Army awards $72M for prototypes for next-generation intelligence ground station
The Army has awarded two companies $36 million each to develop a prototype for its next-generation ground system to collect and disseminate sensor data to decision-makers and weapons platforms.
In a Tuesday announcement, the Army said it awarded Palantir and Raytheon Technologies other transaction authority agreements (OTAs) for development and integration of the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN).
TITAN is considered a critical modernization component for the Army’s multi-domain operations concept because it will integrate various types of data from numerous platforms to help commanders make sense of an increasingly dynamic and complex battlefield.
The Army has described the system as the next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) ground station that will process sensor data from space and aerial and terrestrial systems using state-of-the-art machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. It is intended to provide intelligence support for targeting as well as situational awareness.
Officials have said the capability will be key to enabling the Pentagon’s vision for Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), which envisions a more seamless integration of sensor and shooter data and networks.
TITAN is a “real critical enabler for us in the assessment of our data, [a] critical enabler for us in that future JADC2 environment that we want to operate in,” Mark Kitz, the program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors, has said.
According to Army budget documents, the service requested $84.8 million in procurement funding in fiscal 2023 for TITAN, which will go towards two production-representative TITAN systems under Middle Tier Acquisition rapid prototyping guidelines.
The prototyping effort will provide “operational leave behind capability supporting operational assessments that will inform the TITAN Capability Development Document (CDD) and FY25 Milestone C/Rapid Fielding Decision. Funds will also support engineering, fielding, and software requirements,” the documents state.
The Army plans to spend $1.5 billion on procurement of the system over the next five years.
Palantir and Raytheon Technologies are expected to develop competing systems that will be based on soldier feedback and evaluated at a demonstration to inform the selection of a single vendor. The prototyping phase is expected to last 14 months, with a down-select expected in fiscal 2023, an Army spokesperson told FedScoop.
Both companies were previously awarded contracts to incrementally develop the initial capabilities in prior phases of the TITAN effort.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information about the schedule for the prototyping phase of the TITAN project and the selection of a single vendor.
