While recent tests of the mine countermeasures (MCM) mission module aboard a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) were successful, they also identified challenges that need to be overcome, particularly with the unmanned system designed to hunt for mines, Rear Adm. James Murdoch, the executive officer for the LCS program, said.
The Navy deployed a MCM module aboard the USS Independence (LCS-2) for training and testing that began in January and lasted into March out of Panama City, Fla. Now, the Navy is evaluating the results to re-examine the procedures and training involved in operating the MCM package.
“My primary interest in learning from what we’ve learned over the last couple of months is how do I get the procedures right, how do I get the training right, so that this very complex operation becomes routine,” Murdoch said in an interview with Defense Daily this week.
In addition to consisting of helicopters carrying sonar mine detectors and neutralizers, the module for LCS is designed to deploy the Lockheed Martin [LMT]-produced Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV).
The RMMV tows the AN/AQS-20A mine hunting sonar to detect, classify and locate mines. After returning to the ship, it downloads the data so the mine could be subsequently neutralized. The Navy eventually wants the RMMV to be capable of transmitting the data in real time. But, for now, Murdoch said he is working to streamline the system to make it easier to use for sailors after the recent tests showed the new technology has proven to be a challenge.
“This is completely new ground for the crew–absolutely the most challenging thing,” Murdoch said.
Murdoch said the 15-member module crew must run through a long list of check items before launching the RMMV because of the complexities of operating an unmanned system, which would be difficult to recover if it encountered technical problems.
“What we found is that you have got to think differently when you have unmanned vehicles, and you have to think differently with a very small crew,” he said. “You just don’t have some of the alternatives that you might have on a ship with a larger crew.”
He added: “There is nobody on board (the RMMV) to fix it if you have a problem.”
The LCS class comes in two variants, the Independence design built by Austal USA, and the Freedom variant built by Lockheed Martin.
The vessels operate with smaller crews than traditional Navy warships and are intended to carry three mission packages that can be swapped in and out of the ships. In addition to MCM, LCSs will be capable of deploying modules for surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare (ASW). Initial operational capability (IOC) for the MCM and surface packages is scheduled for 2014, with ASW set to hit IOC in 2017.