SEA to upgrade CSH on Chilean frigates

Cohort company SEA is set to commence work upgrading the Combat Systems Highway (CSH) infrastructure on-board the three ex-Royal Navy Type 23 frigates transferred to the Chilean Navy.

The upgrade work is being carried out in preparation for a major revamp of the Chilean Navy ships’ air warfare systems. The first upgrade will be carried out by SEA; the second ship fit will see Chilean Navy personnel working alongside SEA, and work on the third vessel will be handled by the Chileans. All equipment will be supplied by SEA.

CSH manages data exchange messages - a vital and integral feature of the ship’s combat system, enabling valuable operational assets such as the combat management system, surveillance, weapon and sonar systems to communicate in a reliable and deterministic manner. 

New open architecture system interfaces will be introduced using standard Ethernet format along with a new combat system performance monitoring capability. The interface is hosted on user friendly touch screens and provides clear graphical visualisation of the combat system data exchange activity. A new remote display capability is also being provided, enabling distribution of the information to new locations onboard. The introduction on a new data logging capability will also improve offline system performance analysis.

SEA provides support to the CSH on the Royal Navy’s 13 Type 23 frigates, and for a number of defence prime contractors. Similar upgrade work to address obsolescence has already been carried out on the systems in use on the Royal Navy’s vessels.