Advanced Electronics Manufacturing - Advanced RF Packaging
Abstract
This effort applies an existing radar system already in production to satisfy a low-cost, open-architecture radar requirement for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. This program will reduce the cost of the current radar system by $1M per ship set, and will fit into the existing TRS-3D top side and below decks available footprint. The open architecture configuration will allow upgrades for new technologies over the lifetime of the program as well as offer lower cost via the potential for open competition for the radar’s building blocks. Radar manufacturing and support capability will be transferred from a foreign company to a domestic company and facility. Transmit/Receive (T/R) module packaging cost will be reduced through near-hermetic, commercial Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) packaging and automated Surface Mount Technology (SMT) assembly techniques, reducing touch labor costs. Model Based Enterprise (MBE) concepts will be integrated to ensure supportability and technology refresh via an Intelligent Technical Data Package. The commercial packaging effort for T/R module components as a part of this program will have a direct impact on the Volume Search Radar (VSR) on CVN-79 – creating a $1M/hull cost savings for the Navy. This effort will provide the Navy with the first truly open architecture radar solution that will be able to accommodate different Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technologies, Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) technologies, processor, and power supplies from multiple vendors. The system will use fiber optics to connect the above-deck equipment (antenna) with the below-deck equipment (signal processing and control) which will allow greater flexibility in location of below-deck equipment (allowing a lower center of gravity and thus improved ship stability).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- be7d68cd70bb77c77124fbe48cfc88c0