General Dynamics [GD] C4 Systems will begin building three more engineering development models of its Aviation Command and Control Subsystem (AC2S) after passing a critical design review with the Marine Corps.
The first EDM was delivered last month for the review, which moves the component of the Marines’ Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) into its first government testing phase, GDC4S announced Feb. 4. With the design now locked in, “the performance of the AC2S as part of CAC2S is, for all intents and purposes, stabilized for continued testing as the CAC2S continues to evolve,” Manny Mora, senior vice president of strategy, business development and sales, told Defense Daily
in a Feb. 6 email.
CAC2S as a whole gives Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commanders an integrated look at assets on the ground, in the air and at sea in a way that the legacy Marine Air Command and Control System cannot.
The subsystem “is the nerve-center where data from sensors, including radar and ground tracks, are ‘fused’ together in real time,” Mora said. “This capability is a first for[MAGTF] commanders. Information from AC2S is then immediately merged into a common operating picture for MAGTF commanders and their staffs.”
This contractor-led phase is the second for the Marine Corps. Phase 1 of CAC2S wrapped up in September and involved upgrading obsolete hardware and doing network and software upgrades to lay the groundwork for seamless communication between air and ground forces (Defense Daily, Sept. 23, 2013).
Phase 2 will involve hardware upgrades that allow for real-time data integration. Developmental testing will begin this year and last 12 to 15 months. The Marine Corps will conduct operational testing in fiscal year 2015 and a limited deployment capability in FY ’16.