New Threat Upgrade (NTU) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

program to improve and modernize the capability of existing cruisers and destroyers equipped with

Terrier Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...

and Tartar anti-aircraft systems, keeping them in service longer.

The Program

was selected to install and test the Terrier New Threat Upgrade (NTU) Combat System with the improved Standard Missile Two Block II (Extended Range). Testing lasted from October 1981- March 1985. New Threat Upgrade allowed the full use of newer Standard missiles (SM-2ER BlkII w/Mk80 booster) and improved the interoperability of the radar, computer, tracking and engagement systems aboard the ships. The system allows the ships to which it was fitted to time share illumination radars for multiple missile interceptions in a manner similar the

Aegis Combat System The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin. Initially used by the United States Navy, Aegis is now used also by ...

History

The New Threat Upgrade to the ''Leahy'' class included massive remodeling of the ship from food service space rehabilitation to a main propulsion system overhaul. Entire systems were removed and replaced, for example the

AN/SPS-40 The AN/SPS-40 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar that is capable of providing contact bearing and range. It was used on s, s, s, s, s, s, s, s, s, s and many other ship classes. Its "basket" antenna with the ove ...

air-search radar was replaced with the

AN/SPS-49 The AN/SPS-49 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar built by Raytheon that can provide contact bearing and range. It is a primary air-search radar for numerous ships in the U.S. fleet and in Spain, Poland, Taiwan abo ...

air-search radar. In 1988–90, the ''

Kidd Kidd may refer to: Places * Kidd (railway point), British Columbia, a former Canadian settlement * Kidd's Beach, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa * Kidd Islands, Antarctic island grouping * Mount Kidd, a peak in the Canadian R ...

''-class destroyers received the New Threat Upgrade, including a new superstructure and heavier mainmast cooperative engagement with

Aegis The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...

'' Ticonderoga''-class cruisers, which could control the Kidds’ surface-to-air missiles while they remained electronically silent. The ''Spruance'' class, the predecessor to and close relative of the ''Kidd''-class, did not receive the NTU.

End of NTU

The

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

ended shortly after the New Threat Upgrade was initiated. The lower levels of funding available to the

after the Cold War meant that the NTU upgrade was never applied to all of the intended vessels. The NTU upgrade itself was expensive. Many of these ships were retired in the 1990s whether they received the full NTU modification or not; most of these warships built in the 1960s-1970s had high operational costs and manpower requirements (especially those which were nuclear-powered), compared to newer Aegis warships. The

USS Texas (CGN-39) USS ''Texas'' (DLGN/CGN-39) was the United States Navy's second nuclear guided missile cruiser. She was the third ship of the Navy to be named in honor of the State of Texas. Her keel was laid down on 18 August 1973, at Newport News, Virginia, ...

was decommissioned during the upgrade, in the midst of her reactor refueling. USS ''Gridley'' (CG-21) received NTU in 1991 at a cost of $55 million but was decommissioned in early 1994. Overall, all US Navy ships that received the NTU upgrades were decommissioned within six years of their upgrade, as the Navy chose instead to order new ships with the

Aegis weapon system The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin. Initially used by the United States Navy, Aegis is now used also by ...

. The Navy also accelerated the retirement of the ''Spruance'' and ''Kidd'' classes, despite their recent modifications, due to the arrival of the Aegis-equipped ''

Arleigh Burke Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901 – January 1, 1996) was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kenn ...

''-class destroyers, which were more effective and cost-efficient. The four ''Kidd'' destroyers were later transferred to Taiwan (Republic of China) where they remain in service, while some members of the ''Spruance'' class remained in service until 2005.

NTU systems

(V)5 - A 2D Air Search Radar (azimuth and range) *

AN/SPS-48 The AN/SPS-48 is a US naval electronically scanned array air search three-dimensional radar system manufactured by ITT Exelis and deployed in the 1960s as the primary air search sensor for anti-aircraft warships. The deployment of the AN/SPY-1 ...

E - A 3D Air Search Radar (azimuth, range and altitude) *AN/SYS-2(V)1 Integrated Automatic Detection and Tracking System (IADTS) *(A)CDS - (Advanced) Combat Direction System *WDS Mk 14 - Weapons Direction System * Mk 74 Tartar and Mk 76 Terrier Fire Control Systems (

AN/SPG-55 The AN/SPG-55 was an American tracking / illumination radar for Terrier and RIM-67 Standard missiles (SM-1ER/SM-2ER). It was used for target tracking and surface-to-air missile guidance Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guidi ...

B radar for Terrier ships and

AN/SPG-51 The AN/SPG-51 is an American tracking / illumination fire-control radar for RIM-24 Tartar and RIM-66 Standard missiles. It is used for target tracking and Surface-to-air missile guidance on s, s, and s. The Italian Navy used it aboard their ''Au ...

for Tartar) *AN/SYR-1 Communications Tracking Set, used for SM-2 missile downlink *Mk 10 twin-arm manual launcher, Mk 13 single-arm automated launcher and Mk 26 twin-arm, automated missile launchers *RESS - Radar Environmental Simulator System

NTU ships

These classes had some of their units modified with the New Threat Upgrade. *

Belknap-class cruiser The ''Belknap''-class cruiser was a class of single-ended guided-missile cruisers (their missile armament was installed only forward, unlike "double-ended" missile cruisers with missile armament installed both forward and aft) built for the Unit ...

California-class cruiser The ''California'' class was a pair of nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers operated by the United States Navy between 1974 and 1998. Other than their nuclear power supply and lack of helicopter hangars, ships of the ''California'' class wer ...

Charles F. Adams-class destroyer The ''Charles F. Adams'' class is a ship class of 29 guided-missile destroyers ( DDG) built between 1958 and 1967. Twenty-three were built for the United States Navy, three for the Royal Australian Navy, and three for the West German ''Bundes ...

- Planned to be upgraded, but cancelled. *

Farragut-class destroyer (1958) The ''Farragut''-class destroyer was a group of 10 guided-missile destroyers built for the United States Navy (USN) during the 1950s. They were the second destroyer class to be named for Admiral David Farragut. The class is sometimes referred to ...

- Planned, but only

USS Mahan (DDG-42) USS ''Mahan'' (DLG-11/DDG-42), was a guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan USN (1840–1914). The ship was laid down as DLG-11 by the San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 31 July 195 ...

was upgraded as a test platform in 1982. *

Kidd-class destroyer The ''Kidd''-class destroyers were a series of four guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) based on the . In contrast to their predecessor's focus on anti-submarine warfare, the ''Kidd''s were designed as more advanced multipurpose ships with the add ...

Leahy-class cruiser ''Leahy''-class cruisers were a class of guided-missile cruisers built for the United States Navy. They were originally designated as Destroyer Leaders (DLG), but in the 1975 cruiser realignment they were reclassified as guided-missile cruiser ...

- All upgraded in the late-1980s and decommissioned by 1995. *

Virginia-class cruiser The ''Virginia'' class (also known as the CGN-38 class) were four nuclear-powered, guided-missile cruisers that served in the United States Navy until the mid-to-late 1990s. The double-ended cruisers (with missile armament carried both fore and ...

KDX-II Class

The Navy of the Republic of Korea uses a NTU derived system for its Chungmugong Yi Sunshin class destroyers.

References

{{Reflist Naval weapons of the United States