CHAPTER 4
COMBAT SYSTEMS
Compared with older combatant ships, today’s
combatants have more, and increasingly complex,
electronics and weapons equipment and systems.
Therefore, changes must be made to the traditional
organization of divisional responsibilities. This means
combining some of the responsibilities of the operations
and weapons departments. Current practice calls for
putting one officer, the combat systems officer, in charge
of all weapon system (all weapons and electronics
subsystems) maintenance. This combines (integrates)
the maintenance of all electronics and makes the ship
more capable of fulfilling its mission. In some
configurations, it is possible that the engineering
department will supply personnel for supporting
systems, such as gyro distribution, cooling systems, and
primary and secondary power.
All subsystems of a combat system–weapons,
search radar, communications, ASW, electronic warfare
and sonar–interface through the NTDS/CDS
subsystems. These collectively compose a “single
shipboard system.”
Figure 4-1 illustrates typical
external components of a combat system.
In the past, technicians were only concerned
with maintaining their assigned equipment so it
operated when it was needed. Under the combat
systems concept, technicians must also ensure the
accuracy of their equipment’s and systems’ outputs
into the combat system. This means that
technicians must cross traditional boundaries and
become familiar with the operation and capabilities
of the overall system. The outputs of combat
system equipment into the combat direction system
(CDS) and weapon system control equipment must
be accurate, or within assigned standards. Without
accurate signals and data, the ship may not be able
to handle its combat mission.
SUBSYSTEMS
Many different subsystems are used aboard the
various U.S. Navy ships. We will use the subsystems
aboard some of the FFG-7 class ships as examples. Our
description is basic (without security compromise), but
it will give you a general idea of how the subsystems
operate and how they are integrated with the rest of the
combat system.
SEARCH RADAR SUBSYSTEM
The search radar subsystem provides primary
surveillance, detection, and tracking data for antiair
warfare and anti surface ship warfare missions. The
following paragraphs functionally describe the combat
system radars, radar recognition, and search radar
repeaters. Search radars include Radar Set
AN/SPS-49(V)4 and Radar Set AN/SPS-55. Radar
identification includes the Air Traffic Control Radar
Beacon System/Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Mk
XII System (AIMS). The search radar repeaters consist
of three AN/SPA-25 indicators.
Search radar subsystem target information used to
detect air and surface targets is provided by
two-dimensional search scans. This information is sent
by the appropriate radar distribution switchboard to user
consoles as video and sweep data. The interrogation
sets, as part of the radar recognition equipment, send IFF
data via the radar distribution equipment to the video
decoders and the beacon video processor.
COMBAT DIRECTION SUBSYSTEM (CDS)
The combat direction system (CDS) subsystem is a
digital computer-based data processing system that
allows the crew to integrate, control, monitor, and make
tactical use of the ship’s weapons systems. It also allows
the use of task force weapons against air, surface, and
subsurface threats. Sensor data from radar, sonar,
countermeasures, and remote communication links are
collected, correlated, and evaluated by the CDS
operational program. The CDS program then develops
and sends recommendations and alerts to the console
operators to enable them to use their sensor and weapon
resources efficiently. The CDS is composed of the
following major equipment groups:
1. CDS data processing group
2. CDS data display group
3. CDS data communications group
4-1
