The Cooperative Engagement Capability CEC" Transforming Naval Anti-air Warfare"

Abstract

Abstract : Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is a system which promises to transform naval surface warfare to a major extent. An official description of the system states: Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) enables battle group ships and aircraft to share sensor data at speeds never seen before providing the entire battle group with a single integrated air picture. This revolutionary capability doesn't require additional radars or weapons but instead shares information with existing systems. CEC brings significant improvements in several areas: Air contact tracking accuracy. Continuity of track. Air contact identification consistency. These pieces of information, collected and shared by assets throughout the battle group, increase the size of battle space protection. They enable the battle group to more accurately identify air contacts before they can threaten the battle group. Once CEC is installed on all the battle groups, every ship and Hawkeye 20001 in the battle group will be capable of seeing the same target many miles away. This could not happen using only the ship's own organic sensors. CEC extracts data from sensors aboard surface ships and aircraft throughout the battle group operating region and displays fire control quality data, within microseconds, to every asset in the battle group. Having a fire control quality track on a target as it approaches the battle group enables all ships to engage at their maximum intercept range, taking into account the performance characteristics of each of the missiles. CEC gives the battle group commander an umbrella to protect all the ships and aircraft in the battle group and extends that umbrella of protection well beyond the outermost sensors of the battle group.2