ACSAS LRAD Summer install, spiral upgrade to ACSAS
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google retrieved this Dec 2005
NSWC Crane hosts ACSAS Fleet Tiger Team Meeting
By Harry Taylor, NSWC Crane
CRANE, Ind. -- NSWC Crane hosted an Aircraft Carrier Situational Awareness System (ACSAS) Fleet Tiger Team meeting in mid March, to gather Fleet input for the planned installation and testing of that system.
Currently, Anti-Terrorism / Force Protection (AT/FP) tactics, techniques, and procedures are dependent upon roving security/integrity watches providing surveillance to the ship's perimeter during ingress/egress to port, at anchorage or in port, and while navigating through restricted waterways. Roving watches are inefficient in providing adequate coverage of an aircraft carrier. An integrated surveillance system would provide the ship’s security personnel with increased capabilities to respond to threats during heightened threat conditions.
The ACSAS AT/FP system integrates surface search radar, electro-optics, Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), digital nautical charts, wireless communications and acoustic hailing devices. It also creates a common tactical scene for ship’s forces to maintain 24 hour, situational awareness between watch standers, patrol boats, piers and shore-based stations.
During the meeting, NSWC Crane received valuable assistance that will be incorporated into the final system design and is a major contribution to the maturity of ACSAS. Input from the Fleet included possible locations for sensor hardware and operator consoles. Systems operators from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) reviewed the system at Crane and provided feedback on its operator-friendliness. This feedback included adding a third operator console to accommodate system expansion.
The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is the most recent spiral capability being added to ACSAS. The addition of LRAD fulfills the requirement of ship's forces to warn approaching vessels to avoid entrance into the Naval Vessel Protection Zone established around the ship. LRAD generates intelligible voice announcements at extended ranges either by microphone input or prerecorded messages in almost any language. LRAD is primarily designed as a long-range communications device that can be manually operated on a tripod or automatically cued to common track data provided by ACSAS. LRAD operates within OSHA guidelines to deliver communications and safely disorient the listener based upon range, exposure time, power output, frequency and tonal patterns controlled by the operator.
ACSAS is a variant of the Navy’s Integrated Radar Optical Surveillance and Sighting System (IROS3) and an overarching AT/FP system for carriers. ACSAS integrates sensor information and communication data for assessment capabilities and creates a common tactical scene that provides capability to conduct Sea Shield surface and asymmetric detect-to-engage.
Installation of the ACSAS is planned for this summer aboard Roosevelt. The program sponsor is Office of Naval Research.
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