MK-48 ADCAP

Abstract

MK48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) program executes incremental development of weapon performance improvements in three development product areas: (1) Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS), (2) Advanced Processor Builds (APBs), and (3) torpedo technology insertion. The budget enables Acquisition Category (ACAT) III development to address Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) defined capability-based requirements and mission needs. This program is tied to development programs that leverage a joint United States/Australia Armaments Cooperative Project (ACP) to develop MK48 ADCAP CBASS; and Future Naval Capability (FNC) technologies developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Countermeasure (CM) sophistication and availability on the open market directly affects ADCAP kill probability and its ability to counter rapidly evolving threats. The focus of the MK-48 ADCAP torpedo program from FY 2001 and out shifted from being primarily concentrated on software block upgrade efforts towards coordinated hardware upgrades, rapid Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) insertion, and APBs to rapidly upgrade the ADCAP to counter evolving threats and maintain robust performance. The CBASS program developed and fielded a broadband sonar capable of identifying CMs and discriminating them from the target. CBASS Phase I achieved IOC in FY 2006 and Phase II was achieved in 2013. The Commonwealth of Australia Royal Navy (RAN) is jointly participating to develop CBASS APB5 to improve shallow water performance under a signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) extension November 2009. The MOA extension expires Nov 2019. The MK48 ADCAP torpedo program focuses on two specific areas near term; torpedo APBs and hardware tech insertions. The CNO continues to stress shallow water (less than 600 feet) as a critical operating area to counter third world diesel electric submarines. Torpedo testing in shallow water has demonstrated that in-service ADCAP has less than full capability in this difficult environment. However, this testing, in conjunction with laboratory simulation efforts, has shown that significant performance improvements can be made by implementing changes to weapon tactics and software algorithms. Development, implementation, and testing of these changes is being accomplished under the torpedo APB program. The APB program also leverages the RAN joint torpedo program and FNC technologies developed by the ONR in the areas of torpedo broadband signal processing, tactics processing, and alertment. The torpedo tech insertion program will leverage the MK54 Lightweight Torpedo (LWT) algorithms. Further hardware investment involves development of Guidance & Control (G&C) replacement required to support ordinance requirements and development of automated test equipment replacement to improve comprehensive system testing of full up CBASS torpedoes. The torpedo technology insertion program will provide for evolutionary torpedo improvements and upgrades (including the transition and testing of advanced technologies from the Science and Technology community). This approach will incorporate developmental testing of the FNC transitioning technologies for ADCAP upgrades in the areas of torpedo sensors, weapon/platform connectivity, warhead lethality, speed and endurance. These efforts will continue torpedo development investment at a lower cost and shorter term than traditional torpedo programs. APB5 software upgrades are currently in process for MK-48 ADCAP torpedoes. Both FNC technologies and MK-54 LWT developments will be transitioned into ADCAP through APBs and technology insertion packages. Priorities for APBs and technology insertion are: (1) improved torpedo effectiveness through advanced processing algorithms, (2) advanced counter-countermeasure capability, and (3) a new array to improve torpedo effectiveness.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2016
• Source ID: 0205632N_7_1319_PB_2016
• Change Summary Explanation: The FY 2016 funding request was reduced by $1.266 million to account for the availability of prior year execution balances. FY16 was increased to fund the transition of the MK48 Fuze and MK48 ASuW upgrade FNC's which includes requirement documentation to be completed, model updates, software integration, in-water and land-based testing, and performance matrix testing. Hardware and software requirements including: critical item performance specifications, system requirements specification, interface control drawings and interface requirement specifications. Additional in-water run testing and software updates are required as well as Weapons Analysis Facility (WAF) modeling and software updates will have to be incorporated and validated.
• Service Agency Name: Navy

Entities

Organizations

• United States Navy

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Algorithms
• Cost Analysis
• Costs
• Counter Countermeasures
• Developmental Tests
• Engineering
• Naval Operations
• Production
• Shallow Water
• Signal Processing
• Simulations
• Software Development
• Target Detection
• Test And Evaluation
• Test Equipment
• United States
• Water

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
• Naval Mine Countermeasure Systems Development.