The Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $14.3 million U.S. Army contract in support of Redstone Arsenal’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) program. Their FAAD Systems Network Components and Tactical Operations Centers are manufactured in Huntsville, and the FAAD program for the Army resides at Redstone Arsenal.

The support contract is for the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) to upgrade air defense and counter unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities that form the framework for integration into EUCOM’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Plan. The plan will support NATO’s air defense system architecture more fully in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

“FAAD C2’s short-range air defense command and control system has a record of high performance protecting forward operating bases overseas and major U.S. cities with C-UAS capabilities,” said Christine Harbison, vice president and general manager, Combat Systems and Mission Readiness at Northrop Grumman. “Replacing obsolete systems with FAAD C2 will enable our allies to participate fully in modern NATO air defenses.”

FAAD C2 is a battle-proven command and control system, deployed in several theaters of operation for short range air defense, C-UAS and counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar missions. Its open, multi-domain, system-of-systems architecture enables easy integration with available sensors, effectors, and warning systems to launch rapid, real-time defense against short-range and maneuvering threats.

FAAD C2 was selected as the interim C2 system for counter-small unmanned aerial system procurements for the U.S. Department of Defense. In the future, FAAD C2 will integrate into the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), the U.S. Army’s contribution to the U.S. Department of Defense Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative.