The Ministry of Defence has announced that the Royal Navy’s latest and most advanced ‘hunter killer’ submarine, Artful, has test-fired her first torpedo using a new UK command and control system.
BAE Systems’ (
www.baesystems.com) Common Combat System (CCS) functions as the digital ‘brain’ of the boat, controlling its ‘eyes’, ‘ears’ and ‘nervous system’. During the torpedo test, this cutting-edge system was able to interpret sonar readings and attack a moving target.
The CCS has a sonar-processing capability that was developed by Thales UK; the system was also worked on by global hardware provider Dell, Poole-based system designer Aish Technologies and ‘cloud computing’ company VMWare.
In total, the CCS is sustaining around 146 jobs across the UK. It will be retrofitted to every Astute and Vanguard-class submarine currently in service — and fitted to every new Astute-class submarine that comes into service.
Defence Procurement Minister Philip Dunne said: “The CSS will allow British submarines to adapt more quickly to changing mission requirements, making operations even safer and more efficient.
"It is a next-generation system — both highly capable and cost-effective — that can be installed right across the Royal Navy’s submarine fleets, thereby guaranteeing the best capability for the Royal Navy and the best value for money for the taxpayer.”
Rear Admiral Keith Beckett, director of submarines support at the MoD, said: “The Common Combat System allows the Royal Navy to detect and track the quietest adversaries. It is a huge improvement in terms of resilience and flexibility, and we’re at the early stages of exploring its huge potential.
"The successful development of the system is another example of the MoD working with British business and enterprise to deliver world-class and battle-winning submarine capability.”