Early Warning System Operational

The U.S. Air Force Battle Control System (BCS) program was declared
operational in Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. They are the first of five BCS
sites to go fully operational. Two other sites - New York and Washington State - are partially operational and expected to be fully operational in early 2007. BCS is a next-generation command-and-control system operated by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command and Pacific Command. The system correlates and fuses data from airborne, ground, naval and civil air traffic sensors into an integrated air picture that allows commanders to monitor the airspace over the U.S. and Canadian borders and beyond. Prime contractor ThalesRaytheonSystems, the joint venture of Thales Group and Raytheon Co.