- On naval vessels built before shipboard data networks became standard, legacy serial-linked weapons and sensors had no direct path onto a modern Combat Management System (CMS)
- Bridging that gap called for a rugged network layer that could unify old and new without touching the ship's core systems
Case Studies
Distributed Interface Networking for Naval Combat Systems
11 Aug 2026Serial-to-Ethernet networking connecting shipboard weapons and sensors to a combat management system.
Overview
ChallengesThe main challenges were
- Many vessels were commissioned before shipboard data networks existed, leaving critical weapons and sensors isolated on incompatible serial links
- A full network refit would mean an expensive, lengthy overhaul — not realistic for an active fleet
ObjectivesThe system needed to
- Deliver a serial-to-Ethernet network layer that brings every legacy weapon and sensor interface onto a single backbone feeding the Combat Management System
- without disrupting existing shipboard equipment or requiring a full network rebuild
Solution DeliveredThe solution included
- Dynalog supplied a Distributed Interface Network Unit built around ruggedized serial-to-Ethernet conversion hardware, deployed across multiple shipboard nodes
- Rugged serial device servers converted each serial link to Ethernet at the source, an NHMS server managed the network centrally, and CAT-5/fiber cabling with rack-mounted enclosures carried the data between compartments
- Rather than replacing the ship's existing weapons and sensors, the system let them speak a common digital language — giving the crew a single, unified combat picture without a costly full-ship network overhaul
Conclusion
This is a blueprint for modernizing any legacy platform incrementally — bridging old and new instead of ripping out and replacing — a model worth adopting wherever aging infrastructure needs to talk to modern systems.
