The Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) is a combat system specifically designed for anti-air defense of

aircraft carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

, and most other non-

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 ...

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 ...

combat ships. It coordinates several existing shipboard systems. Multi-sensor integration, parallel processing and the coordination of hard and soft kill

countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...

capabilities are key components of the SSDS. Responses to airborne threats are based on automated or

man-in-the-loop Command guidance is a type of missile guidance in which a ground station or aircraft relay signals to a guided missile via radio control or through a wire connecting the missile to the launcher and tell the missile where to steer to intercept it ...

engagement doctrine. The SSDS system coordinates many sensors, self-defense weapons and countermeasures installed aboard

ships. The main objective of SSDS is countering

sea-skimming Sea skimming is a technique many anti-ship missiles and some fighter or strike aircraft use to avoid radar, infrared detection, and to lower probability of being shot down during their approach to the target. Method Sea-skimming anti-ship missi ...

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

threats, but it can also engage high-diving

anti-ship missiles An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good nu ...

and aircraft. A major advantage SSDS holds over other defense systems is the integration of many disparate sensors and the ability to automate the fire control loop to shorten overall detect-to-engage timeline. SSDS does not improve the capability of individual sensors, but it fuses the active and passive sensors to form a composite track and improve automatic target tracking. The major benefits of this combination are an improved anti-

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...

capability and faster reaction times in the

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

battle space and using track data from the other fleet and land sensors with the

Cooperative Engagement Capability Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is a sensor network with integrated Fire-control system, fire control capability that is intended to significantly improve battle force anti-aircraft warfare, air and missile defense capabilities by combining ...

. As well as controlling the hard-kill weapons on board such as the Evolved Sea-Sparrow Missile and the

Rolling Airframe Missile The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the German, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, South Korean, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Mexican, UAE, and U.S. Navies. It was origina ...

- the SSDS is also integrated into the soft-kill equipment, including decoys and control of the

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

system. It also includes embedded software that enables the system to be used as the auto detection to engage the decision aid. SSDS Mark 2 has six variants: * Mod 1, used in CVN 68 class aircraft carriers * Mod 2, used in LPD-17 class amphibious ships * Mod 3, used in LHD-1 class amphibious ships * Mod 4, for LHA-6 class amphibious ships * Mod 5, for LSD-41 and LSD-49 amphibious ship classes * Mod 6, in development for CVN 78 class aircraft carriers The sensors that are fused into a composite picture include: *

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, *

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 & G three dimensional air search radar, * The Dual Band Radar ( SPY-3 & SPY-4) on CVN 78 class, *

AN/SPQ-9 AN/SPQ-9A, (sometimes pronounced as "spook nine"), is a United States Navy multi-purpose surface search and fire control radar used with the Mk-86 gun fire-control system (MK86 GFCS). It is a two dimensional surface-search radar, meaning it provid ...

B horizon search radar, *

AN/SPS-67 The AN/SPS-67 is a short-range, two-dimensional, surface-search/navigation radar system that provides highly accurate surface and limited low-flyer detection and tracking capabilities. History The AN/SPS-67 is a solid-state replacement for the AN ...

surface search radar, * AN/SPS-73 surface search/navigation radar system,https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub/reports/FY2017/navy/2017ssdforlha.pdf?ver=2019-08-19-113709-537 * AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare system, * Centralized

Identification Friend or Foe Identification, friend or foe (IFF) is an identification system designed for command and control. It uses a transponder that listens for an ''interrogation'' signal and then sends a ''response'' that identifies the broadcaster. IFF systems usual ...

(CIFF).

References

{{Reflist Equipment of the United States Navy Anti-aircraft warfare Aircraft carriers

See also

References