Key milestone reached for AOC Weapon System programme

The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Air Operations Center (AOC) Weapon System modernisation programme has reached a significant milestone following the successful completion of an integrated baseline review and an interim design review. Contractor Northrop Grumman said that these reviews mean the AOC Weapon System programme is now ready to enter the design phase.

The AOC gives the USAF an enhanced operational-level command and control (C2) capability for use in every operational theatre. It provides the Joint Force Air Component commander with the core capability to plan, task and execute theatre-wide operations in the air, space and cyber domains.

Northrop Grumman announced that it had received the initial award of $120 million for the AOC Weapon System modernisation programme, to create a secure, streamlined computing environment to increase operational effectiveness and reduce costs, in March 2012.

According to the company, the baseline review, concluded on 12 July, established a mutual understanding and agreement between the government and Northrop Grumman about the cost, schedule, technical deliverables, and associated technical and programmatic risk.

Meanwhile, the design review, concluded on 29 Aug, was a forum for the USAF and Northrop Grumman to review and assess the design completed to date, demonstrated by the design documentation and a prototype system. It was the first in a series of events leading up to the USAF’s Delta-Preliminary Design Review later this year.

Mike Twyman, vice president and general manager of the Defense Systems division, Northrop Grumman Information Systems, said: ‘With the successful completion of these important reviews, we validated our plan to rapidly deliver capability to our warfighters well within programme cost objectives’.