Demonstration, Littoral Warfighting Capabilities

A Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC)-led team has successfully demonstrated the integration of the AN/SPQ-9B radar and Naval Expeditionary Overwatch (NEO) system sensor data into the Integrated Combat Management System (ICMS) at the Navy's Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) at Dam Neck, Va.

The team included Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren and Harris Corporation. NEO is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The demonstration illustrated the open architecture capabilities of ICMS to rapidly and affordably integrate both shipboard and off-board sensor data into a combat system network to support enhanced Fleet combat operations. The ICMS product build that is currently in use aboard the Littoral Combat Ship Independence (LCS-2) was reused to affordably integrate these enhanced capabilities. Real-time air and surface operations were used to demonstrate ICMS integration and control, and the value of the ICMS open architecture design to the Navy.

The demonstration also showed that ICMS can control the operation of the radar and its various modes of operation and interoperability with other sensors, simulating Mission Module Package ISR data integration. The AN/SPQ-9B also demonstrated its new 3D Volume Air Search modes for the first time to the Navy.

Beyond line-of-sight contacts acquired by the NEO system were passed to ICMS through a communications relay platform using the RT-1944/U SeaLancet communications system. ICMS demonstrated its combat system capability to provide real-time situational awareness, and command-and-control processing including track management, correlation, identification and threat designation.

"The demonstration shows new capabilities for rapidly countering evolving and challenging threats in the littoral environment," said John DeMaso, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Naval and Marine Systems Division. "The scalable ICMS integrates enhanced organic and off-board, over-the-horizon sensing to extend the defensive perimeter of platforms, providing early warning of threats. Through its fully implemented, open architecture design, ICMS can provide this capability today at an affordable price."

Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector produces the ICMS at Baltimore and the AN/SPQ-9B at Melville, N.Y. RT-1944/U SeaLancet is produced by Harris Corporation of Melbourne, Fla. The participating NEO Execution Team included NSWC, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), the Naval Research Laboratory, the NECC (Naval Expeditionary Combat Command) and OPTEVFOR (Operational Test and Evaluation Force) Operations Team, INSITU Inc., Northrop Grumman, and the Accurate Automation Corp. CSCS is located at NSWC's Dam Neck facility.

The demonstration was attended by U.S. government and military representatives.

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.