JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas — The Air Force’s initiative to overhaul its aircrew management systems is moving on to its next phase this month as operators begin testing prototype software designed to replace decades-old legacy platforms.
The Aerospace Readiness Enterprise System, or ARES, will undergo a critical evaluation period this month. The evaluation, spearheaded by Kessel Run, puts the software directly in front of the pilots and schedulers who will use it daily. This allows them to shape the system’s development before the Air Force commits to a long-term contract.
“Because flying operations can’t pause for software evaluations, we structured this hands-on testing to be completely asynchronous and remote," said Col. Ryan Vetter, AETC Command Integration Center lead. "A cohort of evaluators from across the Air Force will dedicate significant time to testing the competing vendor prototypes and providing the hands-on feedback that is absolutely essential to getting this right."
Testers primarily consist of aircrew and non-aircrew operators from Air Education and Training Command, but also include others from Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Air Force Global Strike Command to test the extensibility of the software as it scales beyond the flying training units.
The evaluation comes as the Air Force looks to retire a patchwork of siloed legacy systems, including Graduate Training Integration Management System (G/TIMS), Patriot Excalibur (PEX), and Puckboard.
"We are asking a lot of our operators, but their hands-on feedback is the absolute only way we get this right," Vetter added. "We’re building a system that has to work for the Airmen on the flightline, at the speed of our operations. By letting our pilots and schedulers test-drive ARES now, we ensure the warfighter’s voice is baked into the final product before we make any long-term commitments."
On a broader scale, ARES represents a shift toward a unified data layer that connects training, operations, and personnel information. By breaking down historical data silos, the system is designed to give commanders a real-time, accurate picture of unit readiness, an essential capability for operating in contested environments.
At the conclusion of the testing, Kessel Run will compile the scorecards and user feedback into a final Test Evaluation Report. That report will serve as the primary source of evidence for the Air Force's final vendor selection, Vetter said.
Following the selection, the Air Force expects to announce a target timeline for initial fielding to AETC beginning in early-2027, ultimately shaping the digital backbone for more than 149,000 Airmen across the DAF.
Kessel Run, the development partner for the ARES program, is a division within the Department of the Air Force’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management (PAE C3BM). C3BM is responsible for managing the DAF Battle Network, the integrated system-of-systems connecting sensor, effector, and logistics systems, enabling better situational awareness, faster operational decisions, and decisive direction to the force