Cruiser Modernization
It's Key to 313-Ship U.S. Fleet
By REAR ADM. VIC GUILLORY
Published: 1 December 2008
The future of the U.S. Navy is afloat today. As we endeavor to bring new ships into the fleet that are optimized for tomorrow's threats, it is no surprise that the vast majority of ships that will comprise the 313-ship-floor fleet are already in commission. Building new ships alone can not get us to 313. The key is modernization.
Modernizing our Aegis ships is a cost-effective path that supports a surface combatant force structure that our Navy and the United States need for maritime security. Keeping these ships combat-relevant until the end of their 35-year service lives is critical.
The U.S. Navy has 22 Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided missile cruisers (CGs). Commissioned in 1986, Bunker Hill is the oldest and has the distinction of being the first to receive the full hull, mechanical and electrical, and combat systems "cruiser modernization" overhaul. This capability-enhancing, life-extending modernization program provides the most up-to-date warship at a fraction of the cost of new construction.
Think of how far computers have evolved in 22 years. The UYK-7 computers installed on Bunker Hill when it was built were state of the art. Today, your cell phone has more computing power. Our adversaries have also progressed, making modernization an imperative in support of the joint force and to pace the evolving and potential threats to international sea lanes.
Bunker Hill has received extensive hull, mechanical and electrical upgrades that give the cruiser a new lease on life. Gone are the maintenance-intensive waste heat boilers and associated steam piping. Water is produced by a reverse osmosis distillation plant and the all-electric galley and laundry are more comfortable and efficient.
Numerous upgrades are being made to the combat systems, including the Cooperative Engagement Capability, allowing the ship to share track information with other offboard sensors and fire weapons beyond the sensor range of the ship; integrated bridge systems and electronic navigation; a fiber-optic network for the ship; and new commercial, off-the-shelf computers that deliver greatly increased processing power, network bandwidth, and system memory in about half the space.
Topside changes include the replacement of the ship's two gun mounts with the 5-inch/.62-caliber gun, the newest in the fleet. To better defend itself, Bunker Hill will have the Close-in Weapons System Block 1B, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and the AN/SPQ-9B radar.
The SPS-49 air-search radar was removed, reducing topside weight and improving stability. The SPQ-9B radar, along with upgrades to the SPY-1 radar, will give these ships exceptional capabilities in the challenging littoral regions. The new combat system benefits from open architecture, which distinguishes the Advanced Capability Build 2008 (ACB08) software package.
From a requirements perspective, the Navy has taken great care in determining the war-fighting requirements for cruisers and destroyers in the years ahead. Our analysis has crossed mission areas, looking at everything from the submarine threat to the latest in anti-ship cruise missile and the ballistic missile threats facing our nation.
Originally a class of 27 ships, the Ticonderoga-class CGs saw their first five retired prematurely because the cost of bringing them up to current standards was prohibitive. The first Aegis surface combatant, USS Ticonderoga, was commissioned in 1983 and decommissioned in 2004. The cruiser modernization program, however, will systematically upgrade the remaining ships to a better-than-new status, with state-of-the-art combat systems to meet the emerging threat.
The Aegis fleet modernization program is key to the U.S. surface combatant vision in the first half of the 21st century. The plan is to complete all 22 ships within 10 years.
We cannot depend upon construction of new ships alone to achieve our fleet force structure. Modernization of current surface combatants is essential. This is one of the building blocks of the Navy's force structure in the years ahead. In a manner of speaking, it's a certain piece of an uncertain future. ■
Rear Adm. Vic Guillory is director of U.S. Navy surface warfare.
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