By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
Advanced Patriot missile radar has shown it can destroy two high-speed maneuvering cruise missiles simultaneously, F-35s have shown they can operate as an “aerial” tier sensor node able to “detect” incoming enemy missiles, and Lower Tier Air and Missile Defenses Sensor Ghost-Eye radar has demonstrated its ability to track threats and support the land-launch of SM-6 interceptor missiles.
These capabilities are merely a few of the critical elements of an integrated air and missile defense network known as Integrated Battle Command System (ICBS). The IBCS system, built by Northrop Grumman, is not only being upgraded with a new generation of AI-enabled software, but also heading to Guam to help protect US and allied interests in the Pacific theater. With this in mind, Northrop Grumman has received several DoD contracts to both integrate new AI-enabled software, bring the system to Guam and also support the operation of a cutting edge IBCS system in Poland.
The deals with Northrop include “$347.6 million dedicated to Poland’s defense initiatives and $133.7 million for the U.S. military and the Guam Defense System. Under this award, Northrop Grumman will lead collaborative efforts with specialists in artificial intelligence (AI) and model-based systems engineering to boost the software development capacity of IBCS,” a Northrop essay stated.
IBCS Expansion
The concept of operation has been quite clear for many years, yet technological advances have enabled the system to expand greatly into a multi-theater, multi-domain missile defense protective envelope adding sea, air and space regions to its protective envelope. The system consists of a collection of networked “nodes” in position to identify targets and transmit time sensitive threat details across otherwise disaggregated sensor fields.
The amount of nodes, and the domains in which they operate, continues to rapidly expand, yet thus far some of the elements include Patriot missile batteries, Sentinel radar, F-35, Common Anti-Air Modular Missile, Giraffe, Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), a ground base-protection system called Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 (IFPC Inc 2) and a software defined Active Electronically Scanned Array radar called AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR.
For instance, a Sentinel radar positioned in one location can pick up an incoming missile threat, establish a track loop on its trajectory and speed, and send the information to a Patriot missile battery or F-35 in position to relay the information or “destroy” the inbound threat.
In development for many years, IBCS relies upon advanced software and technical interfaces engineered to enable a smooth exchange of information between otherwise incompatible transport layer technologies. Perhaps a Patriot radar identifies the RF signal of a threat and transmits target details to a ground based command and control center in position to receive GPS signals from satellites. Key, time-sensitive information can be exchanged to optimize missile defenses across vast distances throughout a theater of operations.
“Northrop Grumman continues to support the U.S. Army’s interoperability vision for a single integrated air picture to modernize air and missile defense through innovative development and deployment of IBCS software and hardware. Expanding IBCS capabilities will keep the U.S. Army and U.S. allies, such as Poland, ahead of evolving threats and capabilities, giving warfighters more decision time to save lives, ”Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager, global battle management and readiness in a Northrop Grumman essay.
IBCS & Aegis Radar
Now ICBS missile defense systems are being upgraded with AI-enabled software and sent to Guam to help strengthen a US and allied missile defense umbrella across wider-reaching areas of the Pacific. Given its abilities, having an IBCS in Guam is of great tactical significance, given the evolving threat equation. Guam is roughly 1,729 miles from the coast of Taiwan and roughly 1,800 to 1,900 miles from the Chinese coastline.
While the exact ranges of many of the nodes within the IBCM system are likely not available for security reasons, many People’s Liberation Army medium-and-long-range ballistic missiles can easily travel distances from 1,500 to 5,000 nautical miles. The unquestionably places Guam, and the many vital US assets based there, within striking range of PLA missiles; it therefore takes little imagination to perceive the tactical significance of bringing IBCS to Guam.
IBCS’ growing multi-domain capabilities is of great relevance here, particularly if surface and space nodes can be integrated into a comprehensive, meshed netted system of sensors and interceptors. F-35s, surface Navy warships and lower-flying Medium and Low-Earth Orbit Satellites could be in position to see incoming threats earlier in their trajectory and “pass” target flight detail to land, air and sea intercept systems in position to destroy the threat at greater stand-off ranges.
As part of this expansion of IBCS, Northrop Grumman has recently succeeded in integrating Naval platforms into the IBCS network system, connecting Aegis radar and warship threat-tracking technologies to air and ground nodes. The effort could be described as accelerated, as integrating Aegis into IBCS requires interoperable technical infrastructure, interfaces and “gateway” systems able to pool, analyze and transmit data from otherwise incompatible transport layers. For instance, perhaps one element of threat data arrives through an RF signal, another through satellite transmission while yet a third operates with some kind of data link or wireless network. Years ago, the IBCS system was successful in connecting an F-35 to IBCS, adding an aerial sensor and targeting layer to the command and control missile defense network. Now, Northrop experts explain that Navy and Marine Corps “nodes” are also capable of integrating.
Northrop Grumman has a specific “gateway” effort in place to enable interoperability between ship-based Aegis radar and Army sensor systems.
“The U.S. Army, Navy, and MDA have invested in the engineering for development of a bridging technology called the Joint Track Management Capability (JTMC) bridge. Still in development, the JTMC bridge that enables improved integration and interoperability between the two services and their respective sensor networks,” Northop Grumman officials told Warrior in a statement.
AI & IBCS
The introduction of AI systems and advanced software to IBCS intersects nicely with its multi-domain expansion. As was demonstrated by the Army in 2020 in its Project Convergence experiment using a system called FireStorm, incoming sensor data can be “bounced” off an AI-enabled system to make near instant discernments and essentially “recommend” an optimal shooter, effector or interceptor for any specific threat circumstance. Perhaps it might be optimal to use a Navy warship fired SM-6 positioned over the ocean to destroy a particular threat in a given situation? Or by contrast it may be that an aerial node such as an F-35 might be best positioned to destroy the threat with an air-to-air missile. Using fighter jets for air and missile defense and counter-drone missions has proven relevant and impactful for the US Navy defending against Houthi drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea. Should IBCS be in position to quickly acquire, aggregate, organize and analyze incoming sensor data across multiple-domains in near real-time, then the protective curve would become exponentially faster, more efficient and more effective.
This is the reason why the Army considers its IBCS program to be a key contribution to the Pentagon’s multi-service Joint All Domain Command and Control program.
IBCS For Homeland
With the Trump Administration directing the Pentagon to study possibilities for a homeland defense missile system, it would not be surprising if expert weapons developers proposed some adaptation of ICBS to defend the US. As networking technologies further improve and ranges expand, it would make tactical sense to set up a “netted” sensor system around US borders capable of gathering, organizing analyzing and transmitting critical threat detail from air, surface, space or land locations. It seems realistic that the conceptual or technological premise of IBCS could be adapted to protect the United States.
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
