SSDS

Evolving Threats are No Match for Latest Ship Self Defense Software

Lockheed Martin Is Protecting the Sailors and Marines Who Protect Us All

With each passing minute, threats are evolving across the horizon. Now more than ever the Sailors and Marines of our Integrated Naval Force need to know they are protected so they can perform their critical missions. Enter, the Ship Self Defense System (SSDS). 

With the Latest Software Upgrades, Warships Will Remain Ahead of Continuously Evolving Threats

SSDS Baseline 12 ensures that aircraft carriers and amphibious warships remain safely ahead of continually evolving threats, such as anti-ship cruise missiles, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. SSDS Baseline 12:

  • Integrates a new solid-state radar for improved air defense
  • Advances anti-ship cruise missile weapon control by integrating the latest version of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) – Block 2
  • Integrates the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 electronic warfare system, and
  • Adds significant cyber defense capabilities

Lockheed Martin recently became the Combat System Engineering Agent (CSEA) for the SSDS program and developed this crucial capability to protect U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers and Amphibious Warships in record time. 

SSDS
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

"The ability of the SSDS team to deliver this capability to the Fleet during a pandemic demonstrates our unwavering commitment to deliver the most capable software to protect our sailors,” said Jim Sheridan, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin. “We are proud of how quickly we were able to apply our combat systems development and integration experience to a new customer and a new combat system. Our partnership with the SSDS government installation team is on pace to improve ship installation duration to a fraction of the time previously required.”

With SSDS Baseline 12, Lockheed Martin Advances the U.S. Navy’s Vision for an Integrated Combat System (ICS)

The U.S. Navy’s ICS vision includes a combat system interface across the surface fleet, enabling networked ships to achieve information dominance and coordinating synchronized force-level effects rapidly. Our development of the SSDS Baseline 12 capability has built upon its previous efforts and insights gained on Aegis and frigate programs. To support the U.S. Navy’s drive towards a common implementation of functionality, each new SSDS feature is being developed to be deployed across the fleet at a moment’s notice.

Digital transformation initiatives such as agile software development, virtual collaboration, automated testing, and containerized deliveries to commercial cloud-based computing assets allowed our team to support the U.S Navy’s critical installation schedule.

“Our SSDS team has vaulted to the forefront of our efforts to modernize the way naval combat systems are developed and delivered,” said Sheridan. “Our digital transformation efforts including DevSecOps, virtualization, and model-based system engineering, together with our industry partners, were key to enable SSDS software updates to take place faster, while meeting the U.S. Navy’s high standards for quality.”

 

SSDS
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Future Warfighting Capabilities Secure with Lockheed Martin Engineering Experience 

After being competitively awarded the contract in August 2019, a protest delayed our ability to start working until the end of that year. Just a short time later, our engineering team has mastered the new software code base, overcome challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and partnered with the government installation team to enable faster capability delivery to the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73) and the PCU FORT LAUDERDALE (LPD-28).

With over 50 years of constant evolution and innovation, Lockheed Martin has a trusted history of producing, integrating, and delivering combat systems and radars. This new capability marks a major milestone in the continued evolution of the Ship Self Defense System and showcases the deep-rooted understanding and experience we have of SSDS. While maintaining engineering rigor, we have evolved to develop and deliver self-defense upgrades successfully and faster to the fleet.
 

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