At this
year’s Euronaval show, DCNS is presenting XWIND 4000, a concept
ship combining all of the Group’s main innovations for future
naval surface systems. The uniquely designed XWIND 4000 concept ship
presented by DCNS at this year’s Euronaval show features all the
latest innovations being developed by the Group's R&D teams. These
innovations will be available on DCNS surface ships in the short to
medium term future. |
“XWIND
4000 has been designed around the concept of an ‘all-digital’
ship,” explains Marketing Manager Philippe Sathoud. “Flat-panel
arrays for the combat system and other sensors are installed around the
superstructure. This provides unprecedented hemispherical coverage and
enables all the sensors to operate at the same time without generating
interference between transmitters and receivers.
With this configuration, shipboard systems can respond dynamically to
evolving threats such as terrorism, piracy or sensor saturation attacks.”
To enhance the platform’s detection, identification and engagement
capabilities, surveillance UAVs or armed UAVs are part of the combat system
design. These offboard systems can deploy a broad range of optronic, radar
or electronic warfare payloads as well as rockets or missiles. DCNS is
a pioneer in this field and the only warship designer already offering
this solution. The UAVs remain under the commander’s orders at all
times and are controlled from the ops room.
The XWIND 4000’s innovative all-digital design is also apparent
in the intuitive human-systems interfaces for the ship's two nerve centres,
touchscreens, voice commands and Kinect™ technology in the ops room,
and 360° vision, augmented reality technology and user interfaces
similar to smartphones on the bridge. All the digital systems run on a
secure datacentre architecture hosting combat system and platform management
applications in a virtual environment that allocates resources as operational
requirements evolve.
Philippe
Sathoud, marketing manager at DCNS, presents the XWind 4000 to Navy
Recognition
The conceptship XWIND®4000
prefigures the ship of the future and the physical and functional integration
of technological building blocks that could be implemented in the future.
More than a conceptship, XWIND®4000 is a condensed version of all
the innovations resulting from R&D work available in the medium term
for future DCNS ships:
- Integrated superstructures (topside): optimized physical and functional
integration of sensors (GE, radar, optronics) and communication implementing
state-of-the-art technologies (flat plate antennas, metasensors, LIDAR
etc.),
- Naval integration of drones: implementation from the ship and controlled
by the Commander, surveillance drones equipped with several payloads (EO/IR
pods), surmar radar, AIS etc.) that can carry weapons.
- Next Gen Combat Bridge concept for innovative plaform operation.
- New generation Operations Center for conducting tactial operations.
- Asymmetical threat combat system
- Ship’s datacenter allowing the optimization of resources (calculation
and storage capacity) through the virtualization of the ship’s CMS
(combat management system) and SMS (ship management system) applications.
- Energy control: modular hybrid propulsion, dynamic ship consumption
management.
- Configurable, modular zones (T BONE)
Detailled
view of the inovations condensed on XWind 4000
The ship has three groups of vertical launcher silos and a main artillery
in a stealth turret. It is also equipped with remote weapon station designed
for machine gun, missile, laser... The XWind 4000 can speed up to 30 knots.
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DCNS XWind 4000 showcased at EURONAVAL 2014