The Advanced Combat Direction System (ACDS) is a centralized, automated

command-and-control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...

system, collecting and correlating combat information. It upgrades the

Naval Tactical Data System Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) was a computerized information processing system developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s and first deployed in the early 1960s for use in combat ships. It took reports from multiple sensors on different sh ...

(NTDS) for

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s and large-deck

amphibious ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, as ...

s. A core component of non-

Aegis The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...

combat systems, ACDS provides the capability to identify and classify targets, prioritize and conduct engagements, vector interceptor aircraft to targets, and exchange targeting information and engagement orders within the battle group and among different service components in the joint theater of operations. ACDS integrates the ship's sensors, weapons, and intelligence sources to allow command and control of battle group tactical operations. The ACDS upgrade is divided into two phases designated as Block 0 and Block 1. The Block 0 system replaces obsolete Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) computers and display consoles with modern equipment and incorporates both new and upgraded NTDS software. Block 1 operates with the equipment provided under ACDS Block 0 but implements significant improvements in software capability. The Block 1 upgrade includes modifiable doctrine, the

Joint Tactical Information Distribution System The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) is an L band Distributed Time Division Multiple Access (DTDMA) network radio system used by the United States armed forces and their allies to support data communications needs, principall ...

(JTIDS) for joint and allied interoperability, increased range and track capability, multi-source identification,

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense whose primary mission is collecting, analyzing, and distributing geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of national ...

(NGA) based digital maps, and an embedded training capability.

Program Status

ACDS Block 0 was deployed in nine aircraft carriers, five ''Wasp''-class amphibious assault ships, and all five ''Tarawa''-class amphibious assault ships. The first installation of ACDS Block 1 began in FY 1996 with the USS ''Eisenhower'' (CVN-69) and ''Wasp'' (LHD-1), followed by the

USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) USS ''John F. Kennedy'' (CV-67) (formerly CVA-67), the only ship of her class, is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy. Considered a supercarrier, she is a variant of the , and the last conventionally powered carrier built f ...

in 1999 and USS ''Iwo Jima'' (LHD-7) and USS ''Nimitz'' (CVN-68) in 2001. ACDS will be replaced with the Ship Self-Defense System ( SSDS) Mark 2 as it is fielded across the fleet.

Developer/Manufacturer

Raytheon,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. ACDS Block I development, performance, and integration testing: Raytheon;

SPAWAR The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWARSYSCOM), based in San Diego, is one of six SYSCOM Echelon II organizations within the United States Navy and is the Navy's technical authority and acquisition command for C4ISTAR, C4ISR (Command ...

Systems Center, San Diego, California; and the Integrated Combat Systems Test Facility (ICSTF) and Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme (NSWC/PHD) (Later, Combat Direction System Activity (CDSA)),

Dam Neck Training Support Center Hampton Roads is the current name of the facility in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, which was long-known as "FTC Dam Neck". It is the home of the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic of the United States Navy. History ...

, Virginia.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Anti-submarine warfare Military computers Military equipment introduced in the 1990s

Program Status

Developer/Manufacturer

See also

References