Air Force activates Cheyenne system

The Air Force recently turned on the first of three new computer systems as part of its effort to update hardware and software at its base at Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., industry officials said.

Flipping the switch of the Air Mission Release 1 (AMR 1) system marked the first operational capability of the Air Force's 15-year, $1.5 billion Integrated Command and Control System (ISC2) program. The service in September 2000 awarded the multiyear contract to Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Integrated Systems and Solutions business unit, located in Gaithersburg, Md.

AMR 1 combines existing command and control systems that monitor aircraft in and en route to North America. The Air Force continues to operate the decades-old Granite Sentry airspace system in backup mode as AMR 1 goes through initial paces, Lockheed spokesman Matt Kramer said today.

The ISC2 program streamlines 40, legacy and disparate command and control systems into one cohesive architecture using PC-based and commercial hardware and software. ISC2, also called the Combatant Commanders Integrated Command and Control System, provides a global architecture for the Cold War-era North American Aerospace Defense Command and the newly created Northern Command and Strategic Command, Kramer said.

The Air Force and Lockheed next will proceed with integrating Cheyenne Mountain's legacy missile and space command and control systems, he said.