Boosting Navy Bandwidth,pre-Windows computers are still around

[megimoo]

 I didn’t realize there were any pre-Windows computers still around. Yet here they were.

I recall a few years ago visiting an Aegis cruiser, one of the most advanced warships in the world. In its Combat Information Center, sailors can track dozens of targets and coordinate an entire battle group. So it was more than a little jarring to see that the computers that run everything showed glowing green text on black screens.

Obviously the armed forces need to do a better job of keeping up with new technology—but that’s not so easy to do given loooong procurement cycles and the demands of security and reliability. Vice Admiral Mark Edwards, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Communications Networks, addresses that very challenge in the new issue of the Naval Institute’s invaluable magazine, Proceedings. He notes a shocking statistic:

The two-way communication bandwidth of a single Blackberry is three times greater than the bandwidth of the entire Arleigh Burke [-class, Aegis guided-missile] destroyer. Looked at another way, the Navy’s most modern in-service multi-mission warship has only five percent of the bandwidth we have in our home Internet connection.

The problem is that the Navy is not keeping up with Silicon Valley:

As computing capabilities continue to grow exponentially, the costs of computers, servers, storage, and software are coming down. Across the commercial industry worldwide, IT budgets are actually declining as capacity goes up. But in the Navy, the opposite is taking place . . . . Moreover, every system we field takes nearly seven years to reach the Fleet. By the time it gets to the people who need it, it is already out of date. There is no agility or flexibility in our IT

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/boot/3359

[djones520]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....   

[RightCoast]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....  

Which is a sweet upgrade.

[Chris_]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....  

Which is a sweet upgrade.

No more getting lost on the way to the snack bar 

[megimoo]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....   

The need to find those lost golf balls !

The reason for the non_windows version is because the Navy vendors who develop the Ucode for their systems own and control the compilers and assemblers used to generate the executable and thereby resolve system integrity and security.

The software on all military computer systems is very old and very stable.
The logic circuits used in most of our weapons systems are over twenty years old designs and are not available on the commercial market.

The space shuttle was the first vehicle to use Bit Slice designs and that stuff is obsolete and hasn't been used for ten years.The latest and greatest isn't necessarily true for reliable designs.

The Airforce fighters have the most current electronic hardware and that has led to a revolution in software development and design security.

A basic control system are now integrated in a very robust hardware design and very seldom changes.The updates are all done in ucode and ncode which is in the form of flash memory chips which are very secure and un_breakable unless you have a specific compiler .

That is why the United States military doesn't want the F-22 or the F 35 built by foreign manufacturers !

[RightCoast]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....  

Which is a sweet upgrade.

No more getting lost on the way to the snack bar 

The last course I was on the snack/ booze cart came to you with the press on a GPS powered button.

[Chris_]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....  

Which is a sweet upgrade.

No more getting lost on the way to the snack bar 

The last course I was on the snack/ booze cart came to you with the press on a GPS powered button.

That sounds cool.  Did anyone ever get run over by the snack cart?

[rich_t]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....   

The need to find those lost golf balls !

The reason for the non_windows version is because the Navy vendors who develop the Ucode for their systems own and control the compilers and assemblers used to generate the executable and thereby resolve system integrity and security.

The software on all military computer systems is very old and very stable.
The logic circuits used in most of our weapons systems are over twenty years old designs and are not available on the commercial market.

The space shuttle was the first vehicle to use Bit Slice designs and that stuff is obsolete and hasn't been used for ten years.The latest and greatest isn't necessarily true for reliable designs.

The Airforce fighters have the most current electronic hardware and that has led to a revolution in software development and design security.

A basic control system are now integrated in a very robust hardware design and very seldom changes.The updates are all done in ucode and ncode which is in the form of flash memory chips which are very secure and un_breakable unless you have a specific compiler .

That is why the United States military doesn't want the F-22 or the F 35 built by foreign manufacturers !

That sounds about right to me.  Also... Windows is merely an OS.  It has nothing to do with the hardware capabilities used for many military purposes.   

[TheSarge]

The space shuttle was the first vehicle to use Bit Slice designs and that stuff is obsolete and hasn't been used for ten years.The latest and greatest isn't necessarily true for reliable designs.

And that is why the Shuttle Astronauts also carry laptops with them to help compensate for the lack of computing power on the Shuttle fleet.

[DumbAss Tanker]

In military electronics and software, there are a lot more important things than a GUI or Standard Windows Menus.  EMP resistance, purity of function, hardware redundancy, thermal and physical shock resistance, severability, serviceability, security, and clean-plus-fast reboot far outweigh simple processor power and whether the interface looks like NT, XP, or MacOS.  In fact most of the raw processing power in consumer machines is wasted running crap like updaters and bells-and-whistles bullshit.  And as far as security goes, paradoxically, outdated OS machines are in many ways far more secure than more modern ones since the range of ways to get into them is vastly more limited and generally a fully-known quantity.  I would bet that upwards of 90% of the sound cards ever installed in work computers were never actually used for real work as opposed to just screwing around (And no, I do not regard sound effects for a Powerpoint show, or a voice reading the slides to you as you watch them, as "real work."). 
 

[RightCoast]

But we can spend 3.7 million installing GPS systems into our golf courses....  

Which is a sweet upgrade.

No more getting lost on the way to the snack bar 

The last course I was on the snack/ booze cart came to you with the press on a GPS powered button.

That sounds cool.  Did anyone ever get run over by the snack cart?

No but the chick driving it was smokin' hot.

[Crazy Horse]

Who cares what color the screens are................those fire control computers have been well above anything the rest of the world sees, mainly though programming.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't an older ship............a Ticonderoga class just blow the ever living shit out of a fuel tank in space????

[megimoo]

Who cares what color the screens are................those fire control computers have been well above anything the rest of the world sees, mainly though programming.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't an older ship............a Ticonderoga class just blow the ever living shit out of a fuel tank in space????

Not a bad shot for a system the liberals said would never work and even named 'star wars' to make lite of it .

About one hundred forty three miles slant range and a direct hit, one shot, with a non-explosive metalic slug to the fuel tank.This system was originally designed to shoot down Russian backfire bombers before they could get at our aircraft carriers  during the cold war.

Over the years constant updates and improvements have made it into something very special.The Aegas system is kind of a mini missle defense system not really designed to bring down those big multiwar head systems as they come into the atmosphere from space at several tens of thousand miles per hour.

A Seaborn system makes much more sense that a land based system .Something like our Trident ICBM submarines but loaded with MIRV'D ABM'S would be an ideal system .It could roam the seas and in time of crisis pull up next to their launch sites and bring them down before they enter the boost stage.

[Crazy Horse]

Damn I miss working at Dahlgren

NSWC team reinstalled Aegis BMD configuration after 'phenomenal' satellite intercept
 USS LAKE ERIE, USS DECATUR, USS RUSSELL and DAHLGREN, Va. - Navy civilian scientists and engineers immediately reinstalled the tactical Aegis Ballistic Missile (BMD) configuration to three ships on Feb. 21 after removing computer programs they designed for one purpose - to shoot down a failing satellite.

"Our engineers ensured the modified computer programs were removed from USS Lake Erie, USS Decatur, and USS Russell," said Scott Such, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Aegis BMD Program Director. "They returned each ship to a tactical configuration to continue their missions protecting the interests of the United States and our allies."

Lake Erie crewmembers used the modified Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) and Aegis weapon system to fire a missile that struck the satellite orbiting 130 miles over the Pacific Ocean. The strike destroyed the satellite's fuel tank, preventing 1,000 pounds of toxic hydrazine from spilling in a populous region.

The Decatur and Russell - also outfitted with the capability to shoot down a satellite traveling more than 17,000 miles per hour - were ready to fire if one or more of the three Aegis-class cruisers could not execute the mission due to mechanical or other unknown conditions.

"What the combined team of engineers, programmers, trainers and ship's force accomplished in seven weeks was nothing short of phenomenal," said Lt. Cmdr. Chuck Coryell, an NSWCDD Aegis Fleet Support Officer, who deployed aboard USS Decatur.

"The drumbeat of decaying orbits did not allow for investigation into the fundamentals of our capabilities - it required action, and quick action," added Reuben Pitts, Combat System Certification Authority and Chairman of the Mission Control Panel. "I do not believe that there is a technical team in the world that could have adjusted course so quickly and accurately, and this course adjustment required mastery of the fundamentals."

Immediately after "Mark India", was declared, announcing the intercept, NSWCDD personnel calculated the exact hit point of the kinetic warhead using data collected from SM-3 telemetry and other sensor assets. This was a critical component in determining mission success.

Before the mission began, a team - including NSWCDD Aegis BMD experts - studied the feasibility of intercepting the failed satellite. The Aegis BMD program office at Dahlgren was then called to build computer program disks and tapes for delivery to the three ships.

"The simple facts were that the satellite was coming down in early March, we were unable to control where or when, and there was significant risk to the population," said Such. "Our team understood this and were resolved to do whatever was needed to minimize the risk of casualties."

NSWCDD installation teams installed and checked out modified computer programs pier side. Government-industry teams working with sailors aboard the three ships evaluated system performance at sea by tracking the dying 5,000 pound satellite as it passed overhead.

Navy Capt. Randall M. Hendrickson, the Lake Erie's commanding officer, told reporters that his crew worked intensively for a month and a half before the shootdown.

"We kept working up with a team of government experts and technicians, as well as industry partners," said Hendrickson.

The group worked to gather information and modify the SM-3 and the Aegis weapon system, he said, adding that they started tracking the satellite at different times to get radar cross-section data, which helped build the program software.

"Obviously there was a lot of anticipation building up each time we practiced, each time we tracked," said Hendrickson.

Throughout the practice sessions and the actual mission event, NSWCDD personnel stationed locally in Dahlgren, at the Combat Systems Engineering Development Station, and at the Pacific Missile Range Facility were in constant communication with ship's force, reviewing data and optimizing system performance.

"From the very first day, the Aegis BMD team focused on delivering a capability that was safe and effective for ship's force to employ," said Such. "They also knew they had to be right the first time."

NSWCDD personnel chaired shipboard and pier side configuration control boards, providing critical support needed to ensure that all three ships had the same tools and capability to complete the mission should one or more be unable to support mission execution.

NSWCDD engineers worked side by side with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), Lockheed Martin, Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWCPHD), Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division, Raytheon, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program Directorate (PD452), Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Combat Systems Engineering Development Station (CSEDS), and others to ensure USS Lake Erie's success.

"I see the talent within the Aegis BMD and NSWCDD communities on a daily basis," said Such. "They are repeatedly asked to do the impossible yet somehow they manage to translate these challenges into the realm of the possible, and then they deliver solutions. This team is truly a national asset and I am very proud to play a small part in it."

 

[megimoo]

Damn I miss working at Dahlgren

NSWC team reinstalled Aegis BMD configuration after 'phenomenal' satellite intercept
 USS LAKE ERIE, USS DECATUR, USS RUSSELL and DAHLGREN, Va. - Navy civilian scientists and engineers immediately reinstalled the tactical Aegis Ballistic Missile (BMD) configuration to three ships on Feb. 21 after removing computer programs they designed for one purpose - to shoot down a failing satellite.

"Our engineers ensured the modified computer programs were removed from USS Lake Erie, USS Decatur, and USS Russell," said Scott Such, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Aegis BMD Program Director. "They returned each ship to a tactical configuration to continue their missions protecting the interests of the United States and our allies."

Lake Erie crewmembers used the modified Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) and Aegis weapon system to fire a missile that struck the satellite orbiting 130 miles over the Pacific Ocean. The strike destroyed the satellite's fuel tank, preventing 1,000 pounds of toxic hydrazine from spilling in a populous region.

The Decatur and Russell - also outfitted with the capability to shoot down a satellite traveling more than 17,000 miles per hour - were ready to fire if one or more of the three Aegis-class cruisers could not execute the mission due to mechanical or other unknown conditions.

"What the combined team of engineers, programmers, trainers and ship's force accomplished in seven weeks was nothing short of phenomenal," said Lt. Cmdr. Chuck Coryell, an NSWCDD Aegis Fleet Support Officer, who deployed aboard USS Decatur.

"The drumbeat of decaying orbits did not allow for investigation into the fundamentals of our capabilities - it required action, and quick action," added Reuben Pitts, Combat System Certification Authority and Chairman of the Mission Control Panel. "I do not believe that there is a technical team in the world that could have adjusted course so quickly and accurately, and this course adjustment required mastery of the fundamentals."

Immediately after "Mark India", was declared, announcing the intercept, NSWCDD personnel calculated the exact hit point of the kinetic warhead using data collected from SM-3 telemetry and other sensor assets. This was a critical component in determining mission success.

Before the mission began, a team - including NSWCDD Aegis BMD experts - studied the feasibility of intercepting the failed satellite. The Aegis BMD program office at Dahlgren was then called to build computer program disks and tapes for delivery to the three ships.

"The simple facts were that the satellite was coming down in early March, we were unable to control where or when, and there was significant risk to the population," said Such. "Our team understood this and were resolved to do whatever was needed to minimize the risk of casualties."

NSWCDD installation teams installed and checked out modified computer programs pier side. Government-industry teams working with sailors aboard the three ships evaluated system performance at sea by tracking the dying 5,000 pound satellite as it passed overhead.

Navy Capt. Randall M. Hendrickson, the Lake Erie's commanding officer, told reporters that his crew worked intensively for a month and a half before the shootdown.

"We kept working up with a team of government experts and technicians, as well as industry partners," said Hendrickson.

The group worked to gather information and modify the SM-3 and the Aegis weapon system, he said, adding that they started tracking the satellite at different times to get radar cross-section data, which helped build the program software.

"Obviously there was a lot of anticipation building up each time we practiced, each time we tracked," said Hendrickson.

Throughout the practice sessions and the actual mission event, NSWCDD personnel stationed locally in Dahlgren, at the Combat Systems Engineering Development Station, and at the Pacific Missile Range Facility were in constant communication with ship's force, reviewing data and optimizing system performance.

"From the very first day, the Aegis BMD team focused on delivering a capability that was safe and effective for ship's force to employ," said Such. "They also knew they had to be right the first time."

NSWCDD personnel chaired shipboard and pier side configuration control boards, providing critical support needed to ensure that all three ships had the same tools and capability to complete the mission should one or more be unable to support mission execution.

NSWCDD engineers worked side by side with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), Lockheed Martin, Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWCPHD), Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division, Raytheon, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program Directorate (PD452), Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Combat Systems Engineering Development Station (CSEDS), and others to ensure USS Lake Erie's success.

"I see the talent within the Aegis BMD and NSWCDD communities on a daily basis," said Such. "They are repeatedly asked to do the impossible yet somehow they manage to translate these challenges into the realm of the possible, and then they deliver solutions. This team is truly a national asset and I am very proud to play a small part in it."

 

They need to start working on a SM-4 with a much bigger booster and MIRV warheads !