Latest GMD upgrade focuses on multi-domain C2
Lockheed Martin is to improve the GMD system by enhancing the C2BMC element. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
The Missile Defense Agency has awarded Lockheed Martin a $157 million contract to further augment the Command, Control, Battle Management Communications (C2BMC) element of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system.
C2BMC has undergone various upgrades since its first deployment in 2004.
Instead of the current method of engaging a threat with the best single-source data from multiple radars, the Spiral 8.2-7 upgrade for C2BMC will provide the GMD system with a ‘single, real-time, composite picture’ of threat tracks, Lockheed Martin noted in a 10 August announcement.
This picture is created by correlating and fusing data from a broader set of sensors, including satellites, ground-based radars and shipboard radars.
‘Once the spiral upgrade is complete, the GMD system will see the same battlespace picture currently seen by combatant commanders,’ Lockheed Martin claimed. Additionally, Spiral 8.2-7 will also enable C2BMC to report hypersonic threat activity into the Link 16 tactical data link network.
More from Defence Notes
-
Patria OPTIME and ILIAS: Orchestrating operational readiness across every domain
Patria OPTIME is a sustainment concept that integrates MRO and lifecycle services into one solution, powered by the ILIAS digital defence platform
-
US military seeks common controllers for drones and robotic systems
US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command initiatives signal demand for interoperable uncrewed systems control, creating opportunities for suppliers of hardware, software and integration services.
-
“Start planning much earlier”: delivering defence support in an era of disruption
In Conversation… The geopolitical landscape is increasingly uncertain, with the UK and its allies confronting the most unpredictable international environment for decades. To adapt, defence readiness must begin long before assets reach the front line, forging a resilient support enterprise that can thrive in a time of ongoing disruption, argue the partners of Team ORION.
-
“Communicating at mission speed”: why data security is essential for operational success
In conversation… Everfox’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Wajsgras and Managing Director, International, Colin McKinty discuss the critical importance of information security in defence, minimising insider risk and the company’s international growth strategy with Shephard’s Andrew White.
-
“Engage with the operational problem”: how software innovation can boost UK defence
In Conversation… Shephard’s Andrew White talks to Zafer Şen, CEO and co-founder of OBSS, about the future of command-and-control software in the age of artificial intelligence, and his company’s ambitions in the UK defence market.