Bringing the power of integrated information technology to air warfare, Lockheed Martin's advanced command and control (C2) system for air dominance, the Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS), is being fielded for training and implementation by all U.S. forces.

TBMCS was approved by the U.S. Department of Defense as the services' primary C2 system for air battle management following a rigorous field evaluation involving all services, and is expected to be certified by the government as the defense "system of record" for air operations in early November. During the earlier multi-service evaluation, which simulated a 10- day air war, the system executed more than 2,500 missions with 4,597 air sorties daily -- more than any during the Gulf War or the conflict in Kosovo. TBMCS has a system requirement to handle 1,500 missions and 3,000 daily sorties.

The system's fielding to military theaters is the first step in full deployment of TBMCS, which will replace the Contingency Theater Air Planning System (CTAPS) as the C2 system of record for planning and executing air battle. Training will be scheduled to coincide with military exercises, and the cut-over to TBMCS from CTAPS could occur by March.

The TBMCS warfighting system integrates a suite of C2 applications, and a full range of air mission functions, sensor data and intelligence gathering, and automates many elements that comprise the planning and execution phases for theater air operations.

TBMCS can generate more detailed air tasking orders -- three times the present level of information, providing more detail about targets and the mission, requiring one-third fewer planners and in half the time. (See below, "A Common Picture of Air Combat," for additional information about TBMCS system capability.)

"TBMCS represents a significant improvement to the warfighter," said U.S. Air Force Col. David Chaffee, Director, Combat Air Forces Command & Control System Program Office. "Speaking with users during pre-operational test demonstrations, they were genuinely excited to get this capability in the field. That message was clear during the briefing trail that culminated in the installation decision," said Chaffee.

"TBMCS integrates all command and control centers, and provides comprehensive air battle planning and mission execution functionality for all the services," said Terry Drabant, President, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems. "The system gives commanders a high-level system tool to decisively and strategically manage air power."

For the past year, TBMCS has been deployed at U.S. Air Force bases with fighter wing and bomber operations. The system was developed and fielded under a six-year, $375 million contract from the U.S. Air Force.

A leader in mission critical systems integration and information operations, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems serves customers including U.S. and international defense and civil government agencies. Mission Systems employs approximately 2,600 at facilities in Gaithersburg, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Santa Maria, Calif., and is a business unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services.

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                                Fact Sheet

                 Theater Battle Management Core Systems:
                      A Common Picture of Air Combat

The Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS) developed by Lockheed Martin allows warfighters -- pilots, navigators, weapon control officers, planners, intelligence officers -- to access information and see a common picture of air operations.

The TBMCS system integrates previously discrete applications, such as force and unit-level operations and intelligence systems, into a common-core, systems environment to give users an integrated command and control (C2) system for carrying out air campaigns.

Using TBMCS, information and data used to plan and execute air missions can be created, assimilated, and manipulated by warfighters, then quickly distributed to others through networks and over workstation-server configurations.

The common-core TBMCS system integrates information for all types of air missions with intelligence and logistical information, automating many elements that comprise the planning and execution phases for military theater operations.

Integrated Intelligence and Targeting Elements

Intelligence and targeting operations that are integrated into the process provide:

* Threat Evaluation. Users model potential threats to help determine their lethality and assess the probability of detection and engagement.

* Target Selection. Gives mission planners automated capabilities for selecting targets and developing weapon solutions to destroy them; they can match aircraft and munitions needed for air missions.

* Identifying "Time-Critical" Targets. The system integrates theater operational information and sensor data to generate warnings of missiles launched against allied positions, and assigns weapon and targeting information to support defensive attack operations.

* Imagery Management. TBMCS provides capability to receive and process imagery data and perform exploitation tasks.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin