Cooperative Engagement Capability
Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is a sensor network with integrated
Development
The CEC concept was conceived by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in the early 1970s. The concept was originally called Battle Group Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) Coordination. The first critical at-sea experiment with a system prototype occurred in 1990. The CEC became a Navy acquisition program in 1992.[3]
United States
NIFC-CA
In the future, CEC will form a key pillar of the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) capability,
In a combat situation where the
NIFC-CA relies on the use of data-links to provide every aircraft and ship with a picture of the entire battlespace. Aircraft deploying weapons may not need to control missiles after releasing them, as an E-2D would guide them by a data-stream to the target. Other aircraft are also capable of guiding missiles from other aircraft to any target that is identified as long as they are in range; work on weapons that are more survivable and longer-ranged is underway to increase their effectiveness in the data-link-centric battle strategy. This can allow forward-deployed Super Hornets or Lightning IIs to receive data and launch weapons without needing to even have their own radars active. E-2Ds act as the central node of NIFC-CA to connect the strike group with the carrier, but every aircraft is connected to all others through their own links. Two Advanced Hawkeyes would move data using the tactical targeting network technology (TTNT) waveform to share vast amounts of data over long distances with very low latency. Other aircraft would be connected to the E-2D through
Cooperative engagement also applies to ship-based protective features where Aegis radars of guided missile cruisers and destroyers are linked together into a single network to share data as a whole. This allows targets detected by one ship, as well as those seen by aircraft, to be identified by another ship and fired upon with long-range missiles like the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) without that vessel having to actually detect it themselves. Not needing to fire on targets only once a ship's own sensors see them allows for shorter time needed to shoot, increased standoff distance to begin firing, and enables a whole fleet to intercept threats, like high-speed cruise missiles, once only a single ship sees them.[7]
On September 12, 2016 Lockheed used a separate ground station to relay the F-35's Multi-Function Advanced Data Link (MADL) targeting data to an Aegis system for a SM-6 launch.[8]
Potential countermeasures
There is serious concern among the U.S. Navy that key parts of the CEC can be countered by sophisticated electronics. Russian and Chinese advancements in
It is feared that the stealth F-35C could be targeted by low-frequency radar-guided missiles, like during the
Several important factors made the intercept in 1999 possible, including engagement radars being active for no more than 20 seconds to avoid location by
The F-35C was designed for
France
France has developed its own CEC system tenue de situation multi plateformes (TSMPF)[11]
India
On 15 May 2019, the Indian Navy conducted the maiden cooperative engagement firing of the Barak 8. The firing was undertaken on the Western Seaboard by 2 Kolkata-class destroyers, INS Kochi and INS Chennai wherein the missiles of both ships were controlled by one ship to intercept different aerial targets at extended ranges. The trial was carried out by the Indian Navy, DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries. The capability would be rolled out on all future major warships of the Indian Navy.[12]
The test employed the full Joint Taskforce Coordination (JTC) mode which implements the
The destroyers detected multiple targets using their
Japan
In a Joint test, Japan's Cooperative Engagement Capability allowed JS Maya to detect and track a ballistic missile; JS Haguro shot it down.[13]
See also
References
- ^ "Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) / AN/USG-2(V) Cooperative Engagement Transmission Processing Set".
- ^ "Navy Programs – Ship Self-Defense" (PDF). DOT&E FY2011 Annual Report. dote.osd.mil. pp. 171–174. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
- ^ "JOHNS HOPKINS APL TECHNICAL DIGEST, VOLUME 16, NUMBER 4" (PDF). Johns Hopkins applied physics laboratory. 1995.
- ^ "CEC Cooperative Engagement Capability". navy.mil. United States Navy. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ Majumdar, Dave (December 31, 2013). "Navy: F-35C Will Be Eyes and Ears of the Fleet". usni.org. U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Inside the Navy's Next Air War". USNI News. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ Jr, Sydney J. Freedberg (2014-10-24). "You Spot, I Shoot: Aegis Ships Share Data To Destroy Cruise Missiles". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ "F-35 and Aegis Combat System Successfully Demonstrate Integration Potential in First Live Missile Test". www.lockheedmartin.com. Lockheed Martin. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "Chinese and Russian Radars On Track To See Through U.S. Stealth". USNI News. 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ a b c "The F-35 vs. The VHF Threat". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ "Sûreté de fonctionnement, sécurité des systèmes d'information et survivabilité des systèmes de systèmes" (PDF). Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau".
- ^ Yeo, Mike (2022-11-22). "Japanese destroyers intercept ballistic missiles in tests with US Navy". Defense News. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
External links
- Media related to Cooperative Engagement Capability at Wikimedia Commons