Leadership, communication and protection from a single source

It's the year 2028, the newest ship in the German Navy, the F126 class - formerly also known as the multi-purpose combat ship 180 - is going into action for the first time as a lead ship with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). The aim is to monitor and clear mines in the Baltic Sea. In the area of ​​operations, there is constant contact with ships and aircraft from other nations. Here especially with the Russian naval and air forces, which are constantly commuting back and forth along the borders of the Baltic States between Russia and Kaliningrad. The encounters are often very close. The question always arises for the leadership, is this a normal transfer, a provocation or even a violation of the European and NATO external borders? The clarification and evaluation must not make any mistakes, too much is at stake. This is exactly why the F126 class was selected for this mission, because its technology ensures the required security and situational awareness.

The Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 is normally made up of several anti-mine boats and a command and supply ship from various NATO partners – including at least one ship from Germany. In 2028, in addition to the F126, a minehunter of the type MJ332 participated.

The F126 should win the battle for information superiority with its high-tech sensors. The most important thing is the improved detection and early warning sensors and the surveillance radars. As the lead ship, however, the frigate must also ensure the protection of the formation, both against drones and all other effectors. The ship's own laser warning system is of particular importance.

As the lead ship, the F126 must of course also communicate with all participating boats of the other nations, especially under combat conditions. With its systems, Elbit Systems Deutschland supports the association's ability to act and survive. In this way we contribute to the success of the mission.

Multinational communication as the key to success

This scenario shows the importance of communication and related reconnaissance sensors. As Elbit System Deutschland GmbH, we offer the selective multicoupler for secure communication with all parties involvedSMK 1000at. The simultaneous operation of several HF transmitters in close collocation is one of the major challenges, especially on board boats and ships. In the conventional system structure, each individual radio link requires its own antenna, usually implemented using a tuned whip antenna. As a rule, however, this leads to serious interference effects between the communication paths, which lead to impermissible signal distortions and limit the operation of the HF communication devices. In addition, there is a shortage of space for the antennas to be set up on boats and ships. Our solution saves space and integration effort on the ships.

Elbit Systems Deutschland's approach to overcoming these limitations is to use broadband antennas that are fed from more than one transmission line at a time. This requires the combination of high-power transmission signals from multiple transmitters in front of the antenna feed point. A popular method is to use 3 dB passive power combiners. However, this approach suffers from high losses in the RF signal path, resulting in greatly reduced transmit power and thus reduced link availability. With theSMK 1000we offer a significantly improved approach. The principle of the "directional filter" transmits the power of several transmitters to the antenna at the same time with the lowest combination losses. High isolation between the transmitters and reduction of unwanted emissions such as broadband noise, harmonics and spurious emissions increase the performance of the HF communication system. Our approach leads to a reduction in the number of antennas with simultaneous transmission of up to five shortwave transmitters in the 1 kW class with very low losses via just one antenna. TheSMK 1000covers the entire frequency range for shortwave radio and is already installed in the latest ships.

360° situation picture and protection

Most long-range weapon systems today use lasers to measure and mark the target. Elbit Systems Germany offers thatELNAWS(Enhanced Laser Naval Warning System) as a basic protective measure. The system exists in different versions for land and sea vehicles and makes a decisive contribution to improving your own picture of the situation.

The passive laser warning system detects, identifies and categorizes military-relevant laser threats and provides warnings, angle of attack (AOA) and additional measurement parameters for reconnaissance purposes. Our system guarantees full hemispheric coverage for each platform. The system can distinguish between the following types of lasers: Laser Range Finder (LRF), Laser Designator (LD) and Beam Rider Missiles (LBR). This is completely independent of whether the lasers are from another ship, aircraft or ground forces.

Thanks to the very high system sensitivity, the majority of the relevant laser systems are detected and correctly categorized. This ensures low false alarm rates over long hours of operation, including immunity to false targeting (reflected laser energy, gunfire, muzzle flashes and more). In addition, the system automatically determines the accurate angle of arrival information for all laser threats, including long-range, low-power LBRs, allowing sufficient response time in cases where activation of appropriate countermeasures is required. The customer's threat library can be integrated. A laser event log is also part of the system, providing the ability to retrieve events for intelligence investigations, debriefing, and identifying new threats. Also supportedELNAWSStandard communication links and protocols for exchanging information with other onboard systems such as navigation or vehicle/mission control computer. This means that it can be fully integrated into the Command and Weapons Deployment System (FüWES), the heart of the frigate. A built-in continuous self-test with real-time error detection is part of the solution. In Europe alone, more than eleven customers trust our protection solution, including Great Britain, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Sweden, among others for the new VISBY frigates.

Elbit Systems Deutschland offers systems for command, communication and protection from a single source. This also applies to the next generation of ships for the German Navy.

NEXT IS NOW®

Elbit Systems Germany GmbH & Co. KG
Eberhard-Finckh-Strasse 55,
89075 Ulm, Germany
Telephone +49 731 15 53 – 0
Fax +49 731 15 53 – 112
info@elbitsystems-de.com
www.elbitsystems-de.com