The U.S. Army has received the first major production components of the new Northrop Grumman [NOC]-built Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), the company said on Thursday.
An initial Integrated Collaborative Environment (ICE) for IBCS was delivered to the Army on Dec. 19, with company spokeswoman Meaghan Cox confirming to Defense Daily that two more ICE components have been provided since then and additional deliveries are expected this month.
The first Integrated Fire Control Network (IFCN) relay and Engagement Operations Center (EOC) for IBCS are set to be delivered in the spring, Cox added.
IBCS is the Army’s future missile defense command platform, designed to integrate and connect the service’s full range of “sensor to shooter” capabilities, with the service planning to field to the first unit by the end of FY ‘24.
The Army in December 2021 awarded Northrop Grumman a potential $1.4 billion deal for IBCS low-rate production and the program was then approved for full rate production last April (Defense Daily, April 12 2023).
“Northrop Grumman is working at an accelerated delivery schedule because the U.S. Army and its allies understand the power of IBCS and how it revolutionizes the warfighter’s approach to the battlespace. Providing IBCS equipment for testing and fielding brings more accurate decision making, improved situational awareness and a shield of security to the warfighter,” Rebecca Torzone, the company’s vice president and general manager for combat systems and mission readiness, said in a statement on Thursday.
The company described the ICE component of IBCS that has been delivered to the Army as a “modular, electromagnetic interference-protected shelter hosting battle management workstations which enable warfighters to perform air and missile defense planning and defensive operations.”
The Army last May announced IBCS had achieved initial operational capability, which Northrop Grumman said at the time followed “rigorous and demanding Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and numerous successful development and operational flight tests” (Defense Daily, May 1 2023).
Following the IOC designation, Northrop Grumman said next steps for IBCS would include finalizing the production and delivery schedule for the Army as the program moves toward achieving a full operational capability milestone.
Poland, the first international customer for IBCS, received its initial production capability before the U.S. Army and reached basic operational capability with the system last September (Defense Daily, Sept. 11 2023).