Aegis Cruiser Ship Controls -

The Impact of Commercial Technology Insertion in the Fleet

On Future U.S. Navy Ship Design

GLEN H. STURTEVANT AND JOHN C. IMBESI

Navy Department

Washington, D.C.

U.S.A.

Abstract: This paper examines the replacement of the original ship controls system in U.S. Navy Aegis Cruisers with a state-of-the-art system developed to commercial specifications. The Smartship Program’s role in commercial technology insertion and evaluation in the Fleet and the process of technology transition to shipbuilding, ship modernization and system acquisition programs is discussed.

The computer-based Integrated Ship Controls functionality and enhanced electric plant capability is reviewed and the integration with All Electric upgrade and other ship modifications is addressed.

The framework for commercial technology refresh and spiral development are examined and opportunities to shape the design of future ship controls are highlighted.

The influence that the insertion of automated commercial technology into today’s Fleet has had on future minimally-manned shipbuilding programs such as LCS, DDX, CVN 21 and CGX is brought into question.

Key-Words: Smartship, COTS, technology rapid insertion and transition, commercial specifications, automation

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1Introduction

The U.S. Navy’s Smartship Program was established by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in 1995 to examine emerging, innovative commercial technologies that could be rapidly inserted into the Fleet as reduced-manning enablers. Numerous automated system prototypes have been evaluated at sea and successfully transitioned to acquisition programs by the Smartship Program including Integrated Ship Controls, Reduced Ship’s crew by Virtual Presence (RSVP), Integrated Bridge System, Wireless Networks, Advanced Foodservice, Shiphandling Simulator, Voyage Management System and Secure Wireless Communications.

This paper examines the rapid insertion and evaluation of a modern ship controls system into the Fleet and its impact on automation in future ships.

2 Shift to Commercial Technology

When the Soviet Union was defeated in 1989, three forces converged that would redefine U.S. naval engineering and chart a new course for a transformation in systems design. A sharp decline in military budget projections, the exponential advances in commercial computing speed and power and the Defense Department’s 1990 policy to employ Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technology all collided, causing American scientists and engineers to rethink their approach to systems design.

With reduced Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT & E) budget, the Department saw an opportunity to leverage off of the investments made by industry in commercial market product development. This, coupled with the Department’s COTS mandate, resulted in a sea change from systems designed and built to military specifications to systems designed and manufactured to commercial standards that were already available on the market and could be adapted for military use. No longer could the U.S. afford the high cost of military-unique systems, and COTS technology offered an attractive alternative in terms of up front cost and time to (military) market.

During the Cold War, the Department managed technology as a matter of routine as military specifications were strictly adhered to by defense contractors who built systems to unique requirements.. Although often costly in terms of dollars and lengthy delivery schedules, this process worked relatively well as technology progression was linear and driven by the military market.

With the introduction of the Personal Computer (PC) (Intel 8088 processor inside) by International Business Machines (IBM), the landscape began to change. Commercial Information Technology (IT), fueled by consumer demand, quickly outpaced the Department’s ability to integrate this new technology into the rigid military procurement system. By the end of the Cold War, IT market dominance had swung from the military to the commercial sector.

The Navy was especially challenged because, despite shrinking budgets, its operational commitments continued to expand as worldwide unrest filled the void created by the retreat of Soviet influence. Stretching its operating account to pay for additional Fleet deployments, the Navy demanded new approaches that could identify offsets in order to balance the budget.

In 1995, the CNO commissioned a study by the Naval Research Advisory Committee (NRAC) to identify cost saving measures in the operating account. Reference [1] is the results of that study which 1) cites manpower as the largest portion of the operating account, 2) states that technology could reduce the manpower requirements through automation, saving a significant amount of money in a 500 ship Navy, and 3) that this technology was available in the commercial market.

3 Rapid Insertion into the Fleet

As a result of the NRAC findings, the CNO established the Smartship Program to rapidly insert commercial technology into the Fleet so that it could be effectively evaluated prior to proceeding to full production. The Smartship Program examined over 900 proposals from industry, academia and government and in 1996-1997, inserted 47 enabling technologies in USS Yorktown (CG 48), an Aegis Cruiser in the Fleet.

At the heart of these technologies was a prototype Integrated Ship Controls (ISC) system, comprised of computer-based engineering and bridge controls. This “system of systems” was made up of over 30 reconfigurable, multi-function workstations distributed throughout the ship, running the Windows NT operating system and connected by a fast Ethernet fiber optic network. Computer software applications managed the control and monitoring of the following vital ship functions:

  • Electric power generation and distribution
  • Propulsion
  • Steering
  • Auxiliary systems
  • Electronic (nautical) Chart Display and Information System-Navy (ECDIS-N)
  • Fuel fill and transfer
  • Damage control
  • Integrated Condition Assessment System (ICAS) for machinery

3.1 Prototype Evaluation At Sea

The process of testing and evaluating commercial systems at sea in Yorktown allowed for immediate feedback from the real customers (ship’s operators and maintenance technicians) in all areas of what is now referred to as Human Systems Integration (HSI). This “sea trial” demonstration also helped identify new uses for the technology not foreseen by the Navy’s scientists and engineers. Finally, technology demonstration in the Fleet was invaluable in identifying performance criteria that would require adaptation to operate in the unique Navy environment; i.e. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), shock, vibration, temperature and humidity.

In Yorktown, the ISC prototype replaced the archaic Engineering Control and Surveillance Equipment (ECSE) which had been designed to military specifications and fielded in the 1970s – 1990s in every DD 963, DDG 993 and CG 47 Class U.S Navy ship. For cost, schedule and technical risk reasons, all 62 of these original systems were virtually identical.

ECSE had consisted of bulky, maintenance intensive, stand alone consoles that occupied large footprints and were hard wired to perform a single function in a central location in the ship. The electronic components were medium level integrated circuit devices supported by discrete resistors, capacitors and transistors with limited use of serial data and computer processing technology. The ECSE Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) consisted of electromechanical indicators with mechanical pushbuttons and levers, consistent with the state of the science in the late 1960s- early 1970s.

The demonstration of the ISC prototype in Yorktown was highly successful as documented in reference [2]. As a result of the significant manpower reductions enabled by automated commercial technology, 46 enlisted and officer billets were permanently removed from Yorktown.

3.2 Technology Transition – Increasing Speed to Capability

During this mid-1990s time period, the last of the 27 Aegis Cruisers had entered the Fleet and ECSE was becoming increasingly more difficult and costly to maintain. After all, the system was first developed for USS Spruance (DD 963) some 25 years prior. A Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis (COEA) was conducted by the Navy, determining that replacing ECSE unique components with COTS IT common components for all Aegis Cruisers would provide economic benefit due in part to the significant computing advances in the consumer market and increased application in industrial controls systems.

Based on the successful demonstration of the prototype ISC system in Yorktown and a solid business case analysis, the Navy began procurement of production ISC systems for all its 27 Aegis Cruisers. The Smartship Program had transitioned ISC from prototype demonstration to a full rate production, competitively awarded contract in less than a year.

The procurement specification developed by the Navy as part of prototype demonstration included lessons learned in the areas of commercial standards (selecting Versa Module Eurocard (VME) bus), environmental qualification, system reliability, fault-tolerant redundancy, maintainability and logistics supportability, improved Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) technology, full mesh ATM backbone network, on line Built In Test (BIT) functionality for fault isolation , Navy land based integration first article testing, Graphical User Interface (GUI) and other important HSI considerations.

Reference [3] documents the production ISC system Business Case Analysis (BCA) with a Return On Investment (ROI) of < 3 years. Operational benefits to the warfighters are addressed by a Cruiser Commanding Officer in reference [4]

4 Enhanced Electric Plant Capability

ISC replaces the single function, centrally located Electric Plant Control Console with the capability of monitoring and controlling the electrical power generation and distribution system at any number of workstations throughout the ship. Utilizing password and access level control, electric plant operation is now conducted anywhere that is convenient to the operator, or from alternate locations should equipment maintenance or battle damage so require.

ISC computer software includes Embedded Turbine High Overload Recovery (ETHOR) functionality which, by way of algorithms, monitors critical Gas Turbine Generator (GTG) parameters and permits a generator to operate above its nominal rating. The ETHOR application does this by reducing the ship’s load to preclude generator shutdown, providing the ship with added warfighting capability when continuous power to the combat and weapon systems is required.

ISC replaces antiquated and sensitive electronic components that drove frequent mechanical calibration of ECSE. Through ISC computer software modeling, these high failure components have been eliminated and calibration is performed electronically via calibration GUI.

ISC also brings a sophisticated embedded training capability to plant operators. Individual and team computer based training is routinely conducted underway (simultaneous to live plant operations), saving wear and tear of plant equipment, streamlining crew training, and saving fuel.

5 Integration with All Electric

The Navy’s re-capitalization plan also includes upgrading Aegis Cruisers with an All Electric modification for personnel safety and cost avoidance purposes. This upgrade replaces the legacy GTG waste heat steam boilers and steam-powered systems with electric systems such as distillers, heat exchangers, galley and laundry equipment and heaters.

ISC greatly reduces the complexity of integrating independent ship modifications such as All Electric with the ship control system because of computer software centric architecture. Other recent ship modifications including Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and Digital Fuel Control (DFC) have been integrated with ISC in affordable and rapid fashion.

6 Framework for Commercial Technology Refresh

The military’s reliance on COTS has forced the Navy to manage the maintenance of fielded systems in a new way. The “half life” of IT technology continues to decrease, creating a situation where market obsolescence, configuration management, standardization, capability and cost must all be considered when making decisions concerning system maintenance. Processors, disk drives and operating systems are just a few of the key elements in today’s computer based systems that are in a constant state of flux.

The solution requires a combination of market trend acumen, sound systems engineering, integration testing ashore, a companion spiral development strategy for inserting new capability and cost trade-offs. Under the Navy’s Rapid Capability Insertion Process (RCIP) investment framework, ISC computer software will be refreshed on a two year cycle with equipment being refreshed every four years.

7 Opportunities to Shape the Future

The Smartship Program continues its mission of rapidly inserting and evaluating innovative commercial technology solutions into today’s Fleet. Through the process of testing and evaluating commercial technology at sea, risks to Navy acquisition programs are mitigated, costs are reduced and speed to capability is significantly increased.

The rate of change continues to accelerate. Change, however, presents opportunities to those who embrace it. The authors have identified below some of the opportunities to define future Navy ship controls.

1) Do we stay the course with the various versions of Microsoft’s Windows operating system with the companion license fees, return to Unix or jump to Linux?

2) Do we continue our pursuit to de-couple computer software from equipment in order to attain an Open (systems) Architecture, the benefits of competition and ease of integration or are we comfortable with a limited amount of proprietary solutions to support the Navy’s “plug and fight” vision? Where does the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) based architecture fit?

3) Do we abandon ADA as a computer language?

4) Can we effectively employ IEEE 802.11 “wifi” wireless network technology to cut the tether that ties the operators to the workstations, giving them maximum mobility and situational awareness? Where does wireless sensor technology fit?

5) Is GIG-E the solution for all shipboard network architectures?

6) Do we push the envelope with intelligent agents to provide more autonomous operation of the engineering plant or do we accept the fact that there will always be a need for men-in-the-loop, a roadblock to achieving reduced manning goals? If combat systems are designed with doctrine decision aids built into the architecture, what is so unique about ship controls that prevents a similar approach?

7) Is voice activation software mature enough to be part of ship controls?

8) With the premium the military has placed on information assurance (security) since

9-11 and regardless of the technical solutions available, do we permit off-ship access to Navy ship’s controls systems?

8 Conclusion –Catching Up With Technology

The U.S. Navy ship controls community of interest is still strongly influenced by its risk averse culture, favoring a traditional “man-in-the-loop” approach over increasing levels of autonomous operation. If we are successful with LCS, DDX and other minimally-manned ships, it will be because we have fully embraced automated commercial technology, and recognized its proven benefits in today’s Fleet and the significant rewards it promises the Navy of the future.

References:

[1] Naval Research Advisory Committee, Reduced Ship’s Manning Study, 1995

[2] Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Smartship Project Assessment Report, N6/1687, 1997

[3] W.H. Sims and J.D. Keagan, Smartship Metrics and Return On Investment, Center for Naval Analyses, CRM 222, 2003

[4] J. Fullerton, Capt, USN, Operational Impacts of the Aegis Cruiser Smartship System, American Society of Naval Engineers, 2004

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