From #NextGov The U.S. planes that have gone down in the Middle East since the launch of Operation Epic Fury all lacked the same thing: a common operating picture that includes relevant intelligence and data. The Defense Innovation Unit announced Monday it’s looking for a fix. The request: an open-architecture software suite to fuse real-time data into a credible picture of moving objects, threats, and conditions. The idea is to give pilots a broader understanding of reality in a way that is unremarkable to American motorists with easy access to data about ever-changing conditions but aspirational for air crews flying planes outfitted with antique computer hardware. U.S. Air Force officials have warned of a lack of a common operating picture among airframes, particularly transport planes like C-130s, for years. But the loss of seven aircraft in just over a month, due mostly to communication errors and friendly fire, has exposed a big gap in how U.S. planes communicate with one another and with ground forces🧵