Naval CRANE, Ind.— An innovative tool developed at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) now allows in-place testing of AN/SPS-48E antennas onboard the LPD 17 class ships.

Thanks to the Enclosed Mast Antenna Calibration System (EMACS), the SPS-48E antenna no longer needs to be removed and transported to a depot maintenance facility for calibration following repair and/or overhaul.

“We determined that a portable near-field scanner was the best method to test and tune these antennas,” said Patricia Herndon, NSWC Crane Radar Technologies, division head. “While the antennas and radars are in an enclosure aboard the ship, they still degrade over time and need repair—EMACS solves this issue.”

EMACS measures the antenna’s complex radar frequency data onsite and gives technicians the information needed to make repairs, adjustments or upgrades quickly and efficiently.

“It is critical that the antennas are functioning correctly so that the ship’s radar systems can detect threats,” said Herndon. “Our Warfighters rely on this technology throughout the lifetime of the system for safe and effective missions.”

In addition to building EMACS, the NSWC Crane team developed specialized rigging equipment to insert and extract this equipment in and out of the AEM/S and maneuver it inside the mast. All the large and heavy components, some weighing as much as 600 pounds, must be lowered through a two-foot diameter hatch on top of the AEM/S by a shipyard crane.

EMACS can now be used to test the AN/SPS-48E antennas after repair and, in the future, after an overhaul on all LPD 17 class ships, which are amphibious, warfare-capable ships that embark, transport and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. Certification was completed by NSWC Crane experts onboard LPD 22 in January while under construction at the Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

NSWC Crane is a Naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with focus areas in Special Mission, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare/Information Operations. The Warfare Center’s research and development efforts support the Warfighter by providing capabilities and resources to advance technologies for the military.