Possible Japanese CIC to be integrated in our P17 frigates.
The ‘
Advanced Integrated CIC’, developed by Mitsubishi Electric Co (MELCO), contains the OYQ-1 combat management system (CMS) and OYX-1-29 information display & processing system (IDPS).
It features a circular arrangement and comprises an outer rim, with 14 multifunction consoles (plus two extra seats), all facing the wall; and three rows at the centre of the circular arrangement comprising a central helm station, four additional multifunction consoles (likely for the commanding officer and his XO), and two large horizontal tactical tables likely for cooperative mission planning and navigation purposes. According to MELCO, the 360° giant screen can be used to display the direct surroundings of the FFG by fusing the feed and data from the many on-board optronic and radar sensors.
Such augmented reality technology will greatly assist the crew in the field of navigation, asymmetric warfare and even in the phase of launch and recovery of unmanned surface vehicles.
In addition, the ‘video wall’ can display any and all information typically displayed on multifunction consoles. For instance, information from the engine control room, and typically displayed as part of the integrated platform management system (IPMS), can now be displayed in the CIC thanks to the video wall. Also, tasks such as engine control, damage control and fire-fighting control can now be undertaken from inside the CIC. The two large tables with built-in monitors and touch-screen controls will prove useful for examining digitised navigational charts (ECDIS) and other situational awareness data collaboratively.
From Japan’s side, the principal military-industrial players will be
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and its MELCO subsidiary, and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding. From the Indian side, the principal military-industrial players will include the
MoD-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (which has to date built integrated masts for the IN’s three Project 15A DDGs and four Project 15B DDGs and is building four more for the under-construction Project 17A FFGs), and the
MoD-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd.