Northrop Grumman [NOC] was awarded a contract over General Dynamics [GD] by the Ministry of Defense of Brunei Darussalam to provide a Joint Operations Centre command and control capability for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF).
In August, teams led by Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics were announced for the final state of the competition after demonstrations of pilot systems (Defense Daily, Aug. 20). A total of 14 potential vendors from around the world participated in the competition. This award follows the completion of a rigorous phase of system assessment in which Northrop Grumman successfully demonstrated the capabilities of its technical solution.
The contract, which will be undertaken by Northrop Grumman U.K., will include the supply of an integrated Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) headquarters system and a deployable Joint Operations Centre (JOC) together with the provision of training and in-country support.
The JOC will provide the RBAF with a facility that will deliver command and control capability for military commands and civil organizations at both national and international level, and will be interoperable with its NATO and ASEAN allies and coalition partners.
“We are delighted to have been selected to provide this important enhancement to Brunei’s defence capabilities,” said Paul Davison, director of Defence Systems Europe for Northrop Grumman’s Information Systems sector. “It will not only help improve national security and the protection of its natural resources but also will allow the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) to be a lead nation in regional and coalition activities. This further endorses our proven capability as a C4I solution provider and the already successful deployment of our strategic command and control systems around the world supporting international operations. We look forward to working with Brunei industry and to supporting the RBAF for the full life cycle of this program.” The core solution for the Brunei JOC will be Northrop Grumman’s International-Joint Operational Command and Control System, which incorporates the company’s industry leading software applications Command and Control for the PC (C2PC) and Interoperable C4I Services (ICS), the company said. These are currently deployed in more than 40 countries with 100,000 users, making them among the most successful and widely used applications for strategic command and control systems worldwide. The system applications are regularly upgraded to keep them at the forefront of technical capability, while maintaining interoperability to international standards.
Together, C2PC and ICS provide a seamless top-to-bottom architecture for command and control, from the strategic and operational levels down to the dismounted soldier. C2PC provides a common tactical picture for operational command and control, improving situational awareness and enhancing operational and tactical decision making. ICS synchronizes data enabling the common operating picture to be controlled and configured to meet user requirements.
Northrop Grumman in the United Kingdom delivers similar systems to other customers worldwide. C2PC and ICS currently provide the user interface and core functionality for many operational command systems around the world, including NATO’s Maritime Command & Control System, the U.K. MoD’s Joint Operations Command System and Royal Navy Command Support System. ICS is also the core application for both the U.S.’ joint and maritime Global Command and Control Systems and continues to be at the heart of the U.K.’s next generation