Conceptos.-

Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) brings revolutionary new capability to naval air and missile defense, not by adding new radars or weapon systems, but by distributing sensor and weapons data from existing systems in a new and significantly different manner. CEC fuses high quality tracking data from participating sensors and distributes it to all other participants in a filtered and combined state, using identical algorithms to create a single, common air defense tactical display ("air picture"). The result is a superior air picture based on all sensor data available that permits significantly earlier detection and more consistent tracking of air contacts. CEC was designed against the air threat (e.g., from cruise missiles), especially in littoral waters. Undergirding CEC is a robust communications system with several orders of magnitude in improvement to bandwidth and electronic countermeasures, as well as the systemic advantages offered by the global positioning system (GPS).