Implementing an Architectural Framework to Define and Deliver Net-Centric Capability to Legacy Military Air Assets Operating within a System of Systems

The United States Air Force (USAF) is implementing an integrated net-centric system of systems for airborne operations in support of the global war on terror (GWOT). The GWOT demands that a successful architecture framework transforms and delivers net-centric assets to the war-fighter in a timely manner. A critical component of this implementation is the transformation of legacy strategic air platforms into net-centric air power assets operating within a system of systems. The System Architectural (SA) framework, and the Department of Defense Architectural Framework (DoDAF) are ways of managing complexity and organizing information within a system of systems network. This paper will explore and compare these architectural frameworks; show examples used in a system of systems network; and illustrate how the DoDAF can successfully define the transformation of a legacy weapon system into a net-centric asset.