Northrop Grumman opens new air and missile defence integration centre in Alabama

The EPIC facility, which spans over 175,500 square feet of covered production space, includes more than 129,500 square feet of flexible production areas. It also features 35,000 square feet of office space and is expected to accommodate several hundred employees, strengthening Northrop Grumman’s economic contribution in Alabama.

This expansion allows for increased production of the IBCS command and control system, with annual capacity for up to 96 Engagement Operation Centers, 96 Integrated Collaborative Environments, and 192 Integrated Fire Control Network relays. The facility will also manage component integration for IBCS, which is currently being fielded in Poland and planned for further deployment in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager of command and control & weapons integration at Northrop Grumman, stated: “Our investment in American manufacturing with this new facility enables us to continue supporting critical modernization efforts such as producing capabilities like IBCS at scale and speed.” He added, “With this investment, we’re doubling our integration space and significantly enhancing our storage and classified testing capabilities, ensuring America leads the world in military strength.”

The $20 million investment in EPIC comes at a time when air and missile defence remains a top priority for the United States and its allies. The centre incorporates advanced technologies and digital innovations to streamline design and production processes.

EPIC doubles the size of the company’s previous integration centre and enhances its fully digital approach to engineering and manufacturing. This supports Northrop Grumman’s ability to deliver timely, high-quality defence solutions that meet domestic and Foreign Military Sales demands.

IBCS is a network-enabled, modular and scalable command and control system that integrates sensor data to provide a unified view of the battlespace. It plays a key role in enabling joint and coalition, multi-domain operations, giving warfighters greater situational awareness and decision-making capabilities in complex threat environments.

Source: Northrop Grumman (press release).