BAE Systems receives initial DCGS Capability Drop 2 order

The Army has awarded BAE Systems an initial order under its second capability drop of the Distributed Common Ground System contract worth up to $823 million, the company announced today.

BAE Systems will provide its Intelligence Knowledge Environment for DCGS, the service's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, under the contract.

The Intelligence Knowledge Environment is a "software framework of modular data and artificial intelligence analytic capabilities built to autonomously transform information into knowledge," according to a press release the company issued today.

Capability Drop 2 will provide a common intelligence picture to users and improve intelligence readiness through assured access, Col. Thomas Nguyen, project manager for DCGS, told Inside Defense in April.

An initial fielding decision for Capability Drop 2 is expected no later than the second quarter of fiscal year 2021.

BAE is competing with Palantir Technologies for orders under the DCGS CD2 contract. Both companies were awarded spots for the competition in February.

Palantir in 2018 was selected for a contract for the first capability drop of DCGS after a legal battle over the Army's acquisition strategy for the program. The company shared the $876 million contract with Raytheon for CD1, which included ruggedized laptops that allow users to see terrain on a map, perform weather analysis and aid soldiers in a disconnected environment.