The U.S. Army expects to choose a single provider for its Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, a battle-management system, early in 2024, according to program officials. The program, dubbed TITAN, has been moving through a 14-month rapid prototyping phase, during which RTX, formerly Raytheon, and Palantir Technologies demonstrated competing systems. That decision, he added, is expected between January and March. TITAN is an intelligence ground system, designed to help the Army connect data-gathering sensors to shooters in the field to support advanced beyond-line-of-sight targeting. In 2021, the Army chose designs from RTX and Palantir and in 2022 awarded $36 million to both companies to turn their plans into prototypes. Northrop Grumman is developing the space kit through a partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit.
The winning contractor will develop two variants of the system: advanced and basic. The chosen prototype will be deployed to an Army unit that will familiarize itself with the system and provide feedback on potential changes, Barker said. By 2026, he noted, the service hopes to have a decision on whether the capability will transition into a formal acquisition program, a phase referred to as a major capability acquisition pathway. As the Army eyes the upcoming TITAN decision point, it’s also considering how the system might be integrated within its portfolio and how that could impact other modernization initiatives. Portrait photos of Courtney Albon, C4ISRNET, and Colin Demarest, C4ISRNET.
