The Advanced Combat Direction System (ACDS) is a centralized, automated
command-and-control system, collecting and correlating combat information. It upgrades the
Naval Tactical Data System
Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) was a computerized information processing system developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s and first deployed in the early 1960s for use in combat ships. It took reports from multiple sensors on different ...
(NTDS) for
aircraft carrier
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 ...
s and large-deck
amphibious ships.
A core component of 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 ...
combat systems, ACDS provides the capability to identify and classify targets, prioritize and conduct engagements, vector interceptor aircraft to targets, and exchange targeting information and engagement orders within the battle group and among different service components in the joint theater of operations. ACDS integrates the ship's sensors, weapons, and intelligence sources to allow command and control of battle group tactical operations.
[
The ACDS upgrade is divided into two phases designated as Block 0 and Block 1. The Block 0 system replaces obsolete Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) computers and display consoles with modern equipment and incorporates both new and upgraded NTDS software.][ Block 1 operates with the equipment provided under ACDS Block 0 but implements significant improvements in software capability. The Block 1 upgrade includes modifiable doctrine, the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) for joint and allied interoperability, increased range and track capability, multi-source identification, ]National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense whose primary mission is collecting, analyzing, and distributing geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of natio ...
(NGA) based digital maps, and an embedded training capability.[
]
Program Status
ACDS Block 0 was deployed in nine 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 n ...
, five ''Wasp''-class amphibious assault ships, and all five ''Tarawa''-class amphibious assault ships.[ The first installation of ACDS Block 1 began in FY 1996 with the USS ''Eisenhower'' (CVN-69) and ''Wasp'' (LHD-1), followed by the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) in 1999 and USS ''Iwo Jima'' (LHD-7) and USS ''Nimitz'' (CVN-68) in 2001. ACDS will be replaced with the Ship Self-Defense System (]SSDS
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the hierarchy of computer storage. It is a ...
) Mark 2 as it is fielded across the fleet.[
]
Developer/Manufacturer
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...
, San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
. ACDS Block I development, performance, and integration testing: Raytheon; SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego, California; and the Integrated Combat Systems Test Facility (ICSTF) and Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme (NSWC/PHD) (Later, Combat Direction System Activity (CDSA)), Dam Neck, Virginia.[
]
See also
*H/ZKJ
H/ZKJ series and its derivative H/ZKT series naval systems are Chinese combat data /management systems (CDS/CMS) installed on board Chinese surface combatants of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and they are usually referred as ZKJ and ZK ...
*Naval Tactical Data System
Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) was a computerized information processing system developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s and first deployed in the early 1960s for use in combat ships. It took reports from multiple sensors on different ...
*Ship Self-Defense System
The Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) is a combat system specifically designed for anti-air defense of aircraft carriers, and most other non-Aegis United States Navy combat ships. It coordinates several existing shipboard systems. Multi-sensor i ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
Anti-submarine warfare
Military computers
Military equipment introduced in the 1990s