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Missile Defense

WISŁA

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Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered key Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) components for Poland’s WISŁA medium range air defense program. With this delivery, IBCS moves closer to being fully fielded as part of Poland’s advanced air and missile defense program.

IBCS
Polish and American servicemembers inspect the WISŁA relay at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

The recent delivery of the IBCS Integrated Fire Control Network (IFCN) relays supports the WISŁA program’s fielding schedule, which is the first foreign military sale of IBCS. Reaching this milestone provides a critical capability to a key U.S. ally and achieves NATO interoperability goals.

«Northrop Grumman is transforming decision making for the U.S. and its allies by integrating sensors and weapons for air and missile defense», said Rebecca Torzone, vice president and general manager, Combat Systems and Mission Readiness, Northrop Grumman. «IBCS provides Polish air defenders with the ability to make faster, better-informed decisions to deter, disrupt and defeat threats across all domains».

In parallel to the IFCN relay deliveries, Northrop Grumman is conducting a series of integration and test scenarios with the Engagement Operation Centers (EOCs) previously delivered in July 2022, and the relays. These tests and the associated training are important steps toward Poland taking full delivery of their first systems and achieving Basic Operational Capability later in 2023.

IBCS implements a modular, open and scalable architecture foundational to integrating available assets in the battlespace, regardless of source, service or domain onto common fire control network. Its architecture enables the efficient and affordable integration of current and future systems and extends the battlespace by disaggregating sensors and effectors. By enabling this high level of network integration, the warfighter is given unprecedented time to make accurate decisions. Through numerous successful development and operational tests and demonstrations, IBCS has proven its capability to connect and fuse multi-service sensor data to multi-service weapons, demonstrating Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) capabilities.

Ground Forces

Initial Operational Capability

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) has achieved initial operational capability from the U.S. Army. With this declaration, the system is now ready to be fielded to U.S. Army units to further support the development of the system’s capabilities.

Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS)
U.S. military load a C-5 aircraft with Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) equipment during a training session (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

IBCS is the cornerstone of the Army’s air and missile defense modernization strategy, replacing the multiple current air and missile defense command and control systems with a single system. The system has completed rigorous and demanding Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and numerous successful development and operational flight tests. During these demanding assessments, IBCS demonstrated its ability to deliver decision-quality fire control data across joint networks, increasing situational awareness and time for decision making.

«IBCS has the leading role in the Army’s air and missile defense modernization strategy because its ability to integrate multi-domain sensors to create fire quality fused data enables the warfighter to quickly decide on the best shooter to defend against incoming threats», said Rebecca Torzone, vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness, Northrop Grumman. «With its mature, proven and ready capabilities, IBCS transforms and extends the battlespace for the U.S. and its allies».

This groundbreaking step toward putting multi-domain capabilities in the hands of the warfighter comes on the heels of the program’s recent approval for Full Rate Production (FRP). These milestones are the result of the successful completion of critical testing, and development of logistics, support and training. To date, IBCS has integrated, or demonstrated integration on numerous sensors and shooters from all U.S. service branches and allies. IBCS can quickly integrate additional systems given its open architecture – enabling the U.S. and its allies to move beyond interoperability to achieve the high level of multi-domain integration required today and in the future.

IBCS implements a modular, open and scalable architecture that integrates available assets in the battlespace onto a common, integrated fire control network, regardless of source, service or domain. Its architecture enables the efficient and affordable integration of current and future systems and extends the battlespace by disaggregating sensors and effectors. By enabling this high level of network integration, the warfighter is given unprecedented time to make accurate decisions. Through numerous successful developments, operational tests and demonstrations, IBCS has proven its capability to connect and fuse multi-service sensor data to multi-service weapons, demonstrating the Army’s contribution to Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) capabilities.

Ground Forces

Army Selects Northrop

Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded a five-year contract valued at more than $1 billion from the U.S. Army for low-rate initial production and full-rate production of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) on December 23.

IBCS
A Northrop Grumman produced Engagement Operations Center (EOC) and Interactive Collaborative Environment (ICE) emplaced at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (Source U.S. Army)

«IBCS is a centerpiece of the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy for air and missile defense to address the changing battlefield», said Mary Petryszyn, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems. «Working closely with the Army, we look forward to leveraging the IBCS architecture to create an all-domain command and control capability».

Under this contract, Northrop Grumman will produce and field IBCS and provide product engineering and logistics support for the U.S. and select allied forces through foreign military sales.

IBCS’s resilient, open, modular and scalable architecture is foundational to integrating all available assets in the battlespace, regardless of source, service or domain. Its architecture enables the efficient and affordable integration of current and future systems. Through numerous, successful flight tests, IBCS has validated the ability to connect and fuse multi-service sensor data to multi-service weapons demonstrating Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) capabilities.

Since Northrop Grumman delivered the first IBCS to the U.S. Army, the program has undergone extensive hardware-in-the-loop environmental, live fire, and developmental testing and has participated in numerous Joint Service and U.S. Army exercises. The current award follows the program’s recent flight test which integrated multi-domain systems across the services and the decision by the Department of Defense authorizing IBCS to proceed into low rate initial production as a result of the successful Limited User Test.

Northrop Grumman is a technology company, focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect, advance and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.

Missiles & Guided Weapons, Rocket

Successful Flight Tests

In flight tests on November 4, Lockheed Martin demonstrated significant milestones for the PATRIOT Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) program, including the first integration of the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) with the U.S. Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS).

PAC-3 MSE
Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 MSE Reaches Major Milestones During Successful Flight Tests

During the flight test series, two PAC-3 MSE missiles successfully engaged from IBCS and intercepted Tactical Ballistic Missile (TBM) threats over White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico. These marked the first Field Surveillance Program (FSP) tests for PAC-3 MSE. FSP missions confirm the reliability and readiness of fielded PAC-3 missiles and normally occur annually.

«PAC-3 continues to build upon our rich history of reliable and innovative missile defense while also demonstrating our compatibility with one of the U.S. Army’s foremost modernization priorities to stay ahead of advanced threats», said Brenda Davidson, vice president of PAC-3 Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

An evolution of the battle-proven PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI), the PAC-3 MSE boasts a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, providing increased performance in altitude and range to defend against incoming threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.

Missile Defense, Rocket

Contested environment

The U.S. Army successfully engaged a cruise missile target in a highly contested electronic attack environment during a developmental flight test using the Northrop Grumman Corporation Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS).

IBCS
The latest flight test integrated the widest variety of sensors to date on the IFCN for an IBCS test, including one Marine Corps G/ATOR, two Army Sentinel radars, one Army Patriot radar and two U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft

The test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico demonstrated the integration of IBCS and the U.S. Marine Corps AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) system, also manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The flight test incorporated first-time live testing and demonstration of a Joint Track Manager Capability (JTMC) which provided a bridge between IBCS and the Navy’s Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), enabling the sharing of G/ATOR track data on the IBCS Integrated Fire Control Network (IFCN). With support from Lockheed Martin, the flight test architecture also incorporated two F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft integrated on the IFCN with on board sensors contributing to the IBCS developed joint composite track used to perform the engagement.

«The integration of additional sensors from multiple services continues to show the power inherent in the IBCS architecture and design to incorporate and integrate joint sensors across multiple domains», said Christine Harbison, vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness, Northrop Grumman. «By enabling joint operation and utilizing multiple sensors operating in various bands, IBCS was able to operate through the electronic attack environment so soldiers can identify, track and ultimately intercept the threat».

Two surrogate cruise missiles were launched in the test, one performing the electronic attack mission to disrupt radar performance, and the other flying a threat profile targeting friendly assets. Soldiers of the 3-6 Air and Missile Defense Test Detachment used IBCS to track the surrogate cruise missile targets, identify the threatening missile, and launch a Patriot Advanced Capability Three (PAC-3) interceptor.

The latest flight test success integrated the widest variety of sensors to date on the IFCN for an IBCS test, including one Marine Corps G/ATOR, two Army Sentinel radars, one Army Patriot radar and two U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter aircraft.

The Gallium Nitride-based AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR is a digital, software-defined advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) multi-mission radar that provides comprehensive real time, full-sector, 360-degree situational tracking against a broad array of threats.

This was the eighth of eight successful developmental or operational flight tests performed with the IBCS program. The test was conducted as risk reduction prior to beginning the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) phase this fall. IOT&E is a comprehensive test of IBCS system performance which will be conducted under realistic operational conditions prior to system employment. The IOT&E informs a Department of Defense and U.S. Army initial operational capability decision.

Northrop Grumman is pioneering joint all-domain command and control with IBCS. The system’s resilient, open, modular, scalable architecture is foundational to deploying a truly integrated network of all available assets in the battlespace, regardless of source, service or domain. IBCS enables the efficient and affordable integration of current and future systems, including assets deployed over IP-enabled networks, counter-UAS systems, 4th- and 5th-generation aircraft, space-based sensors and more. It senses, identifies, tracks and defeats evolving air and missile threats, enabling revolutionary «all-domain, every sensor, best effector» operations.

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Ground Forces, Missile Defense

WISŁA program

Northrop Grumman Corporation has taken delivery of six shelters that will be outfitted as Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) Engagement Operations Centers (EOC) for Poland. Poland has acquired the U.S. Army IBCS configuration and this delivery supports the production start of the IBCS hardware for Poland’s WISŁA air and missile defense program from Northrop Grumman’s Huntsville Manufacturing Center.

WISŁA
Shelters arrive at the Huntsville Manufacturing Facility where they will be outfitted as IBCS Engagement Operations Centers for Poland

During this production phase, IBCS hardware is installed in the shelters to create functioning EOCs. These IBCS EOCs are integrated with IBCS battle management software that maximizes the combat potential of sensors and weapon systems. Once the integration is complete, the EOCs will undergo an acceptance test prior to delivery to the U.S. government, which in turn will deliver to Poland as part of the foreign military sales contract for WISŁA.

«Receiving these shelters and kicking off production marks a critical milestone on the WISLA program and gets us one step closer to fielding this capability in Poland», said Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness, Northrop Grumman. «Our Huntsville Manufacturing Center production line is ready and equipped to deliver these command centers on time and on budget».

The Huntsville Manufacturing Center has a long heritage supporting large scale manufacturing programs including the Army’s Command Post Platform. Northrop Grumman has successfully developed, integrated and delivered IBCS major end items such as engagement operations centers, the entire command post environment, integrated fire control network relays and plug-and-fight kits that have all been used by U.S. soldiers in highly successful, operationally realistic tests and that warfighters will use once the system is fielded.

The acquisition of IBCS is a major component of Poland’s WISLA air and missile defense modernization program. In March 2018, Poland signed a foreign military sales agreement with the U.S. government to purchase IBCS and became the first international partner country to acquire this transformational capability. By acquiring IBCS, Poland will modernize its air and missile defense forces toward assuring interoperability with U.S. forces and within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

IBCS is the centerpiece of the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy for air and missile defense to address the changing battlefield. IBCS utilizes multiple sensors and effectors to extend the battlespace, engage threats providing 360° protection, increases survivability by enabling early detection and continuous tracking, and delivers transformational warfighting capabilities to defeat an increasingly complex threat.

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Ground Forces

A critical next step

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), developed in partnership with the U.S. Army, has received authorization to proceed with Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) following a successful Milestone C decision for the program. This milestone, approved by the Department of Defense, represents a critical next step in moving the program closer to future deployment.

IBCS
Soldiers of the U.S. Army operational Air and Missile Defense Battalion Task Force under test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico this past August (Source U.S. Army)

«The decision by our senior leaders to transition IBCS from development into initial production reflects their confidence in the maturity of the system and its readiness for operational testing to inform Initial Operational Capability», said Major General Rob Rasch, Army Program Executive Officer, Missiles and Space. «The soldiers of the 3-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion performed tremendously in training and testing over the last year, and are poised to demonstrate the game-changing capabilities of IBCS next Fall during the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation».

To achieve Milestone C, Northrop Grumman worked in partnership with the U.S. Army’s Integrated Fires Mission Command Program Office in the system engineering, design, development and testing of IBCS hardware and software. Since 2015, the program has executed seven successful flight tests conducted under complex and operationally realistic conditions, demonstrating new game changing capabilities that the system will deliver upon fielding.

Most recently, IBCS underwent a Limited User Test that included testing of an operational Air and Missile Defense Battalion Task Force and featured two operational flight tests, which culminated in successful intercepts of complex, threat representative cruise and ballistic missile targets. Over its development life cycle, IBCS has undergone extensive Hardware-In-The-Loop (HWIL), environmental, live fire, and developmental testing and has participated in numerous Joint and U.S. Army exercises. These tests and exercises along with soldier touch-points have provided excellent feedback and data to drive significant performance improvements throughout the development phase of the IBCS program to inform the Milestone C decision.

«We are proud to have contributed to this landmark achievement that will help our warfighters better address and defeat evolving threats», said Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness, Northrop Grumman. «This milestone is a true testament to the commitment and dedication of all the men and women who have worked tirelessly over many years to deliver a truly revolutionary system».

IBCS is the centerpiece of the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy for air and missile defense to address the ever-changing nature of warfare. Designed to connect the force for unified action across all domains against evolving threats, IBCS is a software-defined, network-enabled command and control system that integrates and optimizes «any-sensor, best-effector» toward enabling Joint Multi-domain Operations and command and control.

Built on a modular and open systems approach network, IBCS employs a net-centric integrated fire control network that enables the acquisition, identification and engagement of air and missile threats. IBCS enhances battlefield survivability by creating a resilient self-healing network that can reduce and eliminate vectors of attack while providing commanders and operators with a single integrated air picture of unprecedented breadth, range and accuracy.

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

EOC
Northrop Grumman has produced and delivered major end items to the Army, including Engagement Operations Centers (EOC) and Integrated Fire Control Network relays (IFCN), that have been used by soldiers in highly successful, operationally realistic flight tests
Missile Defense

Flight test

The U.S. Army successfully engaged multiple targets during a flight test using the Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). The test, conducted as part of the IBCS Limited User Test (LUT), demonstrated IBCS’ ability to maintain continuous track custody of the targets, despite contested environment conditions, by fusing data from multiple sensors.

A Northrop Grumman produced Engagement Operations Center (EOC) and Interactive Collaborative Environment (ICE) emplaced at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico for the IBCS Limited User Test (Source U.S. Army)

«We are extremely pleased with how IBCS performed during this flight test», said Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness, Northrop Grumman. «We have been working on an extraordinary command and control system in partnership with the U.S. Army, and our goals are the same – to get this capability into the hands of the warfighter as soon as possible».

The first of two planned operational flight tests was conducted at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico by the soldiers from the U.S. Army 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Regiment. The test’s defense laydown included an Air and Missile Defense task force including two Battery and 1 Battalion engagement operations centers, two Patriot and Sentinel radars, and three Patriot Advanced Capability Three (PAC-3) launchers connected at the component level, to the IBCS Integrated Fire Control Network (IFCN).

The test began when two cruise missile surrogate threats were launched and flew at a low altitude in a maneuvering formation through a mountain range towards defended assets. IBCS fused real-time data from all sensors into a single, accurate composite track for each threat. The soldiers were presented with engagement solutions computed by IBCS which were then executed. The soldiers launched two PAC-3 missiles controlled by IBCS that successfully intercepted both threats. IBCS was able to perform all functions successfully despite being subjected to contested environment conditions designed to disrupt the IFCN network, demonstrating the resilience and survivability of the system.

The Limited User Test, which comprises several tests, is intended to simulate realistic warfighting operations and place performance stresses on the systems to ensure it will perform as intended under the most rigorous circumstances once deployed. This LUT is conducted to inform a Milestone C decision which will transition the IBCS program into the production and operational testing phase.

IBCS utilizes multiple sensors and effectors to extend the battlespace, engage threats providing 360° protection, increases survivability by enabling early detection and continuous tracking, and delivers transformational warfighting capabilities to defeat an increasingly complex threat.

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Missile Defense

Operations center

Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered to the U.S. Army the first production-representative Engagement Operations Center (EOC) for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS).

Northrop Grumman has delivered to the U.S. Army the first production-representative engagement operations center for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS)
Northrop Grumman has delivered to the U.S. Army the first production-representative engagement operations center for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS)

«This milestone is testament of the significant progress toward operational capability that will make pivotal differences to warfighters, commanders and acquisition officials», said Dan Verwiel, vice president and general manager, missile defense and protective systems, Northrop Grumman. «We will be delivering more EOCs as well as IBCS Integrated Fire Control Network (IFCN) relays in the near future. These articles will be used for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), which informs future production decisions».

The delivered IBCS EOC has completed all functional configuration audits for major configuration items and system verification review, and is representative of the production configuration for hardware and software that will undergo qualification testing before IOT&E. Northrop Grumman is on pace to deliver 11 EOCs and 18 IFCN relays for the IBCS program by the end of the year.

«Northrop Grumman will continue to closely collaborate with our customer and user communities to realize the groundbreaking vision of IBCS and its transformative impact on the air and missile defense mission», said Verwiel.

IBCS is a paradigm shift for IAMD by replacing legacy stove-piped systems with a next-generation, net-centric approach to better address an evolving array of threats. The system integrates disparate radars and weapons to construct a far more effective IAMD enterprise. IBCS delivers a single integrated air picture with unprecedented accuracy as well as broader surveillance and protection areas. With its truly open systems architecture, IBCS allows incorporation of current and future sensors and effectors and enables interoperability with joint C2 and the ballistic missile defense system.

IBCS is managed by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

Missile Defense, Rocket

Missile Defense

The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $713 million contract for the production of Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) for the first phase of Poland’s WISŁA air and missile defense program.

Northrop Grumman has been awarded $713 million to provide Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) next-generation capabilities for Poland’s WISŁA air and missile defense program
Northrop Grumman has been awarded $713 million to provide Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) next-generation capabilities for Poland’s WISŁA air and missile defense program

«Poland is taking a leadership role in today’s complex threat environment by selecting IBCS over legacy stove-piped systems that were designed decades ago for a much different threat profile. IBCS is the future of multidomain operations and with it, Poland will have a state-of-the-art system to modernize its integrated air and missile defense capabilities», said Dan Verwiel, vice president and general manager, missile defense and protective systems, Northrop Grumman. «Through the acquisition of IBCS, Poland will be in line with the U.S. Army’s future direction. Poland will have the flexibility to consider any radar and any interceptor, optimize sensor and effector integration and keep pace with an evolving threat».

Under this foreign military sales contract for WISŁA, Northrop Grumman will manufacture IBCS engagement operations centers and integrated fire control network relays and deliver IBCS net-enabled command and control for four firing units. The IBCS engagement operations centers will be integrated with IBCS battle management software that maximizes the combat potential of sensors and weapon systems. IBCS engagement operations centers and network relays will be transported by Polish Jelcz vehicles.

«Northrop Grumman continues to work closely with the Polish Ministry of National Defense and Polish industry toward a comprehensive offset program that meets the program goals and requirements. We look forward to continued collaboration and partnership with PGZ and its consortium of companies on this and future phases of the WISŁA program», said Tarik Reyes, vice president, business development, missile defense and protective systems, Northrop Grumman. «We are pleased with the opportunity to deliver cutting-edge, net-centric IBCS technology to Poland and support the Ministry of National Defense’s modernization priorities».

IBCS is the air and missile defense command-and-control solution of choice for Poland. In March 2018, Poland signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. government to purchase IBCS and became the first international partner country to acquire this advanced capability. By implementing IBCS, Poland will transform its IAMD capabilities in a manner consistent with the U.S. Army.

IBCS creates a paradigm shift for IAMD by replacing legacy stove-piped systems with a next-generation, net-centric approach to better address the evolving complex threat. The system integrates disparate radars and weapons to construct a far more effective IAMD enterprise. IBCS delivers a single integrated air picture with unprecedented accuracy and broadens surveillance and protection areas. With its truly open systems architecture, IBCS allows incorporation of current and future sensors and weapon systems and interoperability with joint C2 and the ballistic missile defense system.

IBCS is managed by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.