ACCS (Air Command and Control System)

ACCS stands for Air Command and Control System. NATO describes it as a single, integrated system for managing NATO air operations in and beyond the Euro-Atlantic area, and it forms part of the Alliance's broader Integrated Air and Missile Defence architecture.

At the tactical level, ACCS combines and automates the planning, tasking and execution of air operations. It is a NATO capability, not a Canadian contracting term, so Canadian suppliers meet it mainly through NATO and NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) opportunities.

What ACCS does for NATO air operations

NATO reports that ACCS integrates several functions in one system: aircraft control, air traffic control, command and control, and airspace surveillance. The NCIA's description of the common air command and control infrastructure sets out this scope. The system supports the full cycle of an air operation, from planning through tasking to execution.

NATO's own account of the programme, published in 1999 when the programme's management agency was introduced, uses the same language of combining and automating planning, tasking and execution.

The ACCS programme from 1999 to first operational status

NATO formally established the ACCS programme in November 1999. The aim was to give the Alliance one integrated air command and control system in place of a patchwork of separate arrangements. The programme was intended to replace or integrate legacy NATO and national air-defence systems.

The first ACCS site to reach operational status was Poggio Renatico, Italy. NATO welcomed the activation of the new system in July 2015.

Who manages and supports ACCS

The NCIA supports and maintains ACCS. The former NATO ACCS Management Agency handled central planning, system engineering, implementation and configuration management for the programme. The NCIA has since incorporated that agency, so questions about the system's technical baseline and its configuration now sit with the NCIA.

ACCS in the Government of Canada's guide to NATO procurement

National Defence names ACCS in its guide to navigating NATO procurement. The guide lists the core software of ACCS, along with adaptations for Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) and related radar systems, among NATO procurement opportunities.

The guide also states that ACCS is intended to replace most existing air-defence systems in NATO Europe. It describes the system as providing tactical capabilities to plan, task and execute defensive, offensive and support air operations. It identifies the NCIA as the relevant NATO organization and explains that the NCIA incorporates the ACCS Management Agency.

What ACCS means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

• Treat ACCS as a NATO programme. It is not a Government of Canada certification, a domestic standard or a standard contract clause.
• Look for ACCS work through NATO and NCIA solicitations. The core software and ALTBMD adaptations are the areas the Canadian guide names.
• Read each solicitation for its own technical, security, interoperability, software, integration and configuration-management requirements. Those requirements come from the individual NATO or NCIA notice.
• Start with the National Defence guide to NATO procurement to understand how Canadian firms reach these opportunities.