August 19, 2009
BALTIMORE - Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the U.S. Army to finalize development of its Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) Mobile Basic system, specifically for the Army's emerging Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). Valued at $296 million, this continuation development contract covers a total performance period of 30 months.
This critical upgrade to DCGS-A consolidates the Army's current
fleet of multiple fielded intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
(ISR) ground analysis and exploitation systems and significantly
empowers individual soldiers at all levels by providing them with
modern, common tools and services for accurate, time-sensitive
warfighting support.
This award, made by the Army's Program Executive Office for
Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEWS) at Fort
Monmouth, N.J., will take the DCGS-A program through Milestone C in
late 2011, with full system production starting in 2012. Initial
Operating Capability for the DCGS-A Mobile Basic BCT is currently
scheduled for late 2012 as part of the Army's Forces Generation
(ARFORGEN) effort for equipping units in rotational deployments.
"This award expands the Army's ability to deliver actionable
intelligence at every level," said Joseph J. Ensor, sector vice
president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Space and ISR
Systems Division. "By initially replacing six of the nine separate ISR
programs of record, the DCGS-A Mobile Basic BCT system will speed and
streamline situational awareness, data discovery, and collaboration at
all levels of warfighting for more rapid, decisive action."
Northrop Grumman leads a DCGS-A team that includes General
Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, SAIC, Overwatch Systems and Tucson Embedded
Systems.
DCGS-A Mobile Basic is the Army's latest in a series of DCGS-A
systems designed to access and ingest multiple data types from a wide
variety of intelligence sensors, sources and databases. This new system
will also deliver greater operational and logistical advantages over
the currently-fielded DCGS-A Version 3 and the nine ISR programs it
replaces. It will offer the ability to query authoritative data sources
and large numbers of enterprise databases; visualize and exploit that
data both relationally and geospatially; and collaborate with others in
the intelligence enterprise and battle command community. It will
support all phases of combat and provide a scalable expeditionary-level
capability that is not available today. Its enterprise-level
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework will easily allow the
insertion of new, third-party applications developed in accordance with
established standards.
The Mobile Basic system will incorporate fielded and possible
quick reaction capabilities, while adding new services, analytical
tools, and net-centric features. Future large Army Battle Command
participating programs, such as Aerial Common Sensor, are scheduled to
receive elements of this new infrastructure and domain processing
capabilities to ensure net-centric connectivity, both on and off the
battlefield.
"DCGS-A Mobile Basic BCT solidifies Northrop Grumman's
leadership in developing and fielding DCGS and related predecessor
systems since the mid 1990s," added Ensor.
The company has provided DCGS-related systems to all four
military services and several government agencies. Most of these
systems rely on an SOA framework that was developed specifically for
ISR collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination, and uses
commercially-available hardware and software that comply with
Department of Defense and commercial standards.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security
company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products,
and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems,
shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial
customers worldwide.
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