Army locks in IBCS development endgame

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army has locked in dates for two remaining major acquisition milestones for the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (AIAMD) program: full-rate production is April 10 and initial operational capability declaration is April 24, according to Brig. Gen. Frank Lozano, program executive officer for missiles and space.

The full-rate production review will be led by Bill LaPlante, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, and the operational declaration decision is in the hands of Brig. Gen. David Stewart, head of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Ft. Bliss, TX, and Gen. Andrew Poppas, head of Forces Command, Lozano said.

Lozano said he is unaware of any issues that could derail a full-rate production decision.

“I’m hoping for a successful review,” he told Inside Defense March 28 on the sidelines of an Association of the U.S. Army conference here.

IBCS is the main part of the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense program which aims to integrate Army and joint sensors and weapons across a modular open systems architecture to provide a single, integrated air picture -- allowing soldiers to both see more threats and destroy them faster and more effectively.

The baseline IBCS system integrates Patriot and Sentinel radars. That configuration has been operated during developmental testing by the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment and is expected to be handed over to that unit to when initial operational capability is declared.