Version 7.3 of the Multi-INT Core common software baseline (CSB), known as CSB 7.3, contains more than 20 new multi-intelligence software upgrades, and will allow the Army's Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), the Navy's DCGS-N, the Marine Corps' Tactical Exploitation Group and the Air Force's Extended Tether Program to process, exploit and disseminate new sources of intelligence more efficiently than before.

The Multi-INT Core now provides automated target extraction to greatly accelerate dissemination of time-critical intelligence products to the warfighter. CSB 7.3 also supports rapid processing of solid-state media recorded by F/A-18 aircraft.

Expanded processing capabilities will handle JPEG 2000 imagery and support national-level Future Imagery Architecture. The upgrade also includes new modes for processing the Air Force's Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System (ASARS-2A) to keep pace with the development of new processing capabilities. Currently, 18 of more than 50 fielded ISR systems produced by Northrop Grumman have been upgraded to use the new CSB 7.3.

"Since we started fielding our common software baseline, we have provided major software builds for our Multi-INT Core roughly every 12 months, and updates at least every 3 to 4 months, to incorporate the latest advances in sensors and warfighter capabilities," said Ken Wilson, vice president of C4ISRT Networked Systems at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector.

CSB 7.3 also adds additional targeting capabilities for the Navy, Army and Marine Corps ISR surface systems. Joint Blue Force situational awareness enhancement capabilities will help ground/surface commanders deconflict targets and avoid friendly-fire casualties.

CSB 7.3 of the Multi-INT Core also includes highlighted targeting zones to assist analysts with identifying targets in a specified area, and integrates RainStorm targeting software so that Army and Marine Corps systems can prepare targets for precise geolocation. Message dissemination improvements expedite target intelligence data sent to the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System.

Improved situational awareness is another notable feature of CSB 7.3. Offering new signals-intelligence analysis and cross-intelligence queries, as well as integrating the Command and Control Personal Computer and creating the DCGS-A web portal, improved warfighter access to situational awareness data.

CSB 7.3 continued the evolution of the Multi-INT Core's Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) with a Java 2, Enterprise Edition infrastructure based on the BEA WebLogic Server, which allowed for machine-to-machine web services and the addition of more operator-friendly, browser-based user interfaces.

The next major spiral upgrade to Northrop Grumman's Multi-INT Core is scheduled for early 2006. This software build (CSB 8.0) will integrate the DCGS integration backbone (DIB) elements released by the Air Force. This DIB integration furthers the architectural evolution of the Multi-INT Core SOA by incorporating BEA WebLogic Platform.

The use of the BEA WebLogic Platform allowed for the addition of browser-based web portals (similar to My Yahoo) and for the modeling, operation and monitoring of business process workflows within a commercial workflow engine. The DIB integration also includes the adoption of the Metadata Catalog developed under the Air Force DCGS 10.2 program.

In CSB 8.0, the Multi-INT Core will publish more that 20 data types to the Metadata Catalog.

Northrop Grumman continues to focus on serving the warfighter throughout the entire spectrum of tactical communications. Where bandwidth and system responsiveness are critical to mission success, CSB 8.0 will utilize an enhanced peer-to-peer overlay network to assure that the most important information makes it to the warfighter in a timely and bandwidth-efficient manner.

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