Space Systems Command emblem by the U.S. Space Force, Licensed under Public domain
BAE Systems has received a $151 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to further develop the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution, or FORGE, Command and Control ground system.
Advancing Missile Warning System
SSC said Monday the Other Transaction Authority contract aims to enhance the country’s ground missile warning and tracking capabilities by developing a prototype designed for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared, or Next-Gen OPIR, system.
The Forge C2 Phase II contract was awarded through the Space Enterprise Consortium program’s OTA in collaboration with the National Security Technology Accelerator, or NSXTL. It enables the Space Force to collaborate with non-traditional industry partners, ensuring contracting flexibility and rapid development of advanced capabilities.
The FORGE program is essential to the Space Force’s efforts to modernize Space Sensing ground system architecture by accelerating acquisition using Commercial Off-The-Shelf products, Government Off-The-Shelf products, Free or Open-Source Software and industry best practices.
“This is the second phase of the FORGE C2 effort that will support our Next-Gen OPIR program while continuing to support legacy space systems such as the Space-Based Infrared System,” stated Capt. Santiago Duque, chief program manager of the SSC FORGE C2. “As we continue to enhance the FORGE ground system, it’s critical that we innovate rapidly with new technological capabilities.”
