Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) can move forward with full-rate production of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System after a defense acquisition board issued the FRP decision.
The board approval comes after IBCS completed the initial operational test and evaluation phase, the Army’s missiles and space program executive office said Tuesday.
Northrop won a five-year, $1.38 billion contract in December 2021 to manufacture as many as 160 systems designed to help the Army and foreign partners gain better battlespace awareness by linking air and missile defense assets.
IBCS worked to detect, track and intercept threats during the program’s IOT&E phase and demonstrated support for sensor data fusion with multiservice weapons systems.
“The sensor and effector integration this program brings to air and missile defense will ensure that our warfighters are best equipped to provide air defense against enemy threats,” said Brig. Gen. Frank Lozano, PEO Missiles and Space.
Col. Chris Hill, project manager of the Integrated Fires Mission Command Project Office, noted that IBCS is the only Army program in the Acquisition Category 1D to have William LaPlante, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, as the milestone decision authority.
