USNS ''Invincible'' (T-AGM-24), also known as ex-''AGOS 10'', is one of two

tracking ship A tracking ship, also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship, is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets. Since many missile ranges launch over ocean areas for ...

s operated by the

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

. One of the

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

s it carries is the Cobra Gemini dual band,

X band The X band is the designation for a band of frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is rather indefinitely set at approxim ...

and

S band The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it crosses the convention ...

, radar.

USNS Invincible (T-AGOS 10) SURTASS gear

Like other members of the ''Stalwart'' class of ocean surveillance ships, the original mission of the ''Invincible'' was to patrol the oceans looking for submarines with her

Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System The AN/UQQ-2 Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS), colloquially referred to as the ship's "Tail", is a towed array sonar system of the United States Navy. SURTASS Twin-Line consists of either the long passive SURTASS array or the Twi ...

(SURTASS), a large passive sonar array. The ship was reclassified from AGOS-10 to AGM-24 on April 4, 2000 after she was refitted as a

missile range instrumentation ship A tracking ship, also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship, is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets. Since many missile ranges launch over ocean areas for ...

. ''Invincible'' provides a platform for the Cobra Gemini dual-band

developed by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

to support

data collection Data collection or data gathering is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established system, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes. Data collection is a research com ...

requirements on

theater ballistic missile A theatre ballistic missile (TBM) is any ballistic missile with a range less than , used against targets " in-theatre". Its range is thus between that of tactical and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The term is a relatively new one, encomp ...

s. The

retains custody for

use for deploying a mobile surveillance and tracking radar system.

History

''Invincible'' deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2012, passing through the

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( fa, تنگه هرمز ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' ar, مَضيق هُرمُز ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the ...

on 19 May 2012 in convoy with British minesweepers. In March 2017, ''Invincible'' visited the Persian Gulf under

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

escort, and was greeted by numerous

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

fastboats which provocatively approached within 600 meters of ''Invincible'' in the

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...

. The ship was inactivated on 15 December 2021 and the US Navy plans to repurpose it into a training vessel or store it as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

References

External links

*
navsource.org: T-AGOS-10 / T-AGM-24 ''Invincible''
– Cobra Gemini

– Cobra Gemini
MSC Ship Inventory – USNS Invincible
{{DEFAULTSORT:Invincible (T-AGM-24) Stalwart-class ocean surveillance ships Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built by Tacoma Boatbuilding Company 1986 ships Missile range instrumentation ships of the United States Navy Maritime vessels related to spaceflight