Navy Deploys Johns Hopkins APL-Built Tool for Ship Performance Assessments

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory has developed a tool designed to make combat system assessments for U.S. Navy operators aboard the USS Bunker Hill guided-missile cruiser.

APL said Monday it deployed the hard kill/soft kill Performance Assessment Tool to Bunker Hill earlier this year to get feedback on the technology’s capacity to evaluate the ship’s defense posture and weapons inventory for combative applications.

The compact HK/SK HaSPAT technology leverages sensors and electromagnetic countermeasures to defend against incoming missiles and can also be used for data analysis, visualization and attack simulation.

According to APL, plans are currently in place to continue testing the tool ahead of expanding its deployment throughout the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group over the next decade.

“Our bold effort provided an opportunity for feedback regarding the continued development of HK and SK coordination capability,” said Rich Kochanski, a chief engineer and member of APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector. “This will go a long way in helping our Navy address current and future challenges.”

APL began work on HaSPAT in June and delivered the tool to Bunker Hill in January for the ship’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.