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^evv Computer Enhances Targeting
Aircraft introduced a new pro- f0rProce«; Parallel -processor computer cati°ns . SIn8 'mages. Announced appli- tion, targ C| Ut*£ automatic target recogni- ^ent. The utrac^'n§’ and image enhance- itigh-Spe , as's the new machine is very •echnoiogv lnte§rated circuit (VHSIC)
°f extre^l w^ich allows the construction k Used to6 ^ SmaP comPuters which can Parallel ^.?rocess elements of an image in 'S to com £ prob*em >n image processing l0rted an[fare.an °hject that may be dis- "'ith a stQ ^'ch is certainly at an angle Sl°red ini t'vo'dimensi°nal image. The
Can be nr “e must manipulated until it HUGHES AIHCHAET
Quires enPer ^ comPared to the received image; such manipulation reCan Perfti0118^ c°mplex computations. That the human eye and brain e^°rt) js k ,.tbe same task virtually instantly (and without conscious c"tSsiccn S'de ®*e Point: image (or pattern) recognition has long been a
ThcHuPhUter problem-
SUCcessfuifneS machine was developed for the Air Force, and in tests it armored ^ d's,‘nguished thermal images of tanks, trucks, jeeps, and ^chini*1^011116* carriers. This success should mean that a pilot ap- >1 8 an enemy vehicle formation will eventually not have to wait
*'°n in tt,311 ^ec’de which vehicles to attack, thus risking his own destruc-
This techPTeSS‘.
a«ack m- nology is probably the key to future fire-and-forget ground-
The sSlles> several of which are reportedly under development. e,tatnp]ee technology has important potential naval applications. For Mother ’ny" antislliP missile that could distinguish one type of ship from ^ips. qu '8bt he launched successfully into a mixed force of enemy ^gest) .ITent radar-seeker missiles can be attracted by the first (or the ,arget. ar8et lhey detect, and therefore may miss the most important
Signa]
rec°gnition processing also has important ASW applicati
^ Steps Up Acquisition Program
'j'h
^eady ^‘*itary Sealift Command (MSC) called for offers of additional Cl'ase theeSerVe p*eeI (RRR ships in late July; the MSC expects to pur- T l9g-y s®ships during fiscal year 1987, to be taken over by 30 Septem
bar
"■H be gx y^ RRF currently consists of 75 ships; by October 1986, there
lhe Na.
fjiij. dhe goal (by fiscal year 1992) is 120 ships.
\avv , 1Part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, is paid for by 8 'ntender|Ut 0Wned and maintained by the Maritime Administration. It fcVe and 2 for Past activation in an emergency and supplements the ac- I st’ fleet. Thus, the RRF responds to two problems.
built y- ddrne Administration fleet is aging. It includes World War K°darn v1Cl0ry ships of limited capacity and speed compared to more “rite,- useeSS£*S' Newer ships are much more efficient, and can make That c °P ahmited pool of potential wartime mariners.
cbniitg y0as'deration is prompted by the very serious problem of a de- ProbletTls’ a'flag (and, for that matter, NATO-flag) merchant fleet. Both C°nnecti Were ev'dent in studies of U. S. strategic sealift carried out in f0r nn with the formation of the Rapid Deployment Force and plan- naval amphibious ships. The Navy had expected to be able
to
r new
0rr,s . essential follow-up materiel in commercial bottoms, but the The not he available.
ential need for more merchant ships is emphasized by a basic
change in U. S. policy over the past five years. The Reagan Administration has focused on the possibility that even a major war might stop short of a nuclear exchange, turning instead into a protracted non-nuclear conflict—more like World War II than an apocalyptic World War 111. A short war ending in a nuclear stalemate would require relatively little resupply, beyond materiel stored in Europe; a long, conventional war would be very different. U. S. and NATO forces fighting in Europe would have to be resupplied in great quantity. The U. S. Navy would have to fight another Battle of the Atlantic—which would surely entail major losses of merchant shipping.
By purchasing existing merchant ships (for the RRF) in a very soft market, the Navy has been able to build up a substantial reserve of modern vessels at a relatively low cost. This policy has been somewhat controversial because the soft market has also severely damaged the U. S. shipbuilding industry. U. S. shipbuilders have called for a new construction program similar, perhaps, to that initiated by the Maritime Commission in 1936. They argue that without a viable base, merchant shipbuilding (which might be essential to replace wartime losses) could not be revived in an emergency. However, any such program (which has been proposed several times) would be difficult to finance in a period of fiscal stringency.
For now, the long-term MSC purchase program (in priority order) calls for;
- 20 clean product tankers (20,000-50,000 deadweight tons); the RRF currently has seven
- Fast (more than 20 knots) breakbulk ships, which can later be modified for underway replenishment of ammunition and other cargo; they will supplement specialized underway replenishment ships
- Semi-submersible heavy-lift (float-on, float-off) ships (for individual items weighing more than 1,000 tons): In October 1985, the MSC chartered the ex-tanker American Cormorant for 18 months to test the Flo- Flo concept. She can carry up to 45,000 tons on her cargo deck, and has transported a complete offshore oil drilling
rig. In MSC service, she is act- ‘ AMERICAN AUTOMAR. INC.
ing as a component of the prepositioning force at Diego Garcia, with a deckload of Army craft: four utility landing craft (LCUs), ten Mark-8 mechanized landing craft (LCMs), four 107-foot tugs, two 140 x 70-foot floating cranes, two lighter aboard ship (LASH) barges, and associated cargo-handling equipment. Other possible cargos include offshore oil unloading systems and floating piers, or, in other scenarios, up to four ocean minesweepers or damaged ships.
- 12 containerships suitable for crane ship conversion, to unload con- tainerships at a port without suitable facilities (The RRF currently includes three such ships; three are being converted under fiscal year 1986 funding; and two per year are planned for fiscal years 1987-89. Such conversions become more and more important as break-bulk ships, which can unload themselves with their own booms, vanish from Western shipping fleets.)
- Roll-on, roll-off cargo ships (They initially enjoyed a higher priority, but the RRF recently added 13 large, modem units and has nearly fulfilled its requirements).
Under fiscal year 1986 funding, four LASH and three SEA BEE barge cargo ships were acquired, although their military utility is less than that of other modern merchant types. The MSC will accept foreign-built Flo- Flo and Ro-Ro ships and foreign-built tankers, but the other types must be U. S.-built. Foreign-built ships must be recertified to U. S. requirements and prepared for layup in U. S. yards.
“8s / November 1986
135