FRIGATE FITTED WITH WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED ELECTRONIC CHART SYSTEM

27 June 2005

HMS Westminster, the Royal Navy’s most potent Type 23 frigate, is now operating the world’s most advanced warship electronic chart system.

Westminster is part of the Trafalgar 200 (T200) summer events, and boasts the latest version of the new WECDIS system (Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System) which will replace traditional paper charts with electronic charts, transforming the way ships have been navigated since before the time of Nelson.

As well as celebrating the past glories of the Royal Navy built upon a history of success, T200 also looks towards a bright future where the relevance of the increasingly capable Royal Navy in protecting the United Kingdom’s interests as a force for good worldwide will remain vital. The multinational flavour of the summer events underlines the importance of international relations, especially in the face of modern terrorism, where the Navy’s reach puts it in the forefront of diplomatic and expeditionary operations.

The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, GCB, DSC, ADC, said: “Trafalgar 200 celebrates past glories and future horizons. Many of Nelson’s inspirational characteristics are as important now and in the future as they were 200 years ago but technology has moved on apace – he would be the first to recognise and applaud that fact. The summer events offer a fantastic opportunity to show the range of capabilities the Royal Navy possesses on the land, in the air and above and below the waves. Our forces are modern, modernising and resilient and act as the benchmark service for maritime forces from around the world.”

WECDIS is a valuable component of the RN’s improved technology. Rear Admiral Trevor Soar, OBE, the MOD’s Capability Manager (Precision Attack) said: “The system is a fantastic leap forward for our navigators. Its capabilities leap-frog the electronic navigation systems that many of us are familiar with: in-car sat-nav systems. They just show you where the roads are; WECDIS will tell you what type of tarmac it is and where the potholes are.”

WECDIS provides improved situational awareness and gives commanders enhanced tactical awareness as it provides facilities for special military features and overlays. The system processes inputs from more than 25 ship sensors and radars to provide a highly accurate electronic picture. It can provide automatic alarms and notification or detailed information of special areas of interest. WECDIS can store more than 1000 waypoints and has led to a reduction in workload for navigating teams of some 70 per cent.

Commander Peter Sparkes from the MOD department responsible for the system added: “It is the additional military information it contains that is most impressive. We can mark on potential minefields or mid-ocean bottom profiling to enable us to better evaluate where submarines might be transiting or hiding, or even mark air routes to enable us to identify commercial air traffic from potential hostile aircraft. Again, equating it to commercial vehicle systems this is more than having, say, petrol station or hotel information – it will tell you what type of hotel it is, what’s on the menu and what time the bar closes.”

Further developments in progress for the WECDIS system include the fitment to the UK’s fleet of nuclear powered submarines for which the RN is pioneering the use of 3-D electronic navigation as the primary means of navigation; this will be a world first.

Ron Christenson, Group Managing Director of Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems said: “We have a strong commitment to making WECDIS succeed for the RN and a determination on our part to give them both an operationally effective solution and a cost effective approach. Success so far has been down to strong partnerships between MOD and industry and a collective willpower to move forward.”

Notes to Editors:

1. HMS Westminster, commanded by Commander Andrew Betton, will be taking part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) on 28 Jun when 112 warships and auxiliaries, plus tall ships and merchant vessels, will assemble in the Solent to be reviewed by HM The Queen. 2. IFR is part of a programme of summer events, including a Son Et Lumiere, Drumhead ceremony and 4 day International Festival of the Sea, that are part of the national year long celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson. 3. HMS Westminster was the first ship to be fitted with the early trials version of WECDIS in 2004 and her success has led to the programme being rapidly adopted (with 48 ships due to be fitted in the initial contract). 4. Whilst it would be possible theoretically to do without any paper charts onboard RN ships, IMO regulations and prudent battle damage management dictate that a reasonable supply of charts are kept onboard. 5. It has been just over 18 months since WECDIS contract award and so far eight ships have been fitted with the system. The delivery of the combat system interface unit later in 2005 will mark the delivery of the surface ship full operational capability. 6. The industry team that developed the WECDIS capability is Lockheed Martin UK (lead systems integrator and prime contractor); Kelvin Hughes (hardware and tactical displays); Offshore Systems Ltd (software); Babcock Design and Technology (installation). 7. HMS Westminster is the RN’s most sophisticated Type 23 frigate and rejoined the Fleet in December 2004 following a £25 million upgrade by Babcock in Rosyth and she is the first vessel to be fitted with the Navy’s new submarine hunting sonar, Sonar 2087. She also carries the Merlin Mk1 multi-mission helicopter and is fitted with: the latest surface ship torpedo defence system (Sonar 2170), the most modern communications equipment, including the satellite communications system SCOT 5. Together with an improved habitability and sustainability package, Westminster is ready to deliver world-class operational capability throughout the globe. 8. Lockheed Martin UK, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, is a leader in systems integration working on major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence, civil and commercial sectors with significant capabilities in the transport infrastructure market. In the UK, Lockheed Martin has annual sales in the range of £400-600 million working with more than 75 business partners. Lockheed Martin employs over 1,000 people at sites across the UK.

###

For further information contact:

Royal Navy – Rob Need 02392 625 385; email rob.need590@mod.uk

Lockheed Martin UK – Chris Trippick, 44-(0)20-7798-2850; Mobile +44(0)7905-356646;
e-mail, chris.trippick@lmco.com