MK-26 GMLS


                  CG 47 CLASS ADVISORY NO. 08-95                                

                                                                                

   MK 26 GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEM (GMLS) NO-LAUNCH CONDITION             

                                                                                

 REF/A/DOC/SURFWARDEVGRU/01SEP87//                                              

                                                                                

 AMPN/REF A IS CG 47 CLASS TACTICAL MANUAL, NWP 65-17.//                        

                                                                                

 RMKS/1.  THIS ADVISORY PROVIDES GUIDANCE TO PREVENT A NO-LAUNCH                

 CONDITION ON MK 26 GMLS SHIPS.  THIS ADVISORY APPLIES ONLY TO CG 47            

 THROUGH CG 51 (BASELINE 1.3 AND 1.4 SHIPS).  A NO-LAUNCH CONDITION             

 OCCURS WHEN:                                                                   

      A.  A LAUNCHER IS LOADED (MISSILE ON RAIL) WITH MISSILE SYSTEM            

 SUPERVISOR (MSS) FULL-READY VARIABLE ACTION BUTTON (VAB) DISABLED              

 (25TH BULB OFF) OR LAUNCHER READY-NO-TEST VAB DISABLED (OFF) WHEN              

 OPERATIONAL READINESS TEST SYSTEM (ORTS) RUNS A MISSILE INVENTORY              

 TEST.  MANUAL LAUNCHER LOADS INCLUDE BOTH LOCAL LOADS AT THE LAUNCHER          

 AND MSS VAB ACTIONS ORDERING LAUNCHER LOAD.                                    

      B.  AN ENGAGEMENT ORDER CAUSES AUTOMATIC MISSILE LOAD, BUT THE            

 ENGAGEMENT IS BROKEN BEFORE FIRING AND THEN ORTS RUNS A MISSILE                

 INVENTORY TEST BEFORE THE MISSILE IS DOWNLOADED.  RECOMMEND SHIPS              

 FORCE ALLOW AEGIS WEAPON SYSTEM (AWS) TO AUTOMATICALLY LOAD RAILS AS           

 PART OF THE AWS DETECT-TO-ENGAGE SEQUENCE.                                     

                                                                                

 2.  BACKGROUND.  DURING A FIRING EXERCISE, A MK 26 GMLS SHIP MANUALLY          

 LOADED AN SM-2 IN AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE AWS REACTION TIME AGAINST A            

 SUPERSONIC LOW ALTITUDE TARGET.  THE SHIP SUCCESSFULLY DETECTED AND            

 ESTABLISHED A FIRM TRACK ON THE TARGET AND INITIATED AN SM                     

 ENGAGEMENT.  THE MISSILE WAS NOT LAUNCHED BECAUSE ORTS EXECUTED A              

 PERIODIC INVENTORY TEST PRIOR TO LAUNCH WHICH REPORTED NO MISSILES             

 AVAILABLE.                                                                     

      A.  AN SM-2 BLOCK II WAS MANUALLY LOADED ON THE LAUNCHER WHILE            

 AWS WAS IN THE READY STATE INSTEAD OF THE READY-NO-TEST STATE.  THE            

 READY-NO-TEST STATE INHIBITS ORTS PERIODIC OPERABILITY TESTS.  THE             

 PERIODIC ORTS LAUNCHER INVENTORY TEST DOES NOT COUNT DUDDED MISSILES           

 IN THE MAGAZINE OR MISSILES LOADED ON THE RAIL.  IN THIS CASE, ALL             

 MISSILES IN THE MAGAZINE WERE DUDDED TO PREVENT INADVERTENT FIRINGS.           

 THE ORTS TEST REPORTED AN INVENTORY OF ZERO TO WEAPONS CONTROL SYSTEM          

 (WCS).  FOLLOWING THIS SEQUENCE, AN ENGAGEMENT ORDER WAS INITIATED,            

 BUT THE ZERO INVENTORY CONDITION PREVENTED WCS FROM LAUNCHING THE              

 MISSILE ON THE RAIL.                                                           

      B.  THE ZERO INVENTORY CONDITION IS ELIMINATED WHEN MISSILE LOAD          

 IS ORDERED BY WCS.  ON COMMENCING AN SM ENGAGEMENT, WCS WILL ENABLE            

 FULL-READY AND READY-NO-TEST STATES FOR ALL AVAILABLE LAUNCHERS AND            

 ILLUMINATORS TO LOCK OUT PERIODIC AND MANUALLY INITIATED ORTS TESTS.           

 WCS WILL ALSO LOAD ALL AVAILABLE LAUNCHER RAILS.  SINCE ORTS TESTS             

 ARE INHIBITED, ZERO INVENTORY WILL NOT OCCUR UNTIL THE LAST AVAILABLE          

 ROUND OF THE SELECTED MISSILE TYPE IS LAUNCHED.  SIMILARLY, MANUAL             

 LOADS OF A LAUNCHER WITH FULL-READY OR READY-NO-TEST STATES ENABLED            

 BY THE MISSILE SYSTEM SUPERVISOR WILL PRESERVE THE CORRECT MISSILE             

 INVENTORY BY DISALLOWING THE ORTS INVENTORY TEST.  (NOTE:  IF THE              

 ENGAGEMENT IS BROKEN, THE WCS ENABLED FULL-READY VAB AND READY-NO-             

 TEST VAB WILL BE DISABLED.)   SINCE THE MISSILE IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY           

 DOWNLOADED, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ORTS TEST TO REPORT A              

 ZERO INVENTORY.                                                                

                                                                                

 3.  ACTION.  FOR CG 47 THROUGH CG 51:  IF AN SM ENGAGEMENT IS                  

 ANTICIPATED, AND A PRE-LOADED LAUNCHER IS DESIRED, THE MSS SHOULD              

 ALWAYS ENABLE THE FULL-READY VAB PRIOR TO ANY LAUNCHER LOAD ACTION.            

 ENABLING THE FULL-READY CONDITION WILL ORDER THE HIGHEST STATE OF              

 READINESS FOR BOTH MK 26 GMLS LAUNCHERS AND MK 99 FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM          

 (FCS) ILLUMINATORS BY PLACING THESE EQUIPMENTS IN THE READY-NO-TEST            

 STATE, LOCKING OUT ALL PERIODIC AND OPERATOR INITIATED ORTS                    

 OPERABILITY TESTS.  ONCE THE LAUNCHER IS LOADED, READY-NO-TEST (VIA            

 FULL-READY) STATE MUST REMAIN ENABLED TO INSURE THE CORRECT LAUNCHER           

 INVENTORY.  IF A ZERO INVENTORY CONDITION IS NOTICED BEFORE OR AFTER           

 THE ENGAGEMENT  ORDER, THE ANTI-AIR WARFARE COORDINATOR (AAWC) CAN             

 MANUALLY ENTER A CORRECTED MISSILE INVENTORY.  AN ALTERNATIVE (BEFORE          

 THE ENGAGEMENT ORDER) WOULD BE TO DOWNLOAD ALL MISSILES, RUN THE ORTS          

 TEST BY COMMAND FROM THE TEST MAINTENANCE CENTRAL (TMC) OPERATOR,              

 WHICH WILL RESULT IN AWS MAINTAINING A CURRENT AVAILABLE MISSILE               

 INVENTORY.  THIS DISCUSSION OF ZERO INVENTORY CONDITIONS IS                    

 APPLICABLE WHEN AWS IS IN TACTICAL MODE USING LIVE MISSILES AND THE            

 MK 26 GMLS.                                                                    

                                                                                

 4.  FOR COMNAVSURFLANT AND COMNAVSURFPAC:   RECOMMEND CG 47 THROUGH            

 CG 51 BE TASKED TO ADHERE TO PARA 3 PROCEDURES.                                

                                                                                

 5.  FOR COMSURFWARDEVGRU:  REQUEST REF A BE UPDATED TO INCLUDE PARA 3          

 GUIDANCE.  NEXT SCHEDULED UPDATE FOR REF A IS JUL 97.                          

                                                                                

 6.  THIS ISSUE IS DOCUMENTED AS CPCR 81411 FOR BASELINE 1.3 AND 1.4            

 SHIPS.  THE WEAPONS SYSTEM IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED AND NO CHANGES             

 ARE PLANNED FOR THE CURRENT COMPUTER PROGRAMS.  THIS ADVISORY DOES             

 NOT AFFECT CSOSS, EOSS, PMS, TECH MANUALS OR CMMP AND WILL BE                  

 CANCELLED WHEN REF A (CG 47 CLASS TACTICAL MANUAL) HAS BEEN UPDATED            

                                                                                

 TO INCLUDE PARA 3 GUIDANCE.                                                    

                                                                                

 7.  ORIG POC IS MR. N. SMITHSON, PMS 400F511, DSN 332-5981 OR COMM             

 (703) 602-5981 EXT 133.  TPOC IS CDR J. WILSON, PMS 400B30A, DSN               

 332-7090 OR COMM (703) 602-7090 EXT 222.//                                     

                                                                                

 BT