporate Communications

For 20 years, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division's Battle Management System has served as a digital backbone, integrating weapons, sensors, operators and data into a unified system. This allows platforms to see, decide and act faster in an increasingly complex battlespace.

What began in 2005 with a small team of Dahlgren Division engineers tasked with integrating precision-guided weapons onto AC-130U "Spooky" gunships has evolved into an essential component of global battle integration. Over the years, BMS has adapted to modern warfare - enhancing coordination, adaptability and effectiveness. Today, it strengthens deterrence, boosts operational effectiveness and paves the way for fully integrated, multi-domain combat environments.

"We've come a long way from those early days," said Ashton Engledow, an original software developer who is now chief engineer of BMS. "What started as a small team working on a single platform has grown into an enterprise that supports platforms across air, sea and land."

From its humble beginnings, BMS has consistently delivered on its mission: rapid design, integrated solutions and tactical advantage.

The evolution of BMS

The initial project began as a demonstration to enhance gunship capabilities by equipping them with precision-guided weapons mounted on their wings, a novel approach at the time. Traditionally, gunships would circle targets and rely on gunfire, a method that often allowed adversaries to scatter after the first shot, making targeting difficult and time-consuming. The goal was to determine whether a missile could be accurately launched at a target outside its usual flight path, ensuring a successful hit on the very first attempt.

This BMS demonstration proved effective, leading to broader interest from other platforms and paving the way for the system's integration into various aircraft, focusing initially on weapon deployment and control.

From the outset, BMS implemented a rapid development process, a departure from the conventional Department of Defense's - now the Department of War - framework.

"The rapid part is, I think, one of the things that really put us on the map," Engledow said.

By tailoring the DoD's rigorous processes into something executable within months rather than years, BMS was able to deliver timely and effective solutions. This approach earned the trust of its sponsors and set a precedent for agility in defense systems development.

This success set the stage for BMS's rapid growth. By 2008, the program had achieved its first tactical deployment, delivering systems that were actively used in theater.

In 2011, U.S. Special Operations Command's efforts to modernize its AC-130 gunship fleet focused on addressing outdated systems by converting standard C-130 cargo planes into gunships. Despite initial challenges, including skepticism about the feasibility of integrating a 30mm gun, the BMS team successfully installed the weapon, achieving operational readiness.

"BMS did it in less than 18 months," Engledow recalled. "It was the most accurate side-firing gun on an AC-130 gunship at the time."

The AC-130J Ghostrider, first flown in 2013, transformed a mobility aircraft into a strike platform. Key to this upgrade is a precision strike package - developed by SOCOM and BMS - featuring advanced sensors, a 30 mm cannon, Griffin missiles, all-weather radar and precision bombs. Together with networked battle management systems, these upgrades enhance communications, situational awareness and coordinated firepower support.

One of BMS's most significant contributions to the battlespace is its modular, open-systems architecture. This design allows for the adaptation of common hardware and software across multiple platforms, enabling quick responses to new requirements. Components can be easily stacked and plugged together, facilitating their use across different systems. This architecture has been successfully deployed on AC-130 aircraft, patrol coastal ships, the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle and a counter-unmanned aerial system on a side-by-side utility vehicle.

"We built everything to be plug-and-play," Engledow explained. "It doesn't matter if it's a Hellfire missile or a small-diameter bomb. The system just knows it's a weapon and figures out how to use it."

This philosophy has been a driving force behind BMS's ability to adapt and scale its solutions, reducing development costs. It has been particularly valuable in the context of unmanned systems.

"We have successfully demonstrated our concept with weapons integration," said Engledow. "We can serve as the central hub that enhances capabilities by eliminating vendor lock-in and reducing training burdens. This allows operators to concentrate on mission success instead of managing various systems."

Over a period of six years - 2012 to 2018 - BMS systems were integrated into surface platforms like littoral combat ships and patrol coastal vessels. BMS successfully weaponized Group III UAVs, laying the groundwork for its support of unmanned aerial vehicles. It began work on a maritime precision strike package for the combatant craft medium vessel designed for special operations, making it useful in low- to medium-threat environments.

In 2019, BMS started to work on developing virtual reality systems to improve tactical visualization and situational awareness.

"We wanted to give operators tools that go beyond traditional screens," Engledow said. "With VR, they can interact with a virtual sand table, click on assets to get tailored information and even collaborate with teammates across the globe in the same virtual environment."

Today, BMS operates as a comprehensive program, supporting several platforms with a team of approximately 350 personnel.

The path forward: Investing in tomorrow

Warfare has undergone a fundamental shift - evolving from more predictable, platform-centric conflicts to fast-paced, technology-driven competition across every domain. Cyber operations, autonomous systems and the rapid spread of commercial dual-use technologies have blurred traditional boundaries and compressed decision timelines. And while adversaries are using these advancements to challenge traditional military advantages, they are not alone - the Department of War and its allies are adapting to this new environment, standing ready as a cohesive, networked force.

Battle integration is the concept of creating a unified combat environment where all assets - whether in the air, on land, at sea or in cyberspace - can share data, coordinate actions and execute missions with precision and speed.

"The name of the game now is integrated battlespaces," Engledow explained. "We're not just concerned about what my gunship has; we're looking at the full battlefield level."

The development of distributed effects capabilities enables operators to make informed decisions across a network of interconnected assets and collaborate in real time. For example, an AC-130 gunship equipped with BMS technology could coordinate with an MQ-9 Reaper or a littoral combat ship to engage targets more effectively. This level of integration enhances operational efficiency and ensures resources are used judiciously.

"We're not just building tools," Engledow said. "We're building decision aids that make the entire battlespace smarter."

Kill web automation not only improves mission success rates but also reduces the cognitive load on operators, enabling them to focus on higher-level decision-making.

"We're building a world where every platform, every sensor and every weapon can talk to each other," Engledow said. "That's the future of warfare."

BMS is also exploring the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance tactical visualization and decision-making further.

"We're trying to make tools now where I can go on an AC-130 gunship, look at a target, have the computer recognize what that target is and then have it give me a recommendation," Engledow said.

This capability has already been successfully demonstrated and is poised to become a tactical reality.

For those who will carry the torch into the next 20 years, Engledow offers this advice: "Be prepared to be challenged and be prepared to be rewarded. It's a lot of work, but when you see the impact of what you've built - when you know it's saving lives - it's all worth it."

Battle Management System: A timeline

2007: The successful demonstration of precision-guided weapons on AC-130 gunships marks a turning point in the platform's operational capabilities.

2008: BMS systems are deployed in theater for the first time, providing critical precision strike capabilities to warfighters and proving the program's value in real-world operations.

2011: The AC-130J Ghostrider completed its first flight as a gunship, marking a milestone as it integrated BMS's precision strike package and enhanced battle management system for precision and situational awareness.

2014: The integration of BMS systems onto littoral combat and patrol coastal ships represents a significant step in broadening the program's scope beyond air platforms.

2015: BMS successfully weaponizes Group III UAVs, demonstrating its ability to adapt its systems to smaller, unmanned platforms and marks the beginning of a new era for the program, which now supports more than a dozen UAV platforms.

2017: BMS begins developing a maritime precision strike package that includes loitering munitions for the CCM, a low-observable, reconfigurable, multi-mission surface tactical mobility craft designed primarily for inserting and extracting special operations forces in low- to medium-threat environments.

2018: BMS leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance tactical visualization and situational awareness. This includes the development of virtual reality systems that allow operators to interact with a virtual battlespace, enabling real-time collaboration and decision-making.

2020s: BMS develops capabilities for distributed effects and kill chain automation, enabling faster, more effective decision-making across the battleground, and a shared ecosystem that connects platforms across domains enables communication and collaboration.