The Air Command and Control System (ACCS) program is designed to provide the NATO Command Structure (NCS) and NATO Force Structure (NFS) with a common system capable of managing the full scope of air operations from normal daily peacetime air policing and training, up to an Article 5 scenario.
ACCS makes it possible to manage all air operations phases: from planning and tasking to the execution of missions, from air operations to ballistic missile defence, from the territory to distant theatres, leveraging the wide range of nationally owned and NATO assets: more than 400 radars, fighter aircraft, support aircraft such as tankers or transport, AWACS, and air defence systems.
The system enables nations and NATO command structure to work in perfect coordination with relevant data visibility for sharing, and to accelerate the decision process in crisis.
ACCS is suited for national tactical ARS centre and regional NATO CAOC centre to manage the air operations over the NATO European territory, as well as out of area operations when deployed using a deployable ACCS centre.
A Theatre Missile Defense (TMD1) layer already complements the Air Command and Control (AirC2) system, serving to defend the civilian populations of NATO member nations against the threat of short and medium range ballistic missiles.
Indeed, the ACCS program has moved from a traditional V-cycle development towards a methodology including agile processes. In particular, the Transition to Operation activity has brought together Host Nations, NCIA experts, and industry experts to bring new capabilities into operations much more quickly.
ACCS is inherently designed for interoperability within the Alliance and is well positioned for the integration of 5th generation aircraft (e.g. F35) and any future integration of sensors/effectors from any nation. ACCS is prepared for the new era for multi-modal operations, anticipating the use of space based assets and cyber domains for the benefit of NATO aerospace operations.
From the basic level of tactical action and reporting at the ARS units, to the higher command levels for planning, tasking and oversight of the mission, ACCS is a complete coherent system ready for 21st century multimodal operations across the NATO European airspace.