CEC: Cooperative Engagement for Fleet Defense

CEC Concept (click to enlarge) Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is the US Navy’s secret weapon. Actually, it’s not so secret. It’s just that its relatively low price means often leads people to overlook the revolutionary change it creates for wide-area fleet air and ballistic missile defense. CEC is far more than a mere data-sharing program, or even a sensor fusion effort. The concept behind CEC is a sensor netting system that allows ships, aircraft, and even land radars to pool their radar and sensor information together, creating a very powerful and detailed picture that’s much finer, more wide-ranging, and more consistent than any one of them could generate on its own. The data is then shared among all ships and participating systems, using secure frequencies. It’s a simple premise, but a difficult technical feat. With huge implications. This DID FOCUS Article explains those mechanics and implications. It will also track ongoing research, updates, and contracts related to CEC capabilities from 2000 forward. Co-operative Engagement Capability: How It Works [youtube:v=WumIk1MwVPM] CEC explained click for video Some have described Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) as the true “secret weapon” of AEGIS fleet defense. CEC has applications that reach beyond the sea to ground-based […]