TRW's BMC3 Products Prove a Success During Missile Defense Test

    RESTON, Va.--July 16, 2001--During a critical test by the U.S. of a missile defense system on Saturday night, TRW Inc.'s Battle Management Command, Control, and Communications (BMC3) products successfully carried out their mission - supplying key information to commanders and target data to the Interceptor that ultimately helped the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) destroy its target.
    At approximately 11:09 p.m., an EKV - launched from Kwajalein Missile Range in the Pacific Atolls - intercepted a modified Minuteman II target - launched from Vandenberg AFB - over the Pacific Ocean as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organizations (BMDO) Ground-based Midcourse Defense Segment (GMDS) Integrated Flight Test 6 (IFT6).
    "TRW's BMC3 products have consistently performed well during each flight test and have earned high marks from both Boeing and BMDO for proven performance," said Dr. Donald C. Winter, president and CEO, Reston-based TRW Systems.
    "We are pleased with the success of Saturday's flight test and will move forward with the development of our products so they can evolve with any architecture envisioned by the administration."
    TRW's BMC3 products include the Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) system, the In-Flight Interceptor Communications System (IFICS), the Communications Node Equipment, the Network/System Manager, and the BMC3 Test Exerciser. Boeing provides the long-haul communications (the third "C" in BMC3) portion of the total BMC3 system.

    IFT6

    Known as the "brains" of the system, TRW's BMC3 products again functioned as the control center during IFT 6. They coordinated the operation of the sensors and interceptor and provided information such as battle management displays and situation awareness data so that commanders could plan, select, and adjust integrated plans to help negate an incoming ballistic missile threat.
    TRW-developed command and control centers at the Joint National Test Facility in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Kwajalein Missile Range in the Pacific Atolls collected and fused the sensor reports from surrogate radars and the ground-based radar prototype and used this data to generate and send the engagement plan to the ground-based interceptor.
    Following launch of the interceptor, the BMC2 system received more accurate track reports from the ground-based radar and generated improved targeting data. The BMC2 system then tasked the IFICS Data Terminal to transmit these critical targeting updates to the Interceptor as it approached the target to aid in acquisition and identification and to assist in the hit-to-kill intercept.
    TRW develops the IFICS software and the Harris Corporation develops the IFICS hardware. More than 30 TRW engineers supported this important flight test.
    The modified Minuteman II missile is launched by the Air Force's Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP). TRW provides this program with systems engineering and technical assistance for mission planning, booster selection refurbishment, and launch integration. Approximately 20 TRW engineers are working on this part of the NMD mission.
    TRW provides advanced technology products and services for the aerospace, information systems and automotive markets. The company, which is celebrating its 100th year of operation during 2001, had year-end 2000 sales of $17.2 billion. For more information, visit www.trw.com.