Page 227 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

NAVA l. WEAPONS AND AIRCRAFT 233

Maintainability. This requires not only the use of long-life COIll- commander or by an individual ship's commanding officer, as the
ponents, but also convenient or nearly automatic testing and trou- tactical situation requires,
ble-diagnostic capability, integrated into the system if possible. Aegis cruisers and Arleigh Bllrke-class destroyers are equipped
failed parts should be able to be replaced quickly with spares, so with the most sophisticated shipboard combat system developed
that the equipment will not be alit of commission for an extended to date, The Aegis \'VCS is designed to provide area air defense in a
period of time, high density, high threat, antiship missile environment. The major
Before a weapon s)'stem is accepted for the fleet, it must go capabilities of the s)'stem include long detection range, automatic
through mall)' tests and tactical evaluations to ensure that all of the detection and tracking of multiple targets, automatic special threat
militarr and general requirements are met. alert, and high resistance to electronic countermei.\Slll'eS,
Naval weapon systems, both seaborne and airborne, can be
broadly classified into guns, missiles, torpedoes, and mines. Naval
gUlls will be described in the next chapter; aircraft and missiles,
STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS
torpedoes, and mines will be covered in the next chapters, followed
by a brief discussion of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons
1. \Vh)' is lli.w<ll weaponry an important part of both strategic
and wart:ue,
and tactical planning at the highest levels of government?
2, \,Vhat capability did naval gunfire provide in naval warfare
Weapon Control System when it was introduced?
3. \,Vhat f~lCtors increased naval gun range to 9 miles by the time
The need for rapid handling and evaluation of target data from
of World War 11
detection to destruction has brought into being a system con-
cept more sophisticated than the traditional fire-control system, 4. \Vhat major missions remained for the battleship after the
emergence of the carrier as the principal fleet unit in \'''orld
which was designed to control only one particular battery, Modern
\Var II?
computer equipment has changed this concept to that of a total
weapon control system (WCS). The WCS integrates all ship's bat- 5, \Vlmt types of naval weapons have recei\'ed the greatest
teries and em operate them in close coordination with those of attention since \Vorld \Var II?
other ships in compan)', The weapon control system is composed 6, \Vhat are the three most significant results of the increased
of a weapon direction system, a tactical data system, and aile or ranges of seaborne \\'eapolls?
more fire-control systems. The \VCS conccpt has, in most cases, 7. \'Vhat tactical requirement has resulted from the increased
relocated the comIlwnding officer from the bridge to the ship's destructive range of nuclear weapons?
combat information center (CIC) in an interior compartment as
8, \'Vhat is the main consideration that gOVCrt}S the selection of
the location from which that officer is best able to direct the batter- weapons for a ship?
ies and "l1ght" the ship.
9, \Vhat kinds of weapOllS arc used to provide protection for an
The \'VCS acts as a clearinghouse for target information, to
entire formation of ships?
provide early acquisition and designation of a target. The tactical
10, \,Vhat kinds of weapons provide self-protection for a single
data system is closely related to the ship's weapon direction sys-
ship?
tem, but it receives input from other ships and airCI'i.\ft as well. It is
Illade up of data processing, display, and tmnsmitting and receiv- 11, Briefly, what must a weapon system include?
ing comlllllllication modules, The tactical data system makes it 12. \Vhat is the adVi.H1ti.lge of hi.1Ving a combat system like Aegis
possible to exchange target information instantaneously with all within a force of ships?
ships in the force, so each ship's weapons become part of the total
army of weapons available to the task force commander, He or she
CRIT ICAL THINKING
can designate the ship or ships best equipped and positioned to
engage the target. 1, Research and describe how a modern battle torce consisting
for example, if an incoming cruise missile were detected by one of an i.lircraft carrier and its screening cruisers and destroyers
ship, it would automatically pass all target information obtained might be dispersed because of the threat posed by nuclear
by its sensors to the other ships via the tactical data links, Every weapolls,
ship's weapon direction system would then be able to feed the tar- 2, Research the effects of modern computer technology on
get data to its OWI1 fire-control system, for dissemination to each modern weapon systems insofar as their response times and
missile and gun battery, The batteries then would have the neces- capabilities are concerned,
s<u)' preliminary information to acquire and track the incoming
missile. Orders to fire can be given by the task force air wart~lre