AEGIS - A shield or breastplate emblematic of majesty
Merriam - Webster
This will be the first of a two part analysis of the United States Navy. Since the Navy, like the rest of our national defense, is on the chopping block with sequestration, this article will focus on one very important part of the Navy as it presently exists. The next article will deal with the Navy as it could look in the near future if it survives the cuts.
I worked on the AEGIS Program since the late seventies. When I first started, I remember seeing a movie at work on how this system would work when used in anger. The company I worked for made the shipboard computers which would power the AEGIS combat system. This much needed program had been on the drawing board for a while. The Soviet Union had developed a large and very strong Navy. They were capable and not afraid to use it. We knew the Soviet order of battle. If push ever came to shove, the Soviets would come after the United States using saturation attacks. These attack would simply overwhelm the defenses of a U.S. carrier task force by using a multifaceted attack of land, sea and air forces.
The solution the planners came up with almost qualified as science fiction. It was pushing the technology envelope to and sometimes beyond its limits. Each task force would have two new Cruisers that would have this new combat system. Instead of using conventional radar, the AEGIS system would utilize a new phase array radar known as the AN/SPY-1. This new radar could track multiple targets from multiple sources at once. It was in constant contact with all weapons systems via the Combat Information Center. In the AEGIS movie, once the AEGIS Cruiser came under attack, the weapons systems would fire so fast, so furious, the ship looked like a roman candle.
The first big change to the system happened just shortly after it was introduced to the fleet. And this change was a big one. Each Cruiser would have the brand new Mk-41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) integrated into the AEGIS weapon systems. Each Cruiser would have 8 each 8 cell VLS modules fore with same number aft. Each cell was capable of firing either a Tomahawk Cruise Missile, a Standard Missile (SM) 1, or the very powerful SM 2. Everything on this ship was built to counter the Soviet threat. The SM 2 was added to "shoot the archer". We wanted to make sure we could shoot any stand off platform before that platform could unload its payload on the fleet.
The next change was to introduce a smaller ship into the AEGIS family. The Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (DDG) was born. This was a smaller ship carrying a smaller payload. It had 32 fewer VLS cells than a full up Cruiser. However, it was faster and more maneuverable than the cruiser. In addition, now there were more missiles with more missions. They were being developed to go into the existing or new VLS cells for the destroyer or cruiser. The NATO Sea Sparrow is one that was developed at that time. They were smaller, so four could be put in one quad pack to be used in a single VLS cell. This new class of destroyer would take over for the Cruisers once the Cruisers had gone through their build out. Pound for pound, this destroyer was just as tough as its big brother. However, as good as this new weapon system was to counter the Soviet threat, a new problem had now evolved - the Soviet Union threat was gone. All of a sudden we had a robust fleet built to counter a threat which was no longer there.
There is much more to be said for the AEGIS Program, but I will leave it for later. This star wars type weapons system transformed the fleet into something the world had never seen before. A carrier task force with two AEGIS ships would be almost impossible to sink short of a nuke. This wonder system was named AEGIS for a reason. AEGIS means "the shield". I could not think of a better name for this system.
As a former sailor, I will admit I am biased. I want us to continue to have a strong Navy. We spent billions getting our fleet to where it is today. The "cloners" of the world have watched us, and will soon have something similar to AEGIS. We need to keep improving, keep innovating. We need to do it to stay safe, to stay free. I worked on the AEGIS/VLS programs from 1978 until 1999. They were some of the best working days of my life. The shield is up. We are protected. We need to make sure it stays that way.
I worked on the AEGIS Program since the late seventies. When I first started, I remember seeing a movie at work on how this system would work when used in anger. The company I worked for made the shipboard computers which would power the AEGIS combat system. This much needed program had been on the drawing board for a while. The Soviet Union had developed a large and very strong Navy. They were capable and not afraid to use it. We knew the Soviet order of battle. If push ever came to shove, the Soviets would come after the United States using saturation attacks. These attack would simply overwhelm the defenses of a U.S. carrier task force by using a multifaceted attack of land, sea and air forces.
The solution the planners came up with almost qualified as science fiction. It was pushing the technology envelope to and sometimes beyond its limits. Each task force would have two new Cruisers that would have this new combat system. Instead of using conventional radar, the AEGIS system would utilize a new phase array radar known as the AN/SPY-1. This new radar could track multiple targets from multiple sources at once. It was in constant contact with all weapons systems via the Combat Information Center. In the AEGIS movie, once the AEGIS Cruiser came under attack, the weapons systems would fire so fast, so furious, the ship looked like a roman candle.
The first big change to the system happened just shortly after it was introduced to the fleet. And this change was a big one. Each Cruiser would have the brand new Mk-41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) integrated into the AEGIS weapon systems. Each Cruiser would have 8 each 8 cell VLS modules fore with same number aft. Each cell was capable of firing either a Tomahawk Cruise Missile, a Standard Missile (SM) 1, or the very powerful SM 2. Everything on this ship was built to counter the Soviet threat. The SM 2 was added to "shoot the archer". We wanted to make sure we could shoot any stand off platform before that platform could unload its payload on the fleet.
The next change was to introduce a smaller ship into the AEGIS family. The Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (DDG) was born. This was a smaller ship carrying a smaller payload. It had 32 fewer VLS cells than a full up Cruiser. However, it was faster and more maneuverable than the cruiser. In addition, now there were more missiles with more missions. They were being developed to go into the existing or new VLS cells for the destroyer or cruiser. The NATO Sea Sparrow is one that was developed at that time. They were smaller, so four could be put in one quad pack to be used in a single VLS cell. This new class of destroyer would take over for the Cruisers once the Cruisers had gone through their build out. Pound for pound, this destroyer was just as tough as its big brother. However, as good as this new weapon system was to counter the Soviet threat, a new problem had now evolved - the Soviet Union threat was gone. All of a sudden we had a robust fleet built to counter a threat which was no longer there.
There is much more to be said for the AEGIS Program, but I will leave it for later. This star wars type weapons system transformed the fleet into something the world had never seen before. A carrier task force with two AEGIS ships would be almost impossible to sink short of a nuke. This wonder system was named AEGIS for a reason. AEGIS means "the shield". I could not think of a better name for this system.
As a former sailor, I will admit I am biased. I want us to continue to have a strong Navy. We spent billions getting our fleet to where it is today. The "cloners" of the world have watched us, and will soon have something similar to AEGIS. We need to keep improving, keep innovating. We need to do it to stay safe, to stay free. I worked on the AEGIS/VLS programs from 1978 until 1999. They were some of the best working days of my life. The shield is up. We are protected. We need to make sure it stays that way.
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