On April 3rd, ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS) achieved a major milestone on the NATO Air Command and Control System (ACCS) program. This test program validated the ACCS system
against a thorough list of operational requirements during 8 weeks of extensive testing at the NATO System Test and Validation Facility in Glons, Belgium.
This test was by far the most comprehensive and challenging test to date on the ACCS program, including the validation of all live system interfaces, full system redundancy, security requirements, and a highly complex series of performance tests that stressed the system in every aspect of peak load performance.
Successfully passing this important milestone now paves the way for NATO member states to proceed with system validation at their respective national air command and control facilities. Belgium, France,
Germany and Italy will be the first four nations to conduct these tests, after which the ACCS system will be declared fully operational. Preparation for the national site tests has been taking place in parallel with system validation testing in order to ensure that this important capability is provided to the NATO operational community as soon as possible.
“This is a major step towards full deployment of a unified military air command and control system ultimately protecting 10 million square kilometers of airspace. The system will interconnect more than 20 military air control centers, providing a large spectrum of new and modern functionalities to all NATO air operators,” said Enzo Montalti, Program Director, Air C2, at NATO.
Elements of the ACCS are already in operational service at the NATO Air Command Center at Ramstein, Germany. They are currently being used 24/7 during Operation Active Fence in support of NATO’s Patriot deployment in Turkey.
“We are very proud of this success, which proves the readiness of the ACCS system to meet the challenging demands of our NATO customer’s mission.” said Jack Harrington, Chief Executive Officer of ThalesRaytheonSystems. “We are delighted to have worked so closely with NATO to reach this significant milestone and remain fully committed to the successful fielding of the ACCS system now underway at the 15 initial ACCS sites.”
ACCS is a smart defense system in that provides all NATO nations with a common basis for training, standard procedures and centralized maintenance, significantly reducing support costs and increasing staffing flexibility. As NATO operations evolve in the future, ACCS is designed to adapt to new operational challenges, with continued advancements to Air C2 or additional ballistic missile defense capabilities. ACCS will provide the solid command and control foundation needed for future Alliance missions.
