Navy delivers upgraded Tomahawk weapons-control system
NewsMarch 22, 2017
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. The Navy has delivered an upgraded Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS) to the fleet; the Tomahawk cruise-missile control system has been in operation for more than a decade.
Although the Tomahawk Weapons System Program Office (PMA-280) has maintained the system since 2004 with incremental updates, it decided to perform more significant hardware and software modernization in order to ensure future viability of the TTWCS.
To prevent hardware obsolescence, the PMA-280 team replaced older systems with faster, more capable processors; reconfiguration of workstations reduced the amount of space required to house equipment on a ship or submarine. The upgrades mean that multiple systems can now be accessed from a single workstation, thereby freeing up space in control rooms. The team also updated the system software to increase cybersecurity and offer a simplified user interface. The combined improvements to hardware and software will increase the speed of engagement planning, the Navy says.
The hardware improvements that were released to the fleet earlier this year will be incorporated on ships and nuclear-powered cruise-missile submarines. In addition, the newly constructed Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will build a reduced TTWCS footprint directly into their design. All surface and subsurface platforms are slated to receive software upgrades.
