Northrop Grumman's Joint Interface Control Officer (JICO) Support System (JSS) received Milestone C approval from the U.S. Air Force November 19. After integration with other air and space operations center systems, JSS will be deployed to as many as 26 Air Force and joint military sites worldwide.

In October 2010, JSS achieved two significant milestones needed for final fielding approval. JSS received the Air Force's Certification to Interoperate with U.S. and allied data link networks and was granted an Authority to Operate, permitting JSS to connect with U.S. classified networks.

"The capability that JSS gives the warfighter to plan, execute, assess and adjust the tactical data link architecture in real time is unprecedented - truly a revolutionary improvement," said Claude Hashem, Northrop Grumman vice president and deputy general manager of the company's Network Communications Systems business.

"With this approval for production and fielding, members of the JSS government program office and the Northrop Grumman team have completed the last major development step to get this critical capability into the hands of JICOs," Hashem said. "With JSS, optimum aerial layer data network management is within a JICO's grasp."

JSS is a likely key component of the Joint Aerial Layer Network, a high-capacity communications network management system planned by the U.S. Department of Defense that would expand on the existing aerial network and connect it to space and surface communications.

JICOs are officers responsible for planning and managing the critical joint tactical data link networks that aircraft and ground troops use to communicate in combat. JSS allows the JICO to optimally plan, configure, operate, monitor and exchange information among multi-tactical data link networks, using an integrated system of hardware and software.

Northrop Grumman is delivering 42 JSS systems, 160 workstations, spares, training and support for fielding and logistics under a contract awarded by the Air Force Electronic Systems Center in 2005.