The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, currently operating in the South China Sea, is trialing the Augmented Reality Maintenance System on its deployment with all four ships of the CSG having the system installed on them.
The system was installed on the four ships of the Nimitz CSG, comprising of aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and destroyers USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) and USS Gridley (DDG 101) and also destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) over five days in San Diego from Mar. 22-26 by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) according to a Wednesday release.
The ARMS is a remote viewing capability used to connect deployed sailors with subject matter experts at warfare centers, in Regional Maintenance Centers and other shoreside locations in which sailors wear a simplified augmented reality headset that allows the SMEs to observe and troubleshoot any shipboard systems in real time by seeing and hearing from the sailor’s point of view. While wearing the headgear, the sailors can pull up technical manual excerpts, maintenance requirement cards, 3D images, design models or schematics to restore a system while the remote SMEs talk them through the process, according to the release.
“Sailors are by trade operators and maintainers of their warships,” NSWC PHD Commanding Officer Capt. Tony Holmes said in a statement. “It’s never a matter of if, but when, systems aboard a ship will require some sort of troubleshooting and/or corrective maintenance to keep them operating. If outside help is required to resolve an issue, and that issue can be resolved by over-the-shoulder assistance via ARMS, that is a good thing.”
NSWC PHDD aims to use the technology to reduce the number of visits command personnel and subject matter experts make to ships to provide them with technical assistance. ARMS can also reduce the length of time NSWC PHD personnel spend aboard by diagnosing issues in advance, according to the release.
The installation of ARMS on the five ships in March marked the end of one Interim Authority to Test (IATT) and the beginning of another witht he first IATT was scheduled to expire in March. However, NAVWAR Commander Rear Adm. Seiko Okano requested the original seven-month time frame to perform an operational ARMS capability be narrowed down to one month so the AR equipment could be installed aboard the five ships before they deployed from Naval Base San Diego, said NSWC PHD computer scientist Nick Bernstein in the release, “These are the first operational, useable ARMS installs,” said Bernstein, who together with NSWC PHD electronics engineer Matthew Cole led the installation efforts.
During the current test period, the ARMS team will monitor ARMS usage and solicit feedback to improve its capabilities and handling ahead of the full use of the system.
Since departing San Diego on Mar. 26, Carrier Strike Group 11 has been operating in the Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea before its current location in the South China Sea, except destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108), which deployed as part of the CSG but detached during the transit of the Pacific Ocean to join the Carl Vinson CSG in the Central Command area of operations as one of its escorts.
On Wednesday, CSG 11 held a change of command ceremony aboard Nimitz while deployed in the South China Sea, where Rear Adm. Fred Goldhammer relieved Rear Adm. Maximilian Clark and assumed duties as Commander, Carrier Strike Group 11, according to a release from the CSG.
“I was inspired every day by your commitment to the mission, your drive to get better, and your deep sense of purpose in your duties,” said Clark in the release. “You’re a combat-ready, forward-deployed team, ready to execute any mission.”
Clark assumed command of Carrier Strike Group 11 in May 2024, overseeing the completion of a rigorous maintenance and workup cycle and leading the strike group through the initial months of a forward-deployed presence in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, according to the release.
“The sailors of Carrier Strike Group Eleven remain the driving force behind our combat readiness, and I look forward to building on their momentum as we continue to operate forward while delivering decisive naval power where and when it matters most,” said Goldhammer in the release.
