564 JOHNS HOPKINS APL TECHNICAL DIGEST, VOLUME 22, NUMBER 4 (2001) T Evolved Seasparrow Missile Program R. Kelly Frazer, James M. Hanson Jr., Michael J. Leumas, Clifford L. Ratliff, Olivia M. Reinecke, and Charles L. Roe he multinational effort to develop and field the Evolved Seasparrow Missile is nearing completion. The effort, supported by a consortium of the United States and allied nations, is a significant improvement to the existing Sparrow Missile. It will provide the fleets of these nations with an anti-missile capability against existing and projected threats that possess low-altitude, higher-velocity, and maneuver capabilities that stress present systems. This article traces the Evolved Seasparrow Missile’s development from early definition efforts through engineering and manufacturing development into production transition and com- pletion of the present at-sea developmental and operational testing that will prove its capa- bilities to support consortium fleet missions. PROGRAM BACKGROUND The NATO Seasparrow Consortium grew out of a unique Memorandum of Understanding first signed 34 years ago by the United States and three NATO allies to develop and field a state-of-the-art shipborne self- defense system to counter the threats to their navies posed by anti-ship weapons. 1 The sinking of the Israeli destroyer Elath in 1967 by an anti-ship missile provided even more impetus for the NATO Seasparrow program, and additional countries joined the consortium, which now has 13 members. The number of deployed systems has grown to 74 systems on four U.S. Navy (USN) ship classes and 81 systems on 19 ship classes of the other consortium navies. The NATO Seasparrow Surface Missile System (NSSMS) used a variant of the AIM-7 air-launched Sparrow (designated RIM-7) with folded wings, modi- fied for launch from a shipboard launching system. 2 The RIM-7, while designed to counter the threats of the 1970s, was limited by rocket motor size in its ability to meet the evolving threat. At the 53rd NATO Seas- parrow Project Steering Committee meeting in Troms, Norway, in April 1991, the NATO Seasparrow Project Office (NSPO) presented a proposal to build an Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) (Fig. 1) for improved per- formance against very fast and maneuvering low-altitude threats. 3 This kinematic improvement would be accom- plished by adding a rocket motor of increased diameter to the existing smaller-diameter missile seeker. The ESSM would be capable of quick start, provide the ability to receive missile guidance and head-pointing orders by either S-band or X-band transmission, and ensure com- patibility with all existing NSSMS launching systems (Mk 41 Vertical Launching System [VLS], Mk 48 Guided Missile VLS, and Mk 29 Guided Missile Launching System), both vertical and trainable variants. A new warhead was later proposed and incorporated into the
R. Kelly Frazer, James M. Hanson Jr., Michael J. Leumas, Clifford L. Ratliff, Olivia M. Reinecke, and Charles L. Roe
hemultinationalefforttodevelopandfieldtheEvolvedSeasparrowMissileisnearingcompletion.Theeffort,supportedbyaconsortiumoftheUnitedStatesandalliednations,isasignificantimprovementtotheexistingSparrowMissile.Itwillprovidethefleetsofthesenationswithananti-missilecapabilityagainstexistingandprojected threats thatpossesslow-altitude, higher-velocity, and maneuver capabilities that stress present systems. Thisarticle traces the Evolved Seasparrow Missile’s development from early definition effortsthroughengineeringandmanufacturingdevelopmentintoproductiontransitionandcom-pletionofthepresentat-seadevelopmentalandoperationaltestingthatwillproveitscapa-bilitiestosupportconsortiumfleetmissions.
PROGRAM BACKGROUNDThe NATO Seasparrow Consortium grew out of a
uniqueMemorandumofUnderstandingfirstsigned34yearsagobytheUnitedStatesandthreeNATOalliesto develop and field a state-of-the-art shipborne self-defense system to counter the threats to their naviesposedbyanti-shipweapons.1ThesinkingoftheIsraelidestroyerElathin1967byananti-shipmissileprovidedevenmoreimpetusfortheNATOSeasparrowprogram,andadditionalcountriesjoinedtheconsortium,whichnowhas13members.Thenumberofdeployedsystemshasgrownto74systemsonfourU.S.Navy(USN)shipclasses and81 systemson19 shipclassesof theotherconsortiumnavies.
The NATO Seasparrow Surface Missile System(NSSMS) used a variant of the AIM-7 air-launchedSparrow (designated RIM-7) with folded wings, modi-fiedforlaunchfromashipboardlaunchingsystem.2TheRIM-7, while designed to counter the threats of the
1970s, was limited by rocket motor size in its abilitytomeettheevolvingthreat.Atthe53rdNATOSeas-parrowProjectSteeringCommitteemeetinginTroms,Norway, inApril1991,theNATOSeasparrowProjectOffice(NSPO)presentedaproposaltobuildanEvolvedSeasparrow Missile (ESSM) (Fig. 1) for improved per-formanceagainstveryfastandmaneuveringlow-altitudethreats.3Thiskinematicimprovementwouldbeaccom-plishedbyaddingarocketmotorofincreaseddiametertotheexistingsmaller-diametermissileseeker.TheESSMwould be capable of quick start, provide the ability toreceive missile guidance and head-pointing orders byeitherS-bandorX-bandtransmission,andensurecom-patibility with all existing NSSMS launching systems(Mk41VerticalLaunchingSystem[VLS],Mk48GuidedMissile VLS, and Mk 29 Guided Missile LaunchingSystem), both vertical and trainable variants. A newwarhead was later proposed and incorporated into the
The CDP identified a number of developmentalitems,amongwhichwasdevelopmentofanall-up-roundmissile capable of home-all-the-way guidance such asSeasparrow currently uses. In addition, S-band andX-bandversionsofESSMwouldsatisfyAegisandactivephasedarrayradar(APAR)requirements.Anotherlineitemaddressedquad-packcapabilityfortheMk41VLS.Alltheseeffortswouldgoforwardsimultaneously,withRaytheon,asprimecontractor,leadinganinternationalteamofindustrieswithassistancefromvariousgovern-mentlaboratoriesandothersupportorganizations.
EngineeringandmanufacturingdevelopmentbeganinJuly1995.Theinternationalindustryteamincludeda rosterofcompanies fromthenations supporting thedevelopment(bynownumbering10).Developmentwasdone under DoD-mandated integrated product devel-opment guidelineswhereby IntegratedProductTeams(IPTs) are given task assignments to develop variouscomponentpartsofthesystemandareresponsibleforallaspectsof theelement, includingengineering, testing,schedule,andcosts.TheIPTsbringtogetherpeoplefromthevariousengineeringdisciplinesaswellas specialtygroups (e.g., reliability,maintainability, safety, qualityassurance).ThemembershipoftheIPTsincludedpar-ticipants from the international industries as well asgovernmentanduniversitylaboratoriesandgovernmentrepresentatives.
Concurrently, a System Integration IPT was char-teredtoensuretheintegrationofthedeliveredsubsys-temsintoanall-up-roundmissileandthatthedeliveredround would integrate and function with the various
ATestandEvaluationIPTwassimilarlydevelopingaTestandEvaluationMasterPlan(TEMP).4Eachcom-ponentoftheESSMwasdocumentedinthePrimeItemDevelopmentSpecification.Testingtoverifyeachunitwas specified in the Prime Item Development Speci-fication and was further amplified through test plansandprocedures.5AseparateTEMPspelledoutsystem-levelandinterfacetestingalongwithpass/failcriteria.In November 1997, the program reached its CriticalDesign Review and received conditional approval toproceed.Someitemsofhighriskwereidentified(nota-blytheX-bandinterruptedcontinuouswaveillumina-tor[ICWI],whichisdiscussedlater),aswereotherele-mentsoftheprogramthattheprimecontractoragreedtoresolvebeforemovingon.
A series of contractor tests, including fit and formtesting and blast test vehicles, gave the developmentteamconfidencethattheproblemswerebeingaddressedand issueswerebeing solved. In1998, controlled testvehicles(CTVs)andguidedtestvehicles(GTVs)wereassessedataland-basedtestsite(LBTS),andinApril2001theprogramenteredtheat-seaphaseofdevelop-mentalandoperationaltestingasdescribednext.
DEVELOPMENTTheNSPOmanagestheESSMprogramonbehalfof
theNATOSeasparrowConsortium.RaytheonMissileSystemsCompanyinTucson,Arizona,istheprimecon-tractor, leadinga teamof industrialpartners from theparticipating nations. The Naval Air Warfare CenterWeaponsDivision,ChinaLake(NAWCWPNS/CL),isthe technical direction agent. In its role as technicaladvisortoNSPO,APLhasperformedspecialengineer-inginvestigationsandanalysesasdirectedbytheNSPOandhasservedonseveralIPTs,especiallyastheyrelatetosystemintegration.6APL’sroleinX-bandandS-banddevelopmentandintegrationisdelineatedlater.
During the CDP, APL developed a study planthatoutlinedfeasibilitystudiestodelineatetheESSMdesign.7 NAWCWPNS/CL undertook studies thatfocused on the nonforeign elements of the guidanceand control sections. Various contractors looked intoproblemsoflaunchercompatibility.TheLaboratory,insupportoftheCDP,providedrecommendationstotheAegisProgramOffice,which identifiedAegisCombatSystemcommunicationlinkrequirementsfortheU.S.versionoftheESSMS-bandvariant.APLalsoinvesti-gatedX-bandtransmissionfeasibilityandcompatibility.Lengthandweightrestrictionswereidentified,andafterextensiveweight,moment,andmasspropertyanalyses,APLadvisedtheNSPOandAegisProgramOfficethattheMk41VLScouldaccommodatefourESSMsquad-packedintoasinglecellofthelauncher.
Figure 1. Evolved Seasparrow Missile. The kinematic improve‑ment of the ESSM adds a 10‑in.‑dia. rocket motor that can be launched from all consortium launching systems and can fit four to an Mk 41 VLS cell. Missile guidance options and an improved war‑head provide additional capabilities for this newest self‑defense weapon.
Early in engineering and manufacturing develop-ment,APLwastaskedtoevaluatethestatusofaero-dynamicmodeldevelopmentforESSM.Uponexam-ination of the wind tunnel Phase I aerodynamicstabilitytests,itwasconcludedthattheaerodynamicdatabasewasinadequatetodevelopahigh-fidelity,fullycoupled six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) aerodynamicmathmodel.Theriskofpotentialflightfailurecouldoccurwiththeexistinglimitedrollangle,taildeflec-tion, and Mach number coverage over the intendedflightregime.TheNSPOacceptedAPL’srecommen-dationsforadditional(PhaseII)windtunneltestingtomitigatetheaerodynamicmodelriskstatus.TheLabo-ratoryworkedwithRaytheon todesigna testmatrixandparticipatedintestingattheNationalTechnicalSystems’windtunnelfacilityinRyeCanyon,Califor-nia.Inacquiringthisadditionalaerodynamicdata,theissueaddressedwascontrol-inducedcross-couplingbytesting with more tail combinations and finer Machnumberincrementsacrossthespeedregime.APLalsorecommended that Raytheon incorporate modelingcharacteristicstoaccountforasymmetricvortexshed-dingduringpitchoverandmid-speedMachrange,aswellasforrocketplumeinteractions.
CTV and GTV launches were planned from theDesertShipLaunchComplexatWhiteSandsMissileRange(WSMR).InitscontinuingWSMRroleintheMissile Systems and Combat Systems DevelopmentGroup, APL worked with the Naval Surface WarfareCenter,PortHuenemeDivision,andwithRaytheontodesign the software to control these early test flights.APLalsoworkedwithWSMRRangeSafetyandTar-gets personnel to set up the testing and contributedtoTestReadinessReviews.Several blast test vehiclesshowedthefeasibilityoffiringfromeachoftheseverallaunchers.ThefirstCTVwasfiredsuccessfullyfromtheLaunchComplexon17September1998.Controlactu-atorassembliesandautopilotdesignweretheprincipalengineeringchallengestoovercomeduringearlyflights.AnearlyCTVtestflightisshowninFig.2.
Duringtheflighttestprogram,rangedatasuggestedthatradomefailureshadoccurredonCTV-2,GTV-2,and GTV-3. A Failure Investigation Review Board(FIRB) was convened by NSPO in August 2000 todetermine the root cause of these failures. The FIRBwas chaired by Raytheon and directly involved stafffrom NAWCWPNS/CL, NSWC/Carderock Division,andAPL.
The ESSM radome is made of Pyroceram 9606, aglass ceramic material cast and fired by the CorningCorporation, Corning, New York. Two different pro-cesseshavebeenusedtofinishtheradomeblanks,onedevelopedby theRaytheonCompanyat theirBristol,Tennessee,facilities,andthesecondbyCorningattheirCanton, New York, facility. These two finishing pro-cesses produce radomes that are geometrically similar
except for significant details at the radome tip: Ray-theon-finisheddomesfeatureamonolithicinnersurfacethatisgroundwithfixedabrasivewheels,whereastheCorning surface is lappedwitha siliconcarbide slurryand metal lapping tools. The Corning design is notmonolithic: a smallhole is drilled at the tip to admitthelappingcompound,andaPyroceramtipisinstalledwith ceramic adhesive. The lapped surface is signifi-cantly smoother than the wheel-ground surface pro-duced by Raytheon. When the radome is subjectedto the rapid aerothermal heating that occurs duringboost phase flight, the resulting stress distributionsintheradometipdependonthesignificantgeometricdifferences.
APL’sanalysisoftheRaytheondesignshowedthattheprincipaltensilestressacteddirectlyacrosstheroughcircumferentialgrindingmarks,whichwouldresultinarelativelylowultimatestrength.FortheCorningfinish-ing technique, the direction of principal tensile stresswas aligned with the much smoother finishing marks,whichshouldproduceastrengthmorereflectiveoftheintrinsic material, and not due to the damage doneto the surface by coarse grinding. APL also analyzedtheradome-to-missileattachmentarea,whichhadbeensuggested by Raytheon as a possible weak area; thisanalysis indicatedthat theattachmentregionwasnotbeingoverstressed.TheAPL structural analysis estab-lishedafirmbasis forestimatingtherootcauseof thethreeESSMflightfailuresasradometipthermalshockofrough-groundRaytheonfinishedunits.Ofsignificant
Figure 2. Controlled Test Vehicle 3. The ESSM is launched from an Mk 41 VLS in a quad‑pack configuration. This will be the primary launching system for ESSM aboard several consortium ships, including Aegis.
APL proposed to validate the analytic conclusionsbysubjectingtacticalhardwaretooverlystressingther-mal conditions in a well-instrumented ground test.Raytheon delivered 10 tactical versions of the ESSMradome,equippedwithattachmentsleevesandthermalstressinstrumentation.The10unitsweredividedevenlybetween the two finishing styles. APL developed andcarried out the experiments using the National SolarThermalTestFacility,whichisownedbytheDepart-mentofEnergy,locatedonthegroundsoftheKirtlandAirForceBase,Albuquerque,NewMexico,andoper-atedbySandiaNationalLaboratories.ESSMradomeswere mounted at the focal point of the solar furnacebehindaremotelyactivated,water-cooledshutter.Uponcommand,theshutteropenedrapidlyandtheradomewassuddenlyexposedtothehighradiantheatflux.Theradomes were painted black to assure the most rapidpossible absorptionof the solar energyonto theoutersurface.Thermalstressesundertheseconditionspeakinabout4s,atwhichtimetheinnerwalloftheradomeexperiencesmaximumtensilestressbutverylittlether-malrise.
All of the radomes tested were fractured, and mostofthesefailedinthetiparea.Therewasacleardistinc-tion between the failure stress level of the Raytheon-finished radomes and those finished by Corning, withthelatterbeingthemostcapable.Thetestarrangementallowed the fractured pieces to be retrieved and sub-sequently inspected microscopically. These inspectionsshowed that the Raytheon radomes failed because ofgrinding flaws at the inner surface. For the Corning-finished radomes, the failures were seen to originate atlocationswithinthetipmaterial,specificallynotassoci-atedwithasurfaceflaw.Thesemosttellingresultsaboutwhere the critical stresses act, coupled with the signalsproduced by the instrumentation, both correlated verywellwiththepretestpredictions.Consequently,APLrec-ommended thatonlyCorning-finished radomesbeusedforESSM.SubsequentGTVflightsweresuccessful.
ThenumericalmodelswereusedbyRaytheontopre-dictworst-caseflightradomeresponsesoverawidevari-etyoftargetinterceptpoints.Inallcasesthestresspre-dicted fell below the ultimate strength demonstratedfromthesolarfurnacetestsforCorning-finishedunits,althoughthemarginofsafetywassomewhatbelowthevalueof1.25commonlyused.APLalsourgedRaytheontoimprovethethermalshockscreeningprocedureusedforallradomes.Previously,thethermalshockscreeningconductedbyCorningwascalibrated toapproach themuchlowerSeasparrowlevels;alterationsweremadebyRaytheonandCorningtoraisethelevelsmorecloselytoESSMlevels.OverallsystemreliabilityusingCorn-ing-finishedradomes,subjecttotheaugmentedthermalshockscreening,isnowestimatedtobeabove0.98.
In 1996, the NSPO embarked on a program toupgradetheNSSMSthatencompassednewconsoles,a new signal data processor, hosting of the NSSMScomputerprogramindistributedmicroprocessors,andanewsolid-statetransmitter.ElementsoftheRearchi-tectured NSSMS (RNSSMS) were available duringthe timeframe that ESSM was to undergo technicalandoperationaltestingontheSelf-DefenseTestShip(SDTS) in the spring of 2001. APL had previouslyinstalled remote systems on the SDTS to operatetheTargetAcquisitionSystemandNSSMSandhadled the effort to test the Ship Self-Defense SystemandRollingAirframeMissileBlockIGuidedMissileWeaponSystemonboardtheSDTS(seerelatedarti-cles,thisissue).AdecisionwasmadetobringthefirstproductionRNSSMSonboardtheSDTSanduseittofiretheESSMduringat-seatesting.
TheLaboratoryadvisedtheNSPOthataMulti-Sen-sorIntegrationandTrackingSystem(MSITS)speciallytailoredtothesensorsuiteoftheSDTSwouldensurethetimelydetectionanddesignationoftrackstoESSM.APLworkedwiththeESSMAt-SeaWorkingGrouptoconfigurethecombatsystemandwiththeESSMSce-narioWorkingGrouptoperformpredictiveanalysisofthe planned firings. Several combat system configura-tion options were considered. The configuration thatmostoptimallyincorporatedtheSDTSsensorsuiteandsupportedtheESSMschedulewasonethatintegratedthe Ship Self-Defense System and SWY (RNSSMSand Target Acquisition System) combat systems viathe MSITS (Fig. 3). RNSSMS ESSM modificationsincluded automatic cross-coupling and slaving capa-bility to maintain tracker/illuminator illumination ontargetduringmultipathfadesandcompositetrackfor-mulation that provides best-quality track data. Theseimprovements incombat system integration translatesintoimprovedmissilesupport.
With a successful CTV/GTV test series accom-plished,theESSMprogrambeganat-seatestingontheSDTSwiththefirstfiringon5April2001,followedbyasecondfiringon13September2001.Thesedevelop-mentalandoperationaltestsweredesignedtodemon-strateESSMinsea-basedfiringsagainststressingtargetsusing production-representative missiles. The operat-ingenvironmentisrealisticintermsoftheconditionsexpectedduringusualFleetoperations.Thesefirsttestsexhibited missile flight anomalies that are currentlybeinginvestigatedbyananalyticalteamthatincludesAPL.However,theMSITSwasshowntohaveproperlycorrelatedandcombinedsensordatatoprovideaccu-rateinitialdesignationandilluminationsupportfortheentireengagement.
aboardtheirnewestandmostcapableships.Ithastheability to acquire several threats and simultaneouslydirectandprovideilluminationtomultipleESSMs(aswellasStandardMissiles)tointerceptthosethreats.Inparticular,TheNetherlandsonitsL-class frigateandGermany on its F124-class frigate will combine thisequipmentalongwiththeMk41VLS,SIRIUSInfra-redSystem,andnewdistributedcommandandcontrolelements to achieve a total anti-air warfare (AAW)capability unique among consortium navies. At therequestoftheNSPO,APLhadworkedwiththeDutch,German, and Canadian navies and with competingindustries during the CDP to define X-band ICWIrequirements.Theresultingdocumentwasprovidedasgovernment-furnished information in thecontractasguidancefortheX-bandICWIdevelopment.8DuringCritical Design Review, the Executive Panel notedthatICWIdevelopmentwasnotonlylaggingbehindtheotherelementsbutalsothatseveralhigh-riskfac-torswerestillidentifiedthathadnotbeensatisfactorilyaddressed.TheprimecontractorputadditionaleffortsintoaplantofieldtheICWI-capableESSMintimetomeetthecriticalscheduleoftheAPARcountries.
TheAPARprogramidentifiedtheneedtoperformacomprehensivesetofteststoprovethecompatibilityof the APAR/ESSM interface. APL had already pro-videdplanningforAPARandStandardMissileICWIProgram(SMIP)interfacetestingfortheseshipclasses.ThattestingwouldculminatewithaseriesofCaptiveCarry flights of the Standard Missile guidance hard-ware and software in a mechanical pod carried underthewingofaLearjet.TheProgramManagementTeamoverseeingtheintegrationeffortoftheseshipsexpressedthe need to provide a similar program of integrationstudiesandCaptiveCarryflightsforAPARandESSM.APL formulated a plan whereby the Standard MissileandESSMCaptiveCarryflightscouldbecoordinatedand performed during several coincident time periodsfrom2000to2003foranoverallcostsavingsinaircraftservices and contractor support needed at the LBTSinDenHelder,TheNetherlands,andfirst-of-ship-classtesting in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Specific objec-tivesoftheprogramaretoexerciseSMIPseekercompo-nentsandESSMguidanceandtransitionsectioncom-ponentsandtoverifythecompatibilityofAPARICWIanduplinkinterfacesinapplicableguidancemodesand
Figure 3. Self‑Defense Test Ship Combat System configuration. A series of test and evaluation firings against stressing targets will verify operational suitability of the ESSM for Fleet introduction and full‑rate production decisions.
FDDInetwork
SSDS(Raytheon/APL)
TAS SWY‑1(Raytheon/NSWC PHD)
RNSSMS(Raytheon)
RTFCnetwork
RAM
SLQ‑32WIAC
Consoles
Shipsdata
Console Consoles
Not necessary for ESSM testing
LIP
Launcher
AN/SPS‑49A(V)surveillance radar
Mk 23 TASsurveillance radar
Mk 95 fire controltracking radars
EDS designationMissile orders (range)TI illumination support
Figure 4. Learjet configuration for Captive Carry testing. The ESSM guidance and transition sections were repackaged into a pod carried beneath the wing of a Learjet. These were flown at the LBTS in Den Helder, The Netherlands, to verify compatibility of APAR ICWI and uplink interfaces with ESSM.
guidancephaseswithSMIPandESSMunderreal-worldenvironmentalandelectroniccountermeasurescondi-tions. APL provided a detailed Captive Carry TestPlan for a coordinated approach to these tests andchairedacombinedCaptiveCarryWorkingGrouptoaddressflightplanning,buildupofelectronicpods,datareductionrequirements,andenvironmentalassessment.Figure4illustratestheESSMpodconfigurationontheLearjet.
The first of the planned ESSM/APAR CaptiveCarrytests,designatedCC1,washeldinJuly2000inTheNetherlands.APLconductedflightoperationsoutoftheValkenburgNavalAirStationusingtheESSMpoddevelopedjointlybetweenNAWCWPNS/CLandAPLandLearjetservicesprovidedbyFlightInterna-tionalundersubcontracttoAPL(Fig.4).TheAPARLBTSinDenHeldercontainedtheengineeringdevel-opmentmodelof the radarand theAAWcomputersystems.TheLaboratorywasresponsiblefordevelop-ingandoperatingtheinstrumentationequipmentandsoftwareontheLearjettocontrolthepodandrecordthe telemetry signals from it. As part of this effort,APLproducedalimitedreal-timetelemetrydisplayforESSMandbuiltasystemtoinitializethemissileusingdatafromawirelesslinktotheAAWsystem.Inaddi-tion,APLprovidedthetestconductorusingthetestplandevelopedearlierforbothSMIPandESSMCap-tiveCarrytesting,thesameaircraft,andsomeofthesameinstrumentationandpersonnel.
The objectives of CC1 included verifying that(1) proper uplink communications existed betweenAPARandthemissile,(2)theilluminationwaveformwas within the specifications, (3) the missile’s rearreceivercouldsynchronizetotheICWIwaveformandtransition into the terminal homing phase, and (4)thetargetcouldbetrackedinclutterusingtheAPARwaveform for illumination.Nineflightsof about3heach were conducted over a 1-week period. About117 simulated missile engagements conducted were
considered to be valid by the data analysts. Becauseof limitations of the ESSM software available at thetimeofthetest,thetestobjectiveswereonlypartiallymet.Targettrackingwasdisabled inthemissilesoft-waredeliveredbyRaytheon forCC1,but itwas stillproventhattheAPARuplinkandilluminationwave-formswerecorrect.Duringtechnicalreviewmeetingsinthemonthsfollowingthetest,troublereportswereproducedforalloftheanomaliesthatwereobserved,andanumberofsoftwareglitcheshavebeenfixed.ThesecondCaptiveCarrytestwillprovidetheopportunitytotestthesefixeswithfulltargettrackingimplementedandtoaddothersystemcomponentssuchasthemis-sileinterfacecabinetintotheequation.
S‑BAND AND CONTINUOUS WAVE ILLUMINATION VARIANT
In 1993, the Aegis Program Technical DirectorbecametheprimaryUSNofficefortheintegrationofaUSNsurfacecombatantself-defensemissilesystem.Asaresult,theAPLAegisProgramOfficeprovidedtechnicalguidance toward full integrationof theAegisCombatSystemwiththeNSPO-developedESSM.Accordingly,theAegisESSMvariantfortheUSNis fullycompat-iblewithexistingAegisCombatSystemandVLSinter-faces.
TheS-bandvariantofESSM,designedforusewiththe Aegis Weapon System (AWS), uses an S-bandtransceiverthatallowsittoreceivemidcourseguidancecommands from the Aegis SPY-1D S-band radar andtransmit missile status information back to the ship.In addition to the difference in operating frequency,theS-bandvariantdiffersfromtheX-bandICWIvari-antinusingX-bandCWIsuppliedbytheMk99CWIFireControlSystemduringthemissileterminalhomingphaseofflight.ItiscurrentlytheonlyvariantscheduledforuseinUSNshipsandisscheduledfordeploymentonAegisFlightIIAdestroyers,beginningwithUSSShoup(DDG86).ThreeS-bandroundshavebeensuccessfullyflight-testedatWSMR,andpreparationsareunderwayforTECHEVALandOPEVALfiringsfromUSSShoupinfiscalyear2003.
In a major upgrade to the Aegis Combat System,Baseline6PhaseIIIisbeingreadiedtosupporttheuseof ESSM. As technical advisor to the Aegis ProgramOffice,APLwastaskedwithassistingLockheedMartin,thecombatsystemdesignagentforAegis,withoverallmissile integration with the AWS, ensuring compati-bilityoftheAegiscommandguidancesystemwiththeU.S. variant of ESSM, and developing the WeaponControl System selection logic, Fire Control Systemlogic, salvo spacing policy, and VLS integration forBaseline6Phase III.Toperform these tasks,APL, atthe direction of the Aegis technical director, devel-opedanAWS/ESSM6-DOFsimulationcomparablein
fidelity to the existing Aegis/Standard Missile 6-DOFsimulations.Threeyearsinthemaking,thesimulationincorporates detailed models of all ESSM subsystemsandadaptsAegisCombatSystemmodelscurrentlysup-porting the Standard Missile simulations along withhigh-fidelitymodelsofradio-frequencyelectroniccoun-termeasures, multipath, and clutter. In addition tosupporting the combat system development and inte-grationwork,itwillsupportflighttestscenariogener-ation and combat system performance analysis of theAegisBaseline6PhaseIIITECHEVALandOPEVALandsubsequentAegisCombatSystemShipQualifica-tionTrials.APLhasparticipatedactivelyintheAegis/ESSMSystemIntegrationIPT,assistingintheresolu-tion of combat system/missile interface issues, defini-tionofWSMRflighttestscenarios,andcertificationofproper operation of the Desert Ship Operational Pro-gramfortheWSMRESSMflighttests.
currentlyapprovedforlow-rateinitialproduction,withfull-rateproductionplannedfor2004.ThefirstroundswillbedeliveredtotheMk41VLS-equippedshipsoftheAustralianNavyANZACclassinearly2002,withat-seafiringstofollow.AegisFlightIIAdestroyers,theNorwegianF2000classfrigate,theSpanishF100class,the Hellenic Navy’s Hydra class, the Turkish Navy’sTrack IIB ships, the Danish Navy’s P550 and F354classes, the Canadian Navy’s Halifax class, and theDutch L class and German F124 class frigates will beprovided with the ESSM capability soon afterward.ESSMwillprovidetheconsortiumnavieswithagreatlyimprovedself-defenseagainstanti-shipmissilethreats.Thiscooperativeinternationaleffortshowswhatcanbedonewhenthealliednaviesbringtogethertheirjointcapabilitiestoaddressadifficultproblem.
Figure 5. ESSM firing from the Self‑Defense Test Ship. This was the first at‑sea launch of ESSM from an Mk 29 trainable launcher aboard the SDTS. It was also the first of a series of at‑sea developmental and operational firings of the ESSM following a successful CTV/GTV test program.
REFERENCES 1Memorandum of Understanding for International Development of the
NATO Seasparrow Surface Missile System (NSSMS),NATOSeaspar-rowProjectOffice,Washington,DC(1967).
R. KELLY FRAZER, a member of APL’s Principal Professional Staff in ADSD,receivedaB.S.M.E.fromCarnegieInstituteofTechnologyin1966andanM.S.M.E.fromCarnegieMellonUniversityin1968.HeisSupervisoroftheThermalAnalysisSectionandAssistantSupervisoroftheMechanicalandAeronauticalEngineeringGroup.Mr.Frazerhasperformedaerodynamicheatinganalysesonsupersonicmis-silesthroughouthiscareeratAPL,specializinginanalysisandtestingofthether-malstressresponseofmissileseekerwindows.Hehassupportedresearch,develop-ment,testing,andevaluationofradomesfortheNavyStandardMissile-2(SM-2),theArmyTheaterHighAltitudeAreaDefensemissile, theAirForceAdvancedMediumRangeAir-to-AirMissile, and theArmyPatriotAdvancedCapability-3MissileinadditiontotheESSM.InrecentyearshehasdevotedconsiderabletimetothedesignandconductofreliabilitydemonstrationtestsintheAPLwindtunnelfacilities for the SM-2 Block IVA infrared seeker window. His e-mail address [email protected].
CLIFFORD L. RATLIFF is a member of APL’s Senior Professional Staff in theMechanicalandAeronauticalEngineeringGroupofADSD.HereceivedB.S.andM.S.degreesinaerospaceengineeringin1986and1990fromNorthCarolinaStateUniversityandUniversityofTennesseeSpaceInstitute,respectively.HejoinedAPLin1997withanextensivebackgroundinvariousintegratedgroundtestandevalu-ation methodologies within supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes. Mr. RatliffisprimarilyinvolvedwiththeaerodynamicmodelingofstabilityandcontrolwindtunneldatafromvarioustacticalmissilesystemssuchasESSMandStandardMissile.HeisaseniormemberofAIAA.Hise-mailaddressisclifford.ratliff@jhuapl.edu.
CHARLESL.ROEisamemberoftheAirDefenseSystemsDepartmentProgramOffice.He received aB.S. in computer science from theUniversityofMarylandand an M.S. in technical management from The Johns Hopkins University. Hehasmanagedprojects, including theNSSMSandESSM, that relate to ship self-defenseforU.S.andNATOnavies.Mr.Roeisnowinvolvedintasksthatempha-sizecombatsystemanalyses,upgrades,andintegrationofnewdevelopmentssuchasESSMwithexistingFleetequipment.HeisamemberoftheChesapeakeChap-ter of the International Council on Systems Engineering. His e-mail address [email protected].
