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MARGEN: HALIFAX CLASS MODERNIZATION (HCM) COMBAT SYSTEM EQUIPMENT SELECTION

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Backgrounders: MARGEN: HALIFAX CLASS MODERNIZATION (HCM) COMBAT SYSTEM EQUIPMENT SELECTION

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FM NDHQ CMS OTTAWA
MARGEN

UNCLAS DGMFD 001/09 MARGEN 021/09
SIC WAB

SUBJ: HALIFAX CLASS MODERNIZATION (HCM) COMBAT SYSTEM EQUIPMENT SELECTION

1. IN NOV 08, LOCKHEED MARTIN CANADA (LMC) WAS AWARDED THE CONTRACT TO BE THE COMBAT SYSTEM INTEGRATOR (CSI) DURING THE MODERNIZATION OF THE HALIFAX CLASS (HCM). THROUGH THE CSI CONTRACT, LMC WILL MODERNIZE THE HALIFAX COMBAT SUITE TO ENABLE THE CLASS TO DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH CURRENT AND EMERGING THREATS IN THE OPEN OCEAN AND IN THE MORE COMPLEX LITTORAL ENVIRONMENT

2. THE SELECTION OF THE SYSTEMS IN THE CSI HAS BEEN MADE AND I AM PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT THE CSI IS WELL UNDERWAY TO DELIVERING EXCELLENT CAPABILITY TO THE HALIFAX CLASS. THE COMBAT SUITE WILL BE MODERNIZED AS FOLLOWS:

A.COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM: THE CCS 330 WILL BE REPLACED BY THE SAAB ACCS 9LV COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM A LEADING EDGE CCS WHICH IS IN USE BY A NUMBER OF NAVIES.

B. 3D RADAR - THE SPS-49 LONG RANGE AIR SEARCH RADAR WILL BE REPLACED BY THE THALES SMART-S MK II SOLID STATE 3D VOLUME SEARCH RADAR. OPTIMIZED FOR LITTORAL OPERATIONS THIS RADAR WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN THE MODERN THREAT ENVIRONMENT.

C. 2D RADAR - THE SG-150 MEDIUM RANGE AIR/SURFACE SEARCH SEA GIRAFFE RADAR WILL BE UPGRADED BY SAAB. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ANTENNA UNIT AND BELOW-DECK EQUIPMENT WILL IMPROVE ITS LOW PROBABILITY OF INTERCEPT AND REDUCE FALSE TRACKS TO CCS. INTEGRATION INTO THE 9LV CCS IS LOW-RISK AS IT IS ALREADY INSTALLED IN ANZAC AND GOTHENBURG CLASS SHIPS.

D. FIRE CONTROL (FC) STIR RADARS - TWO FC STIR RADARS WILL BE REPLACED BY TWO SAAB CEROS 200 FC STIR RADARS. CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN OTHER NATO WARSHIPS ITS SUPPORT OF ESSM AND 57 MM MK III HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN.

E. NAVIGATION RADARS - THE FURUNO AND KELVIN HUGHES NAV RADARS WILL BE REPLACED BY TWO RAYTHEON PATHFINDER MK II NAV RADARS. COVERING BOTH X AND S BAND THE NEW NAV RADAR WILL PROVIDE BRIDGE TEAMS WITH REDUNDANCY ACROSS BOTH RADAR BANDS AS WELL AS A 360 DEGREE NAV PICTURE.

3. OTHER SENSOR IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED WITHIN HCM ARE:
A. ELECTRONIC SUPPORT MEASURES (ESM) - THE CANEWS WILL BE REPLACED BY ELISRA NS9003A-V2HC ESM SYSTEM WHICH IS A PROVEN SYSTEM CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN A DENSE LITTORAL ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENT. THE ELISRA ESM SYSTEM ALSO INCORPORATES THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES IN RECEIVING, DIRECTION FINDING (DF), SIGNAL PROCESSING AND IMPROVED HUMAN MACHINE INTERFACE (HMI)

B. IDENTIFICATION FRIEND OR FOE (IFF) - THE MK X11 IFF WILL BE REPLACED BY A TELEPHONICS IFF MODE 5/S WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT IN ASSISTING OPERATORS TO BUILD A RECOGNIZED MARITIME PICTURE (RMP). THE MODE S (SQUITTER) FEATURE WILL GIVE UNITS THE OPTION TO BROADCAST THEIR LOCATION AS DESIRED THROUGH ENCRYPTION INSTEAD OF TRANSMITTING ONLY WHEN CHALLENGED.

C. MULTI-LINK - THE CURRENT LINK 11 WILL BE REPLACED BY AN IBM MULTI-LINK DATA LINK PROCESSING SYSTEM CAPABLE OF LINK MODES 11 16 AND 22. A PROVEN SYSTEM DURING LIVE TESTS IN EUROPE, MULTI-LINK WILL PROVIDE ROBUST INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN NATIONAL AND COALITION UNITS THEREBY ENSURING ALL UNITS ARE OPERATING WITH THE SAME RMP.

D. ECM PASSIVE - THE SHIELD CHAFF/INFRA-RED (IR) SOFTKILL SYSTEM WILL BE REPLACED BY THE RHEINMETALL MULTI-AMMUNITION SOFTKILL SYSTEM (MASS) WHICH HAS A COMPUTERIZED AND TRAINABLE LAUNCHER. IT USES OMNI-SPECTRAL AMMUNITION TO ENSURE SOFT-KILL PROTECTION IN ALL RELEVANT WAVEBANDS (UV, EO, LASER, INFRARED, AND RADAR).

4. THE EQUIPMENT LISTED ABOVE IS BUT A SMALL PART OF THE MANY UPGRADES THAT WILL OCCUR IN THE HCM PROGRAMME.

M. BOISVERT, DGMFD AA,

‘O.S.B.’

CMDRE P. ELLIS, DGMFD

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