ASW in a day - a demonstration with minimal impact A. Key 1 1 Systems - - PDF document

UDT 2020 Extended Abstract - Alex Key Operational Drivers & Imperatives

ASW in a day - a demonstration with minimal impact

• A. Key1

1Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA), Beckington Castle, 17 Castle Corner, Beckington, BA11 6TA, UK

Abstract — The ability to demonstrate new capability within an operationally representative environment is key to the success of new products and the advancement of defence capability. Such demonstrations are often very time consuming and costly. They take a great deal of planning and can have a significant impact on the availability of the platforms and systems involved. As such, the ability to conduct truly representative trials and demonstrations is rare. This paper will explore how Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd took part in a large-scale collaborative exercise, demonstrating the ability to fit and operate the Krait Defence System from an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) with the minimum impact in terms of both platform modification and operational downtime. The paper will cover several aspects across the Defence Lines of Development (DLoD) that are key to achieving the rapid deployment of new systems; including the logistics of getting a system delivered and installed quickly and efficiently, the organisation that facilitates the installation and subsequent demonstration, the impact on and relevant considerations of equipment and platform design and the and the training opportunity that exists for the crew to benefit from the demonstration, whilst providing valuable feedback. The paper considers the challenges and lessons learned from taking a completely new Anti-Submarine Warfare system and deploying it from an OPV within a single day. From this, recommendations are made to improve the ability of the enterprise to work collaboratively towards the rapid deployment of new capability.

1 Introduction

During September 2019, SEA participated in the NATO Recognised Environmental Picture (REP) ’19 exercise in partnership with the Portuguese Navy. SEA demonstrated the Krait Defence System (KDS) KraitSense passive towed array system, as described by C. Tucker at UDT 2019 [1]. As well as a demonstration of SEA’s products, this was an opportunity to demonstrate how a capability demonstration could be achieved in a quick, efficient and cost-effective manner. Several factors enabled this successful demonstration in a timely manner.

2 Aims and objectives

Given the opportunity to participate in the REP ’19 exercise, SEA aimed not only to provide a compelling demonstration of the KDS system ASW capability, but also to demonstrate how such a capability could be delivered as quickly and cost effectively as possible for all involved and provide a model for rapidly delivering future capability demonstrations. The primary objectives to achieve this aim were:

• Transport

all equipment, including support equipment using commercial shipping services;

• Provide a platform integration solution that requires

minimal or no modification to the host platform;

• Occupy the minimum amount of deck space

possible;

• Install and set-to-work the system within 48 hours;
• Require no specialist facilities or equipment to

install (i.e. dry-dock);

• Following the demonstration, de-kit within 12

hours.

3 The trial

The KDS system was installed on the Ocean Patrol Vessel (OPV) NRP Figueira da Foz. The trial took place over the period of 2 weeks during September 2019 [3], with numerous trial serials against simulated and live submerged targets, as well as surface targets of

• pportunity.

3.1 The system SEA demonstrated their Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Passive Towed Array System KraitSense, which is part of the SEA Krait Defence System product family [4]. The system comprised the following core elements:

• KraitArray passive Ultra-Thin Line Towed Array;
• Tow cable;
• Winch & fairlead;
• Portable inboard processing hardware;
• Passive towed array processing software.

In order to facilitate the trial serials that were to be run against a simulated underwater target, SEA also provided a sound source, which was operated from a support vessel. SEA also worked with OSI Maritime to integrate KraitSense with ECPINS Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) [5]. This allowed for live exercise serial planning, display of detected targets and conducting Target Motion Analysis (TMA).

UDT 2020 Extended Abstract - Alex Key Operational Drivers & Imperatives 3.2. Delivering the capability demonstration 3.2.1 Planning phase During the planning phase, SEA participated in the REP planning conferences, held in Portugal with all stakeholders involved in the REP exercise. SEA was given access to the host vessel in order to perform a survey. Access to the vessel in this manner was extremely useful and helped to ensure the later stages were well planned, as all hard-mounting points, cable runs, power sources etc. could be pre-planned well in advance of the exercise. As well as access to the trial, SEA was in dialogue with the Portuguese Navy, including representatives of the vessel crew. This early formation of the Navy / industry team ensured that all stakeholders were well informed of the plans for the demonstration and provided a channel for clarification in both directions. 3.2.2 Installation and setting to work The entire ship fit, and support equipment was collected from SEA’s Barnstaple site on 6th September 2019. It was then transported using a 7.5 t commercial transport lorry from Barnstaple, UK to Lisbon Naval Base, arriving the morning of 9th September 2019. The SEA trials team met the equipment in at Lisbon Naval base and was able to install the entire system without modification to the host vessel within 12 hours; meeting four of the key objectives. This work was completed alongside at Lisbon Naval Base and only required the use of a crane to move the equipment from the transport vehicle to NRP Figueira da Foz as shown in Figure 1.

• Fig. 1. KDS Equipment being unloaded at Lisbon

3.2.3 Trial conduct and support The trials consisted of several serials, running against a submerged sound source, live assets and surface targets of

• pportunity. During this time the SEA team was able to

perform runs in several configurations and refine the launch and recovery process. The crew of NRP Figueira da Foz were able to assist with the operations and therefore gain a level of on-the-job training. During the trial serials, targets were detected, classified and localised by the SEA sonar operator using the KDS sonar processing software. Targets of interest were then cut to the OSI Maritime ECPINS software, where Target Motion Analysis was conducted to aid target tracking. 3.2.4 De-kit and post analysis Following the trial, the equipment was removed from the vessel within 8 hours. Again, a crane was required to remove the winch, but otherwise this could be done from the dockside. In order to ensure all parties benefited from the

• demonstration. The recorded data was shared between

SEA and the Portuguese Navy. SEA provided a copy of the processing software and guidance as to how to process the data so that the Navy could perform their own post- event analysis.

4 Consideration of the DLoD

Achieving a capability demonstration with the minimal impact to the host platform and all stakeholders is reliant upon several factors. These are explored in the context of the 9 DLoD. 4.1 Concepts & Doctrine To ensure efficiency during the planning and execution phases, SEA conformed to standard NATO exercise

• formats. This reduced the likelihood of misunderstanding
• r ambiguity during the planning and execution of the

exercise and greatly simplified the planning effort by not needing to generate trials plans from scratch. SEA also benefitted from having an experienced trials team that were well versed in ASW concepts and doctrine to assist in the planning and effective execution of the exercise serials. 4.1 Equipment To deliver the capability quickly and with minimal impact, equipment should be designed to be as modular as

• possible. This allows for rapid reconfiguration to meet the

needs of the specific vessel or platform. The equipment should also support a wide range of interfaces, for example power and data. This avoids the need for customisation and modification for each capability demonstration event. In an ideal world ships and other platforms would be built with a common set of standards to support modular

• fits. Whilst some efforts are being made to support this in

new build ships [6,7], many legacy platforms have no such provision, or what provision there is does not conform to a common standard. Whilst the temptation may be to containerise everything into an ISO standard container, this presents several challenges, including:

• Transportation – although precisely what ISO

containers were designed for, their size limits transportation options;

• Handling – larger cranes are required to move the

equipment;

UDT 2020 Extended Abstract - Alex Key Operational Drivers & Imperatives

• Deck space – a larger single area of deck space is
• required. This includes height if installing under a

flight deck for example. So where possible, the option to install equipment without an ISO container in certain circumstances is preferable. A means of moving the equipment is also necessary. For the REP ’19 exercise, a commercial crane was available at the dockside. Ideally a suitably rated crane on board the vessel would facilitate installation of similar equipment without the need for external support.

• Fig. 1. KDS Equipment Installed on NRP Figueira da Foz

4.2 Information To aid with the planning and execution in an efficient manner, standard NATO exercise templates were used. This ensured that all stakeholders could communicate quickly in an unambiguous manner. Where such templates are not available, a common template for planning and executing trials should be identified, as this simplifies the process greatly. Following the event, the raw and processed data was shared with the Portuguese Navy. Data that included sensitive acoustic signatures was not retained by SEA. To assist with the analysis of the data, SEA provided the sonar processing software and visited the Portuguese analysis team to demonstrate how to process the data. The need to surrender data and then travel to provide analysis support was inefficient, but not unusual for this type of event. 4.3 Infrastructure One of the key objectives for this demonstration was to require little or no permanent infrastructure to support any

• phase. A suitable dockside was required to allow the

equipment to be embarked and disembarked from the ship, but beyond this no other permanent infrastructure was

• required. This reduced the constraints around the

demonstration and made planning and execution easier to realise. 4.4 Logistics The ability to deploy the capability quickly and efficiently relied heavily upon efficient transportation by road. This was possible within the context of REP ’19 as equipment was only required to travel between the UK & Portugal, which meant ferry links, or the Channel Tunnel could be

• used. Where operating further afield then this may not be

possible, leading to a need for transportation by sea or air. Consideration has been made to ensuring all individual components of the system can be air transported where possible to ensure the widest number of options for transportation. 4.5 Organisation The quick & efficient demonstration of capability was made possible by a highly effective team. The REP ’19 planning conferences provided an excellent forum for planning the demonstration within the context of a wider NATO exercise. By having all stakeholders engaged, all requirements and constraints could be identified, prioritised and de-conflicted. There was excellent communication between the SEA team and Portuguese Navy. This ensured the whole process was as smooth as possible. By having a joint team with a strong “can-do” attitude, the planning phase was completed quickly and efficiently, and the team was able to react to changes during the execution phase effectively. 4.6 Personnel SEA benefitted from the ability to mobilise a multi- disciplined trials team that was able to install and operate the equipment without the need for a separate commissioning and operations team. This reduced the manpower burden and therefore cost to SEA of delivering the demonstration. The reduced manning also lessened the burden on the host ship, as they did not need to account for so many visiting personnel, which is particularly important

• n smaller ships.

4.7 Training In the case of a rapid capability demonstration, training

• pportunities are limited. As such the team relied upon

‘on-the-job’ training almost exclusively, even though this isn’t necessarily the most effective method for long term skill retention [8]. Depending on the level of ship’s staff involvement required or desired to deliver the demonstration, provision could be made for more formal training prior to the event,

• r during the work-up period.

4.8 Interoperability Interoperability was a key focus of the REP ’19 exercise. The KraitSense system was integrated with OSI ECPINS to provide target track data to the ship and to provide a means of generating NATO standard signals for the conduct of the trial. Being able to quickly generate these signals facilitated safe and effective interoperability with

• ther assets participating in the exercise and an ability to

react to changing circumstances and opportunities that arose during the exercise period.

UDT 2020 Extended Abstract - Alex Key Operational Drivers & Imperatives

5 Lessons learned

The completion of the capability demonstration during REP ’19 was a hugely useful learning opportunity for

• SEA. Although several the points raised in this paper could

be considered common-sense, they are not always obvious at the time. Delivering complex capability demonstrations is not easy, but through careful consideration and planning the costs and operational impact can be minimised. The following key lessons were identified during the process:

• It is important to engage with all stakeholders as

soon as possible. This was hugely beneficial as the team was already performing by the time the exercise commenced;

• Teams should try and minimise the logistical and

infrastructure burden by designing out the need for specialist equipment for installation and removal;

• By training the team to be multi-skilled manpower

requirements can be significantly reduced benefitting all parties;

• Identify

common standards for equipment installation, trials planning and reporting to minimise the effort involved in the planning and installation phases.

6 Future work

SEA is considering various options to perform further

• trials. This includes revisiting Portugal to participate in the

REP MUS ’20 trial programme. Areas of focus for future work include further exploration into the security aspects of such trials in order to develop a more efficient and cost-effective means of sharing data with stakeholders, whilst ensuring the security

• f classified acoustic data; ways of minimising the

manpower requirements for supporting a trial and how to scale the logistical enterprise to ensure that such a trial could be conducted beyond Europe. SEA is also considering further exploration of interoperability through multi-static operations with unmanned systems such as the SEADriX or active ASW platforms.

Acknowledgements

SEA would like to thank the Portuguese Navy for their generous support during the planning and execution of this trial and for the generous hospitality of the crew of NRP Figueira da Foz. SEA would also like to thank OSI Maritime for their support in demonstrating the integration of KraitSense and ECPINS.

References

[1] C. Tucker, D. Puckey, UDT (2019) [2] Acquisition Operating Framework version 1.1.13, (2011), Available at: aof.mod.uk/aofcontent/strategic/guide/sg_dlod.htm [3] (2019), ‘Portugal hosts maritime exercise in support

• f NATO’s Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative’,

NATO, 25 September. Available at: nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_168925.htm [4] Krait Defence System, (2019), Available at: sea.co.uk/maritime/products/krait-defence-system/ [5] Krait Defence System, (2019), Available at:

• simaritime.com/solutions/ecpins-plus/

[6] J. F. Schank, S. Savitz, K. Munson, B Perkinson, J McGee, and J. M. Sollinger, Designing Adaptable Ships: Modularity and Flexibility in Future Ship

• Designs. RAND Corporation (2016) Available at:

https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR696. html. [7] S. Gorvgr &

• J. Abbott,

Embracing Change: Reducing cost and maximizing mission effectiveness with the flexible warship, 51, 22-28 (2014). [8] M. R. Van Der Klink , J. N. Streumer, IJHRDM, 6:1, 114-130 (2006)

Author/Speaker Biographies

Alex Key is a Chartered Engineer with vast experience in the development and deployment of sensor systems for unmanned vehicles with customers worldwide. With over 10 years' experience in the maritime sensor domain, Alex works with large-scale sonar and electronic warfare systems as a system architect and design authority.