Northrop Grumman has announced the integration of a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature, known as Advanced Battle Manager (ABM), into its Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) command-and-control system.
This capability is designed to assist warfighters in making informed decisions in real-time, particularly in the complex counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) mission space.
ABM is designed for both efficiency and growth, capable of planning for complex aerial swarm scenarios and supporting real-time data processing with minimal delay.
During the trials at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona during spring and late summer, the ABM demonstrated its effectiveness in real-time weapon-target pairings across a range of kinetic and non-kinetic weapons.
ABM generates engagement plans in less than a quarter of a second and continuously monitors the battlespace, adjusting engagements as necessary.
Currently, the ABM system supports multiple weapon types. Its open architecture design allows for the easy addition of new weapons in the future.
FAAD is a critical system that integrates short-range air defence, counter-rocket, artillery, mortar, and C-UAS missions.
As a cyber-certified, real-time safety-critical command and control software, FAAD offers a single integrated air picture, airspace coordination, deconfliction, and fire control to support multi-domain missions.
Its open, multi-domain architecture facilitates integration and interoperability across diverse platforms and systems, allowing for rapid, cost-effective technology insertion and modernisation at the speed of need.
Northrop Grumman global battle management and readiness vice-president and general manager Kenn Todorov said: “As threats evolve, the need for operations to become simple and clear during high-stress multi-target engagements has increased.
“This critical AI enhancement will create a streamlined and intuitive engagement plan giving service members more time to save lives with a single click. Northrop Grumman and the US Army’s collaboration in innovation ensures the combat-proven FAAD system remains at the forefront of C-UAS technology.”
In 2023, Northrop Grumman’s FAAD command-and-control system was fielded in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to help the armies in the Baltic region to integrate with NATO air defences.
