Innovative Solution to Uncertainty in Air and Missile Defense

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US military authorities want to be able to quickly deal with uncertain information concerning potential air and missile attacks. A new air command-and-control (C2) system will help air and missile defenders make quick decisions and adapt quickly to changing battlefield conditions.

The US Army announced a $1.4 billion contract to Northrop Grumman for low-rate initial production and full-rate production of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). The system will help enhance aircraft and missile tracking and situational awareness to enable military commanders and air defenders to make critical decisions within seconds in response to air and missile attacks.

The IBCS represents a modular open-systems architecture to optimize limited resources and facilitate flexible defense designs, company officials say.

It enables commanders to tailor organizations, sensors, and weapons to meet the demands of diverse missions, environments, and rules of engagement not achievable today, Northrop Grumman officials say. It provides wide-area surveillance and broad protection areas by networking sensors and interceptors.

The system enables affordable integration of current and future sensors, weapons, and modernization efforts, and helps connect systems for joint and cooperative multinational missile defense.

The IBCS is to replace seven legacy command-and-control systems with network-centric battle management to reduce single points of failure and increase the flexibility for deploying small force packages. 

The system creates a standard approach across forces to reduce logistics burdens and change training, according to militaryaerospace.com.

Interested in learning more about air and missile defense? Attend IAMD – the Israeli Air and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition on March 8 at Tel Aviv Expo, pavilion 10.