• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

FIXED DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM (FDS)

	Navy ACAT II Program 1 system Total program cost (TY$) $1095.7M Average unit cost (TY$) $1095.7M Full-rate production N/A Prime Contractor AT&T (UWS) and Loral (SSIPS)

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

FDS is an ocean surveillance system which employs seabed acoustic sensors distributed over large ocean areas to detect, classify, localize, and track submarine contacts in selected areas of the world, thereby contributing to full-dimensional protection through information superiority. FDS consists of two subsystems: an Underwater Segment (UWS) and a Shore Signal Information Processing Segment (SSIPS). FDS will augment the existing Sound Ocean Surveillance System (SOSUS) and be compatible with the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System, including Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SUR-TASS) ships.

The first phase of IOT&E occurred in September 1988 using a test bed with an underwater FDS system, which was not completely representative of an operational field and fully manned shore equipment. The processing and display facility was comprised of off-the-shelf electronic equipment and experimental software. The limited testing focused on classification, localization, tracking, and tactical support, only partially resolving COIs. Suitability could not be addressed with this hardware and software.

Despite its limitations, the first phase of IOT&E was useful because it operationally tested and demonstrated the concept of FDS. Testing centered on the underwater segment, and results showed that a single hydrophone cluster did not meet the threshold for detection, but the number of string detections did. FDS demonstrated the capability to classify, localize, and track an exercise submarine. Collocation of the rudimentary shore end with existing SOSUS equipment demonstrated an initial level of integration.

Engineering development of FDS commenced in 1989. An initial seabed subsystem for the first FDS has been installed and has become the test article for OT. Initial operation of this system occurred in 1995. Plans had called for procurement of 11 operational systems through 2006. However, the Navy truncated the program and has limited procurement to the engineering development model for the first full field, an additional FDS system, and training equipment. The additional system supported the demonstration of a rapidly deployable variant, FDS-D (deployable) in 1994.

The FDS-D experiment, conducted in 1994, proved the deployment and retrieval concepts and successfully demonstrated the FDS acoustic detection and tracking concepts with submarine targets using Navy operators.

An OT, combined with a DT was conducted at FDS-1 in August 1995 (OT-IIB). Target services were insufficient. The system was immature and the training was behind schedule.

Because of the extensive limitations of OT-IIB, those objectives were incorporated into OT-IIC and OT-IID in 1996, two events which were largely tests of opportunity. OT-IIC was conducted in June 1996 on a partial installation of FDS-1 that did not include the SDS software. OT-IID was primarily a test of the Surveillance Direction System (SDS). FDS testing COIs were in conjunction with the SDS testing.

After the entire system was installed and operating and the initial SDS software was installed, an OA FDS OT-IID / SDS OT-I) was conducted at the FDS-1 site in September 1996. This OA was conducted in lieu of an OPEVAL due to the cancellation of Milestone III in 1994. As in OT-IIC, test objectives were the same as those previously approved by DOT&E, but with some additional focus on suitability issues. FDS achieved FOC in September 1996.

OT-IIC / D found the system to be potentially operationally effective and potentially operationally suitable but noted some problems in the areas of tactical support and survivability , (see classified report).

Testing in accordance with the FDS TEMP 1009 Rev. 2.3 has been completed and no further FDS testing is scheduled due to the cancellation of OPEVAL and Milestone III.