SCOT Ship Combat Management System
Integrated combat management system is one of the main factors that play a decisive role in defining the actual value of the given warship. In order to properly carry out its mission, the systems, effectors and sensors gathered onboard the vessel need to be fused into a single, homogeneous body. The system in question shall also, additionally, make it more efficient for the information to flow and to be processed. Furthermore, solution as such should also allow the crew to plan its mission and create a proper action plan. OBR CTM S.A. company (Research and Development Center - Center for Maritime Technology) that is a part of the PGZ Group, has developed the first Polish solution of this class, known under the name “SCOT”. SCOT is a universal system that can be used as a base for dedicated warship command and control solutions. SCOT can be perceived as a unified systemic platform destined to be used onboard a variety of vessel types operated by the Polish Navy, including the modern “Kormoran” class MCMVs, “Ratownik” class rescue vessels as well as other surface combatants that are offensive in their nature – Hubert Jando PhD, spokesman for OBR CTM S.A, outlines the matter in the article for Defence24.pl.
OBR CTM S.A. has gathered a lot of experience in developing and implementing ship CIC support systems for the Polish Navy. The actions that were directed towards creating those systems began as early as in the 1990s, within the framework of R&D and implementation studies. As a result of the above, “Pstrokosz” minehunter command support system has been developed. The main purpose of that system was to fuse the ship’s subsystems into a coherent environment that would be commander- and crew-friendly, for the purpose of automating the command support during combat operations.
The “Pstrokosz” solution was integrating navigation, communications and observation sensors, making it possible to create a tactical picture of the situation and to support the decisionmaking process, within the scope of optimally utilizing mine countermeasures. “Bełtwa” underwater weapons control system is the successor of the “Pstrokosz” solution. It has been developed at the beginning of the 21st Century. The aforesaid system made it possible to monitor navigation, communications, minesweeps and sonars, and to dynamically position the vessel which increased the operational capabilities to utilize unmanned observation systems and mine countermeasures. Both systems have become a part of the inventory of the Polish minehunting units.
The experience gathered when designing the aforementioned systems, along with the established expertise, became a perfect springboard for the Gdynia-based company to develop the SCOT solution. SCOT’s basic role is to integrate a myriad of systems set up onboard a warship, from anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-submarine assets and asymmetrical threats, to observation and surveillance, comms suite or integrated navigation system. The latter elements serve a purpose of enhancing the level of safety, monitoring the current position and warships movement parameters and distributing the tactical picture.
The system supports the combat effort undertaken by the crew, within the scope of effective use of all of the vessel’s effectors and sensors. Furthermore, it enhances the mission planning and decisionmaking processes, also enabling the crew to monitor and create reports pertaining to mission progress. Notably, SCOT is made out of elements manufactured at OBR CTM S.A. The applied IT and organizational solutions make it possible to diminish the risk of emergence of technical problems. They also shorten the production time and lower the cost in the process of creating and implementing the system elements and during the long-term use as well.
The system is based around two main layers, when it comes to its functionality. The first layer contains permanent functionalities. It is responsible for communications between the system elements. Meanwhile, the second layer contains the class-specific systems (air defense, mine countermeasures, hydrography etc.). Scalability, open architecture and broad possibilities within the scope of configuration have been achieved, in case of SCOT, thanks to its modular design making it possible to expand it with new devices - effectors and sensors - via the vessel’s data bus. SCOT system also works in conjunction with other OBR CTM S.A. hardware, such as the CIC consoles. Apart from the main functionalities that are type-specific, the system also makes it possible to train the operators, with the use of the implemented training functions.
SCOT, in a minehunter variant, has been implemented on the prototype 258-project “Kormoran” vessel manufactured by a Polish consortium involving the OBR CTM S.A. company. Kormoran has already been tested in detail, in real-life conditions.
Alongside the SCOT system destined for the minehunters, a variant has been prepared with surface combatants of offensive nature in mind as well. Within that scope OBR CTM S.A. has gathered quite rich experience - the company has prepared an export CIC solution for missile vessels, proving that missile armament and guns can be integrated domestically in Poland, within a single ship battle suite.
At the moment the facility is working on new vessels that are to be received by the Polish Navy - “Ratownik” class rescue vessel and another two “Kormoran” class minehunters. OBR CTM S.A. is involved in those projects, in line with the agreements signed on 27th December 2017, delivering key systems for the vessels mentioned above, i.e. integrated combat systems for the “Kormoran”-class minehunters, mine countermeasure systems manufactured at OBR CTM S.A., SHL-101/TM and SHL-300 sonars and “Toczek” mine countermeasures; in case of the “Ratownik” vessel, OBR CTM S.A. is tasked with delivery of the integrated mission system. SCOT Ship Combat Management System is the technological foundation for all of the systems listed above. Moreover, the company also delivers a groundbreaking passive defence system for both vessels.
Hubert Jando PhD, spokesman for OBR CTM S.A.