General Dynamics AC2S passes USMC critical design review
The Aviation Command and Control Subsystem (AC2S) under development by General Dynamics as part of the US Marine Corps’ Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) programme has successfully passed a critical design review. This milestone clears the way for the company to commence the engineering development model (EDM) construction phase of the programme.
The CAC2S will replace the legacy Marine Air Command and Control System, and provide users with the ability to share mission-critical voice, video, sensor and other command and control data during any mission.
General Dynamics will now build four AC2S EDMs for integration into a CAC2S system for developmental testing and operational assessment.
The data sub-system fuses sensor inputs from expeditionary radars, weapon systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance resources into a high-resolution, real-time display that forms a common operational picture for Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanders and their staffs.
Chris Marzilli, president, General Dynamics C4 Systems, said: ’CAC2S will deliver a lighter, leaner and more effective aviation command-and-control system while reducing the overall systems inventory, sustainment and training costs associated with the marine corps’ expeditionary missions.’