General Dynamics to operate and maintain intelligence-sharing tactical network for surveillance sensors
Key Highlights
Questions and answers:
- What contract did General Dynamics Information Technology recently receive from the U.S. Air Force? The company received a $19.1 million order to support and operate the Air Force’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), which manages intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data.
- What role does the DCGS play in military operations? DCGS collects, processes, and distributes ISR data from aircraft and other sources, connecting sensors, ground stations, and commanders to enable real-time intelligence sharing across multiple military services.
- Where and when will General Dynamics perform the work? The work will be carried out at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and Beale Air Force Base, California, with completion expected by January 2027.
HAMPTON, Va. – General Dynamics Information Technology will support and operate a major U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) network under terms of a $19.1 million order announced last week.
Officials of the Air Force Acquisition Management and Integration Center in Hampton, Va., are asking General Dynamics Information Technology in Falls Church, Va., to manage the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), which collects, processes, exploits, and disseminate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data from aircraft.
DCGS connects tactical sensors, ground stations, and commanders via a global architecture to enable real-time intelligence sharing. The system supports joint operations through open standards for interoperability with other services and allies. The aircraft that feed data to the DCGS include the crewed U-2 surveillance aircraft, as well as uncrewed aircraft like the RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper, and MQ-1 Predator.
Multi-service network
The Air Force DCGS segment is called the AN/GSQ-272 Sentinel, which operates from more than 45 ground sites and focuses on global ISR analysis.
The Army's DCGS sensors network segment provides tasking, processing, and dissemination of threat, weather, and terrain data, and includes vehicle-mounted tactical ground stations. Navy and Marine variants operate DCGS-Lite for edge-of-battlefield mobile use.
DCGS blends data into a common operational picture for joint centers, and replaces legacy stove-piped systems. It emphasizes security, real-time asset control, and scalability for bandwidth-challenged environments.
On this order, General Dynamics Information Technology will do the work at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.; and at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and should be finished by January 2027. For more information contact General Dynamics Information Technology online at www.gdit.com, or the Air Force Acquisition Management and Integration Center at www.accamic.com.
