The US Navy's first-ever advanced hybrid composite structure, known as the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor (AEM/S) System, was installed aboard the Spruance Class multimission destroyer USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD 968), at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia. The ship was the platform for extensive testing of the new mast by the Navy. The new, advanced composite mast, which the Navy described as "revolutionary and spectacular," was built and designed by an Integrated Product Team (IPT) -- known as "The AE MIS System Masters" -- made up of technical
experts drawn from diverse Navy and industry activities nationwide. The AEM/S System is a 93' high, hexagonal structure, 35' in diameter, enclosing existing radars and providing
important signature and other operational benefits. By enclosing major antennas and other sensitive equipment, the AEM/S System protects them from the weather. This reduces maintenance, as well as providing significantly reduced radar signature.
