The Missile Defense National Team is conducting a feasibility study on a broader missile defense system, connecting the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) integrated command and control system (C2BMC) with the U.S. Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System.
Integrating C2BMC with the Army’s system would provide the United States with an advanced capability enabling more complete air and ballistic missile situational awareness. The team is helping to identify potential interface changes that would pave the way to connect the two systems.
The team, which is led by Lockheed Martin
[LMT], includes Northrop Grumman [NOC], Boeing [BA], Raytheon [RTN], General Dynamics [GD] and others.
The team develops C2BMC, the system that integrates separate elements, such as Aegis, THAAD, SBIRS and others, of the ballistic missile defense system into a global network.
Through C2BMC, commanders can link any sensor, any shooter, at any phase of missile flight in any region, against any type of ballistic threat. C2BMC manages external sensor support tasks to support weapon engagements of ballistic missile threats.
“Potential air and ballistic missile threats may cross regions and outpace the capabilities of individual missile defense systems operated by one service,” said Rob Smith, vice president of C4ISR for Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions. “Linking C2BMC with the Army’s system will be a step toward a more powerful integrated air and ballistic missile defense capability.”
First deployed in 2004, C2BMC currently is fielded in 33 locations, including U.S. Strategic, Northern, European, Pacific, and Central Commands. The system operates 24/7 over 17 time zones and is supported by more than 48,000 miles of Defense Information Systems Agency communication lines.