Breaking Defense – Northrop Grumman announced today it had delivered the first “production-representative” command post for the Army’s new missile defense network, IBCS. That opens the door for test shots latter this year and the system’s crucial operational test in 2020.
The system is crucial for the Army because it is designed to work with every anti-aircraft, counter-drone and missile defense system in the future.
By the end of this year, Northrop plans to deliver 10 more truck-borne Engagement Operations Centers, i.e. command posts, for a total of 11, plus 18 Integrated Fire Control Network (IFCN) relays.
If IBCS works as advertised — it definitely didn’t back in 2016, but more recent tests have shown marked improvement — it will make it possible for the Army’s disparate anti-aircraft and missile defense systems to work together as never before. That’s especially essential as the military refocuses from fighting the Taliban and the Islamic State to deterring Russia and China, with their massive arsenals of missiles, artillery rockets, attack helicopters, and strike aircraft.
