The US Army has awarded American aerospace firm Northrop Grumman a $1.4 billion contract to produce a battle command system for integration with the service’s missile defense system.
According to the company, the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) utilizes advanced hardware, software, and sensors in detecting and tracking enemy missiles and other airborne threats.
It provides soldiers with the capability to manage integrated fires, gain battlespace awareness, make timely decisions, and protect themselves and vital military facilities against potential enemy threats.
“IBCS is a keystone Army Futures Command program that will provide a decisive battlefield advantage through weapon and sensor integration and a common mission-command system across all domains,” the US Army said in a press release.
Work for the contract is expected to be complete by December 2026. The company will deliver up to 160 IBCS units to the US army to support the modernization of the country’s air defense system.
Bolstering Air Defense Capabilities
The multimillion-dollar IBCS contract is just one of many investments by the service in air defense weapons and equipment.
Last week, Northrop flight tested its new anti-access/area denial missile as part of the US Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon program contract. The weapon is designed to strike at enemy assets, including ballistic missile launchers, land-attack and anti-ship cruise missile launchers, GPS jammers, and anti-satellite systems.
The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) also announced that it has begun fielding the Long-Range Discrimination Radar in Alaska to counter the North Korean missile threat.
“There’s a rogue nation there [in the Indo-Pacific Command region] that is targeting the US,” MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill said at a virtual media roundtable. “So the radar was strategically placed in Alaska, so with this wide field of view that we can capture threats coming from that region.”
Additionally, American aerospace firm Valley Tech Systems has been awarded a $94 million contract to provide a solid propulsion subsystem for the MDA’s next-generation interceptor designed to defend the country from intercontinental ballistic missiles.
