SSDS: Quicker Naval Response to Cruise Missiles
Nov 29, 2011 12:38 EST
30th set delivered. (Jan 16/12)
Right now, in many American ships beyond the top-tier AEGIS destroyers and cruisers, the detect-to-engage sequence against anti-ship missiles requires a lot of manual steps, involving different ship systems that use different displays. When a Mach 3 missile gives you 45 seconds from appearance on ship’s radar to impact, however, seconds of delay can be fatal. Seconds of unnecessary delay are unacceptable.
Hence Raytheon’s Ship Self Defense System (SSDS)...
- SSDS: Current Versions
- Contracts & Key Events, 2008 – Present [updated]
- Additional Readings < [updated]
SSDS: Current Versions
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SSDS uses software and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics to turn incoming data from several systems (radar, radar warning receivers, combat identification, electro-optics) into a single picture of prioritized threats. SSDS will then recommend an engagement sequence for the ship’s crew, or (in automatic mode) fire some combination of jamming transmissions, chaff or decoys, and/or weapons against the oncoming threat. The entire ship’s combat system concept, including the sensors and weapons, is known as Quick Reaction Combat Capability (QRCC) – and SSDS is the key element that ties it all together.
SSDS began Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) in 1997 on USS Ashland [LSD 48], a Whidbey Island Class amphibious assault ship. It will be added as a refit to other vessels, and qualification of the SSDS Mk 2 MOD 1 was completed on the USS Ronald Reagan [CVN 76] carrier in March 2003. Variants of the SSDS system are deployed on a number of CVN-68 Nimitz Class super-carriers, as well as some LSD-41 Whidbey Island Class amphibious assault ships, all LPD-17 San Antonio Class amphibious assault ships (SSDS Mk 2 MOD 2), and some LHD-1 Wasp Class amphibious ships. SSDS will be used across the carrier force, including the new LHA-R escort carriers with secondary amphibious assault roles, and the CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford Class of super-carriers. Finally, components of SSDS have migrated to the future combat systems of the USA’s new Littoral Combat Ships and the 14,500t DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class destroyers.
SSDS is currently delivered as the Mk 2 version, which includes Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) and tactical data links (Links 4A, 11 and 16) that can gather and fuse data from other ships, aircraft, and helicopters when creating the overall combat picture. The Mk2 set also adds compatibility with the AN/SPQ-9B radar, and the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile. Finally, it meets Category 3 of the U.S. Navy’s Open Architecture Computing Environment (OACE) standard, which uses commercial electronics rather than military-specific hardware in order allow simpler and cheaper upgrades, enhancements, and plug-ins over a ship’s lifetime.
Weapon systems integrated with SSDS currently include the AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Attack System, the NULKA missile decoy system, Mk 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, Rolling Airframe Missile (Block 2 integration in progress), RIM-7 Sea Sparrow Missile System and the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile.
The US Navy’s May 2009 budget justification looked at future areas for improvement. Mindful of key trends, it aims to cross-reference a wider array of different detection methods. That should improve the odds of finding incoming threats that don’t show up well on radar, and are either flying low or riding on the surface. The Quick Reaction Combat Capability (QRCC) (2178) project includes SSDS, and is also continuing to work on integration of ship sensor improvements into SSDS. Once found, the Navy wants better coordination of the full array of defensive weapons and decoys available. For those ships with an Advanced Combat Direction System (CDS), central system engineering management of SSD developments needs to include integration of SSDS with those capabilities.
Over the longer term, SSDS MK 2 Pre-Planned Product Improvement (P3I) will add conversion kits that will replace electronics within SSDS as they become obsolete. The lifespan of electronics is always much shorter than the life-span of the ships. Managing that difference is where the benefits of open architecture/ commercial approaches really shine, by dramatically reducing the cost and difficulty involved.
Contracts & Key Events
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Unless otherwise noted, US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington Navy Yard, DC manages the contracts, and Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in San Diego, CA is the contractor.
Jan 16/12: Raytheon announces that it has delivered the final FY 2010 SSDS MK2 hardware ship set, 1 of 5 for the year. This 5th system is slated for new-build installation and integration aboard the John P. Murtha [LPD 26]. bringing the SSDS program total to 30. Raytheon says that all of them have been delivered early.
Nov 29/11: A $7.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-award-fee contract modification, exercising FY 2012 options for SSDS platform systems engineering agent work. Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (5%); and Portsmouth, RI (5%), and is expected to be complete by September 2012 (N00024-08-C-5122).
Aug 11/11: CACI Technologies, Inc. in Chantilly, VA received a $24.2 million contract modification for professional engineering, technical, training, software, project service, logistics services, fleet modernization, internal communication systems, combat system switchboard and other in-service engineering agent products necessary to support SSDS at shore sites, land-based test facilities, shipyards, and aboard ships in port and at sea. This contract modification exercises an option that brings the cumulative value to $48.3 million.
Work will be performed in Port Hueneme, CA (35%); Wallops Island, VA (10%); Norfolk, VA (5%); Crystal City, VA (10%); San Diego, CA (5%); Little Creek, VA (5%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (5%); and other shore and afloat sites (25%). Work is expected to be complete by February 2012. $2.3 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. The US Naval Surface Warfare Center;s Port Hueneme Division in Port Hueneme, CA manages the contract (N63394-04-D-1262).
Aug 9/11: Raytheon IDS in San Diego, CA received a $7.9 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for the FY 2011 buy of 2 SSDS MK2 open architecture computing environment kits, destined for retrofit into the USS Wasp [LHD 1] and installation in the future LPD-27 San Antonio Class ship. Each set consists of 4 switch server cabinets, 4 input/output cabinets, 4 general processor cabinets, and 1 connector kit.
Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (50%), and Portsmouth, RI (50%), and is expected to be complete by October 2012 (N00024-09-C-5100).
June 15/11: Raytheon ISD in San Diego, CA received a $9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus-award-fee contract modification, exercising options for FY 2011 SSDS platform systems engineering. That funds continuation of SSDS pre- and post-certification work, life-cycle maintenance support services, SSDS MK2 modification work, and integration support for CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford’s SSDS MK 1 upgrade to the OA baseline.
Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%), Tewksbury, MA (5%), and Portsmouth, RI (5%), and will run until FY 2011 ends, at the end of September 2011, when $2.5 million will expire (N00024-08-C-5122).
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Oct 28/10: SSDS quality questioned by Pentagon. Bloomberg News reports on a classified report sent to Congress in June 2010, outlining Pentagon testing that found serious issues with the LPD-17 San Antonio Class’ ability to survive combat situations. Their article is based on an unclassified summary of that report, and an email response from Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation, who described the ships as “not effective, suitable and not survivable in a combat situation.” The core of those reports is that the ships continue to experience widespread, persistent engineering problems, and couldn’t continue to operate reliably after being hit by enemy fire, in part because of the engineering problems mentioned. From the Pentagon’s DOT&E FY 2009 Annual Report:
“Chronic reliability problems associated with critical ship systems across the spectrum of mission areas reduces overall ship suitability and jeopardizes mission accomplishment…. Emerging results from [Navy] trials indicate the ships could not demonstrate the required levels of survivability, largely because of critical ship system failures after weapons effects…. The LPD-17 exhibited difficulty defending itself against several widely proliferated threats, primarily due to… Persistent SSDS Mk 2-based system engineering deficiencies…. The ship’s RAM system provided the only hard kill capability, preventing layered air defense [DID: in fairness, the ships were designed this way].... Problems associated with SPS-48E and SPQ-9B radar performance against certain Anti-Ship Cruise Missile attack profiles [DID: also a known design limitation].... Degraded situational awareness due to Mk 46 [30mm remotely-operated] Gun Weapon System console configuration…. The survivability of the San Antonio class ships appear to be improved over the LPD class ships they will replace. However, problems encountered with critical systems during testing (particularly with the electrical distribution, chilled water, SWAN, and ECS) and difficulty recovering mission capability may offset some of the survivability improvements and have highlighted serious reliability shortcomings.”
See: Pentagon DOT&E FY 2009 [PDF].
April 7/10: A $14.2 million modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00024-09-C-5100) for the production of 5 fiscal 2010 SSDS MK 2 Open Architecture Computing Environment (OACE) kits. The kits include cabinets, processors, converters, network devices, and interface units. The equipment sets consolidate the computing and interface requirements for the SSDS ship class variants.
The fiscal 2010 kits will be installed at the Naval Air Systems Command land-based test site and on the carriers USS Harry S. Truman [CVN 75] and USS Gerald R. Ford [CVN 78], the amphibious transport ship LPD 26 (not yet named), and the amphibious assault ship LHA 7 (not yet named). Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (50%), and Portsmouth, RI (50%), and is expected to be complete by January 2012. Raytheon release.
March 15/10: A $7.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-5122), exercising FY 2010 options to continue as the platform system engineering agent for the Ship Self Defense System. Work will be performed in San Diego (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%). Work is expected to be complete by September 2010.
Once again, integration with the new Gerald R. Ford Class aircraft carriers’ Dual Band Radar, and the improved RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2, are key tasks, alongside the usual work of testing and provide certification support for the SSDS, which is provided to shipbuilders as Government-Furnished Equipment.
Dec 30/09: A $10.8 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, exercising FY 2010 options to continue as the platform system engineering agent for the Ship Self Defense System.
Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%). Work is expected to be complete by Sept 30/10 (N00024-08-C-5122).
Nov 2/09: A $6.7 million modification to contract N00024-08-C-5122 exercises a FY 2010 option for performing as the SSDS platform system engineering agent. Once again, integration with the CVN-21 ships’ Dual Band Radar, and the improved RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2, are key tasks.
Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%), and is expected to be complete by November 2010.
Sept 2/09: A $9.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract for SSDS platform system engineering agent services (N00024-08-C-5122). Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%) and is expected to be complete by January 2010 (N00024-08-C-5122).
Raytheon IDS will be responsible for the integration of complex war-fighting improvements – including compatibility with the CVN-21 ships’ Dual Band Radar, and the improved RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 – into the modular SSDS. Raytheon IDS will integrate, test and provide certification support for the government-furnished equipment/ government-furnished information required for the CVN/ amphibious ship combat system. See also Aug 10/09 and Sept 30/08 entries, and the Raytheon release.
Aug 13/09: CACI Technologies, Inc. in Chantilly, VA received an $18.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N63394-04-D-1262) for engineering and technical support services, training, software, project and logistics services, and products necessary to support the Ship Self Defense System. Services will be required at shore sites, land-based test facilities, shipyards, and aboard ships in ports and at sea.
Work will be performed in Port Hueneme, CA (35%); Wallops Island, VA (20%); Crystal City, VA (20%); San Diego, CA (10%); Little Creek, VA (10%); and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (5%), and is expected to be complete by April 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $4.4 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Port Hueneme, CA manages the contract.
Aug 10/09: A $7.4 million modification, finalizing a previously-awarded letter contract (N00024-08-C-5122) to integrate “complex war-fighting improvements” into SSDS, as the platform’s system engineering agent.
Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%), and is expected to be complete by September 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $394,546 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/09.
Dec 23/08: A $14.9 million fixed price contract for 3 SSDS MK2 Open Architecture Computing Environment (OACE) kits. The SSDS MK2 OACE kits include cabinets, processors, converters, network devices and interface units.
These FY 2009 kits will be installed on the new amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans [LPD 18], the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower [CVN 69], and the navy’s Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS). Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (50%) and Portsmouth, RI (50%). Since SSDS is already an established standard system, this contract was not competitively procured (N00024-09-C-5100).
Dec 12/08: An $8 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-5122), exercising options for SSDS FY 2009 MK 1 Technology Refresh Support Services; Pre/Post Certification/Life Cycle Maintenance Support Services; Engineering Change/Field Change Kits, Commercial Off the Shelf Obsolescence Engineering and Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages.
In the course of this effort, Raytheon IDS will be responsible integrating components associated with the Dual Band Radar (DBR) and Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 into the modular SSDS. These systems are closely associated with America’s new CVN-21/Gerald R. Ford Class carriers, though the RAM Block II will also serve on a number of other American ship classes.
Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI, (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%), and is expected to be complete by September 2009.
Nov 7/08: A $7.2 million modification to previously awarded contract N00024-08-C-5122, exercising an option for SSDS pre- and post-certification /life-cycle maintenance support services. Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (90%); Tewksbury, MA (2.5%); Portsmouth, RI (2.5%); St. Petersburg, FL (2.5%); and Tucson, AZ (2.5%), and is expected to be complete by September 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $7.2 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Sept 30/08: An $8.3 million cost-plus fixed-fee letter contract to act as the SSDS Platform System Engineering Agent. The contractor will be responsible for the integration of complex war-fighting improvements into the modular SSDS, including components associated with the new Gerald R. Ford Class carrier’s Raytheon announces its first delivery of its open architecture SSDS Mk 2 hardware configuration for installation onboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz [CVN 68]. Warfare system integration and interoperability testing are complete, and, Raytheon delivered the hardware 3 weeks ahead of schedule.
SSDS Mk2 is designed to meet the US Navy’s Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO-IWS) Open Architecture Computing Environment standards, which leverage some of the systems designed for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class destroyer’s Total Ship Computing Environment infrastructure.
Jan 30/08: Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems in San Diego, CA received a $17.3 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5105) for FY 2008 production of 4 SSDS MK 2 Tactical Ship Sets. They will also conduct a special study to define engineering changes to the SSDS MK 2 product baseline in support of Combat System configuration on the first-of-class LHA 6, the US Marines new LHA-R ship that supports amphibious assault and functions as a mid-size aircraft carrier.
Work will be performed in Portsmouth, RI, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 2009. This contract was not competitively procured.
Additional Readings
- US Navy – SSDS
- Raytheon – Ship Self Defense System
- USN PEO-IWS (April 11/11) – Surface Navy Combat System Development Update [PDF]. Presented to The Navy League Sea Air and Space Symposium by Bill Bray. SSDS features prominently, due to its re-use of common source libraries.
- Naval Engineerrs (June 4/10) – A Systems Engineering Approach to Commonality across Surface Ship Combat Systems (Requirements and Architecture) [PDF]. Conceptual.
- Hanscom AFB Integrator magazine (Oct 16/06) – U.S. Navy launches virtual library to help reuse code. As of January 2007, assets and artifacts from the Aegis, Ship Self Defense System (SSDS), Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), and DDG-1000 programs are available in the SHARE library.
