WASHINGTON and HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 12, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that Lockheed Martin Corporation has joined its team pursuing the U.S. Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) program.
Northrop Grumman is bidding as the prime contractor for this procurement, which is being managed by the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Program Office, Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin joins the Boeing Company as Northrop Grumman's principal teammates on the IBCS prime team competition.
"We are proud to have Lockheed Martin join our world-class team," said Frank Moore, vice president of Missile Defense Division for Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector. "Our team will take advantage of Lockheed Martin's extensive air defense experience and will also leverage our joint efforts on the Ballistic Missile Defense C2BMC System. With Lockheed Martin on our team, we will be able to ensure that the IBCS will fully integrate the air and missile defense systems on today's battlefield and provide the best open systems architecture for future growth."
A request for proposals for the IBCS competition is expected to be released by the end of April.
The IBCS is an Army modernization program that will establish a network-centric system-of-systems solution for integrating sensors, shooters, and battle management, command, control, communications and intelligence systems for Army air and missile defense. This effort will focus on providing the warfighter an open architecture that will allow any sensor and any shooter to be plugged into the integrated fire control network. This will allow the Army to take a "best-of-breed" approach to providing capabilities to the warfighter. IBCS is the first step toward a joint integrated air and missile defense capability.
"Lockheed Martin brings a wealth of experience in Air and Missile Defense command and control and system integration on programs such as PAC-3, THAAD, LEAPP and MEADS to the Northrop Grumman IBCS team," said Mike Trotsky, vice president of Air & Missile Defense for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "This IBCS team possesses the critical skills necessary to produce an integrated operations center that can direct air and missile defense forces in the future network-centric operational structure."
Northrop Grumman is a leading provider of command and control and battle management systems across the U.S. Department of Defense. The company will leverage its systems engineering and integration expertise derived from fielding the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system to support the IBCS effort. Northrop Grumman is also responsible for building and fielding the Air Defense Airspace Management Cell, which is resident at every brigade combat team, division and corps, to integrate the common activities of air defense and aviation. Further, Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for developing and fielding the Air and Missile Defense Workstation (AMDWS), a decision dominance system used successfully in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. AMDWS has been proliferated throughout the Army and provides 3-D situational awareness and understanding.
Northrop Grumman has extensive experience in the U.S. missile defense integration market. For the Ground-Based Mid-Course Defense system, the company is developing the highly successful fire control and launch control equipment software. The company is the prime contractor at the Joint National Integration Center and is also leading an industry team to develop and test the Kinetic Energy Interceptor system, a mobile boost/ascent/early-midcourse phase missile defense capability, and is prime contractor for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System.
Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including the first operational hit-to-kill missile defense system. It also has considerable experience in missile design and production, infrared seekers, command and control/battle management, and communications, precision pointing and tracking optics, as well as radar and signal processing. The company makes significant contributions to all major U.S. missile defense systems and participates in several global missile defense partnerships. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 122,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.