Next-Generation Situational Awareness
Friday, 05 March 2010 16:29
FBCB2 is the key situational awareness and command-and-control system used by U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The JCR upgrades include a significant increase in the network's bandwidth, allowing the combat-proven system to get more information to more users within seconds rather than minutes. It also provides a joint forces platform solution for both the Army and Marine Corps.
The Army and Marine Corps continue conducting a series of planned tests at Fort Hood's Central Technical Support Facility and at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity. Testing of the improved data throughput will continue throughout 2011, after the Army awards a production contract for an improved Blue Force Tracking 2 (BFT2) transceiver.
During last fall's field testing, evaluators examined the effectiveness, reliability and performance of the system for both Army and Marines, in various military vehicles, tactical operations centers and combat operations centers. The test was conducted in a distributed environment and supported by active-duty military and civilian personnel from several government agencies.
Northrop Grumman developed JCR using an approach based on a common set of core assets, making it more modular, reusable, interoperable and easier to upgrade. This Battle Command Product Line architecture is capable of supporting multiple products for a variety of users, including aviation, dismounted soldiers, logistics and fires.
JCR will be fielded to 96 percent of all Army and Marine Corps platforms that are scheduled to receive digital battle command systems. To date, more than 85,000 FBCB2 systems have been deployed worldwide. ♦
