The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Kingdom of Ballistic Missile Defense Radar (BMDR) and Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $700 million. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. Implementation of this proposed sale may require the assignment of approximately 15 U.S. Government and up to 100 contractor representatives to the UK, at any given time, during the construction, installation, integration and testing of the BMDR and C2BMC capability.
The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has requested to buy one (1) Ballistic Missile Defense Radar (BMDR); and two (2) Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) user nodes (with network capability required to connect to the C2BMC System to support radar operations). Also included are design and construction of a combined radar-equipment shelter; encryption devices, secure communication equipment, and other required COMSEC equipment to support radar operations; spare and repair parts, support and testing equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Moorestown, NJ.
Through ongoing modernization to the command, control, battle management and communications (C2BMC) system, Lockheed Martin’s team has significantly enhanced the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System. Part of this C2BMC modernization is an engage on remote capability that enables the Aegis Weapon System to engage threats based on information provided entirely from C2BMC remote sensor and track data. Operationally fielded in 2004, C2BMC enables warfighters at all levels to systematically plan ballistic missile defense operations, collectively see the battle develop and dynamically manage designated networked sensors and weapons. Fielded in fiscal year 2019 to the U.S. European and U.S. Central Commands, C2BMC’s engage on remote capability supports the European Phased Adaptive Approach Phase III milestone, which is designed to protect U.S. deployed forces and NATO allies in Europe from ballistic missile attacks.
Preceding its deployment to the combatant commands, C2BMC’s engage on remote capability was successfully demonstrated as part of a Missile Defense Agency flight test in December 2018, where the Aegis Weapon System utilized remote sensor data provided by C2BMC to plan, launch and engage a missile without detecting the target with the organic Aegis radar. Using its ground, air and space-based command and control architecture, C2BMC detected the threat, tracked the missile through its connection to ballistic missile defense radars, locked onto the target, then relayed the target location to the Aegis system. By enabling Aegis interceptors to conduct operations based entirely on off-board radar information, C2BMC greatly expands the range of the Aegis systems. FTI-03 demonstrated the effectiveness of the European Phased Adaptive Approach Phase III architecture. It also showcased the significance of C2BMC to the future of integrated multi-domain missile defense operations.
