| By SCOTT C.
TRUVER Scott C. Truver is executive
director of the Center for Security Strategies and Operations, TECHMATICS/An Anteon
Company in Arlington, VA
The 1998 edition of Vision...Presence...Power:
A Program Guide to the U.S. Navy describes how the U.S. Navy's plans, programs, and
doctrine are being tailored to make the best operational use of the service's strength in
peace, crisis, and war. The transformation of the Navy described in the 1998 edition
embraces technological and operational innovation to ensure that the U.S. Navy's future
force structure will give naval expeditionary forces the most decisive capabilities
possible, for a reasonable cost and at an acceptable level of risk.
The following program highlights describe
important elements of the Navy's continued transformation of its ships, aircraft, and
weapons and electronics/avionics systems to ensure combat success in future operations.
The new platforms and systems described are expected to contribute greatly to the Navy's
future forward-presence, sea and area control, and power-projection capabilities -- the sine
qua non for the success of U.S. national security and military strategies, today and
in the decades to come.
A-RCI
(Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion)
Overview: A key element
in the U.S. Navy's efforts to keep ahead of the threat, Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion
(A-RCI) is a four-phase transformation of legacy submarine sonar systems--AN/BSY-1,
AN/BQQ-5, and AN/BQQ-6--to much more capable and flexible systems based upon
commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies within an open systems architecture (OSA).
Additionally, A-RCI will ultimately provide the submarine force with a common, fleet-wide
sonar system. The single A-RCI multipurpose processor (MPP) will have as much computing
power as today's entire Los Angeles-class submarine fleet and will allow the use of highly
complex algorithms well beyond the reach of legacy processors. The use of COTS/OSA
technologies, systems, and architectures will enable rapid annual updates to software,
firmware, and hardware. Of perhaps greater importance, the COTS-based MPP will enable the
U.S. Navy's submarine force to take full advantage of the phenomenal rate of computer
capability growth in the commercial information technologies industry.
Status: Phase I, which
began implementation in November 1997, targeted towed-array processing; Phase II,
scheduled to begin in March 2001, will provide additional advanced towed- and hull-array
software; Phase III, also slated for kickoff in March 2001, will replace the current
spherical-array beam-former with a linear beam-former; and Phase IV, currently planned for
introduction in November 2000, will upgrade high-frequency sonars on the improved Los
Angeles-class attack submarines. Improved processing systems and Sailor-friendly
workstations (point and click, trackballs, Windows environment) also will be installed
during each phase. Meanwhile, concerted Navy research, development, test, and evaluation
(RDT&E) efforts will continue to refine algorithms, with special focus on the
shallow-water antisubmarine warfare (ASW) environment of littoral operating areas, with
the goal of facilitating annual upgrades to the A-RCI force.
Industry Partners:
Lockheed Martin, Manassas, Va.
ASDS
(Advanced Swimmer Delivery System)
Overview: Powered by an
advanced, quiet propulsion system, this dry mini-submarine will have a two-man crew and
will be capable of clandestine and covert insertion and recovery of a Navy sea-air-land
(SEAL) squad or another service's SOF (special operations forces) troops. The advanced
swimmer delivery system (ASDS) will conduct long-range, well-over-the-horizon operations
in support of special operations missions, and will be launched from either a host
submarine, much like the current deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) is today, or from
the well decks of amphibious ships. Unlike the current "wet" swimmer delivery
vehicles (SDVs), the ASDS will not require a dry deck shelter (DDS) to be fitted to a host
submarine. The ASDS also will eliminate the extended exposure to cold water inherent with
the SDVs now in service, thereby significantly reducing the physical and mental fatigue of
SOF teams.
Status: The first ASDS
will complete integration and testing in fiscal year (FY) 1999 and will be assigned to
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDVT) One in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Current plans call for
ASDSs to be homeported both in Pearl Harbor and (SDVT Two) in Little Creek, Va.
Modifications to in-service submarines that will host the ASDSs are underway. The new
attack submarine (NSSN) has been designed specifically to be capable of ASDS operations,
and will have the ability to lock-in/lock-out an entire SOF team and ASDS crew in a single
evolution.
Industry Partners:
Northrop Grumman Oceanic Division, Annapolis, Md.
CVN-77 and CV(N)X
Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Transition Program
Overview: In a two-track
strategy, the Navy continues to acquire Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers
(CVNs) to replace the service's aging, conventionally powered (oil-fired) carriers on a
one-for-one basis, while at the same time designing and engineering a next-generation
aircraft carrier (CVX) that will be the foundation for sea-based naval aviation well past
the mid-point of the next century. A critical near-term need is to ensure that the
required force levels of these multimission ships (and their associated air wings) can be
sustained. Real-world operational experiences during the 1990s, backed up by numerous
studies, have confirmed that a force of 15 carriers is needed to satisfy the JCS (Joint
Chiefs of Staff) requirements for full-time carrier presence in several critical regions
of the world. That force level, however, seems unlikely to be achievable in today's and
likely future domestic fiscal environments. The Navy has determined that 12 aircraft
carriers will permit peacetime presence, crisis-response, and warfighting needs to be met
at what is described (but not specifically defined) as an "acceptable" level of
risk, with some regions experiencing "gaps" in carrier battle group coverage,
sometimes for several months at a time. Fewer than 12 carriers, however, means that
operational needs will go unfulfilled or the Navy will overtax its Sailors and their
equipment in a vain attempt to do as much--if not more--with less. Hence the near-term
program to continue to acquire Nimitz-class CVNs to maintain the 12-carrier-minimum force
level postulated. That said, it also should be noted that, since the mid/late-1960s (when
the baseline Nimitz design was finalized), the Navy's carrier force has not had the
advantage of an aggressive and robust research and development (R&D) program to ensure
that leading-edge technologies and systems would continue to be inserted in
new-construction carrier hulls. For this reason, and to ensure that its carrier-aviation
force could meet the daunting operational requirements of the next century, the Navy
established a future sea-based air platforms working group in 1993 to investigate the
requirements, available technologies and systems, and R&D needed to ensure that a new
class of aircraft carriers could capture elements of the incipient Revolution in Military
Affairs. Following initial studies, the Navy established the approach and program needed
to have the revolutionary-design CVX reach the fleet in 2013, in time to replace the
nation's (and world's) first nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Enterprise, as that ship
reaches 52 years of age. In mid-1998, however, fiscal realities forced the Navy to pare
back its expectations for CVX. Instead of the one-step revolutionary leap that had been
planned--from a modified-repeat Nimitz design (CVN 77) to the radically different CVX--the
Navy has decided to focus on an evolutionary program that will incorporate, at an
affordable pace, warfighting improvements and acquisition/operations/support cost-saving
measures over three consecutive hulls beginning with CVN 77. Initial investments will be
made in an advanced nuclear plant and electrical distribution system for CVN 77--which
will be carried forward, along with other improvements, into the CV(N)X 1 and follow-on
carriers. Despite the modification to the schedule, the principal design objectives for
the CV(N)X class remain intact--to reduce total ownership costs significantly during the
50-year service life of each carrier, and to provide a flexible infrastructure that will
facilitate the insertion of new warfighting systems as they evolve.
Status: Eight
Nimitz-class carriers have been delivered, and the Ronald Reagan is currently under
construction and scheduled for delivery in FY 2002 (to replace the USS Constellation). The
FY 1998­2002 Future Years Defense Plan and Program Objective Memorandum 2000
include funding for CVN 77, the initial transition ship to what ultimately will be a
new-design aircraft carrier. CVN 77 is scheduled to replace the USS Kitty Hawk in FY 2008.
Additional R&D funding is being sought in FY 1999 to ensure that the follow-on CV(N)X
can be fully funded in FY 2006 to support delivery in FY 2013 and thereby sustain the
minimum essential force level postulated by the Joint Chiefs. Follow-on,
evolutionary-enhanced CVXs are planned for construction starts in 2011 and at roughly
five-year intervals thereafter.
Industry Partners:
Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va.
DD-21
Land-Attack Destroyer
Overview: The DD 21 is
the first surface combatant founded entirely upon post-Cold War analysis and strategic and
operational concepts, as well as the first in what may be an extended family of surface
warships that might still be in service at the turn of the 22nd century. A key need is for
the DD-21 class to support joint-service requirements in future smaller-scale
contingencies as well as major theater wars. The new destroyer will be armed with a
powerful array of theater/maritime dominance and land-attack weapons and sensors that will
collectively enable the DD-21 to provide offensive, distributed, and precise firepower at
long ranges in direct support of operations ashore. The program's emphasis on
"sensor-to-shooter" connectivity is completely congruent with the Navy's
evolving "network-centric-warfare" concept of operations and information
technology for the 21st century ("IT-21") architecture. The DD-21s also will
incorporate revolutionary "stealth" features and active signatures-management
techniques to make them far less detectable to future adversaries and more survivable to
attack than the ships they replace. The DD-21s are intended to replace the aging Oliver
Hazard Perry frigates and four Kidd-class guided-missile destroyers (many of which are on
the Excess Defense Articles "block" for foreign navies) and the Spruance
destroyers to preserve the force level of 116 surface combatants validated by the 1997
Quad-rennial Defense Review (QDR). Current plans project the series production of three
DD-21s per year. Affordability of the DD 21 is of paramount concern, if only because
future projections of flat or no-growth Defense Department and Navy budgets bode ill for
any high-cost program. Navy program officials say that DD 21 will be far more affordable
to build and operate than any of its predecessors--but will have superior warfighting
capabilities. The DD-21 program office is working on achieving the objective of a
95-person or smaller crew, and has been "ruthlessly" engaged in rooting out
efficiencies and increasing affordability in its shore and at-sea infrastructures. The
Navy's cost "bogeys" for DD-21 show a procurement cost objective of $650 million
and a cost ceiling of $750 million for the fifth ship (in FY 1996 dollars)--or about $150
million less than current Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyers; an
operations and support (O&S) cost goal of $2,700 (FY 1996 dollars) per hour underway
has been set for the 40-year service life of each ship--one-third the per-hour cost of a
conventional surface warship today.
Status: The DD-21
program entered Program Definition and Risk Reduction (Phase I) in December 1997. On 12
January 1998, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology signed an
acquisition decision memorandum that signified the formal establishment of the program.
The DD-21 acquisition strategy calls for industry teams to determine their own designs
(developed to meet challenging operational requirements and aggressive affordability
goals). In August 1998, the Navy awarded a $16.5 million modification to a previously
awarded contract (with a potential total value of $68.5 million) for two competing teams
to complete requirements analysis and trade-off studies, and to develop competitive DD-21
system concept designs. A total of 32 DD-21s will be acquired, beginning with the lead
ship in 2004 (which will reach the fleet in 2009, according to current plans) in what may
total a $25 billion program. Down-selection to a single design and life-cycle support
"Full-Service Contractor" is scheduled for FY 2001.
Industry Partners: DD-21
Alliance--Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, with Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, Md.
("Blue Team"); and Litton/Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss., with
Raytheon, Los Angeles, Calif. ("Gold Team").
F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet Strike Fighter Aircraft
Overview: The Navy
states that the introduction of the Super Hornet to the U.S. fleet in 2001 will provide
important growth margins, weapon "bring-back" improvements, survivability
enhancements, and range/payload improvements--all of which are required for the continued
viability of U.S. naval aviation into the next century. There will be extensive
commonality of weapons systems, avionics, and software/firmware among the several Hornet
variants: 90 percent common avionics/weapons in an aircraft that is 25 percent larger and
has just 10 percent structure commonality with the C/D variant. Additionally, operational
costs are expected to be somewhat lower, thanks to reliance upon the existing F/A-18
organizations and infrastructure. Naval aviation officials have confirmed that the
relatively few design and operational "issues" that have come to
light--primarily a "wing-drop" problem that resulted in unpredictable rocking of
the aircraft at altitudes and speeds at which air combat maneuvers are expected to
occur--will be corrected before the aircraft enters service through the use of a porous
wing fairing to influence the airflow over the wing. Despite such assurances, the General
Accounting Office (GAO) remains unconvinced and has proposed significant reductions in FY
1999 funding. According to the GAO, the proposed reduction reflects the impact that
planned design changes to solve performance problems will have on other operational
performance parameters such as range, acceleration, and radar signature, which will not be
known until the end of calendar year 1999. The 1997 QDR determined that the number of
F/A-18E/F aircraft procured should be slashed from 1,000 to a minimum of 548. At the same
time, the transition to the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be accelerated as much as
possible, to begin perhaps as early as FY 2008. If the acceleration of JSF acquisition is
not feasible--or, as seems likely, if JSF introduction is shifted to the right in future
budgets--additional F/A-18E/F acquisition, up to a total of 785 aircraft, will be another
option. In the future, the Navy might also address the need for a variant of the F/A-18E/F
to replace the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft, which has been given
joint-service electronic-warfare responsibilities with the retirement of the Air Force's
EF-111 Raven fleet.
Status: The program is
in the final year of its three-year engineering and manufacturing development phase;
low-rate initial production was approved in March 1997. Aircraft E-1 completed its first
flight on 29 November 1995, and the Super Hornet successfully completed sea trials and
made its first carrier landing in January 1997. The Navy/Boeing Integrated Test Team has
logged more than 4,000 hours in the seven E/F variants at Naval Air Station Patuxent
River, Md., and has tested the aircraft to Mach 1.75 and at altitudes greater than 50,000
feet. The Navy requested 30 Hornets in FY 1997, but the FY 1999 Defense Appropriations
Bill included $2.57 billion for only 27 of the advanced strike fighters.
Industry Partners:
Boeing, St. Louis, Mo.; Northrop Grumman, El Segundo, Calif. Engine, General Electric.
LPD-17 San
Antonio-Class
Amphibious Transport Dock Ship
Overview: The LPD-17 is
an amphibious transport dock ship optimized for operational flexibility and designed to
meet U.S. Marine Corps air-ground task force (MAGTF) lift requirements in its emerging
Operational Maneuver from the Sea and Ship-to-Objective Maneuver concepts of operations.
An outgrowth of the "LX" program, defined in the 1990 Navy Integrated Amphibious
Operations and Marine Corps Air Support Requirements Study, LPD 17 will carry 720 troops
and two LCACs (landing craft, air cushion), have a capacity of 25,000 square feet of
vehicle stowage and 36,000 cubic feet of cargo space, and be able to land up to four CH-46
helicopters (or accommodate a varying mix of AH-1/UH-1, CH-46, and H-53E helicopters and
MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft). Other design initiatives will be explored, including
incorporating an Aegis SPY-1 radar variant and the installation of an advanced enclosed
mast (AEM), now under development under jurisdiction of the Naval Sea Systems Command.
Amphibious lift assets are increasingly important as a result of the post-Cold War
emphasis on regional contingencies and the resultant need for the rapid deployment of
naval expeditionary forces. The 12 LPD-17 class ships in the current program will provide
lift capabilities equal to 36 aging amphibious ships; however, they will not have spaces
for an embarked flag officer and staff, as in the later Austin-class LPDs, or the
heavy-lift capability of the Charleston-class amphibious cargo ships (LKAs) they will
replace. With the seven Wasp-class and five Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships, and the
LPD-17s, the Navy will have the foundation needed to meet the assault-echelon lift
requirements of 2.5 Marine expeditionary brigade (MEB) equivalents during wartime and to
sustain, in peacetime, approximately three forward-deployed Marine expeditionary units
(MEUs).
Status: The initial
contract to design and build the lead ship of the class was awarded to the Avondale
Alliance in December 1996. A contract award protest was successfully resolved in April
1997. Initial delivery is expected in FY 2003. The LPD-17 Avondale Alliance--which
includes Avondale Industries, Bath Iron Works, Raytheon, and Intergraph--is employing an
integrated product and process development (IPPD) approach, and all team members are
collocated at the new University of New Orleans/Avondale Maritime Technology Center of
Excellence in New Orleans, La. Detailed ship design has started, with an all-up production
readiness review (PRR) planned for 1999. The PRR exit criteria will ensure that the
digital product definition of the ship and accompanying attribution is complete and
interference-free prior to the initiation of manufacturing activities. Design efforts,
which are benefiting from the IPPD approach, are being driven by top-level program goals,
including the reduction of total ownership cost by at least 20 percent and incorporation
in the design of ownership requirements identified by the Navy and Marine Corps. The use
of an integrated product development environment (IPDE) will ensure that all design data
are captured once at the source and used to support all aspects of engineering, total ship
system integration, production, testing, logistics, and life-cycle support for the LPD-17
program.
Industry Partners:
Avondale Alliance--Avondale Industries, New Orleans, La.; Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine;
Raytheon, San Diego, Calif.; and Intergraph, Huntsville, Ala.
Navy TBMD
Navy Area and Theater Wide (Theater Ballistic Missile Defense)
Overview: The Navy's
theater ballistic missile defense (TBMD) programs are focused on providing seamless,
layered area and theaterwide defenses against emerging ballistic-missile threats, most
recently demonstrated by North Korea's 31 August attempted launch of a three-stage rocket
with a satellite payload that alarmed Japan and other Pacific-Rim nations. A sea-based
TBMD system benefits from a warship's strategic and tactical mobility, as well as its
ability to operate in forward areas for extended periods without the need for host-nation
support. The area TBMD program will provide the capability to defend naval forces at sea
and in the littorals and, through the engagement of TBMs in the terminal phase of flight,
will be able to extend that protection to forces and facilities on shore. The Navy's area
TBMD is soundly based to take advantage of the evolving capabilities of the roughly $42
billion national in-vestment in the Aegis weapon system and Aegis Ticonderoga-class
guided-missile cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. Together with
their trained crews and existing industrial foundation, these platforms will enable the
Navy to field a capable defense against ballistic-missile weapons in the shortest time
frame possible for any U.S. armed service. Beginning in FY 2000, the Navy area TBMD
program will field a user operational evaluation system (UOES), termed
"Linebacker," on two Aegis guided-missile cruisers--the USS Lake Erie and the
USS Port Royal--with 32 area TBMD missiles. These TBMD missiles are an evolutionary
enhancement of the Block IV Standard Missile-2, the SM 2 Block IVA, which adds a dual-mode
radio frequency/infrared (RF/IR) sensor, an upgraded blast/fragmentation ordnance package,
and autopilot/control enhancements to the SM-2 Block IV. The Navy Theater Wide (NTW) TBMD
program will build upon these successes and integrate the Lightweight Exoatmospheric
Projectile (LEAP), developed by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), and a
new third-stage rocket motor into the existing SM-2 Block IV missile; the new missile will
be designated the SM-3. The NTW system will be able to defeat TBMs in the ascent,
midcourse, and descent phases of their exoatmospheric trajectories (weapons that penetrate
the exoatmospheric defense can be attacked by the Navy's area system). The NTW program has
been structured to provide a near-term (FY 2005) NTW Block I capability against
medium-range TBMs, and a follow-on Block II capability against both medium- and long-range
ballistic missiles. Importantly, even as the systems need to achieve area and theaterwide
capabilities are introduced into the Navy's warships, the ships will retain their full
multimission capabilities in all other areas of naval warfare. These Navy TBMD programs
are, moreover, of interest to allied and friendly navies that have (Japan), are acquiring
(Spain), or (Australia, Germany, United Kingdom) hope to acquire the Aegis weapon system.
America's sea-based area and NTW TBMD systems could in essence, therefore, serve as the
foundation of the strategic national missile-defense capabilities of numerous U.S. allies
throughout the world.
Status: In March 1996,
during the political crisis between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan, the
USS Bunker Hill demonstrated a surprisingly robust capability to detect and track all four
Chinese TBMs that were launched during "exercises"; in July of that year, Aegis
warships also tracked and demonstrated a capability to detect, and to establish
"near-fire-control quality" tracks against, Syrian TBM launches. Prior to these
international developments, a systems design review for the SM-2 Block IVA was conducted
in December 1993; the Navy initiated a Risk Reduction Flight Demonstration program in FY
1994. On 24 January 1997, the Navy area program conducted the first intercept of a TBM
target during a test at White Sands Missile Range, fully demonstrating the capabilities of
the RF/IR imaging seeker. The program was subsequently approved to proceed to engineering
and manufacturing development. On 16 May 1997, the NTW program was approved for
preliminary design and risk reduction. An initial Aegis LEAP intercept with a prototype
SM-3 is planned for late FY 1999. The current program calls for deployment of the first
unit equipped with NTW Block I capability in FY 2006 and the more robust NTW Block II in
FY 2010; if additional funding is made available, these dates could be accelerated. The
Navy also has begun R&D efforts for a new high-power discriminating radar--which could
be an adjunct radar or an upgrade to the Aegis SPY-1B/D radars--for the NTW Block II
system.
Industry Partners:
Boeing, Seattle, Wash.; Lockheed Martin Government Electronic Systems, Moorestown, N.J.;
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Company, Sunnyvale, Calif.; Motorola, Chandler, Ariz.;
Raytheon Missile Systems Company, Tucson, Ariz.; and Thiokol, Promontory, Utah.
NSGFS
(Naval Surface Gun Fire Systems)
Overview: One of the
more acute, long-recognized operational requirements--one that threatens to frustrate the
Navy's "Forward ... From the Sea" strategic concept--is the service's capability
to provide long-range, accurate, and precision fires from guns and missiles in direct
support of forces ashore. Current inadequacies in Navy gun-system capabilities are being
exacerbated by the introduction of such innovative operational concepts as Operational
Maneuver from the Sea and the Navy Operational Concept--now being tested by both the Navy
and Marine Corps. Moreover, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff's Joint Vision 2010 postulates
even more compelling demands for precision engagement, dominant maneuver, full-dimensional
protection, information superiority, and focused logistics--all of which are concerns for
the future of naval gun fire support programs. There are several near-term (in the fleet
by 2001) and far-term (beyond 2010) elements that undergird the Navy-Marine Corps NSFS
vision. Key elements for the near term include modification of the existing 5-inch gun and
equipping Aegis warships with an upgraded mount and the new extended-range guided munition
(ERGM). Mid-term gun initiatives include introduction of the advanced gun system (AGS).
5-inch/62-Caliber Gun.
The Navy is pursuing a "Mod 4" 62-caliber upgrade of the venerable Mk45,
5-inch/54-caliber naval gun to enable the firing--"launching" is a more
appropriate term--of the EX-171, which will satisfy the Marine Corps' near-term range,
accuracy, and lethality needs. A new enclosure for the gun, shaped to minimize its radar
cross-section, will be about ten percent heavier than the current mount. Using
conventional 5-inch ammunition, it is expected to fire 20 rounds per minute; that rate
will drop to 10 revolutions per minute for advanced munitions, such as the ERGM. A
lengthened 62-caliber barrel and strengthened recoil mechanism will allow muzzle energy to
be increased from 10 to 18 megajoules (MJ), and maximum chamber pressure to increase from
50,000 pounds per square inch (psi) to some 65,000 psi, almost doubling the ballistic
range of the gun. All future Aegis Flight IIA Burke-class guided-missile destroyers,
beginning with the Winston Churchill, which is scheduled to be commissioned in 2001, will
be built with the 5-inch/62 gun and the advanced tactical warfare control system that will
host the NSFS warfare control system. The Navy also has developed plans to backfit the
upgraded 5-inch gun in 22 Aegis cruisers and is evaluating a backfit program for the
Flight I/II DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers.
Extended-Range Guided Munition.
The EX-171 ERGM round, currently under development, uses an increased propellant charge
and a rocket-motor-powered projectile to achieve ranges of up to 63 nautical miles. The
110-pound aerodynamic projectile is five inches in diameter and 61 inches in length, uses
a coupled global positioning system/inertial navigational system (GPS/INS) guidance
system, and is armed with a submunition warhead. Prior to launch, the ERGM is provided a
target set in geocentric coordinates and, after launch, acquires GPS lock and establishes
its relative position within the geocentric system. The tightly linked GPS/INS guidance
system is immune to jamming, which will enable the ERGM round to attack targets in a heavy
ECM (electronic countermeasures) environment. With the GPS link established during the
powered ascent phase of flight, well beyond the range of ground-based jammers, and the
internal GPS protected by antijam processing techniques, Navy officials say, the ERGM will
be able to approach to within a few kilometers of a jammer before losing track of the GPS
signals. At this point, the inertial system, which is calibrated post-launch, will take
over and guide the ERGM's maneuvers during its terminal flight. The service is taking
advantage of a U.S. Army-developed submunition for the ERGM. A minimum of 72 M-80
dual-purpose (antimaterial/personnel) submunitions (with both shaped-charge and enhanced
fragmentation) will be incorporated. The ERGM's submunitions will be uniformly dispensed
over a predetermined area, the size of which depends upon the specific target to be
attacked.
Advanced Gun System (AGS).
AGS is a developmental twin 155mm/52-caliber gun system, developed with the original
intent to pursue a gun mounted vertically within the hull--the vertical gun for advanced
ships (VGAS). If a vertical solution is not feasible, however, the Navy will develop a
"stealthy" trainable 155mm gun; either will be designed to fit in a ship system
engineering standard "B" module--comparable in size and weight to a 64-cell Mk41
vertical-launch system (VLS) flush to the main deck. The VGAS concept calls for a fully
automated system, with autoloaders providing a rate of fire of up to 15 rounds per minute
per barrel, and with a very large magazine capacity (700 rounds per gun, 1,400 per
installation). Muzzle energy would be an estimated 32.5 MJ at 52,000 psi, making the gun
compatible with existing Army 155mm rounds and with even more advanced guided rounds. A
singularly attractive feature is that the gun system will allow the Navy to leverage Army
R&D, and to lower its own production costs, thanks to the anticipated high production
rates required by the Army; the Army's XM982 round and an upgraded ERGM round are
candidate AGS munitions. The vertically launched 155mm guided projectile will
"fly" an up-and-over trajectory that will increase its maximum range; some
estimates suggest that the 155mm will be able to deliver seven times the payload of the
5-inch ERGM at a 75-mile range, or double the payload at 200 miles. The AGS is intended
for installation in the DD-21 destroyer; as many as 32 shipsets (plus prototypes for
testing) are envisioned.
Status: United Defense
L.P. has delivered a Mk45, 5-inch/54-caliber "proof of concept" gun firing
assembly to the Navy for use in testing the system's ability to fire ERGMs, and that
testing already has begun. Two complete Mod 4 systems will be delivered for testing and
integration into the DDG-51 Flight IIA destroyer. Milestone I/II was approved for ERGM in
July 1996, and the program is now in engineering and manufacturing development; low-rate
initial production is planned for FY 1999. The first structural gun-firing tests of the
ERGM were conducted successfully in August 1998 at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in
Arizona, clearing the way for additional tests later this year. The AGS program, scheduled
to start in FY 1999, will conduct an analysis of alternatives, with delivery of a
prototype gun projected in FY 2002 for land-based testing; the first DD-21 delivery is
scheduled for FY 2006.
Industry Partners:
Mk 45, 5-inch/62-caliber Mod 4 gun--United Defense L.P., Louisville, Ky. ERGM--Raytheon
Missile Systems Division, Bedford, Mass.; and Raytheon Systems, Lewisville, Texas. AGS--to
be determined.
SSN-774
Virginia-Class
New Attack Submarine
Overview: The New Attack
Submarine (NSSN) will provide advanced warfighting and acoustic superiority and sustain
minimum attack submarine force levels as early units of the Los Angeles class continue to
leave the fleet. Capable of traditional open-ocean antisubmarine and antisurface warfare
missions, the NSSN has been specifically designed for multimission operations in the
littoral warfare environment, including: offensive and defensive mining, mine
countermeasures reconnaissance, special forces insertion/extraction, battle group support,
intelligence-collection and surveillance, and land-attack/strike. Moreover, the modular
design of the NSSN will allow it to be specifically configured to adapt easily to special
missions and emerging future requirements; the weapons-handling space, for example, can be
reconfigured to accommodate an augmented special operations force or to support other
special systems capabilities. The NSSN also will be fully configured to operate as an
integral element within the Navy's emerging concept of network-centric warfare. It will
host an advanced electronic support measures (ESM, formerly called ASTECS--advanced
submarine tactical ESM combat system) suite that will provide detection, identification,
and direction-finding for radar, and other RF signals from a variety of sources.
The ESM will be linked to the integrated
ESM mast (IEM), which will support higher throughput and frequency, and pulse-agility
capability, in dense ESM signals environments than is possible with older systems now in
service. Similarly, the submarine integrated antenna system (SIAS) prototype will be
developed for the NSSN, enabling communication in Navy and joint networks ranging from
extremely low frequency to super high frequency, and the high-data-rate system, which will
provide a significant upgrade in demand-assigned multiple-access (DAMA) capability. The
NSSN also will feature a new Universal Modular Mast (UMM), an integrated system for
housing, erecting, and supporting mast-mounted antennas and sensors in a
non-hull-penetrating design. In addition to the ESM and SIAS, the UMM will house a
photonics imaging system, which will provide advanced visual, infrared, television, and
image-enhancement technologies, allowing significantly increased detection,
identification, and classification capabilities. Some of these systems may be backfit to
the improved Los Angeles and Seawolf classes of attack submarines.
Status: Milestone II
(Engineering and Manufacturing Development and Low-Rate Initial Production) was reached on
1 June 1995. Advance-procurement funding for the lead ship was approved in FY 1996; full
funding was authorized in FY 1998. The first four ships will be built through an
innovative teaming arrangement--between General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation (EB)
and Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS)--under which construction of the first four ships will
be shared by ship section. EB will build all hull sections for the submarines built both
at EB and at NNS, as well as the engine room modules and command-and-control system
operating spaces; NNS will build the bow, stern, sail, and selected forward sections for
the EB as well as NNS submarines. EB will assemble the first and third ships, which are
scheduled for delivery in FYs 2004 and 2006, respectively; NNS will build the second and
fourth ships, scheduled to be delivered in FYs 2005 and 2007. A total of 29 NSSNs has been
identified in Navy program planning. The acquisition strategy for the fifth NSSN and
follow-on ships, a high-interest item for Congress, has not yet been determined. The NSSN
program office (PMS450), which runs the first major defense program to fully implement
acquisition-reform initiatives, has twice received the David Packard Award for Acquisition
Excellence.
Industry Partners:
NSSN--General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, Groton, Conn.; and Newport News
Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va. NSSN ESM System--Lockheed Martin, Syracuse, N.Y.;
Integrated ESM Mast and Submarine Integrated/High Data-Rate Antenna System--Raytheon,
Goleta, Calif.; and Universal Modular Mast--Kollmorgen, Northampton, Mass.
VSW MCM
(Very Shallow Water Mine Countermeasures)
Overview: The use of
naval mines will in all likelihood continue to be the principal way in which the U.S. Navy
and U.S. Marine Corps "Forward ... From the Sea" strategy and related
operational tactics can be directly challenged, and sometimes frustrated, in future crises
and conflicts. Recognizing severe shortfalls in its ability to detect and neutralize mines
in the VSW (very shallow water) zone--water depths running from 40 feet to 10 feet--the
Navy has successfully completed a feasibility demonstration and is standing up its sole
VSW mine countermeasures (MCM) detachment, which will be under the jurisdiction of the
Mine Warfare Command in Ingleside, Texas. The VSW MCM Det, which in 1998 has been
continuing its transition from a prototype demonstration unit to a "full-up
round," will provide the Navy its only capability for conducting advance-force and
preassault MCM exploratory and reconnaissance missions in the VSW zone. (The surf-zone MCM
"problem"--from the 10-foot water depth to the high water mark on shore--remains
to be solved by a variety of innovative means.) The VSW MCM Det--initially comprising
explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), naval special warfare (NSW/SEAL), and Marine Corps
force reconnaissance combat swimmers, as well as marine mammals--is responsible for
developing VSW operational concepts, tactics, techniques, and procedures, and achieving
the capability to mobilize rapidly and embark with deployed amphibious ready groups. When
not deployed, the VSW MCM Det will serve as the Navy's VSW "warfighting
laboratory," linked to and working with the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Coastal
Systems Station in Panama City, Fla., for evaluating prototype systems.
Status: Accelerated
RDT&E and acquisition programs are ongoing to acquire a diver-held integrated
navigation sensor system (INSS), that will provide a visually enhanced sensor and
precision-navigation system in a single relatively small unit. An advanced VSW underwater
breathing apparatus (UBA), magnetically and acoustically silent, also is under
development. Additionally, the EX-8 marine mammal system (MMS) acquisition program started
in FY 1998 to train, test, and evaluate the ability of bottlenose dolphins to work closely
with the VSW MCM Det's people. That initiative also will allow the merging of prototype
capabilities with new technology to facilitate the standup of an operational MMS/VSW MCM
Det by the end of FY 2000. Concepts of operations for integrated amphibious ready group
(ARG) support also are being developed.
Industry Partners: The
EX-8 MMS is being developed by the Naval Space and Electronic Warfare Systems Center, San
Diego, Calif. The INSS and UBA acquisition sources are being selected.
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