W. G. Bath Overview of Platforms and Combat Systems William G. Bath ABSTRACT Air and missile defense is a complex process involving the coordinated operation of equipment and computer programs. The most effective defense generally is multiple layers of defense using different technologies in each layer such as long-range hard-kill, followed by hard-kill area defense, followed by both hard-kill and soft-kill (electronic warfare) self-defense. A combat system must merge, fuse, and de-conflict many sources of sensor data to produce a single usable track picture for decision-making. Throughout, sensors are controlled and sensor resource use is man- aged to meet the overall defense needs. As technical direction agent and technical adviser for many of the combat system elements, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) performs the systems engineering, analysis, and experimentation that helps the Navy select the most combat system capability at an affordable cost. INTRODUCTION Most Navy warships have combat systems capable of in overall air and missile defense capability shown in air and missile defense. Those combat systems are well Figure 1. described by the “detect–control–engage” paradigm; Aegis destroyers and cruisers are the Navy’s most that is, the components of the combat system can be capable air defense units because of their long-range, notionally grouped as follows: multifunction phased-array radars; their inventory of • Detect components that find and track air and many different anti-air warfare, ballistic missile defense, missile targets and electronic warfare weapons; and their complex control processes for processing sensor data, making • Control components that identify the targets and engagement decisions, and controlling those weapons. make the decisions to engage Aegis destroyers and cruisers can defend large areas against ballistic missiles by defeating them during the • Engage components that schedule and perform the midcourse phase of their flight using the Standard engagements with the goal of destroying or other- Missile-3 (SM-3) family in the exo-atmosphere, as well wise negating the targets as closer to impact during their terminal phase using the The scope of those components’ capabilities varies SM-6 family in the endo-atmosphere. The Aegis Ashore significantly with ship class, resulting in the variation combat system deployed in Europe uses a subset of the 90 Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest, Volume 35, Number 2 (2020), www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest Overview of Platforms and Combat Systems Midcourse defense Ballistic Self-defense missile (shooter is defended point) Sea-based terminal defense Naval integrated re control Height above Earth Area defense Cruise missiles and aircraft Hard kill Range to defended point Soft kill Onboard and/or offboard electronic attack Aegis destroyer Aircraft carrier Aegis cruiser Amphibious landing ship Aegis Ashore Littoral warfare ship Naval air (not Zumwalt destroyer considered here) Figure 1. Comparison of the air and missile defense capabilities of different combat systems. (The chart at the top is not to scale.) same detect–control–engage components on land and (TDL) networks enable Aegis and other units to fight as provides for exo-atmospheric defense of US-deployed a coordinated force. forces, their families, and our allies in Europe. Aegis The USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) brings to the Navy Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) ships and Aegis Ashore a unique set of volume firepower and precision strike are part of the larger Ballistic Missile Defense System capabilities and is currently nearing deployment. The (BMDS), which is, itself, a global combat system that Zumwalt destroyer has an advanced gun system with integrates Navy, Army, and Air Force detect, control, a long-range land-attack projectile capable of launch- and engage components. Aegis destroyers and cruisers ing a guided projectile at extended ranges. Its air and can also defeat attacks from aircraft and cruise missiles. missile defense capabilities lie in between those of the Aegis is capable of extended-range engagements of Aegis fleet and those of aircraft carriers and amphibious aircraft and cruise missiles both over sea and over land ships. Zumwalt has a vertical launching system similar to using the SM-6 surface-to-air missile. With integrated that of Aegis and the control capability to launch self- fire control support, SM-6 provides an increased battle defense missiles as well as SM-2 missiles. space against threats over the horizon. Within the Aircraft carriers and amphibious ships are capable horizon, Aegis can defend both itself (self-defense) of projecting offensive power (Navy air and Marines and other units (area defense) using the SM-2 missile ashore). The air and missile defense detect–control– family and the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). engage components on these ships, however, are gen- Aegis also can defeat threats using electronic warfare erally limited to self-defense. Self-defense is achieved measures such as jamming and decoys. The Cooperative either with electronic warfare, with shorter-range mis- Engagement Capability (CEC) and Tactical Data Link sile systems such as ESSM and the Rolling Airframe Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest, Volume 35, Number 2 (2020), www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest 91 W. G. Bath – AN/SPY-1B/D(mod)/D(V) – Aegis BMD 5.0/5.1 – VLS (SM-2, SM-6, ESSM) Aegis Baseline 9 Hard kill – AN/SPQ-9B AMD capabilities Rapid, incremental – CIWS today* – Mk 99 (3-4) improvements to pace – AN/SLQ-32(V)3/6/SKC* the threat via Aegis – Decoys Speed to Capability Soft kill – UPX-29 – Command and decision (on an as-needed basis) – Weapon control Control – CEC Baseline – TDL upgrade Networks – AN/SPY-6 (AMDR) – Aegis BMD 6 Hard kill – Active missile upgrades – AN/SLQ-32(V)7 – Decoy upgrades Soft kill Capability trade-offs and engineering challenges for the future – New BMD missions – Advanced offboard electronic attack Selected new – Next-generation weapons scheduling Aegis Baseline 10 algorithms AMD capabilities – Hard kill/soft kill integration 2023 – Next-generation sensor netting and integrated re control – Force sensor and weapons control Modeling, simulation, – Low-cost multifunction X-band radar and critical experiments – Railgun/hypervelocity projectile to select most capability – Nonkinetic kill at affordable cost – Resilient, cyber-resistant combat systems – Next-generation combat information center – Next-generation close-in weapon system * All portions of Baseline 9 are deployed except 9C2, which is imminent. Baseline 9C2 will include AN/SLQ-32(V)6/SKC. Figure 2. Examples of planned Aegis combat system air and missile defense (AMD) evolution and potential capability trade-offs. VLS, vertical launching system. Missile (RAM), or with guns (e.g., the Phalanx Close-in concurrent with area and self-defense against air and Weapon System, or CIWS). The combat system for these surface threats. For the area air defense and self-defense ships is the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS). capability, increased sensitivity and clutter capability are Ship combat systems are major investments that needed to detect, react to, and engage stressing threats evolve over time to achieve new capabilities. Aegis and in the presence of heavy land, sea, and rain clutter. In SSDS ships are undergoing major capability upgrades the control and engage areas, Aegis Baseline 10 includes that include significant new sensor capabilities. The functional upgrades to make use of the richer data pro- Aegis combat system will evolve from Baseline 9 to vided by the AMDR, such as Aegis BMD 6 use of the Baseline 10 (Figure 2). This evolution features many new AMDR’s increased radar sensitivity and bandwidth in capabilities. The AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense the engagement of ballistic missiles. Aegis Baseline 10 Radar (AMDR) will provide multimission capabilities, will leverage ongoing developments in active missiles to simultaneously supporting long-range, exo-atmospheric provide a more effective defense against evolving anti- detection, tracking, and discrimination of ballistic mis- ship cruise missiles. The AN/SLQ-32(V)7, which deploys siles, as well as area and self-defense against air and sur- in Aegis Baseline 10, includes the Surface Electronic face threats. For the BMD capability, increased radar Warfare Improvement Program Block 3, which provides sensitivity and bandwidth over current radar systems onboard electronic attack. The Soft-Kill Coordinator are needed to detect, track, and support engagements of (SKC) capability, an AN/SLQ-32 command and control advanced ballistic missile threats at the required ranges, subsystem, will be expanded to include coordination of 92 Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest, Volume 35, Number 2 (2020), www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest Overview of Platforms and Combat Systems – AN/SPS-48G* USS Nimitz – AN/SPS-49A* AMD capabilities – AN/SPQ-9B* today* – Mk 9 T/I (4)* Hard kill – Mk 9 T/I (4)* Rapid, incremental – RAM improvements to pace – ESSM the threat via the – CIWS (3) Fire Control Loop – AN/SPN-43* ( ) Improvement Program CATC – AN/SLQ-32A(V)4 – AN/UPX-29 Soft kill (on an as-needed basis) – SSDS Control – CEC – TDL Baseline upgrade Networks USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) ~2021 Capability trade-offs and engineering challenges for the future Multifunction radar (DBR) Hard kill – Advanced onboard electronic attack AN/SLQ-32(V)6/SKC Soft kill – Advanced offboard electronic attack – Next-generation weapons scheduling algorithms Modeling, simulation, – Hard kill/soft kill integration and critical experiments – Next-generation sensor netting and to select most capability integrated re control at affordable cost – Low-cost multifunction X-band radar – Resilient, cyber-resistant combat system – Next-generation combat information center * This function will be replaced by the multifunction radar. – Next-generation close-in weapon system Figure 3. Examples of planned aircraft carrier SSDS combat system evolution and potential capability trade-offs. (Amphibious ships, which also have the SSDS combat system, are also evolving with related improvements and capability trade-offs.) CATC, carrier air traffic control.