(Tribune News Service) — Newly announced work in Huntsville will help bolster the air defenses of a key U.S. ally in Europe.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. was recently awarded $481,329,816 for updates and improvements to its Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System’s software, according to the Department of Defense. Work will be performed in Huntsville, as well as McLean, Va.; Linthicum Heights, Md.; and Orlando, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2029.

The lion’s share — $347.6 million – comes via foreign military sales funds from Poland, which made an early commitment to the technology.

The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) is a next-generation command-and-control system for anti-air and anti-missile units. It will gradually replace the command-and-control for existing air- and missile-defense systems, like the Patriot.

The Army selected Northrop Grumman as prime contractor in 2010, and the system was authorized for full production in 2023. IBCS will be deployed to Army units and will form part of Guam’s air and missile defense efforts, according to Northrop Grumman. It will also be made available to U.S. military partners.

The recently awarded contract follows a $4 billion military sale agreement with key NATO ally Poland, announced in 2023, for IBCS and related equipment.

Poland adopted IBCS in 2018 as the command-and-control system for its medium-range air-defense program, becoming the first U.S. ally to do so, according to Northrop Grumman. Last year, Poland declared it intended to expand IBCS to control a short-range air defense system as well.

The country said its first medium-range missile-defense battery passed a key operational milestone in December.

Poland’s progress with IBCS “proves the system’s readiness and groundbreaking capability to help warfighters defeat the complex threats of today and tomorrow,” said Kenn Todorov, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and general manager for global battle management and readiness, in a news release last month.

“IBCS is seeing an increased demand from allies and partner nations worldwide looking to modernize their air and missile defense systems in our contested environment.”

Northrop Grumman in Huntsville was awarded a $1.38 billion contract in 2021 to produce the IBCS, according to an AL.com report.

Its footprint has been expanding in the Rocket City recently, with a facility to support the Air Force’s ICBM program opening in Cummings Research Park in 2021 and a $100 million expansion at Redstone Gateway coming online in 2023.

The company’s other key programs in Huntsville include work on the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense and Next Generation Interceptor programs, as well as hardware integration and test support for NASA missions.

Northrop Grumman employs more than 2,000 people in Alabama, according to the company.

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