Posted by Courtney E. HowardPORT HUENEME, Calif., 3 Aug. 2011. Officials at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division needed to replace a key, but obsolescent component of the MK 92 Fire Control System (FCS). They found their solution at Sabtech Industries in Yorba Linda, Calif. Sabtech’s Militarized Peripheral Replacement System (MPRS) will replace the OJ-172 Data Exchange Auxiliary Console (DEAC) in the MK 92 FCS Navy combat system aboard Oliver Hazard Perry Class (FFG-7) frigates. The DEAC is the only load device for the Weapons Control Processor (WCP) computer that runs the MK 92 system. If the DEAC is not operational, the computer cannot be loaded and the ship’s ability to detect, track, and engage air and surface targets is down. The Navy sought a replacement for the vintage 1960s DEAC, which is unreliable and expensive to maintain, to ensure the MK 92 is always ready to support the mission. MPRS is a maintenance-free, plug-in replacement for the DEAC, replacing the DEAC’s magnetic tape drives with removable hard drives and DVD media and eliminating dependence on unreliable, increasingly scarce tape media. Further, the DEAC’s teletype I/O console is being replaced with a modern display and keyboard. By replacing the DEAC with MPRS, Sabtech helps to modernize the US Navy and extend the service life of these valuable assets, says a company representative. Installations are scheduled to begin this year.
