USS Bunker Hill Emerging fromTransformation as a ‘‘SharperSword’’: Cruiser ModernizationExtends Combatant Service Life,Enhances Capabilities& By Edward H. Lundquist

The first US Navy Aegis guided-missile cruiser to

undergo the full hull, mechanical and electrical

(HM&E) and combat systems ‘‘cruiser modern-

ization’’ effort has achieved some major

milestones and will be ready to rejoin the fleet

in 2009. The ‘‘Cruiser Mod’’ upgrades will

improve the combat systems and HM&E

systems, and will provide the crews with im-

proved quality of life, all while extending the

service life of the ships.

‘‘Current Aegis cruisers and destroyers were

designed, constructed and armed with a blue-

water concept of operations in mind,’’ says Rear

Adm. Vic Guillory, USN, director for surface

warfare on the Chief of Naval Operations staff.

‘‘Although we cannot walk away from that

potential threat we must enhance our warfight-

ing capabilities to operate in the littoral

environment. Aegis modernization supports

littoral maritime operations across all warfare

areas and maintains our blue-water strength.’’

The Navy is still building Arleigh Burke-class

guided-missile destroyers (DDGs). The DDG mod-

ernization program will begin in fiscal year (FY)

2010 with HM&E upgrades, followed by combat

system upgrades in FY 2012. Work has begun to

modernize the 22 Aegis guided-missile cruisers

(CGs) in the US fleet, with the first of those ships to

receive the full modernization package—USS

Bunker Hill (CG 52)—nearing completion at BAE

Systems Shipyard in San Diego, CA.

‘‘Both cruiser and destroyer mod programs serve

as an integrator of systems and technologies

that are their own programs,’’ Guillory says.

‘‘Modernization delivers this improved war

fighting capability to the current fleet in order

to pace the evolving and potential threats to

international sea lanes and in support of the

Joint Force.’’

‘‘From a requirements perspective, the Navy has

taken great care in determining the warfighting

requirements for our cruisers and destroyers

in the years ahead. Our analysis has crossed

mission areas, looking at everything from the

submarine threat to the latest in anti-ship cruise

missile and the ballistic missile threats facing our

forces, friends and allies,’’ Guillory says. ‘‘The

result is a modernization plan that takes advan-

tage of the promises of Open Architecture and

will introduce new capabilities, in an evolution-

ary fashion, as technology and development

brings them to maturity, allowing our Navy to

pace the threat facing the Fleet over the extended

service life of these ships.’’

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DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-3584.2008.00149.x

2008 #3&15

‘‘Modernizing our Aegis ships,’’ says Guillory,

‘‘is a cost effective and efficient path that

supports a surface combatant force structure

our Navy and this nation need for maritime

security.’’

The full cruiser modernization package costs

about $220 million per ship in FY 2008 dollars.

Keeping the Aegis ships viable through their

full 35-year service lives is a key enabler in

achieving our Navy’s goal of achieving a 313-

ship minimum fleet. In fact, 313 is the ‘‘floor,’’ as

more ships may be needed.

‘‘The key to making that 313 work is about

modernization of our current ships, keeping

them viable and getting our extended service

life of the hulls for all of our ships,’’ says Rear

Adm. Jim McManamon, deputy commander

for surface warfare, at Naval Sea Systems

Command.

‘‘The cruiser modernization on USS Bunker Hill

is our first combined hull and combat systems

upgrade,’’ says McManamon. ‘‘We took her into

the drydock; we ripped out a lot of the equip-

ment; and we’re putting in new equipment. It’s a

one-year long availability, started in February

2008, and should finish up sometime next

spring.’’

Lt. Cmdr. Tim Long, the cruiser’s combat sys-

tems officer, says the availability has two

objectives. ‘‘USS Bunker Hill is 22 years old. She

last deployed in 2006, equipped with her origi-

nal Aegis combat systems. Another 15 years of

service with those same systems would leave

Bunker Hill out-matched by evolving threats,

and increasingly less capable of integrating with

more modern cruisers and destroyers. So we

need to update the combat systems. The second

objective is to upgrade the HM&E systems for

less costly maintenance, modernization and

operations.’’

Several cruisers have already received HM&E

upgrades, but Bunker Hill will be the first cruiser

to receive both the HM&E package and full

Aegis combat systems upgrade:

&The Aegis weapon system is being upgraded to

the Advanced Capability Build 2008 (ACB 08)

computer program with associated displays

(UYQ-70s and liquid crystal display large

screen displays) and computing infrastructure

(IBM Blade servers). This results in much

more capability and reliability in much less

space.

&Upgraded command, control, communica-

tions, computers, and intelligence (C4I)

systems such as cooperative engagement

capability (CEC) 2.1, common data link

management system (CDLMS), and Mode 5

identification friend or foe (IFF).

&Mk 34 Mod 4 GWS that includes the Mk

45 Mod 2 5-in./62-caliber guns and the

associated Mk 160 Mod 11 fire-control

system and optical sights.

&Vertical launch system (VLS) design modifi-

cations to support current and future

capabilities of the standard missile (SM-2)

variants.

&Close-in Weapons System (CIWS) Block 1B,

Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM), and the

AN/SPQ-9B radar. Together these systems

give the ship better self-defense capability

against air and surface threats.

&Later ships will benefit from the

SQQ89A(V)15 sonar, which improves the

ship’s undersea warfare capabilities in the

littorals and increases ability to detect/engage

in both open and shallow water.

Aegis OpenArchitectureOne of the key benefits of the new combat sys-

tem is Open Architecture. The ACB-08 software

that will support the Bunker Hill’s Aegis system

is ‘‘disassociated’’ from the hardware.

‘‘In the old architecture, software was written

specific for the hardware that it sat on, so any

change in the combat system really required you

to do a very extensive and intrusive modification

to both software and hardware,’’ says Rear Adm.

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USS Bunker Hill Emerging from Transformation as a ‘‘Sharper Sword’’

Terry Benedict, program executive officer for

Integrated Warfare Systems. ‘‘To truly get to the

Open Architecture philosophy, the first thing

you need to do is break the software from the

hardware so that you can put both of them on a

cycle for refresh that really allows you to take

advantage of the technology improvements that

happen naturally in industry, but also allows you

to really take full advantage of new innovation

within industry.’’

‘‘Aegis Open Architecture (AOA) will allow

cruisers and destroyers’ combat systems to

absorb frequent technology refreshes and

capability upgrades, both from new develop-

ment and separate third party products by

using commonly available, off-the-shelf com-

puting hardware and non-proprietary systems

software,’’ says Long.

Aegis cruisers are multi-mission combatants, but

are above all an anti-air platform optimized to

defend against aircraft and missiles. The Cruiser

Mod includes the CEC, allowing the ship to

share track information with other offboard

sensors and fire weapons beyond the sensor

range of the ship.

Bunker Hill has new ship control console and

engineering plant status displays. The tactical

picture, radar displays, and communications

can be viewed on the integrated Video Data

Distribution System. Electronic Navigation

capability and an Integrated Bridge System

allow paperless charting and permits fewer

watchstanders.

The HM&E upgrades are also substantial. The

waste heat boilers, flash type steam evaporators,

and all steam piping will be removed. The evap-

orators will be replaced with reverse osmosis

distilling units. The steam galley and laundry

equipment is being removed and replaced with

all electric equipment.

While in drydock, Bunker Hill received a fresh

coat of paint and a stern flap was installed to

improve fuel consumption.

‘‘We’re trying to increase and improve the

operational availability,’’ says McManamon.

‘‘So part of the upgrade gives us the ability to

reduce maintenance costs as we go into total life

cycle costs and get some more commonality.’’

While the stainless sanitary space upgrades,

and new Learning Resource Center and Crew

Recreation Complex may not seem like much,

they mean a lot to the crew. The newer systems

take up less space and require fewer watch-

standers, making room for the classroom and

fitness rooms.

At the halfway point in the overhaul, Bunker

Hill is back in the water and bringing all of her

systems online. ‘‘In the spring, we’ll actually

be doing missile firings and exercising all the

pieces of our combat system upgrades,’’ says

McManamon.

A key milestone was recently achieved with

‘‘Aegis Light Off,’’ where the elements of the

combat systems are started up in sequential

order. Then the system must be tested and

certified.

‘‘The Aegis fleet modernization program is key

in our surface combatant vision of the Fleet in

the first half of the 21st Century,’’ says Guillory.

‘‘We cannot depend upon construction of new

ships alone to achieve our fleet force structure.

Modernization of our current surface combat-

ants is essential. The is one of the building blocks

of the Navy’s force structure in the years ahead.

In a manner of speaking, it’s a certain piece of an

uncertain future.’’

While the availability is going very well, Long

says it can be a difficult time for a crew when

their ship is torn apart. The challenge is main-

taining ‘‘ownership and the soul of the ship,’’

he says.

‘‘During the rip-out phase, the ship becomes an

inhospitable environment, overrun with strang-

ers,’’ Long says. ‘‘The crew becomes detached

from the ship by living on the barge. Motivating

NAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL 2008 #3&17

the crew to maintain ownership, by ensuring

their consistent presence on the ship, requires

daily attention. Closely intertwined is the even

greater challenge of maintaining the soul of the

ship. In the Navy, our ships have reputations

built upon great teamwork and operational suc-

cess, and Sailors share an immense pride in what

they have accomplished at sea.’’

That pride, Long says, and the commitment of

the shipyard and many people responsible for

the Cruiser Modernization program, have en-

sured that Bunker Hill and crew will emerge

from this availability with her soul and pride

intact. And he says the Bunker Hill team is

making it easier for the subsequent ships waiting

for the upgrade. ‘‘We’re compiling detailed

‘lessons learned’ to benefit the next cruisers,’’

says Long.

The Bunker Hill, known as the ‘‘Sword of the

Fleet,’’ has been one of the top combatants in the

Navy, a reputation the crew is very proud of.

The crew understands and appreciates the im-

portance of the transformation, says Petty

Officer 2nd class Alexander Foley, a gas turbine

electrical systems engineer. ‘‘Cruiser Mod will

make the ‘Sword of the Fleet’ even sharper.’’

AuthorBiographyEdward H. Lundquist is a senior science advisor

with Alion Science Advisor. He supports the US

Navy’s Surface Warfare Directorate.

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USS Bunker Hill Emerging from Transformation as a ‘‘Sharper Sword’’