HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Stakeholders recently demonstrated the ability to integrate F-35 Joint Strike Fighter track data into the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) during the June Orange Flag Evaluation 19-2 event, Lockheed Martin
[LMT] said Tuesday.
The F-35’s prime contractor noted this was the first time live F-35 track data was sent to IBCS through the F-35 ground station and F-35 IBCS adaption kit, both developed by Lockheed Martin. The company disclosed the milestone here during the annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
Transfering the data allowed IBCS to receive and develop fire control quality composite tracks during the exercise. This made the F-35 a more useful sensor for air and missile defense systems.
The company underscored this “enables multi-domain operations and the detection of threats that could challenge ground-based sensors.”
Orange Flag Evaluation 19-2 took place in Palmdale, Calif., and Fort Bliss, Texas.
“This demonstration represents a significant growth in capability for the Army IAMD program and Army for multi-domain operations. The capability creates additional battlespace awareness, and the ability to track incoming targets and take action, if necessary,” Scott Arnold, vice president and deputy of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a statement.
Ultimately, this shows the F-35’s sensors and connectivity allow it to gather and “seamlessly share” critical information to enable more joint force protection, Arnold added.
The company said this is the latest demonstration of the IBCS’ ability to gather sensor data from various platforms and add building blocks to the future Army IAMD force.
Lockheed Martin also noted the F-35 ground station has been repositioned to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to continue supporting follow on F-35 integration tests during the AIAMD developmental testing.
IBCS is being developed by Northrop Grumman [NOC] to serve as the Army’s future integrated command and control platform. The Army plans for it to move into limited user tests in 2020 and initial production in 2022.
Previously, Northrop Grumman said it delivered the first production-representative operations center for IBCS in May (Defense Daily, May 1).