As USS Freedom (LCS 1) prepares for deployment, the ship’s external communications system, known as the Common Radio Room (CRR), is providing sailors the ability to automatically process information from a variety of external communications sources safely and securely.
During USS Freedom (LCS 1)’s sea trials, the CRR was specifically called out for its exceptional performance, as it successfully supported all testing scenarios.
The CRR is an integrated and automated external communications system controlled by a single operator. The system was originally developed for U.S. submarines and has been scaled to meet U.S. Navy requirements for the LCS.
Based on an open architecture, the system supports network centric operations while allowing the end user to pick and choose from any manufacturer’s communications equipment. CRR provides the ability to activate circuits with a single mouse click or schedule circuit activation by time or event, increasing operator efficiency and accuracy while reducing communications watchstander requirements. It has passed three Navy Operation Evaluations and is operational on four classes of U.S. submarines.
In its application for the U.S. Submarine Force, more than $700 million in savings have been realized by implementing the CRR instead of designing different radio rooms for five classes of submarines. This same philosophy is intended for LCS, where a common approach can generate savings in common documentation, common repair parts support, reduced manning and a common training pipeline thereby lowering the lifecycle costs for the LCS program.
The external communications load for a U.S. Navy battle group continues to grow as the demand to move massive amounts of data increases. The CRR onboard LCS provides the ability to channel live video and sensor information between platforms and from distant theaters back to command sites, ensure tactical informational superiority and provide increased interoperability, quality of life and network-centric operation. It is also positioned to address new demands as they emerge such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the LCS mission modules.
