Overview
Emerging new systems requirements for theater warfare have challenged today's
U.S. Navy to fight 
in a seamless battle force environment that consists of other Navy ships and
aircraft, Joint U.S. Armed Services resources, and coalition forces. Rapidly
advancing combat/battle management command, control, communications, and
computers (BMC4) systems technology comes new challenges - how to enable the
correct exchange of tactical data among dissimilar combat systems so that a
common and correct tactical picture is maintained aboard the Navy's aircraft
carrier and amphibious battle groups. We can no longer afford to wait to solve
these interoperability problems after combat systems have been delivered to the
fleet but rather must solve them ashore in a controlled and repeatable test
environment well before a combat system ever goes to sea.
In 1998, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) stood up the Navy's
Distributed Engineering Plant (DEP) to identify and resolve combat/BMC4 system
interoperability problems prior to deploying new and upgraded systems to sea.
Enabled by today's newest networking technology, the DEP links the Navy's
shore-based combat systems/C4/hardware test sites, which are located in
geographically disparate facilities across the nation, into a virtual
shore-based battle group that exactly replicates a battle group fighting at sea.
By inserting "ground truth" system simulation and stimulation data and then
observing how the combat systems exchange and display tactical data, engineers
are now able to precisely identify and solve interoperability problems ashore
well before those systems enter the operating forces.
Current Testing Capabilities
The DEP is the Navy's premier interoperability testing tool. Testing in the
DEP supports the following:
- Battle group testing
- Evaluates Tactical Data Link operations
- Link 11, Link 16, satellite Tactical Data Information Links (TADIL) J and A
- Battle group operations task links
- Multi-TADIL / multi-platform
- Evaluates battle group interoperability upgrades
- Advanced Combat Direction System 2.1.8 and Aegis 5.3.8.1 and 6.1.6.1
- Capabilities and limitations document development
- DEP first in-depth look for fleet capabilities and limitations development
- Battle group capability development, new systems development testing, and
prototype development
- Cooperative Engagement Capability, Aegis, and Tactical Control Network
- Battle group certification and problem resolution
- Near-term and long-term problem resolution
- Battle group performance requirements development and metrics
- Battle force interoperability requirements
- Battle group performance measurement and prediction
- Scenarios, systems, dispositions, force modeling
- New system requirements development and acquisition
- Problem identification, problem diagnosis, and system solutions
Future Developments
The DEP network test architecture can now support a wide range of NAVSEA and
Joint forces testing requirements. The "road ahead" for the DEP leads to
becoming the premier test tool for enabling a force systems engineering
architecture.
Future plans call for expanding the DEP test network to include new test
sites for the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, Patriot missile,
fighter/attack (F/A)-18 aircraft, and AN/TPS-59 radar system. Plans also include
upgrading and improving upon DEP's existing capability, capacity, and fidelity
to better support battle group testing and to better facilitate acquisition of
new systems.
While antiair warfare is now the focus of the DEP, it is anticipated that its
expansion will enable testing in other warfare mission areas as well as advanced
tactics development, validation, and testing. Discussions are now underway with
a host of coalition navy forces to establish DEP test sites for foreign navy
integration.
The DEP Network Today
The DEP network today consists of 14 different test sites located throughout
the United States, accurately replicating the warfighting capability of an
afloat battle force. The DEP network includes the following:
- Aegis guided missile cruisers (CGs), guided missile destroyers (DDGs), and
Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) Mk 2
- Aegis Facility, Surface Combat Systems Center, Wallops Island, Virginia
- Aegis CGs/DDGs
- Aegis Training and Readiness Center, Dahlgren, Virginia
- Integrated Warfare Systems Laboratory, NSWCDD, Dahlgren, Virginia
- Multipurpose aircraft carriers (CVs), multipurpose aircraft carriers
(nuclear propulsion) (CVNs), general-purpose amphibious assault ships (LHAs),
multipurpose amphibious assault ships (LHDs), destroyers, and guided missile
frigates (FFGs)
- Combat Direction Systems Activity, Dam Neck, Virginia
- E-2C Group II and Hawkeye 2000
- Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland
- DEP Operations Center
- E-2C Group 0 and Group II
- Space and Naval Warfare Center, San Diego, California
- CV/CVN, LHA/LHD, SSDS Mk 2
- Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division; Integrated Combat
Systems Test Facility, San Diego, California
- F-14
- Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, California
- Battle Group Link Monitor
- Navy Tactical Communications Support Activity, San Diego, California
Downloads
|
|
|
|