, FULLERTON: The US Air Force Battle Control System (BCS) program was recently declared operational in Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. Two other BCS sites, New York and Washington state, are partially operational and are expected to be totally operational early next year.
BCS is a next-generation air sovereignty command and control system operated by NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), U.S. Northern Command and Pacific Command. The BCS mission “controls the skies” over the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Canada, serving as the early warning mechanism in the vital U.S. homeland defense mission. Alaska, Hawaii and Canada are the first of five BCS sites to declare an operational capability.
As prime contractor, ThalesRaytheonSystems is providing advanced technology that features increased sensor capacity while improving interoperability among hundreds of legacy sensors, including more types of radars than any other Air Force system. The system correlates and fuses data from airborne, ground, naval and civil air traffic sensors into an integrated air picture that allows commanders to monitor the airspace above, beyond and within the U.S. and Canadian borders.
“The Battle Control System plays a vital role in the defense of the U.S. and Canada,” said Kim Kerry, chief executive officer, ThalesRaytheonSystems, U.S. Operations. “ThalesRaytheonSystems is committed to working closely with our U.S. and Canadian Air Force customers to keep BCS on the leading edge of technology and to maintain a record of executing this program within budget.”
ThalesRaytheonSystems is an equally owned transatlantic joint venture between Raytheon Company and Thales Group. ThalesRaytheonSystems is a worldwide supplier of air defense command and control centers and ground-based radars. The company's annual revenue is $700 million and it employs 1,400 people.
Background Information
The BCS is being continually upgraded through a spiral development process. Spiral development is a valuable acquisition strategy where there is a need for rapid development, integration of commercial off-the-shelf equipment, integration of rapidly evolving technologies and product line management.
The spiral development approach will ensure that the Battle Control System program remains reliable, affordable and technically viable well into the 21st Century.
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