In this 2023 photo, Spc. Kalbi Wells, Staff Sgt. Chris Santiago and Sgt. Rickman Riley update maintenance records after performing an engine wash on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. U.S. Army / Sgt. 1st Class Shane Hamann
Army eyes data platform upgrade for 2025
The service lengthened its contract with Palantir before releasing a sketch of its plans for its next-gen Army Data Platform.
The Army is doubling down on its data plans with a new four-year, $619 million contract with Palantir that promises to keep current features that help commanders learn more about their troops, while expanding the AI-powered Vantage platform across the service.
Palantir has been the prime contractor for the Army’s Vantage data platform, which uses AI and machine learning to support operational and tactical planning and data analysis since 2019. And starting in the New Year, the service plans to pivot to an upgraded version called the Army Data Platform.
The new contract, which was awarded on Dec. 13, “allows the Army to maintain the current Army Vantage system and support users while planning a follow-on capability to Army Vantage called Army Data Platform,” Cassandra Reilly, Army Data Platform’s product manager at the program executive office enterprise, said via email. “Any work performed in Army Vantage will transition to the Army Data Platform.”
The agreement is for $400.7 million over four years with a $618.8 million ceiling.
The Army plans to release a contract for the Army Data Platform in 2025 and is “currently working on a strategy to support a migration effort,” said Ellyn Kocher, a spokesperson for Army PEO Enterprise. The service will “provide additional details to users as the future capability, Army Data Platform, evolves,” she added.
One of the contract requirements for the new Vantage system is that all data, workflows and visualizations migrate to the Army Data Platform.
“The Vantage program ensures that every data point is not just collected but understood in the broader mission framework,” Mitchell Skiles, Palantir’s senior vice president for federal business said in a news release. “This level of comprehensive data integration is crucial for operational effectiveness and decision superiority across the Army, where they continue to set the standard as leaders in this space.”
The contract comes as Palantir expands its work for the Defense Department from the Army’s Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, or TITAN, ground station program to the Pentagon’s Maven system, an AI-powered intelligence platform for combatant commands.
At the same time, a wave of AI companies are teaming up to deliver tailored tech to the Pentagon. For example, this month Palantir announced collaborative partnerships with Anduril, ShieldAI, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
The Vantage follow-on contract won’t offer any new features for its roughly 100,000 users, but it will give the Army space “to plan for the new Army Data Platform while continuing to support users,” Kocher said.