Surface ASW Combat System Integration

Mission — Surface ASW Cmbt Sys Integr source

Effective FY 2026, Project 1916 moves from PE 0205620N to PE 0603561N as part of the PE/BLI consolidation effort in the DoD Implementation Plan from the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform Final Report in an effort to rapidly increase Navy Lethality in the Submarine and Surface Fleet. The objective of this Program Element (PE) is to significantly improve existing AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) sonar system capabilities through quick and affordable development and integration of emergent, transformational technologies in support of Surface Ship and Theater ASW (TASW) as required to pace the threat. Detection and classification play uniquely vital roles in the success of any ASW campaign. The Advanced Capability Build (ACB) spiral development process is the primary means by which these improvements are developed. ASW remains a Navy core competency in a dynamic and uncertain maritime environment. U.S. adversaries continue to develop asymmetric capabilities and capacities to deter, disrupt, or delay the entry of U.S. and allied naval forces, and pose a constant challenge as we implement the Maritime Strategy. Evolving submarine technologies offer enhanced stealth, speed, endurance, weapons, and operational proficiency, foretelling that the adversary submarine of the future will have a significantly larger sphere of influence, while presenting less vulnerability to U.S. forces. The effective offensive engagement range of the adversary submarine of the future will continue to match or outrange individual U.S. and multi-national platform sensors and weapons in many tactical environments. Submarines are an increasing threat to all Naval and Allied ships, particularly modern diesel subs and faster torpedoes. Not only can the presence of potential hostile submarines delay naval combatant action until they are located and neutralized, submarines can also disrupt all seaborne logistics supply for any ground campaign as well as maritime commerce. U.S. forces must be effective in all operating environments, ranging from the deep open ocean to the littorals, and are key to countering adversarial anti-access and area denial strategies. This PE takes advantage of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Open System Architecture (OSA) and Acoustic Rapid Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Insertion (ARCI) initiatives to integrate Torpedo Detection, Classification, and Localization (TDCL) and ASW sonar combat system capability improvements. The AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 COTS-based Surface Ship ASW Combat System is planned as a backfit program for all DDG51 class ships. The Open Architecture (OA) system enables the ACB process and provides budget flexibility to make COTS/OA technology solutions and ARCI-type initiatives affordable. Improvements are tested in the laboratory and at-sea. Undersea Warfare (USW) technology implementation will take advantage of improvements developed under the submarine Advanced Processing Build (APB) and Advanced Surveillance Build (ASB) programs and will in turn share unique improvements developed under this program with the submarine and surveillance USW communities. The ACB and APB programs are managed under a common development organization and process titled 'AxB'. While each platform retains its uniqueness and focus in functional domains essential to mission success, a premium is placed on development of common capabilities and modular architecture technologies to maximize commonality and cost effectiveness. This PE includes funding for the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Test & Evaluation (T&E) program, which conducts testing and analysis to support certification of AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System ACBs prior to fielding. Additionally, finalization of Test & Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs) and AN/SQQ-89(V) Developmental Test (DT) and Operational Test (OT) events are conducted under this program. This PE includes funding for the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship Engineering Measurement Program (SSEMP), which measures the performance of existing and new AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System Technical Insertion (TI)/ACB baselines and enables data-based assessment of the capabilities and shortfalls in the performance of these systems in realistic scenarios. (Note about TI nomenclature: After TI-20, there will be a nomenclature shift for hardware baselines. Hypervisor Technology 0 (HT0) will replace what would have been TI-22. HT0 enables the deployment of virtualization technologies that create a logical separation between hardware and software, which can simplify future upgrades and accelerate software certification.) This PE includes funding to support cyber security initiatives to align future AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System baselines with future AEGIS Integrated Combat Systems. This PE contributes to the development of the ASW component of the guided missile Frigate (CONSTELLATION Class, FFG 62) program.

Mission — Surface ASW System Improvement source

The Surface Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Systems Improvements project will support essential performance enhancements to the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System. This project will improve Measures of Performance (MOP) by enhancing operator interface methods and tools; active and passive detection; tracking, classification, and localization; Torpedo Detection, Classification, and Localization (TDCL); sonobuoy data processing and display capabilities; and increasing acoustic sensor frequency bandwidth (Operational Requirements Document (ORD) #667-76-05 titled 'AN/SQQ-89 Improvement Program' and Test & Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) 802-2). This project will take advantage of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System Open System Architecture (OSA) and Acoustic Rapid Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Insertion (ARCI) initiatives to integrate TDCL and ASW sonar and combat system capability improvements. The AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System is planned as a backfit program for CG47 (select CG59-73 Baseline 3 and 4 ships) and all DDG51 class ships. The OSA and high-performance COTS processing hardware on ships fielded with the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System provides an opportunity to integrate emergent, transformational ASW and Undersea Warfare (USW) technological improvements that were previously unachievable. The ASW/USW suites on these ships will require periodic upgrades to remain effective well into the 21st century and to pace the threat. Software upgrades developed under this project will target capability increases in high interest areas as prescribed by the Fleet and captured in campaign analysis. To achieve this, the project will package and deliver incremental upgrades every two (2) years to the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship ASW Combat System production program via an Advanced Capability Build (ACB) spiral development process. The project has undergone a transition in software development methodology from a legacy waterfall approach to an Agile development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) approach. This new Agile approach involves modern Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) modular software architectures, coding, and automated testing to enable much more rapid delivery of updated capabilities as required to address cyber or operational performance needs. The Navy is pursuing a transformation across all Tactical Systems to maximize cyber-resiliency and the speed of capability delivery. The transformation implements an agile development process comprised of a continuous series of 12-week software program increments in a DevSecOps environment. This process will better align with industry practice and enable the AN/SQQ-89 combat systems to leverage industry capability improvements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and other emerging technologies, while also being more responsive to cyber needs. As ACB delivers, changes are required in the project's software development and integration methodologies to remain well synchronized with the production programs. Instead of delivering an improved ACB to the production programs at the end of development (which the production program then had to integrate, mature, test, and certify), development capabilities will now be integrated into the latest production hardware baseline as they are ready, on a continuing basis. This adds flexibility to the program, allowing urgent changes to be fielded more rapidly, and provides an integrated software build requiring less effort at the end of development. For major capability updates, the project will maintain an every-other-year delivery posture to ensure mature products are supporting Fleet Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) and Training. Primary areas of ASW and USW improvements are as follows: - Undersea Fire Control/Engagement - Localization and Contact Management - Medium Frequency (MF) Pulsed Active Sonar (PAS) - Continuous Active Sonar (CAS) - Acoustic Communications - TDCL - Torpedo Defense - Passive Sonar - Automated Detection and Tracking - Sonar Tactical Decision Aids (STDA) - Embedded Operator Training Resources

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (4)