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By introducing information technology on the battlefield, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems sector is assisting the U.S. Army in gaining the technological edge needed to win on the battlefield of the 21st century. As the prime contractor for the Army's Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) program, Mission Systems is replacing paper maps and voice radio communications with digital capabilities.
During the first phase of the FBCB2 program, Applique, information was fed into the system by other Mission Systems products, including the Forward-Area Air Defense Command, Control, and Intelligence system; the Combat Service Support Control System; the Battlefield Combat Identification System; the Guardrail/Common Sensor, Tactical Operations Centers, and the Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, as well as other Army systems. With this advanced warfighting experiment, the Army verified its hypothesis that providing situational awareness and timely data on friendly and enemy locations enables quicker and better tactical decision-making.
In the second phase of this program, Mission Systems is enhancing the functionality of the FBCB2 software and hardware, and serves as the systems engineer and integrator for the Army's digitization activity. In 2002, U.S. Army forces serving as NATO peacekeepers throughout Kosovo, Bosnia and Italy were able to get a detailed picture of their surroundings by using a computer information network, developed by Mission Systems, that tracks vehicles and displays their locations on a digital map. In addition, FBCB2 completed a limited user test by the U.S. Army's Fourth Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
Advanced information technology, made possible through the sector's Applique computers, is enhancing the Army's battle command and control capabilities and promises to be a decisive technology in 21st century warfare. |
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