A U.S. Air Force software system for contingency and crisis action planning is to be enhanced and maintained by Northrop Grumman.

The services are to be provided under a five-year indefinite-delivery contract with a maximum value of $98 million, the company said.

The contract was issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and is for the Global Adaptive Planning Collaborative Information Environment, a web-enabled, net-centric environment for planning at the combatant commander and strategic level.

The system allows multiple staffs, subordinate commands and other agencies to collaborate online for mission planning. The system also provides analysis to senior decision-makers.

"The GAP CIE is designed for emerging crisis situations, so it's important we automate courses of action tools to let joint operation planners focus on the quality of the information and the plan," said Doug Pachunka, director, strategic command and control, Northrop Grumman Information Systems.

"We'll build on our understanding of the technical challenge and apply our innovative software development approaches and engineering rigor to ensure an intuitive, reliable and sustainable capability."

Northrop said it will make software deliveries to sustain and enhance fielded GAP CIE capabilities under the direction of the U.S. Strategic Command, and also continue the effort to incorporate tools for the production of campaign assignment, contingency plans and orders, plan tasking and guidance for decisions pertaining to use of force.