Airborne Battle Management System (ABMS)

The Navy under the Airborne Battle Management System (ABMS) program, sponsored by ONR Code 31 (Command, Control and Combat Systems) and executed by NAVAIR, is addressing the shifting focus of naval operations to power projection in a littoral environment, as expressed in "Forward from the Sea" and "Operational Maneuver from the Sea". To effectively project naval power into the littoral environment with minimal reliance on a heavy footprint ashore, the force will require extensive NCW support from C4ISR located on the "high ground" provided by naval aviation. ABMS specifically addresses the problem of "How to get the right information/image(s) to the right pilot(s)/platform(s) soon enough?" in order to provide Navy and Marine Corps aviation the ability to observe, direct, and control from high above the littoral battlespace. This will be central to our ability to respond quickly and accurately to threats deep inland and to employ ship-launched, air-launched, and ground-launched weapons with maximum effect.