BAE Systems say they have completed “a huge wave of work” spanning the last two years and culminating in successful sea trials in the last few weeks.
The work has seen Combat Systems teams collaborate and successfully deliver a “super release” of software updates to both Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, “providing them with the latest capabilities required for their Carrier Strike Group and NATO deployments in 2022 and beyond”.
The main updates delivered to the Royal Navy and NATO Flagships are:
- Shared Infrastructure (SI) system updates to host additional mission system capabilities
- Tactical Data Links integration updates to broaden interoperability with task force platforms
- Combat Management System updates to enhance security and performance
According to the firm in a news release:
“Under our seven year Joint Service Support 2 (JSS2) contract, our teams are proud to have partnered with Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and the Royal Navy, providing the latest capability and availability to the mission systems of the UK Royal Navy fleet, ensuring platforms are safe, secure and ready to complete their tasking.”
Steve Carter, Combat Systems Equipment Delivery Director, was quoted as saying:
“These last few months have been incredibly busy preparing this “super release”. Our teams have worked tirelessly to collectively develop, integrate and deliver the required upgrades and updates to the Royal Navy in a short space of time, to bring detailed, complex changes to the mission systems of the QEC Carriers. The most crucial of these updates has been to the Tactical Data Link interfaces, which are critical to enabling the ships’ to communicate and share data with other Royal Navy platforms and allies, essential for ensuring interoperability.”
Commodore Phil Game Royal Navy, Head of DE&S Maritime Combat Systems, was also quoted:
“The Carrier Strike Group deployment last year was hugely successful as a national endeavour, energising our diplomatic, trade and security partnerships. We need to build on this and deliver improved capability to our platforms with pace and agility, as demonstrated in this ‘super release’.”
BAE say that the next stage for their teams is the deployment of the same capability updates to the Type 45 Destroyers who will accompany the QECs on their respective deployments this year.
“The T45 Destroyers’ changes have successfully passed their Factory Acceptance Testing and are now at our Maritime Systems Integration facility undergoing formal Combat System Integration activity ahead of their Platform Harbour and Sea Trials.”
Well done to BAE.
It brings up a load of questions in my mind that maybe knowledgeable people can answer..
Is the TDL the same DLS 1 Mb/sec Link-16 the US are moving to? Will Wildcat get this, or are the needs of aircraft and ships different?
Will the CMS upgrades keep rolling down to T23s, Albions and the Rivers, and is there an issue upgrading forward-based ships?
the Link-16 is an agreed NATO standard. I’ve not heard that the US are developing a faster data-link using Link-16 protocols. If they do, they’ll probably try to encourage NATO to adopt it as a standard for interoperability. Link-16 has a very rigid set of operator protocols that limit the data transmission rate and the amount of data that can be transmitted at any one time. However, by multiple phased waveforms, you can effectively increase the data bandwidth. This was done physically by stacking Link-16 units together (usually up to 4). However, technology has moved on, where a single unit… Read more »
Yes. That’s my understanding of the US upgrades.
“CMN-4 upgrades add three additional receiver channels in the space of today’s one Link-16 channel to enable military ships and ground sites to receive four different messages in one time slot.
It uses the four receiver/synthesizers to receive the first through fourth transmissions in a contention pool to increase Link-16 throughput and contention update rates.”
I’ve just assumed it would allow single messages to be sent multi-channel for speed.
And yes, it looks like it’s been sold to other NATO countries.
US will only sell kit fitted with Link 16 to Partners who operate its intelligence systems. ie F35s, P8s E3s/7s and Hawkeye’s and other such intelligence gathering platforms. they dont like sharing there sniffers
Excellent news, it just goes to show the importance of thoroughly testing new software updates prior to installing them on any platform in order to avoid problems and delays later on.
A job well done by all involved!
There was a time when any meaningful capability enhance meant welding touches, big hunks of steel and cranes. These days they probably turn up with a laptop or two, plug in and press install, or do they still DVD’s?
What it does underline is the importance of information on the modern battlefield, those who know the most and are able to exploit that knowledge have a huge advantage, even if they don’t always deliver the results…
Cheers CR
DVDs! How very last century!. Could be worse it could be mag tape or heaven forbid mylar paper tapes( Showing my age now!) Most command programmes come on a SSD and you upload them to the system. For big software changes there is usually a set way of installing the upgrades. So for instance you need to do the main server/ cabinet upgrade, specific rack upgrades and any individual consoles that need to get upgrades and when all is done its off to sea to identify any features that may appear. On completion you will get a CCU ( Certificate… Read more »
Hi Gunbuster,
As part of my apprenticeship I spent 3 months in the production engineering office producing the programme for an early CNC machine punching holes in sheet metal. It ran on punched paper tape..!
They used to do proving runs at the weekend, my efforts inveriably produces interesting pieces on art work, much to the shop foreman’s amussement 😄
Happy days
CR
Back when I was a baby Tiff on one of the first T22s all of the command programmes for the Surveillance 967 Radar, 910 trackers and CAAIS command system went in on Paper tape. There where reams of the stuff all over the place !
Probably shouldn’t be tempting fate here but Bae seem to be doing rather crucial, effective and high end work in software both sides of the pond these days on various platforms. Seems promising for Tempest and other future projects.
I think it’s called learning from other peoples mistakes! “The PYRAMID programme delivers operational advantage, freedom of action, and reduces the time and cost in implementing enhancements required to introduce new capabilities or to counter emerging threats. PYRAMID is critical to counter the impact of increasing complexity and cost of software in combat air systems and deliver capability to the war-fighter at pace.” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pyramid “The battlespace in which air forces will operate in the future continues to change and evolve. To meet threats we don’t even yet know about, we must create a next-generation air combat system which is agile,… Read more »
I would also add, easy to integrate different and new weapon systems on. Major flaw with the F35 capabilities.
Is the problem with the f35 not more the air testing of weapons, clearances, checking the weapon doesn’t hit aircraft etc. Perhaps Lockheed or the US government made it harder on purpose so it has to be paid to them to sort it.
I’ve not heard of any quick or easy weapon integration on an aircraft. Great news for carriers and fleet. The carrier has the fleet commanders on it and is the tallest mast in the fleet
Will that Anglo-Japanese upgrade of Meteor need as long to integrate as Meteor?
I am hoping it won’t. It all depends on when the integration of the missile and Mitsubishi’s AESA radar goes ahead. I know the missile is having the rear steering fins redesigned, so it can fit in the F35B’s internal bay. If the missile gets integrated with the aircraft before the new seeker is fitted. It “shouldn’t” need another new set of release trials, as aerodynamically nothing has changed. The major difference will be when does the radar go active at BVR? So there will probably be trials at determining how it will be used. As compared to the legacy… Read more »
Agreed, see my latest comment in this thread.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-jets-grapple-with-more-than-50-aircraft-over-north-sea/
Just shows the importance of cyber warfare in the modern world as platforms become more interlinked and share information they become more vulnerable offensive cyber attacks and the need for updated security is as important as soft and hard kill defensive systems.
We live in a world where offensive cyber Against millitary and civilian infrastructure and capacity will be the first wave of any peer war or even asymmetric conflict ( North Korea vs US ect).
A military data link and command system is nothing like a home computer or even a work network. The encryption and security features along with the fact that its pretty bespoke limit the ability to get it broken into. The easiest way to compromise a system is to have someone put malware on it by physically being at the system and loading up the malware. Limiting access to systems to authorised personnel, locking down access ports, heavy password and authentication systems and general good SYOPS processes limit the chance of a successful cyber attack. The worst cyber incident the western… Read more »
Would this be the tactical data link that might let them talk to the Wildcats, once they get that upgrade? Or is it another one? I presume they can already talk to their organic F-35Bs via MADL?
Or might this be a reference to something that would allow CEC, especially as they reference T45 in there too? I understand we have some kind of ability to do this already, but from what I’d heard it was more of a workaround than a proper system that allowed delivered a comprehenisive battlegroup-wide picture of all sensors in the network.
Good question. I remember some years ago questions being asked in the House about the carriers not having MADL and having to use Link-16. I’d hope that was sorted before IOC was declared, but a quick search hasn’t brought up any confirmation.
I’d be pretty disappointed if they didn’t have MADL, especially with the USMC on board too. But I wouldn’t put it past the MOD…
It is good that BAE have been able to deploy a security upgrade to a complex weapon system such as the Carriers. Those with long memories will recall that the Vanguard CASD used an obsolete upatched version of Windows XP to operate the Trident missile launch and targeting system. As this software had worked well during the periodic test firings of the Trident D5, the MoD deemed that patching it to the latest standard was an unnecessary and expensive risk. Until some bright spark decided that submariners in the modern Silent Service should have access to email. Of course, the… Read more »
I hope they improve ships defensive hardware.
I see the Japanese have tasked that job out to their minions:
https://i.postimg.cc/0QMP9p01/FK-Wn3ga-IAQbzwo.jpg
More here
Hi Jonno, yes, it would be great to hear about if any RWS and or trainable decoy launchers will be added to the carriers.
Shame that the one thing that is largely missing is the aircraft to go on the carriers. When are our governments going to realize that a sufficiently large and capable navy and military give credence to a large economy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/smvdj8/nato_tricarrier_exercise_in_the_mediterranean/
Windows 11 Sorry couldnt help it