When the U.S. Navy's newest guided missile destroyer, USS Momsen, was commissioned this past Saturday, it became the world's first warship equipped with Lockheed Martin's Remote Minehunting System (RMS). The RMS provides the Navy with its first-ever organic mine reconnaissance capability using an unmanned, remotely operated vehicle.

"It is fitting that the first RMS unit has been installed on a ship named for Adm. Swede Momsen," said Jim Weitzel, Lockheed Martin vice president of Ocean Systems. "Adm. Momsen was a man well-known for his inventiveness and dedication to service, traits reflected in the Remote Minehunting System. Through its creative approach to mine reconnaissance, RMS will allow the Momsen and her crew to carry out their mission with a much higher degree of confidence that mine threats will be detected and avoided. We are proud to provide this unprecedented capability to this ship and her crew."

Powered by a diesel engine that provides long endurance at sea, the semi- submersible RMS is remotely operated by integrating the vehicle's software system with the ship's AN/SQQ-89 (V) 15 Undersea Warfare System. The RMS uses a variable depth sensor and transmits information to the ship using real-time data links. Scheduled to begin shipboard testing in early September, RMS is planned to be installed on six Navy guided missile destroyers and on the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship.

Each of the Lockheed Martin systems integrated on Momsen, including the 75th Aegis Weapon System, the SQQ-89 (V) 15 Undersea Warfare System, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System and the RMS, incorporates an open architecture designed to enhance capabilities and extend service life. This design philosophy allows the Navy to exploit commercial computing technology as well as install software and other technology upgrades faster and cheaper throughout the life of a ship.

The Aegis Weapon System includes the SPY-1 radar, the Navy's most advanced computer-controlled radar system. When paired with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System and the AN/SQQ-89 underwater combat system, the Aegis Combat System is capable of delivering ordnance in support of numerous missions and threat environments in naval warfare. The system is currently deployed on 69 U.S. Navy warships on station around the globe, with 20 more ships planned. Aegis is the primary naval combat weapon system for Japan, and is part of two European ship construction programs - the Spanish F-100 and the Norwegian New Frigate. Additionally, the Republic of Korea is building three Aegis-equipped destroyers, and Australia has recently stated that Aegis is the weapon system of choice for its new Air Warfare Destroyer program.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin