The US Naval Air Systems Command has announced the full operational capability of the US Navy’s Undersea Warfare Training Ranges Increment I (USWTR INC I) program 13 months ahead of schedule.
The program was developed to support fleet readiness by offering realistic training for naval warfighters and tactical development of maritime warfare capabilities.
The program also provides shallow water and regional conflict operations training.
It is currently managed by the Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges program office (PMA-205) Ocean Systems Fixed Ranges team.
“Since completing installation, the fleet has conducted four exercises on the Increment I range, to include critical anti-submarine warfare exercises, which shape future exercises and further advance the capabilities the Navy has to offer,” Program Team Leader Brandi Payne-Tapponnier explained.
“USWTR INC I allows for timely and accurate feedback of training performance to exercise participants and the ability to rapidly reconstruct the training event, enhancing the quality of complex training scenarios.”
‘Increasing Fleet Capability and Lethality’
The program consists of three phases. Under the first increment, the team installed ocean sensors and shore electronic subsystems off the coast of Florida.
Increments I and II updated existing systems located in other range locations, including the Pacific Ocean and the international waters of the Caribbean Sea.
“These ranges are essential to our national security, and provide critical support to the helicopter maritime strike, maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and Navy ship communities,” PMA-205 Program Manager Capt. Kevin McGee said.
“They include a vast array of technology providing a realistic training environment that enables ships and aircraft to track targets for anti-submarine warfare training, which increases fleet capability and lethality.”
According to the US Navy, the team has also obtained and integrated an additional 500 nautical miles (9,300 kilometers/5,800 miles) of instrumented underwater warfare training ranges across littoral waters in the Atlantic Ocean for the program.