C-UAS platform by Northrop Grumman chosen as interim DoD solution
NewsJuly 09, 2020
FALLS CHURCH, Va. The anti-drone defense system of Northrop Grumman Corp. was selected by the Department of Defense for short-term use, the company announced. The Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) system, is the platform of choice until a permanent solution is developed, the company claimed.
The system "collects, processes, and disseminates real-time target tracking and cuing information to all short-range air defense weapons and provides command and control (C2) for the Counter-Rocket,Artillery, Mortar (C-RAM) System-of-Systems (SoS)," a U.S. Army mission statement says.
The Northrop Grumman anti-drone system offers situational awareness and automated tracking information by integrating multiple systems. It is designed to notify operators of incoming drones, rockets, artillery, and mortars.
The system is also designed to employ radar to detect, locate, track, identify, and neutralize incoming drones, which tend to be small, discreet, and difficult for human detection. A largely autonomous and rapid "kill-chain response" is required, according to experts.
The decision to use the system, until a newer one is in place, came from the Defense Department's Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Office, which will evaluate upcoming Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems, or C-sUAS, as they are developed.
