Aegis Combat System

The word "Aegis" is a reference that dates back to Greek mythology, with connotations of a protective shield, as the Aegis was the buckler (shield) of Zeus, worn by Athena.

Diagram of the Aegis Combat System (Baseline 2-6)

The Aegis Combat System (ACS) is an advanced command and control (command and decision, or C&D, in Aegis parlance) and weapon control system (WCS) that uses powerful computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.

The ACS is composed of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS), the fast-reaction component of the Aegis Anti-Aircraft Warfare (AAW) capability, along with the Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS), and the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System.[2] Mk 41 VLS is available in different versions that vary in size and weight. There are three lengths: 209 in (5.3 m) for the self-defense version, 266 in (6.8 m) for the tactical version, and 303 in (7.7 m) for the strike version. The empty weight for an 8-cell module is 26,800 lb (12,200 kg) for the self-defense version, 29,800 lb (13,500 kg) for the tactical version, and 32,000 lb (15,000 kg) for the strike version, thus incorporating anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems and Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM). Shipboard torpedo and naval gunnery systems are also integrated.

AWS, the heart of Aegis, comprises the AN/SPY-1 Radar, MK 99 Fire Control System, WCS, the Command and Decision Suite, and SM-2 Standard Missile family of weapons; these include the basic RIM-66 Standard, the RIM-67 extended range missile, and the newer RIM-161 designed to counter ballistic missile threats. A further SM-2 based weapon, the RIM-174 Standard ERAM was deployed in 2013. Individual ships may not carry all variants. Weapons loads are adjusted to suit assigned mission profile. The Aegis Combat System is controlled by an advanced, automatic detect-and-track, multi-function three-dimensional passive electronically scanned array radar, the AN/SPY-1. Known as "the Shield of the Fleet", the SPY high-powered (6 megawatt) radar is able to perform search, tracking, and missile guidance functions simultaneously with a track capacity of well over 100 targets at more than 100 nautical miles (190 km).[3] However the AN/SPY-1 Radar is mounted lower than the AN/SPS-49 radar system and so has a reduced radar horizon.[4]

The Aegis system communicates with the Standard missiles through a radio frequency (RF) uplink using the AN/SPY-1 radar for mid-course update missile guidance during engagements, but still requires the AN/SPG-62 radar for terminal guidance. This means that with proper scheduling of intercepts, a large number of targets can be engaged simultaneously.

The computer-based command-and-decision element is the core of the Aegis Combat System. This interface makes the ACS capable of simultaneous operation against almost all kinds of threats. The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMD) program is intended to enable the Aegis system to act in a sea-based ballistic missile defense function, to counter short- and medium-range ballistic missiles of the variety typically employed by a number of potential opponent states. As of January, 2014, the US and Japan were the only countries to purchase or deploy the Aegis BMD.[5][6]

In December 2019, Lockheed Martin released a promotional video heralding the 50th anniversary of the Aegis combat system.[7]

USS Norton Sound in 1980. The installation containing the fixed radar arrays of the AN/SPY-1A system can be seen mounted at the top of the forward superstructure

Aegis was initially developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, which was later acquired by General Electric. The division responsible for the Aegis systems became Government Electronic Systems. This, and other GE Aerospace businesses, were sold to Martin Marietta in 1992.[8] This became part of Lockheed Martin in 1995.

By the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy replaced guns with guided missiles on its ships. These were sufficient weapons but by the late 1960s, the U.S. Navy recognized that reaction time, firepower, and operational availability in all environments did not match the anti-ship missile threat. The new threat of Soviet anti-ship missiles exposed a weakness in contemporary naval radar. The requirements of both tracking and targeting these missiles was limited by the number of radars on each ship, which was typically 2–4. In 1958 the navy started the Typhon Combat System, a prophetic program culminating in the futuristic but unreliable AN/SPG-59 phased array radar, which was never made viable and was canceled in 1963 to be replaced by the Advanced Surface Missile System (ASMS).[9]

As a result, the US Navy decided to develop a program to defend ships from anti-ship missile threats. An Advanced Surface Missile System (ASMS) was promulgated and an engineering development program was initiated in 1964 to meet the requirements.[10] ASMS was renamed "Aegis" in December 1969 after the aegis, the shield of the Greek god Zeus. The name was suggested by Captain L. J. Stecher, a former Tartar Weapon System manager, after an internal U.S. Navy contest to name the ASMS program was initiated. Captain Stecher also submitted a possible acronym of Advanced Electronic Guided Interceptor System although this definition was never used.[11] The main manufacturer of the Aegis Combat System, Lockheed Martin, makes no mention of the name Aegis being an acronym, nor does the U.S. Navy.

In 1970 then–Captain Wayne Meyer was named Manager Aegis Weapons System. Under his leadership the first systems were successfully deployed on various US Navy vessels.

The first Engineering Development Model (EDM-1) was installed in a test ship, USS Norton Sound, in 1973.[12] During this time frame, the Navy envisioned installing the Aegis Combat System on both a nuclear-powered "strike cruiser" (or CSGN) and a conventionally-powered destroyer (originally designated DDG 47). The CSGN was to be a new, 17,200 ton cruiser design based on the earlier California and Virginia-class cruisers. The Aegis destroyer design would be based on the gas turbine powered Spruance class. When the CSGN was cancelled, the Navy proposed a modified Virginia-class design (CGN 42) with a new superstructure designed for the Aegis Combat System and with a displacement of 12,100 tons. As compared to the CSGN, this design was not as survivable and had reduced command and control facilities for an embarked flag officer. Ultimately this design was also cancelled during the Carter Administration due to its increased cost compared to the non-nuclear DDG 47. With the cancellation of the CGN 42, the DDG 47 Aegis destroyer was redesignated as CG 47, a guided missile cruiser.

The first cruiser of this class was USS Ticonderoga, which used two twin-armed Mark-26 missile launchers, fore and aft. The commissioning of the sixth ship of the class, USS Bunker Hill opened a new era in surface warfare as the first Aegis ship outfitted with the Martin Marietta Mark-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS), allowing a wider missile selection, more firepower, and survivability. The improved AN/SPY-1B radar went to sea in USS Princeton, ushering in another advance in Aegis capabilities. USS Chosin introduced the AN/UYK-43/44 computers, which provide increased processing capabilities.

During 1980, a destroyer was designed using an improved sea-keeping hull form, reduced infrared and radar cross-sections, and upgrades to the Aegis Combat System. The first ship of the Arleigh Burke class, USS Arleigh Burke, was commissioned during 1991.

Flight II of the Arleigh Burke class, introduced in 1992, incorporated improvements to the SPY radar, and to the Standard missile, active electronic countermeasures, and communications. Flight IIA, introduced in 2000, added a helicopter hangar with one anti-submarine helicopter and one armed attack helicopter. The Aegis program has also projected reducing the cost of each Flight IIA ship by at least $30 million.

In 2010 it was reported that Aegis radar systems on board some individual warships were not being maintained properly. A Navy panel headed by retired Vice Adm. Phillip Balisle issued the "Balisle report," which asserted that over-emphasis on saving money, including cuts in crews and streamlined training and maintenance, led to a drastic decline in readiness, and left Aegis Combat Systems in low state of readiness.[16]

Iran Air Flight 655

Main article: Iran Air Flight 655

Layout of the Combat Information Center of early Aegis cruisers

The Aegis system was involved in a disaster in which USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 in 1988 resulting in 290 civilian deaths.

It was determined by a formal military investigation[17] that the Aegis system was completely operational and did not have any maintenance problems. The investigation ruled that if the commanding officer had relied on the complete tactical data displayed by the Aegis system the engagement might never have occurred. Additionally, psychological effects of the crew subconsciously manipulating the data to accord with a predefined scenario greatly contributed to the false identification. The investigation found that the Aegis Combat System did not contribute to the incident, but did aid in the investigation by means of recorded target data. The discrepancies are as follows:

Aegis Data Report	Personnel Report to CO
Iran Air Flight 655 continuously ascended in duration of flight	Iran Air Flight 655, after attaining 9,000 to 12,000 ft (2,700 to 3,700 m), reportedly descended on an attack vector on USS Vincennes
Iran Air Flight 655 continuously squawked Mode III identification, friend or foe (IFF) in duration of flight	Iran Air Flight 655 reportedly squawked Iranian F-14 Tomcat on Mode II IFF for a moment; personnel proceeded to re-label the target from "Unknown Assumed Enemy" to "F-14"
Iran Air Flight 655 held consistent climb speed in duration of flight	Iran Air Flight 655 was reported to increase in speed to an attack vector similar to an F-14 Tomcat

Other analyses have found that ineffective user interface design caused poor integration with the crisis management human processes it was intended to facilitate. The Aegis System software shuffles target tracking numbers as it gathers additional data. When the captain asked for a status of the original target identifier TN4474, the Aegis system had recycled that identifier to a different target which was descending, indicating possible attack posture.[18] Scientific American rated it as one of the worst user interface disasters.[19]

Operator	Ship class	Ship displacement (t)	VLS cells	Ships active	Planned total	Retired
Royal Australian Navy	Hunter-class frigate (Type 26)	8800	32		9
	Hobart-class destroyer	7000	48	3
Royal Canadian Navy	Canadian Surface Combatant (Type 26)	7800	32		15
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force	Maya-class destroyer	8300	96	1	2
	Atago-class destroyer	7800	96	2
	Kongō-class destroyer	7600	90	4
Republic of Korea Navy	Sejong the Great-class destroyer	8600	80	3	6
Royal Norwegian Navy	Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate	5400	8	4		1
Spanish Navy	Bonifaz-class frigate	6100	16		5
	Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate	5900	48	5
United States Navy	Constellation-class frigate	6700	32		20
	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer	8300-9700	90-96	67	82
	Ticonderoga-class cruiser	9800	0-122	22		5

• The Royal Australian Navy commissioned three Hobart-class destroyers which have Aegis as the core of their combat systems, with the last entering service in 2020. The Australian Government announced that the class of nine Hunter-class frigates to be built in the next decade will also be Aegis equipped, but with a tactical interface developed by Saab Australia.[20]
• The Royal Canadian Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin Canada building 15 Canadian Surface Combatants. The ships will be equipped with the AN/SPY-7(V)1 solid state radar and the International Aegis Fire Control Loop (IAFCL) is integrated with Canada's combat management system, CMS 330, developed by Lockheed Martin Canada for the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax class ships. The program will make Canada the owner of the world's second largest Aegis fleet.[21]
• The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force operates seven Aegis ships comprising the four Kongō-class destroyers that entered service from 1993 and two improved units known as the Atago class from 2007 and two further improved units known as the Maya class were ordered with the first being commissioned in 2020. The second new Maya class is currently being built.
• The Royal Norwegian Navy has acquired five Spanish-built Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates equipped with the Aegis system, with the first, HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen entering service in 2006 and the last, HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl, in 2011. One, HNoMS Helge Ingstad was sunk after colliding with an oil tanker. After being raised, it was thought that repairing the ship was too costly and so it was decided to scrap the ship.
• Republic of Korea Navy currently operates three Sejong the Great-class destroyers, with the lead ship commissioned in 2008. Three further vessels have been ordered.
• The Spanish Navy is currently operating five F100 Álvaro de Bazán-class Aegis frigates, and starting it 2024 it will operate the F110-class frigate[22] as well. The F-110 class will incorporate the International Aegis Fire Control Loop (IAFCL) integrated with SCOMBA, the national combat system developed by Navantia.[21]
• The US Navy currently operates the Aegis equipped Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and has ordered more of the latter. It will reportedly integrate the new Aegis Baseline 10 on its upcoming FFG(X) ships [23]
• Informally, some media refer to the Chinese phased-array radar air-defense destroyers, Type 052C and Type 052D destroyers, as "Chinese Aegis".[24] Outside foreign observers retain the usage of "Aegis" mainly for the brand-name Aegis Combat System-equipped classes.[25]

• 
  Map with Aegis operators in blue
• 
  JS Kongō, the first non-US ship equipped with AWS
• 
  Large screen displays on USS Vincennes, typical of early Aegis platforms, 1988
• 
  Combat Information Center (CIC) consoles aboard USS Normandy, 1997
• 
  Large screen displays on USS John S. McCain, circa 1997. Destroyers have two displays while cruisers have four.

• Wayne E. Meyer
• Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System
• PAAMS
• Typhon Combat System

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aegis Combat System.

• Center For Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) US Navy Combat Systems Training, Dahlgren, VA.
• AEGIS Training and Readiness Center (ATRC) US Navy AEGIS Training, Dahlgren, VA.
• AEGIS Weapon System MK-7 in the FAS Military Analysis Network.
• DDG-51 ARLEIGH BURKE-class in the FAS Military Analysis Network.
• "AN/SPY-1". The Warfighter Encyclopedia. Warfighter Response Center. October 8, 2003. Archived from the original on November 5, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2006..
• "AEGIS Weapon System MK-7". Jane's Information Group. April 25, 2001. Archived from the original on July 1, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2006.
• "MK 7 AEGIS FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM RADAR". FIRE CONTROLMAN, VOLUME 02--FIRE CONTROL RADAR FUNDAMENTALS (PDF). US NAVY. Retrieved August 10, 2006.