Naval Sea Systems Command > Media

Breaking through the clutter: NEEC research project advances radar technology for naval defense
December 22, 2025 — Since it’s fielding in World War II, radar has produced crucial early warnings of incoming enemy forces and better accuracy against targets, giving the U.S. Navy a decisive advantage in naval warfare engagements.Nearly eight decades later, radar – which uses electromagnetic waves to detect and track objects – remains a cornerstone of modern defense... MORE

NORFOLK, Va. – Operations Specialist 2nd Class Michael R. Gutermuth reads the SPS 73 radar on the bridge of the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17). San Antonio is preparing to depart Naval Station Norfolk to provide Humanitarian Aid/ Disaster Relief in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary S. Welch/Released)

Battle Management System: Two decades of revolutionizing the battlespace
December 15, 2025 — For 20 years, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division’s Battle Management System has served as a digital backbone, integrating weapons, sensors, operators and data into a unified system. This allows platforms to see, decide and act faster in an increasingly complex battlespace.What began in 2005 with a small team of Dahlgren Division... MORE

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. – On June 6, 2025, an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship and a CV-22 Osprey, both assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command, flew over the Gulf of Mexico near Hurlburt Field, Florida. The AC-130J is equipped with a precision strike package that includes a mission management console, a robust communications suite, advanced fire control equipment, the capability for precision-guided munitions delivery and trainable 30mm and 105 mm weaponry. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Tori Haudenschild)

Split-second science: Dahlgren Division engineers capture first live data on projectile and shockwave interaction
November 21, 2025 — Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division recently fired high-speed projectiles into timed explosions to study how shockwaves affect high-speed rounds in a groundbreaking test. Over two days, a team of scientists and engineers at Dahlgren Division used a M110 Howitzer modified with a 155 mm barrel to launch projectiles traveling nearly four... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division scientists and engineers used a M110 Howitzer modified with a 155 mm barrel to launch projectiles traveling nearly four times the speed of sound toward controlled blasts of 30 to 100 pounds of dynamite. The groundbreaking test was used to study how shockwaves affect high-speed rounds. (NSWCDD Photo)

Close-in Weapons Systems: The last line of defense
September 24, 2025 — When a threat is seconds from impact, the close-in weapon system provides Navy ships with a final line of protection. Created for automated responses that exceed human reaction times, CIWS is the ultimate safeguard in high-stakes combat.CIWS is a point-defense system designed to detect, track and engage short-range targets such as anti-ship... MORE

ATLANTIC OCEAN – A Phalanx Close-In Weapon System fires from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James (WMSL 754) during a gun exercise in the South Atlantic Ocean, May 18, 2024. James participated in a gun shoot with Brazilian navy frigates Independência (F 44), the União (F 45), and the U.S. Navy USS Porter (DDG 78) in support of Operation Southern Seas 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Kaczmarek)

NSWC Dahlgren Division advances shipboard self-sufficiency with fiber optic test and repair certification in 7th Fleet
September 15, 2025 — The Navy’s Fiber Optic Test and Repair (FOTR) Certification Program reached a significant milestone by certifying the first certification site and inspector within the 7th Fleet. This achievement marks a critical step toward enhancing shipboard self-reliance in fiber optics maintenance. Managed by the Cybersecurity and Fiber Optics Engineering and... MORE

Standing watch: Inside NSWCDD's Crisis Response Center
September 9, 2025 — When crisis strikes, every second counts. At Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), a command-and-control capability stands ready to respond – the Crisis Response Center (CRC).This isn't just another emergency response system; it's an operational nerve center designed to ensure the continuity of mission-critical support to the... MORE

NSWCDD Command Team and CRC Lead pose for group photo.

Dual duty: Bridging military leadership and engineering excellence at NSWCDD
September 9, 2025 — At 19, Vijay Ahluwalia was adrift. He’d recently returned to New York after more than a decade away in his mother’s native Uganda, where they’d moved after his father died.College was off the table, for the moment. So was a dream to become a travel documentarian. He needed time and space to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.The answer... MORE

Engineer standing in front of flags in a lab

Cooperative Engagement Capability: Enhancing battlefield awareness
August 21, 2025 — As modern threats to naval forces evolve, it is critical that our responses do as well. Adversaries are rapidly developing advanced missile systems, stealth technologies and electronic warfare capabilities that challenge traditional defense strategies. Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) provides a technological edge that ensures that in the... MORE

Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is a live data-sharing system that advances battlespace awareness and weapon coordination across the Navy. Through a combination of hardware and software, CEC is designed to strengthen the anti-air and surface warfare of Navy ships and aircraft by aggregating radar and sensor data to create a full picture of the battlespace across the CEC network.

Learning to lead, learning to fail: SEAP interns grow through hands-on challenge
August 12, 2025 — When Brody Kester landed a selective spot in the 2025 Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), he thought he’d spend the summer behind a desk. But he soon found himself working side by side with Dahlgren scientists and engineers and gaining hands-on experience in real-world... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program interns prepare equipment for testing an unmanned surface vessel at Hideaway Pond during their final project demonstration at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD). (Morgan Lee Tabor/NSWCDD Photo)

Small groups, big ideas: Dahlgren teams tackle radar challenge with creativity and grit
August 1, 2025 — They came with their own backgrounds and areas of expertise: early-career scientists, software developers, mechanical engineers.Inside the Innovation Lab (iLab) at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), in a sea of unfamiliar faces, they sorted themselves into six small groups. Their skillsets would need to complement each other,... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – Derek Diltz (center), chief engineer in the High Power Microwave Weapon Systems Division at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, tests a low-budget coffee can radar produced by a group of early career scientists and engineers during a Workforce Development Innovation Challenge. (Tierney Kunstmann/NSWCDD Photo)

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