Versatile Surface Combatant, Versatile Air Component The Complete Package

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Versatile Surface Combatant, Versatile Air
Component The Complete Package

• Presentation to The RUSI Future Maritime
  Operations Conference
• 22/23 November 2006

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LCS The Versatile Ship

• Littoral capable
• Fast
• Cost effectivesmall crew
• Networked
• Core self-defence suite
• Multi-role vs multi-mission
• Reconfigurable - in port
• Hangar space air component
• Helos or heloUAVs

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The Next War

• May not be in a dry dusty place
• Will probably be expeditionary
• Opponent may have different capabilities
• Could be with a formerly friendly force

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RN Must Maintain Core Capabilities

• Anti-Submarine Warfare
• Anti-Surface Warfare
• Fleet Protection
• Power Projection
• Mine Warfare
• Amphibious Support

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Chinese Sub secretly stalks US fleet
A Chinese submarine secretly stalked a US
aircraft carrier and surfaced within firing range
of its torpedoes and missiles before being
detected, The Washington Times has
reported.  The US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk
held routine joint naval exercises with Japan in
waters near Okinawa from November 9 China's
Song-class diesel-powered attack submarine
shadowed the USS Kitty Hawk undetected and
surfaced within five miles of the aircraft
carrier on October 26, the newspaper reported,
citing unnamed defence officials. The submarine
was discovered after it surfaced by one of the
American fleet's aircraft on a routine
surveillance flight, the newspaper reported. The
report emerged as Admiral Gary Roughead,
commander of the American navy's Pacific fleet,
made his first visit to China. Admiral William J.
Fallon, commander of the US forces in the
Pacific, has been working with the Chinese on a
military exchange programme in recent months.
The two countries have been working on a
heightened military partnership in the wake of
the North Korean nuclear test. China was widely
praised for its role in brokering North Korea's
return to the six-party talks. The Chinese
submarine was carrying Russian-made wake-homing
torpedoes and anti-ship cruise missiles,
according to the officials. The Pentagon refused
to comment on the alleged incident.
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Countries with Submarines
ASW CAPABILITY IS CRITICAL BUT PERISHABLE
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More places to go, more things to see MORE TO
DO - BUT WITH FEWER PLATFORMS!

• Increasing diversity of missions
• Wider required sphere of influence
• Diverse target set
• Traditional forces
• Asymmetric / non traditional threats
• Monitoring white shipping
• Change in force structure and vessel
  capabilities
• Past relatively specialised
• Future Multi-mission/role
• Network Enabled Capability
• Interoperability challenges

MUST MAXIMISE VERSATILITY OF EVERY PLATFORM
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Versatile Air for a Versatile Force

• Need to think about the air component in an
  integrated way with the surface capability
• Air component brings mission capability to the
  vessel
• Mix/Match air versatility with versatility of the
  warship
• Net enabled (Link 11, LINK16?, CEC?)
• Linked with UAVs to extend capability
• MASC a Carrier asset (- but forward deployable)

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Current Air Capabilities What does Air bring

• Designed for specific tasks
• Increasingly operating beyond their core role
• The air component provides a huge capability to
  extend reach / sphere of influence
• Merlin
• ASW
• ASuW secondary role
• Range / Altitude / Endurance
• SKASaC
• AEW
• MTI secondary role
• Lynx
• ASuW
• Small size
• MH-60S
• AMCM, ASuW, CSAR

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New ways of working to meet new threats

• Merlin, forming up the surface picture
• Co-operative/complementary with Lynx and SKASaC
  when available
• Use of EO/IR and Automatic Identification System
• Wide area picture
• Track and ID
• Standoff weapon

MERLIN COULD PROVIDE A COMPLETE ASUW CAPABILITY
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Design for flexibility / versatility

• Open architecture
• Spiral/incremental development integrate UORs/
  technology
• Roll fit Roll On Roll Off
• Can reconfigure/re-role underway
• Net Enabled
• Connectivity Comms, datalinks (multi-link)
• With
• Host ship
• Surface fleet
• Other airborne
• Forces ashore?
• UAV/USV/UUV Control

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Merlin Multi-Role - What could Merlin do?

• On its own or with UAVs
• ASW Of course
• ASuW
• EO/IR
• AIS
• Multi-link
• Weapons
• AEW
• MASC
• Air C2
• Ground MTI
• EO/IR
• MW
• Battlefield Entry

Maritime and Littoral ISTAR
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Summary

• Air is vital component of surface force
  capabilities
• New missions and new vessels lead to new
  challenges, however cannot let traditional
  mission capabilities take a holiday
• Current air capabilities adopting new missions
• Future air capabilities will provide key
  capabilities to enable missions
• Must integrate thinking and investment in air and
  surface
• Design for flexible capability deliver
  incrementally but integrated

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