Spotlight on Industry

Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems--Undersea Systems

By GORDON I. PETERSON, Senior Editor

Sea Power: Mr. DeBritz, your company [Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems­Undersea Systems (NE&SS-
Undersea Systems)] was recently assessed as a "Level 5" organization by the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute [SEI]. What is the significance of this independent assessment?

DeBritz: Level 5 means the customer is attaining very high-quality software, because Carnegie Mellon SEI evaluates the methodologies, metrics, and processes used to write software. Level 5 is the "best of the best," attained by only the top 1 percent of software development companies.

Software written by a Level-5 organization is documented, supportable, and has few errors. The development is continuously monitored with corrections to the process implemented. The Navy has begun to require that RFP [request for proposals] bidders on certain software-intensive programs be assessed at a minimum Level 3. This demonstrates that our customers recognize the importance of the Carnegie Mellon SEI criteria.

What are your main product lines associated with undersea warfare and surveillance systems?

NE&SS­Undersea Systems has developed and produced nonpropulsion electronic systems for every ship in the U.S. Navy submarine fleet. Today, we are one of the principal contractors for the systems development of the Navy's newest attack submarine, the Virginia class. Our design approach features open-systems architecture and commercial-off-the-shelf [COTS] technology. This practice, also employed in backfitting existing submarines through the Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion program, drives down total ownership costs and enables regular system capability enhancements with the infusion of new technology without a major redesign.

In addition, we have pioneered advances for more than a decade in undersea surveillance systems. Our heritage includes the integration of the best subsystems in the industry--tailoring acoustic surveillance systems to meet specific customer requirements against a variety of threats. We supply modular, COTS-based surveillance systems consisting of two main components: a "wet" end, deployed into the ocean, littoral waters, and harbors; and a "dry" end, which is the shore processing and command-and-control functions. Our systems include the Shore Signal-and-Information Processing Segment, the Advanced Deployable System, and the Fixed Distributed System­Commercial.

We are also the SQQ-89 prime contractor providing this ASW [antisubmarine warfare] system for the DDG 51 guided-missile destroyer class and for the Navy's new surface UUV [unmanned underwater vehicle] for minehunting.

You have developed many applications of COTS hardware and open-systems architecture for your undersea-warfare systems. Why is that?

The simple answer is affordability! COTS technology allows us to provide systems that are developed in half the time and at a total cost of less than one-fourth that of custom-milspec [military specification] designs. These systems provide increased performance and reliability while reducing size, weight, and power. We leverage the tremendous investment that the commercial computer and telecommunications industries are making in processor, memory, and network technologies by applying them to such military applications as submarine combat systems, surface ship sonar processing, airborne signal-and-communications processing, and shore-based surveillance processing.

Our designs incorporate proven open-system architectures to allow for future technology insertion and "refresh" at an affordable price. We also manage the COTS products and support the system throughout its life--providing our customers with affordable, reliable systems that can be expanded to meet future requirements.

How do today's undersea-surveillance systems differ from earlier generations?

Undersea-surveillance systems have changed a great deal since the end of the Cold War and will continue to evolve to meet global threats in both the blue [i.e., open-ocean] and littoral waters. Lockheed Martin's shore signal information Processing System and Surveillance Direction System [SSIPS/SDS] entered service in the early 1990s. SSIPS/SDS was our first deployed system using virtually 100 percent COTS hardware and significant COTS software. This innovative approach became a forerunner of our COTS implementation on a myriad of DOD programs--most notably the Virginia-class submarine combat system.

The Advanced Deployable System [ADS] also is driving activity in the undersea-surveillance arena. ADS will provide a rapidly deployable surveillance capability in coastal littoral locations when and where needed. ADS recently completed a highly successful demonstration program and entered into the engineering-and-manufacturing-development phase. The program is a model for integrated product teams as SPAWAR [Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command], Navy labs and development centers, and Navy shipyards are virtually teamed with Lockheed Martin and our contractors.

Are the armed forces showing greater interest in computer-based simulators and other training aids to support their warfare programs?

Yes. As the cost and complexity of weapons systems increase, military operators and maintainers need to be increasingly well-trained prior to the delivery of any weapon system. Three factors are driving the increased focus on military-training technologies. First, specialized maintenance training has almost been eliminated. Integrated Electronic Technical Manuals have been combined with computer-based training to allow maintainers to receive real-time training as they troubleshoot and fix equipment. Secondly, there is a move to provide operational-type training to the field through interactive computer-based training accessed through "portable" or reconfigurable training devices, or a training mode within the tactical equipment.

The third factor is "battlefield or cooperative forces training." Every new training device must be compliant with DOD's High-Level Architecture standards, which enable multiple training devices to interoperate within a simulated battlefield environment.

Lockheed Martin is engaged in international markets for diesel-electric submarines. What is most significant about your Submarine Integrated Combat System [SUBICS] 900 system unveiled at the EuroNaval Exhibition in Paris last autumn?

Our SUBICS 900 is a fully integrated, open-architecture system using state-of-the-practice techniques for advanced signal processing and low power, flat-screen multifunction consoles. It features a minimal footprint and highly flexible design, enabling Lockheed Martin to offer international partners a completely tailored combat system solution for diesel-electric submarines--for both backfit modernization and new construction.

Adherence to open-systems standards ensures that software can run on any upgraded COTS hardware during technology refresh. JAVA, C++, and CORBA, coupled with a high-speed Ethernet LAN [local area network], enable the combat system to maximize performance while minimizing maintenance and support costs throughout the life of the platform. SUBICS 900 has been designed with the engineering, methodology, and tools used and refined over 40 years of recognized leadership in the integration of submarine combat systems for U.S. and allied navies.