USS Coronado wraps up COBRA coastal mine detection system operational testing

US Navy littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) has successfully completed operational testing of the Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) System, the navy has announced.

This second phase of testing for Coronado, which began shortly after completion of developmental testing, Feb. 22, involved in port and underway operations with support from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 and Mine Countermeasure Detachment 6.

“The crew onboard was the perfect fit to conduct this testing,” said Danny Lunden, test director for Mine Countermeasure Mission Package, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division. “We all worked so well together and did so in such a short amount of time.”

The operational testing included identifying possible landing zones for amphibious forces, detecting mines, and locating obstacles that would prevent forces from entering mission critical areas.

Personnel used both an MQ-8B Fire Scout and a MH-60 Sierra to process information and plan beach zone operations. As well, the testing required an upgrade to the Fire Scout and Mission Package Computing Environment to support the coastal mine reconnaissance missions.

Designated LCS testing ships, of which Coronado is one, are single-crewed and focus solely on testing hardware, software and concepts of operations for specific mission modules in order to develop the best tactics and doctrine within each ship’s specified warfare area.

Sailors assigned to the test ships say they are excited to be part of shaping the future of LCS.

“This was an incredible and ground-breaking experience for myself and the mission package detachment,” said Chief Mineman Lindsey Wolghemuth, mine detachment chief petty officer. “We get to see how LCS can not only rapidly respond, but how diverse each mission can be on each platform.”