IBCS in dual engagement testing
The US Army has conducted a dual engagement flight test of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) developed by Northrop Grumman, it was announced on 18 April.
The latest in a series of flight tests, the test validated the ability of IBCS to identify, track, engage and defeat multiple threats arriving at the same time.
The test saw joint sensors provide data to the IBCS engagement operations centre to augment army sensor data for a single integrated air picture.
The IBCS utilised sensors and interceptors from different air defence systems connected at the component level to operate on the IBCS integrated fire control network. Using tracking data from Sentinel and Patriot radars, the IBCS provided the command-and-control (C2) for a Patriot Advanced Capability Three (PAC-3) interceptor to destroy a ballistic missile target and a PAC-2 interceptor to destroy a cruise missile target.
Dan Verwiel, vice president and general manager, missile defense and protective systems division, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, said: ‘This IBCS test demonstrated the benefit of giving warfighters expanded combinations of radars and weapon systems to achieve any-sensor, best-shooter capability.
‘Together with the army, we look forward to realising the advances offered by the IBCS open architecture, including taking advantage of sensors that look in all directions to facilitate 360-degree protection for air and missile defence missions.’
The IBCS flight test architecture also included the US Marine Corps Tactical Air Operations Module for joint C2 situational awareness.
IBCS has been designed to replace seven legacy C2 systems to deliver a single integrated air picture and offer the flexibility to deploy smaller force packages. By networking sensors and interceptors, IBCS provides wider area surveillance and broader protection areas.
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