Warminster, England -- An upgraded logistics information management software system, developed by Lockheed Martin for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), will provide the UK Armed Forces with significant improvements in the management of its tanks, trucks and all other ground equipment.

The latest development of the Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES) programme, a web-based software system, enables users to track and monitor the performance of millions of assets, military vehicles and other equipment, used by the British Army, the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

The enhancements, a major improvement to the previous system that was installed in 2005, provide more functionality and ease of use, resulting in better assessments of vehicle availability, location, condition and configuration. JAMES will help the UK Armed Forces prepare for deployments more quickly and efficiently and will increase operational effectiveness.

The new version of JAMES provides a mobile capability to allow warfighters to use the system anywhere with connected or disconnected communications. It also extends the capability into the MOD's maintenance and repair workshops.

In addition, the improved JAMES is a comprehensive engineering and asset management tool, offering a far greater level of interrogation to analyse maintenance, repair and failure data, supporting better decision-making and corrective actions. This will result in improved equipment availability and reduced support costs. It provides inventory functionality allowing the soldier to track all spares while interacting directly with the supply chain, affording visibility to scheduled activities through a simple user interface.

Finally, JAMES can now manage up to five million assets, ranging from main line items to smaller component parts, compared to 120,000 previously.

"The JAMES program will provide enhanced capability for the MOD to achieve efficiency of operations as we prepare for missions," said Colonel Nick Barsby, Logistics Network Enabled Capability Project Team Leader at the Defence Equipment and Support organization. "It has been successful with users as it provides accurate, timely information in a straightforward manner which enables them to better manage their fleet. The latest enhancement is a significant move forward for equipment management."

"The aim of the program is affordability and simplicity," said Debra Palmer, vice president for Enterprise Logistics at Lockheed Martin's Global Training and Logistics. "We hope JAMES helps military leaders meet their challenges by allowing them to focus on mission-readiness, not tracking and managing the physical assets."