From concept to console: NSWC Dahlgren Division team creates software plugin for the fleet

From concept to console: NSWC Dahlgren Division team creates software plugin for the fleet

By Jennifer Erickson NSWCDD Corporate Communications

Sailors onboard Aegis SPY-1 destroyers and cruisers execute missions ranging from anti-air warfare to ballistic missile defense. The current process for getting data off ships is time intensive and every second counts when they need to identify and transfer Aegis data off the ship to the Aegis technical community including NSWC Dahlgren Division analysts.

Yet, in addition to the pressures of underway operations, Sailors face challenges of time and accuracy. Manually extracting Aegis data files can lead to errors like selecting the wrong time in a complex file folder structure. If incorrect data is sent to the analysts, it kicks off a time-consuming loop of reidentifying and re-transmitting data.

This all takes place on ships equipped with the Aegis Combat System, an integrated command-and-control and weapons suite.

Accurate Aegis data is critical in reconstructing and evaluating combat operations, according to Mason Cole, a lead software developer in the Dahlgren Division Electromagnetic & Sensor Systems Department.

The SPY-1 radar is a key component of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS), performing above water searching and tracking. The radar supports the detect-to-engage sequence necessary to prosecute adversary targets. Therefore, it needs to perform optimally to ensure the AWS completes that sequence quickly and correctly.

"We needed ways to rapidly identify issues with the SPY-1 radar and the AWS as a whole," Cole said.

From developer to Sailor

Eikra Shithil, Dahlgren Division radar analyst, led analysts and software developers within the Electromagnetic & Sensors Department (specifically the Fleet Data Collection and Radar Fleet Support branches) to come up with a solution for the Sailors. They recognized there was no room for error in the data or delay in transferring it to Dahlgren Division while in a combat environment. Therefore, they teamed up to build a software plugin that integrates seamlessly into existing software on Aegis ships and ensures accurate and timely data transfer. The result: a solution they called Data Reduction on the Edge (DRotE).

Jake Shovlowsky, the technical project manager within the Fleet Data Collection Branch of the Dahlgren Division Electromagnetic & Sensors Department, stressed why DRotE is critical. "When you're under fire and your life is actually on the line, the last thing you want to think about is sending the correct dataset back."

From evolution to automation

DRotE began under the Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) program, which funds internal research and development at naval laboratories.

The first iteration of DRotE, introduced in fiscal year 2025, provided a manual but highly intuitive visual solution. The team equipped Sailors with onboard graphs and charts to assist them in identifying and selecting the exact data window of a tactical event. Furthermore, DRotE tracked previously exported files, preventing Sailors from wasting time by sending the same data twice.

In fiscal year 2026, the team automated the plugin. This automated version packages, formats and exports event data to be transmitted to Dahlgren Division. It is a streamlined process that can run in the background without requiring Sailor input to identify correct data for offload.

"We wanted a more efficient way to get data from the ships to the analysis community," Shithil said. "We made this plugin very intuitive for the Sailor to use."

Dahlgren Division NISE Director Melanie Lunney described the project as a "NISE success story," which was "high impact, high value, with a direct, positive impact on the warfighter."

From prototype to beneficial capability

DRotE will be an advantage to Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers and the Aegis technical community, Shovlowsky said. "The benefit to the warfare centers is we will have the correct data from the ships the first time. It will save the warfighter time. It's a win for the Sailors onboard the ships and a win for the analysts at the warfare centers."

In fiscal year 2027, DRotE will be expanded across the Aegis fleet. DRotE's deployment will be integrated into the Enhanced Radar Data Display System (ERDDS). ERDDS is a Dahlgren Division-managed Navy tactical and test support suite. The integration will ensure the accessibility of advanced, automated radar diagnostic tools on active warships, according to Shovlowsky.

"It's [DRotE's] transitioned from just a NISE project two-year success story at Dahlgren to being fielded on the actual destroyers in FY27," he said.

Starting in fiscal year 2027, Sailors won't have to worry about sending incorrect Aegis datasets back during an anti-air or ballistic missile defense mission aboard Aegis ships. They can rely on a new capability, thanks to the integrated DRotE team at Dahlgren Division.