Real-Time Environmental Intelligence for Fleet Operations (Gemini)
Delivers critical MetOc data to maximize flight deck availability and streamline replenishment at sea without compromising safety.
Key Benefits
Maximize Aviation Sorties
Expands Green Deck windows by identifying precise relative wind conditions that bridge-mounted sensors frequently miss due to superstructure turbulence.
Streamline Logistics
Reduces aborted replenishment attempts by validating sea state and swell interactions before committing ships to restricted maneuvering courses.
Optimize Transit Routing
Validates Optimum Track Ship Routing models with in-situ data, reducing fuel consumption and avoiding heavy weather damage to hull and cargo.
Bridging the Gap Between Forecast and Fleet Reality
Naval commanders operate under immense pressure to sustain force projection through high-tempo flight operations and logistics, yet "Mother Nature always gets a vote" in tactical execution. A fundamental disconnect exists between centralized climatology and the immediate environmental reality surrounding the ship. "Weather Guessers" (Aerographer's Mates) often rely on bridge anemometers that fail to capture the gusty, turbulent conditions actually occurring on the flight deck, leading to conservative "Red Deck" calls that unnecessarily ground aircraft. In remote operating areas, 60% of operations occur outside regions with high-resolution data, leaving command teams to make high-stakes safety decisions based on estimates rather than facts.
The capability gap widens during critical logistical evolutions. Commanders attempting Connected Replenishment (CONREP) must maintain precise courses while avoiding beam seas, but complex swell interactions often force "order-alongside" changes that devastate efficiency. The combined hydrodynamic effect of stern wakes and water jets complicates RHIB recovery, creating safety hazards that standard wave forecasts cannot predict. Without hyper-local data, the fleet suffers from a "vigilance decrement," battling the environment rather than leveraging it, resulting in reduced sortie generation, increased fuel consumption, and higher operational risk during routine maneuvers.
Hyper-Local MetOc for Tactical Advantage
To transition from reactive weather avoidance to proactive environmental utilization, naval forces require a distributed sensing architecture that characterizes the immediate operating envelope. By networking shipboard sensors with off-board expendables, command teams generate a real-time "nowcast" that validates SHOL (Ship-Helicopter Operating Limits) and identifies stability windows for logistics.
Data Collection & Monitoring
The solution employs a dual-layer approach. Onboard, high-fidelity sensors positioned at flight deck level capture true relative wind and turbulence data, bypassing the distortion found at the bridge. Simultaneously, deployed drifting sensors and wave buoys characterize the surrounding ocean, feeding data on swell period, direction, and barometric pressure trends. Edge processing corrects for ship motion and filters superstructure interference to derive "clean" environmental parameters.
Actionable Insights
The system calculates dynamic Green Deck intervals, allowing Air Bosses to launch and recover aircraft during marginal conditions that standard bridge sensors would flag as Red Deck. For logistics, the system recommends optimal Fox Corpen headings that balance required relative wind for VERTREP with hull stability for STREAM rigs. It provides early warning of barometric pressure drops indicating approaching fronts, allowing for proactive course adjustments.
Impact
Commanders reclaim lost operational time, safely increasing sortie rates by identifying stable lulls in turbulent conditions. Replenishment efficiency improves as ships maintain optimal headings without aborting approaches due to unpredicted swell. The integration of local data into OTSR models reduces fuel burn and ensures assets remain mission-ready rather than battered by avoidable heavy weather.
Recommended Systems (2)
To achieve comprehensive environmental awareness, a multi-system architecture is required. System 1 is integrated directly onto the vessel to support immediate aviation and maneuvering decisions. System 2 is an off-board, expeditionary solution used to characterize the surrounding area or support Search and Rescue (SAR) drift modeling.
System configuration image
System Overview
Purpose
Monitoring immediate relative wind and sea state to authorize flight operations and safe maneuvering.
Deployment Context
Permanently installed on flight decks, superstructures, and well decks of carriers, destroyers, and amphibious ships.
Sensors
Required
Wind
Essential for determining SHOL status; measures relative wind speed and direction to distinguish Green Deck from Red Deck conditions.
Wave
Critical for characterizing swell height and period to calculate vessel motion and determine safe courses for replenishment approaches.
Important
Pressure (Barometric)
Provides local validation of weather fronts; rapid drops alert the bridge to deteriorating conditions faster than satellite forecasts.