Kacey Roberts
Northrop Grumman has received Department of Defense approval to begin manufacturing at full-rate capacity a command and control system designed to support the U.S. Army’s air and missile defense operations across the globe.
DOD decided to move the Integrated Battle Command System into full-rate production, marking a key step for the service branch to schedule IBCS for operational deployment to air defense units, Northrop said Thursday.
The company won a five-year, $1.4 billion contract in December 2021 to build as many as 160 systems for the Army and foreign partners.
Rebecca Torzone, vice president and general manager of combat systems and mission readiness at Northrop, noted that IBCS works “by fusing data from any sensor to create a single integrated air picture allowing commanders to see the battlespace and use the best weapons to defeat complex threats.”
The system employs an open architecture intended to serve as the foundation for linking battlespace sensors, decision-makers and weapons.
IBCS worked with a Patriot weapon system to demonstrate cruise missile target interception in a November 2022 developmental test.
