A Lockheed Martin [LMT]-led industry team completed a successful Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Navy’s Communications at Speed and Depth (CSD) program that will deliver real-time, two-way communications to submarines without having to rise to periscope depth, according to the company.
All Navy submarines will be equipped with this capability, which will allow communication among underwater submarines and surface ships, aircraft and land-based assets.
The Lockheed Martin-led team, which includes Massachusetts-based Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems and ERAPSCO, has more than 50 years of experience in the design and development of expendable devices. ERAPSCO, a joint venture between Florida-based Sparton Electronics and Indiana-based Ultra Electronics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of expendable underwater transducer and sensor products for the Navy and its allies, according to Lockheed Martin (Defense Daily, Feb. 3).
Under the program, Lockheed Martin will deliver three types of two-way communications buoys and associated submarine and shore equipment. Two tethered expendable communications buoy systems-for Iridium satellite and UHF communications-will be launched from submarines. The third is an acoustic-to-radio frequency gateway system that can be launched from submarines and aircraft.
Following the successful PDR, the Lockheed Martin team will move into the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase, a vital milestone that must be achieved before hardware manufacturing begins. During the CDR, detailed components and subsystems of the design are assessed to ensure the overall system will meet all U.S. Navy requirements with reliable performance.
Since the January 2009 contract award, the Lockheed Martin-led team has successfully completed an integrated baseline review and system requirements review. “The team has made significant progress to date and is on schedule,” Brent Starr, the Navy’s CSD Principal Acquisition Program Manager, said. “Once fully developed, this capability will be a key contributor to enhance information superiority for the warfighter.”
The Navy’s Communications at Speed and Depth (CSD) program will use expendable submarine and air-launched communications buoys to enable submarines operating below periscope depth and at tactical speeds to communicate with surface ships and land-based assets via satellite networks. All classes of Navy submarines will be equipped with this capability (Defense Daily, Feb, 3).