Made by Northrop Grumman, the Integrated Battle Command System is a pivotal feature of the service’s future Integrated Air-and-Missile Defense System (ICBMS), designed to serve as the network’s nerve center, linking fire systems to sensors, to help detect and engage threats.
Grumman describes ICBS as, "a revolutionary command-and-control system developed to deliver a single, unambiguous view of the battlespace. This significantly enhanced aircraft and missile tracking improves the ability of combatant commanders and air defenders to make critical decisions within seconds."
ICBS will replace the Raytheon-made Patriot, the Army’s current command system, and include integrated fire-control network relays, hardware-interface equipment, and an Engagement Operations Center.
All future air and missile systems will be connected on the battlefield through the system as well.
According to the report, the service was slated to reach initial operational capability in the 2019 fiscal year, but plans to enter the production phase by November 2016 were held up "until IBCS software deficiencies are resolved in accordance with contracted requirements."
Northrop Grumman released a statement Monday saying that the command system and anti-missile program "are well down the path to meeting all key performance parameters" and that "significant progress" has been made "in maturing the IBCS capability during 2016,” according to Defense News. This progress includes an April 2016 test flight in which troops destroyed cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and a number of other targets.
"These accomplishments prove the IBCS objective, architecture and design are sound, and test results reinforce our confidence in the transformational capabilities," according to the statement.
During a spring 2016 limited user test, the director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) found that the ICBS software was "neither mature nor stable as evidenced in numerous software problem reports," adding that these issues augmented the EOC’s "reduced reliability," and that workstations "often became sluggish or ceased to operate."
