The Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System today successfully completed its sixth and final developmental test -- countering a pair of cruise missile targets today at White Sands Missile Range, NM -- setting the stage for the $7.9 billion program to proceed with initial operational testing this fall. IBCS prime contractor Northrop Grumman announced the development. An Army spokesman, Darrell Ames, told Inside Defense the government vouched for the substance of the Northrop announcement. During the test, a pair of surrogate cruise missiles were launched: one executed an electronic attack mission to disrupt radar performance, the other flew a threat profile targeting friendly assets. To defeat these targets, IBCS demonstrated integration of non-Army sensors -- the Marine Corps' AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) and a pair of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The G/ATOR was linked to IBCS via a Joint Track Manager Capability which provided a "bridge" between the Navy's Cooperative Engagement Capability and IBCS.
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