To execute maneuver warfare from the sea successfully, the Navy and Marine Corps must improve naval surface fire support (NSFS) capabilities significantly.
Present Navy surface combatant weapon systems lack the range, accuracy, and lethality to conduct effective fire support. Shipboard 76-mm and 5-inch guns have maximum ranges of 9 and 13 nautical miles (nm), respectively—essentially insufficient against shore targets when a prudent stand-off distance from the coast is required. No guided munitions exist in the operational inventory, necessitating substantial ammunition expenditure with spotting to hit a target. Even hitting a hardened target, such as a concrete emplacement or tank, would have little effect, however, since available ammunition is designed for blast and fragmentation, not penetration.
Nor are shipboard missile systems suitable for the mission. Except for the Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile (TLAM), all other missile systems are designed for antiair or antisurface ship missions. But the Tomahawks are not tactical fire-support candidates because of their targeting requirements, inability to respond to rapid calls for fire, unsuitability against mobile targets, expense, and operational control by higher authorities.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Navy examined many fire-support alternatives. The 8-inch/55-caliber Mk 71 major-caliber lightweight gun completed operational testing and was ready for fleet introduction in 1977; an 8-inch semiactive laser guided projectile (SALGP), the Paveway, designed for the Mk 71 had almost completed development and was tested at sea; and the Deadeye, a 5-inch SALGP, finished operational testing and was ready for full-scale production in 1982. None survived budgetary scrutiny—all were canceled.
During the 1980s, the Navy recommissioned the four Iowa (BB-61)-class battleships. Their Desert Storm performance notwithstanding, however, by March 1992, all four were—once again— decommissioned, ostensibly because of high operating costs.
A fresh start was required. The NSFS Mission Need Statement was approved in May 1992, and, that September, “. . . From the Sea” committed the Navy and Marine Corps to an “increased emphasis on generation of high-intensity power projection, support of force ashore, and weapons necessary to fulfill the mission,” as an immediate task. In February 1994, the Resource Requirement Review Board headed by then-Vice Admiral William Owens, Director of Resources, Warfare Requirements & Assessments (N-8), reviewed the program’s key elements:
- A new 155-mm gun mount
- An upgraded 5-inch gun mount
- Guided 155-mm and 5-inch projectiles V A (Naval) Army Tactical Missile System (NATACMS)
- A generic missile concept known as Faststrike plus evolutionary development of the Standard Missile and a Standoff Land Attack Missile (Sea SLAM) shipboard version
- Advanced technology propellants, such as liquid propellant (LP) and electrothermal-chemical (ETC) technologies
The Surface Warfare Division developed a $500-million program ($140 million for missiles and $360 million for guns and munitions) to be funded between 1996 and 2001. Shortly thereafter, however, the Faststrike concept was deferred in favor of demonstrating the capabilities of existing missile systems, e.g.. Standard Missile (SM)-1, SM-2, and Sea SLAM to provide fire support. Without Faststrike, the missile funding was reduced substantially. By late summer, competing program priorities sliced $200 million from the $360 million intended for guns and munitions, which left only $160 million. Back to the drawing board.
After an October 1994, CNO Executive Board, then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda directed Expeditionary Warfare Division (N85), N86, and the Marine Corps to develop specific mission requirements for NSFS systems in terms of range, lethality, and volume of fire consistent with “Forward . . . From the Sea” concepts and strategies. The schedule defined three time frames:
- Immediate 1996-2001
- Mid-term 2001-2005
- Future 2006-2015
The immediate requirement is to support Marines executing maneuver warfare operations across the beach, because naval ships and aircraft must provide fire support until Marine artillery can be established ashore. The minimum range requirement for surface ships is defined by the desired stand-off range from shore plus the range of the Marine’s Ml98 (155-mm) artillery piece. A 25-nm standoff range reduces the shore-based antiship cruise missile and mine threat while retaining the critical element of surprise consistent with Marine Corps doctrine; adding the M198’s 16-nm maximum range gives a minimum-range requirement of 41 nm.
Giving the system a counter-battery capability against enemy artillery requires that it outrange enemy capabilities. An artillery threat capable of ranges up to 22 nm creates a requirement for a theoretical 63-nm maximum range.
In addition, system lethality—accuracy and effect—must match that of the Copperhead precision-guided munition carried in the basic Ml98 ammunition allowance for special missions, and the available volume of fire should approximate the M198’s 558-round basic allowance. Mid-term and future requirements have yet to be determined.
Based upon Marine Corps requirements, CNO approved the following immediate program elements in December 1994:
- Upgrade 5-inch gun mounts and fire- control systems
- Develop a rocket-assisted Extended- Range Guided Munition (ERGM) for the 5-inch gun
- Demonstrate NATACMS, Strike Standard Missile, and Sea SLAM on board ship.
- Incorporate results in Center for Naval Analyses NSFS Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis (COEA).
Satisfying the 63-nm requirement drives gun improvements; 5-inch/54 Mk 45 gun mount upgrades include lengthening the barrel by 8 calibers, altering the recoil stroke from 24 to 30 inches, and increasing recoil brake load capacity from 100,000 to 156,000 pounds to accommodate a muzzle energy capacity increase from 12.5 to 15 megajoules—with a goal of 18 megajoules. Engineering design work is under way. Table 1 presents gun design change inter-relationships. Successfully achieving either an increased recoil stroke or an increased brake load capacity will yield 15 megajoules; the 18 megajoule goal requires both.
To satisfy Marine lethality standards, even the latest shipboard fire control system requires upgrading. The Ml98 howitzer has a better circular error probability (CEP)—363 yards at 16.2 nm—than does the Navy 5-inch gun. Any new NSFS must do at least that well, and fire-control improvements can meet this requirement out to 19.2 nm. Mk 34 Gun Weapon System improvements are in progress on Arleigh Burke (DDG-51)- class guided-missile destroyers and the necessary Mk 86 Fire Control System upgrades on Spruance (DD-963)-class destroyers and Ticonderoga (CG-47)-class guided-missile cruisers are under study. Improved fire control, however, requires development of 5-inch guided projectiles to maintain accuracy beyond 19.2 nm.
Five-inch ERGM ammunition development is the key to achieving Marine Corps range requirements. The ERGM uses rocket-assisted propulsion along with canards and tail fins from the Dead-eye program to provide lift after the round passes apogee. Existing Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and various inertial measurement unit technologies will provide the guidance and navigation package to give the ERGM a CEP of less than 20 yards using a payload of 70 to 90 Army XM-80 submunitions.
Table 1: Gun Improvement Relationships | ||||
Gun | Muzzle Energy (in megajoules) | Recoil Stroke | Brake Load Cap | Projectile Weight |
Current 5-inch/54 | 12.5 | 24 inches | 100,000 lbs | 70 lbs |
5-inch/62 | 15 | 24 inches | 156,000 lbs | 110 lbs |
5-inch/62 | 15 | 30 inches | 100,000 lbs | 110 lbs |
5-inch/62 | 18 | 30 inches | 156,000 lbs | 110 lbs |
Table 2 provides expected range for an ERGM designed for guns of various muzzle energy. Four demonstration shots are scheduled: the first for this month at the Army’s Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
The NATACM’s demonstrations have been completed. After a successful 11 January 1995 firing at White Sands, New Mexico, the second—a shipboard demonstration—was conducted on 12 February 1995. A modified Army M270 tracked vehicle on the USS Mount Vernon (LSD-39) flight deck fired at a target 75 nm distant on San Clement Island off Southern California. The missile carried 730 Mk 74 submunitions and achieved a scatter pattern bracketing the target vehicle (including three direct hits) located at the aim point. All test objectives were met or exceeded, which demonstrated that a modified M270 fire control system could operate at sea and achieve missile initialization with a launcher reference package using a specially designed GPS add-on.
A Strike Standard Missile (SM) concept demonstration has been developed. A Strike SM is a very attractive NSFS option; it is compatible with most surface combatants and the SM-2 missile could range out to 100 nautical miles. Table 3 provides some payload alternatives.
Some portion of the large Standard Missile inventory—about 2,600 SM-1 Block Vis and about 4,300 SM-2 Block II/ Ills—is potentially available for the NSFS mission. Testing will focus on integrating the GPS/inertial guidance package developed for the Navy’s Lightweight Exoatmospheric Projectile (LEAP) program into the SM-2 and demonstrating a 25-yard CEP with standard GPS; better accuracy is anticipated using differential GPS. Five tests are scheduled; the first three at White Sands to verify the GPS/INS navigation package; the fourth and fifth at sea.
The Sea SLAM demonstration program leverages the work done for the air- launched version. It should be complete by 1997. Characteristics include:
- Vertical launch system or Harpoon canister launch capability
- More than 60-nm range
- GPS midcourse guidance
- Maverick infrared terminal seeker
- 500-pound payload
The terminal guidance data link can be controlled by either the firing surface ship, an aircraft, or a helicopter. In 1990, the USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) used a Harpoon canister to launch a Sea SLAM against a ship target using a LAMPS III helicopter for missile control.
The Center for Naval Analyses completed its COEA study in November 1993. A follow-up study completed in August 1995 updated those conclusions with the impact of the 5-inch gun mount upgrade, 5-inch ERGM projectiles, and the NSFS missile demonstration program plans have been approved by the CNO.
Technology developed from two promising three-year Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) projects for guided 5-inch projectiles will appear in the mid-term period. The Competent Munition ATD began in February 1996 and the Best Buy ATD starts in 1997. The Competent Munition ATD miniaturizes the guidance package and combines it with the fuzing mechanism in the projectile’s nose cone. This smaller guidance and control section advance will allow the 5-inch guided projectile to have either a greater payload delivered at the normal range or increased propellant to send the standard munition package approximately 20 nm farther.
The Best Buy ATD will circumvent the Mk 45 loader's overall length constraint of 61 inches, allow greater payload size and more propellant, and increase range by 20 nm. The propelling charge/rocket motor and payload/guidance sections are separated into two units, each of which can be up to 61 inches long. Loading involves double ramming to marry the two sections together in the barrel, effectively cutting the gun rate of fire in half (approximately eight rounds per minute), but increasing the deliverable payload and/or increasing the range. Both ATDs are part of a program to upgrade 5-inch guided projectiles in the 2003 to 2004 timeframe.
Table 2: ERGM Range as a Function of Muzzle Energy | ||
Gun | Muzzle Energy (in megajoules) | ERGM Range (in nautical miles) |
Current 5-inch/54 | 9.5 | 30 |
5-inch/62 | 15 | 50 w/glide |
5-inch/62 | 18 | 63 w/glide |
*Lower muzzle energy constrained by guided projectile recoil limits. |
Table 3: Strike Standard Missile Deliverable Munition Payloads | |
Ordnance Package | Type |
Unguided Submunitions | M74 or M77 Bomblets |
Guided Submunitions | BAT or BLU-108 Bomblets |
Unitary Warhead | Bullpup |
If all 5-inch gun mount and munition improvement programs are successful, ranges in excess of 100 nm are possible in the mid-term period. Study of a new design 155-mm gun mount for the 21st Century Combatant (SC-21) project will continue. All ERGM and ATD munition work must ensure their products can be upscaled into 155 mm variants. The forthcoming NSFS mission requirements from the Navy-Marine Corps campaign plan will provide more guidance.
As our littoral presence increases and operations other-than-war proliferate, carrier battle groups may not be available to provide cover for an extended operation. Sometimes, as in Bosnia, nearby land-based air may be available, but sometimes, as in Somalia, it may not.
A single destroyer with guided NSFS capabilities could have provided the Army Rangers critical fire support when they were under attack in Mogadishu, Somalia. While surface fire support cannot replace tactical aviation, it complements air power in a combined arms approach while increasing force flexibility—and gives commanders an all-weather capability. Today, after long neglect, it has become a Navy priority complete with specific requirements, funding, and a vision for the future.
Lieutenant Commander Morgan is an operations analyst at U.S. Atlantic Command. He served as combat systems officer in the USS Gallery (FFG-26) and ordnance officer in the USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964).