HUNTSVILLE – A Northrop Grumman communication system was used to assess a messaging service to be used by all military services.

The Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control test of the Joint-All Domain Command and Control communications was conducted during the Purple Guardian joint field demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. The universal command and control interface showcased interoperability among counter-unmanned aircraft systems.

“FAAD C2 is a battle-proven, fielded and trusted system, constantly evolving to meet the warfighter’s needs,” said Christine Harbison, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness. “The system’s open, multi-domain architecture allows for easy and rapid integration of sensors and effectors from across the joint force, which made it the ideal choice for this JADC2 demonstration.”

UC2 is part of a Department of Defense initiative to create a universal language to be used across the services. During Purple Guardian, assets from multiple services implemented UC2 messaging for C-UAS missions.

FAAD C2 performed all battle manager roles for all services during the live-fire events. It correlated tracks of incoming threats using multiple service sensors to create a single integrated air picture, send engagement orders, and provide joint situational awareness and command and control.

The DOD selected FAAD C2 as the C2 system for counter-small unmanned aerial system procurements. FAAD C2 is deployed for short range air defense, counter-drone, -rocket, -artillery and -mortar missions.