US Army to hold new counter-drone battle command system competition

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army is planning to hold a competition to replace its command-and-control system capable of managing drone threats for the maneuver force in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano, the service’s program executive officer for missiles and space, said Tuesday at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.

“One of the technological advancements that we’re working on is a critical decision aid process,” he said. “The integration of [artificial intelligence] algorithms help operators make decisions in a much more timely fashion.”

As a result, the Army is looking for a more capable Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control, or FAAD C2, capability that is like its Integrated Battle Command System, or IBCS, but focused on countering drones within the maneuver force, Lozano said.

IBCS is the C2 system for the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense System but will also tie other sensors and shooters together on the battlefield. IBCS reached full-rate production in 2023.

“The intent … is to take what we have in IBCS where we leverage a track fusion engine, multiple engagement calculators, self-healing mesh network and leverage that into a smaller package for counter-[unmanned aircraft systems] applications,” Lozano described.

The intent is to begin with “something easily digestible, easily achievable, that many in industry can compete and participate in with the hopes of winning an award,” Lozano said. “I’m looking forward to a lot of participants in this room being able to compete for that capability.”