US Navy

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Sensor Technology to Provide Radiation Monitors for US Navy




The US Naval Surface Warfare Center is to award a firm-fixed-price commercial contract to Sensor Technology Engineering for the procurement of linear radiation monitors (LRM) and handheld radiation monitors (HRM).

The multiple gamma and neutron radiation LRM detectors allow the operators to search for radioactive materials.

The HRM, a single gamma and single neutron radiation detector, can be worn or strapped onto a weapon or other equipment.

Work will be carried out in Santa Barbara, California, US, and is expected to complete by November 2012.

naval-technology

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Navy Weighs $8 Billion Contract With Textron, Boeing for Ospreys




The Navy is considering buying another 122 V-22 Ospreys from Textron Inc. (TXT) and Boeing Co. (BA) for about $8 billion.

The proposed contract, in its early stages, would supply the aircraft to the Marine Corps and Air Force through 2017 -- renewing a current deal for five more years.

Textron of Providence, Rhode Island, and Chicago-based Boeing are in the last year of a four-year, $10.9 billion contract for 174 aircraft. Textron’s Bell Helicopter unit and Boeing have submitted a new request for proposals, officials said. The Navy declined to speculate on the potential value. At the current basic “flyaway” cost of $65 million apiece, the new contract could approach $8 billion.

“We have asked for a proposal,” said Navy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Sean Stackley said in an interview. “We are just at that point.”

Stackley said the Navy wants a multiyear contract arrangement.

“I have had discussions with them to outline what a multi- year would look like,” he said. We want to get to a multiyear, we think it’s important to get the savings. We are at the very front end.”

Pentagon weapons buyer Ashton Carter, whom President Barack Obama is nominating to the No. 2 Defense Department post, has listed increased use of multi-year contracts as a key tool for driving down procurement costs.

In this case, the Navy and contractor must develop reliable data allowing the service to certify to senior Pentagon officials a five-year block buy can save at least 10 percent over annual batch purchases.

On Time, Under Budget


Signing a multi-year contract also virtually guarantees those aircraft can’t be canceled because the military would face steep termination costs.

Bell-Boeing V-22 executive director John Rader, in a statement, confirmed the companies have submitted a proposal.

“The Bell-Boeing V-22 program is presently on time and under budget in successfully executing its first multi-year contract,” he said.

Stackley said the intent is to validate savings so that, by next April or May, “we can go forward with certification after” the fiscal 2013 budget is submitted.

A contract potentially could be signed in December 2012, said Renee Hatcher, a spokeswoman for the Naval Air Systems Command.

The additional purchases would complete the Marine Corps and Air Force plan to field 410 V-22. The Navy has a requirement for a separate 48 that might be purchased after 2018, she said.

‘Looks Good’


Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lieutenant General Terry Robling in an interview said “it looks good. Bell-Boeing says they can achieve the 10 percent that is required and a little bit more than that.”

Congress through December has approved spending $35 billion on the $53.2 billion program.

The program was approved for full-production in September 2005 after four years of additional development to demonstrate the aircraft overcame a host of deficiencies, including problems with its design, safety and reliability uncovered after two crashes in 2000 killed 23 Marines.

The Osprey has been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. One plane ferried Osama bin Laden’s body to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson after he was killed in a U.S. raid May 2 in Pakistan.

The House Appropriations Committee in June said the aircraft’s overall performance “has laid to rest all doubts” about its combat effectiveness.”

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Northrop Grumman Awarded $795 Million in E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Contracts





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BETHPAGE, N.Y., Aug 5, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation /quotes/zigman/236055/quotes/nls/noc NOC +0.33% has been awarded $795 million in contracts by the U.S. Navy for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program.

Under a sole source, firm-fixed price $761 million contract, prime contractor Northrop Grumman will manufacture and deliver five low-rate initial production (LRIP), Lot 3, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to the U.S. Navy. Also under this contract, are long lead materials for five LRIP, Lot 4, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes.

Northrop Grumman also received a $34 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the procurement of one additional E-2D Advanced Hawkeye LRIP, Lot 2, aircraft.

"These contracts are a significant milestone for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program and the U.S. Navy," said Jim Culmo, vice president, Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Command and Control, Northrop Grumman. "The innovation Northrop Grumman applied to the design and development of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye leverages experience gained from providing uncompromised airborne early warning and battle management command and control for more than 50 years. This affirms that the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the right platform providing the right capability at the right time," Culmo said.

"Solidifying contracts that provide a critical requirement to protect our nation's interests and accomplish an overall cost savings without compromising capability, achieves the team's goals in the execution of the E-2D program," said Capt. Shane Gahagan, Naval Air Systems Command Hawkeye-Greyhound program manager.

To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered five E-2D aircraft to the Navy, one of which was delivered to the fleet and is currently used to conduct aircrew and maintenance training at Naval Air Station Norfolk in Virginia. An additional six aircraft are in various stages of manufacturing and pre-delivery flight test as the program continues to move forward on the road to full-rate production.

Northrop Grumman leads a world-class industry team that continues to successfully execute all cost and schedule requirements for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: Northrop Grumman Corp.

USS Halyburton returns home

Spoiler:

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Navy Drops Carrier Group, Down To Nine




UPDATED Washington: A recent Navy decision to deactivate one of its aircraft carrier groups could be a sign of things to come for the service's carrier fleet.

On Monday, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced that the Navy's Carrier Strike Group 9 will be reassigned from the USS Abraham Lincoln to the USS Ronald Reagan.

The reason for the group's reassignment? To take the place of the recently deactivated Carrier Strike Group 7, stationed in San Diego, Calif. Taking CSG-7 out of the fleet leaves the Navy with only nine operational carrier strike groups.

A number that the sea service will likely be stuck with over the next decade, according Ray Pritchett, who runs the Information Dissemination blog that covers Navy issues closely.

According to Pritchett, the move is the Navy's way of cutting costs early on as DoD prepares for lean funding years ahead. By cutting a carrier group, the Navy can clear all the operations and maintenance costs for that group off their books.

In addition, Pritchett points out, the Navy will also save service dollars in operations and maintenance for the air wings tied to CSG-7.

Even though the Navy will keep all 11 carriers in the fleet, which will drop to 10 ships once the USS Enterprise retires, it will likely maintain the nine carrier group construct for the long term.

Once the Enterprise is taken out of service, the Navy will likely just do the same thing it did with CSG-7, simply shifting the group (CSG-12) from the Enterprise to another carrier.

While the Navy will be able to shoulder the loss of the group, and still maintain a strategic presence worldwide, the message the move sends -- particularly to the Hill -- could be irreversible, according to one defense analyst.

If Navy operations do not suffer as a result of the cut and maintain the nine strike group construct long term, "it will be very hard to bring that [number] back up" if needed, said Travis Sharp, a defense budget analyst at the Center for a New American Security.

The move will also make the Navy's case for the new Ford-class carrier harder to make, Sharp said, noting that the Navy could bolster its amphibious fleet as a way to fill that gap.

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SUBIC BAY, Republic of the Philippines (Aug. 2, 2011) Tug boats pull the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) out of Subic Bay, Philippines. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Chris Salisbury/Released)



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POLARIS POINT, Guam (Aug. 8, 2011) Sailors assigned to the guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726) moor the submarine in preparation for its voyage repair and crew swap period. Ohio is assigned to Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 15 and is the U.S Navy's only forward deployed submarine squadron, providing maintenance, training, logistics and administration support for the submarines assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class William Tonacchio/Released)

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US Navy confirms joining with army to buy new unmanned helicopter



The US Navy has confirmed it is joining forces with the US Army to buy dozens of a new class of medium-sized, unmanned helicopter that could be mustered into service within five years, according to an acquisition document.

The agreement between the services combines requirements for the navy's medium-range maritime unmanned aircraft system (MRMUAS) and the army's medium-range multi-purpose (MRMP) vertical take-off and landing system.

The navy's goal is to field the first MRMUAS system by fiscal year 2018, but will consider proposals to deliver an "early operational capability" two years sooner, according to a request for information released in late July.

The collaboration recalls the chequered history of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout programme.

The army originally launched Fire Scout under the Future Combat Systems (FCS) programme. After the navy joined the programme, however, the army cancelled FCS and terminated its part of the MQ-8B contract.

The USN continued to fund development and production, and deployed three MQ-8Bs earlier this year, including one that was shot down on a mission over Libya.

Both services are now looking for a helicopter with greater capabilities than the Fire Scout.

The navy wants a sea-based aircraft that can rove for 8h and at least 300nm (556km), supporting SEAL teams and counter-piracy missions, according to the July request for information.

Boeing is expected to offer its A160 Hummingbird, and Northrop has proposed the MQ-8C Fire-X, which combines the Fire Scout operating system and the airframe of the Bell Helicopter 407.

Two other UAS builders "- US-based Aurora Flight Sciences and fellow American firm DragonFly Pictures - previously expressed interest in the army's MRMP requirement, but it is not clear if they are pursuing the programmes as a vehicle or subsystem supplier.

The army released a request for information to industry in June, asking for an armed helicopter that could also perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Since then, however, it has agreed to launch the MRMP with the ISR mission as a "first increment" capability, according to the navy.

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Ford Carrier Faces Cost Overruns

The U.S. Navy’s next-generation aircraft carrier CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford could exceed the current contract’s price by about 11%, Naval Sea Systems Command (Navsea) officials confirm. The Navy now has a $5.2 billion design-and-construction contract with the Newport News Shipbuilding unit of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) for the carrier, which features a reconfigured and redesigned Nimitz-class hull. But the company may exceed that amount by about $562 million, Navsea confirms. The Navy says the cost overrun is due to material costs and contractor performance. The overrun reflects “unfavorable contractor material and labor performance,” according to a Pentagon Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) released earlier this year and cited by an Aug. 9 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. The Navy says it is working to reduce the overrun, according to CRS. The potential overrun could not come at a worse time for the Ford or the carrier program. Pentagon officials say the Defense Department has been considering delaying, cutting back or canceling planned future carriers (Aerospace DAILY, July 15, 27). Potential cost growth has been a worry for the Ford-class carrier, CRS notes. “The Navy’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget estimates the ship’s procurement cost at ... about $11.5 billion in then-year dollars,” CRS said CVN-79 — the John F. Kennedy — is scheduled for procurement in fiscal 2013. The Navy’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget estimates the ship’s procurement cost at about $10.3 billion in then-year dollars and requests $554.8 million in advance procurement funding for the ship, CRS says. CVN-80 is scheduled for procurement in fiscal 2018, with advance procurement funding scheduled to begin in fiscal 2014, CRS noted. The Navy’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget estimates the ship’s procurement cost at about $13.5 billion in then-year dollars. “We have seen month-over-month cost improvement since late 2010,” Newport News Shipbuilding spokeswoman Jerri Dickseski says in a statement. The yard, she says, has been doing the following: utilizing the latest 3-D computer modeling technology to assist construction; leveraging the buying power of the greater HII Corporation to obtain bulk-buy costs on commodities; establishing teaming between the engineering, sourcing, manufacturing and construction departments; applying the latest industrial technology to enhance producibility; maximizing the pre-outfitting of the structural “building blocks;” and investing in facility infrastructure improvements to enhance production work. Northrop Grumman Concept

Citation :

Bruker Awarded US Navy Contract


Bruker has received a contract to provide improved point detection system - lifecycle replacement (IPDS-LR) systems to the US Navy.

Under the contract, Bruker will provide 40 systems through the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD).

The IPDS-LR system, based on Bruker's RAID-S2, is a trace gas detector that detects chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs).

The system utilises high-performance ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) technology for long-term monitoring of ambient air for hazardous chemical vapours in the interior or exterior of ships.

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2011 and will run through 2012.

Yakuza a écrit:

oui les ro-ro civils,mais leur navires aussi doivent s´y mettre comme lors du dernier AL

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US Navy Tests Raytheon Minehunting Sonar


The US Navy has successfully completed the launch and recovery of the remote multimission vehicle (RMMV) carrying the Raytheon-developed AN/AQS-20A minehunting sonar.

The testing marks the first demonstration of the unmanned, remotely operated vehicle deployed from the USS Independence (LCS 2).

AN/AQS-20A is a mine warfare sensor and is used to scan the water in front and to the sides of the vehicle, and below for anti-shipping mines.

The solution, which can be deployed from multiple search platforms, uses sonar and electro-optical sensors to provide high-resolution images of mines.

US Navy programme manager for unmanned maritime vehicles (PMS 403), Steve Lose, said, "This exercise has proven the capabilities of both the RMMV and AQS-20A, testing both stability and performance in an operational environment."

"The advancements of the AN/AQS-20A bring our minehunting capabilities to the next level; and with the adaptability of the system for helicopter and RMMV deployment, we extend our ability to effectively and efficiently ensure the safety of the fleet," he added.

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Department of the Navy goes green with Osprey

Published August 17, 2011 | By Marcel van Leeuwen



The Navy and Marine Corps team reached another milestone toward achieving the Secretary of the Navy’s energy goals by successfully flying a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey on biofuel Aug. 10 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

“This is the first Marine Corps and tilt rotor aircraft to fly on biofuels,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. “This brings us one step closer to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and becoming more energy secure and independent.”

The “Blackjacks” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 flew the tilt rotor aircraft at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet on a 50/50 blend of camelina based and standard petroleum based JP-5 (aviation) fuel. The camelina sativa plant is a U.S. grown, non-food feedstock plant.

The MV-22 is a multi-mission aircraft, flown by the Marine Corps, and combines the functionality of a helicopter with the long range and high speed of a turboprop aircraft.

“As these types of biofuel certification tests continue on the Osprey and other aircraft, we continue to make steady progress toward the energy goals I laid out in October 2009,” said Mabus. “Those goals are aimed first at improving our warfighting capability and reducing our vulnerabilities, but they will also increase our energy efficiency and help lead the nation toward a clean energy economy.”

“The MV-22 testing builds upon our successful test flights of the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18 C/D legacy Hornet, MH-60S Seahawk as well as extensive testing in the Navy’s Patuxent River fuels lab in demonstrating that Navy and Marine Corps aircraft can safely operate on fuel produced from renewable sources,” said Rick Kamin, the Navy Fuels lead.

NAVAIR press release

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Navy plans to arm Fire Scout UAV with missiles




The MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle may soon head to sea with a major upgrade: air-to-surface missiles.

The Navy’s drone helicopter, which recently finished its second deployment, will start carrying either Raytheon’ Griffin or BAE’s Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, two small missiles that would give an aircraft designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance a deadly capability.

The Navy test-fired missiles from Fire Scout in 2005. Now it’s a matter of waiting for funding to arm the rotary-wing unmanned vehicle, said Capt. Patrick Smith, Fire Scout program manager, at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference.

Northrop Grumman, the aircraft’s developer, is working to integrate a Griffin onto the UAV and will likely demonstrate the system later this month, but ideally, the aircraft will be able to carry several different types of missiles, Smith said.

“We would like to become agnostic with what weapon goes onboard” and carry whatever missile can be used effectively, he said.

Fire Scouts have already deployed in situations were armaments could have been a game changer. On June 21, one of three aircraft deployed on the frigate Halyburton was shot down by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi while flying over that country’s central coast. The aircraft was below cloud layers in an area known to have anti-air defenses, a risky environment for any aircraft, said Rear Adm. William Shannon, program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons.

While the Fire Scout will soon be armed, preparations are also underway for deploying the aircraft on the littoral combat ship Independence. A date hasn’t been set, but dynamic interface testing is expected to begin sometime in fiscal 2012. The aircraft was designed specifically for flying from LCSs — its forthcoming weapon system will integrate into existing mission modules — but so far it has only deployed with frigates McInerney and Halyburton. Due to scheduling issues, it’s possible that an armed Fire Scout will make its debut on another frigate, Smith said.

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L’US Navy espère un avenir plus vert

Avec ses 11 porte-avions, ses plus de 120 navires auxiliaires, ses 4000 avions, ses 14 sous-marins nucléaires et son demi-million d’engagés, l’US Navy n’est pas un petit joueur en ce qui concerne les besoins en énergie. Alors même si tous ces chiffres devraient diminuer d’ici à 2040 selon des projections récemment présentées au Congrès, ils n’en resteront pas moins impressionnants. Et au pays de l’Oncle Sam où l’un des principaux problèmes reste la dépendance aux pays pétroliers, on s’inquiète de ces besoins énormes.

http://www.corlobe.tk/article25530.html

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PEO IWS Achieves $50 Million Savings in Weapons Procurement on Amphibs

USS Arlington (LPD 24) launched at NGC's Pascagoula Facility. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)

Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems realized a $50 million savings in procuring weapons systems on new construction amphibious ships in fiscal years 2009-2011.

The cost reduction efforts, which started in early 2010, put PEO IWS on track to support the undersecretary of defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) "better buying initiative" to restore affordability and productivity in defense spending.

PEO IWS generated savings in acquiring combat systems with quantity buys, and not just across amphibious ships. The PEO worked with stakeholders to bundle combat system purchases for LHA 7 and LPD 26 and 27, with other platforms.

"We worked with the PARMs [participating acquisition resource managers] and other stakeholders to coordinate a single quantity buy," said Capt. Joseph "Ike" Iacovetta, systems integration program manager for amphibious ships. "If you're able to group the buys, you get a reduction. Whether it's going on a destroyer, amphib or a carrier, we all get the reduced cost for the unit."

Cost-avoidance measures were also identified in non-hardware support services, consisting of integrated logistics support, software support and system engineering support. PEO IWS again negotiated requirements to ensure the same combat configuration was maintained across new construction ships to prevent additional costs.

"Applying the same methodologies on cost efficiencies across hulls garnered significant cost avoidances," Iacovetta said. "We were able to recoup those dollars and to get the ship on contract."

PEO IWS is working to establish a systematic approach to apply these cost-saving principles to future acquisitions.

"We meet three times a year with the PARMs to discuss fielding plans and where we're going and our different modernization efforts," said Andrei Sapsai, deputy systems integration program manager. "This is a great forum to discuss schedules, move delivery dates and coordinate funding to procure weapons systems at reduced rates."

PEO IWS, an affiliated program executive office of the Naval Sea Systems Command, manages surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems, and coordinates Navy Enterprise solutions across ship platforms.

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Structural Work on Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Reaches Halfway Point

Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) shown under construction in March. (Photo: HII, Ricky Thompson)

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. announced Aug. 18 that the structural production of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) has reached 50 percent completion.

The lead ship in the new class of carriers has been under construction at the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division since November 2009. It is on track to meet its scheduled launch in 2013 and delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2015.

Gerald R. Ford is being built using modular construction, a process where smaller sections of the ship are welded together to form large structural units, outfitting is installed, and the large units are lifted into the dry dock. Of the 500 total structural lifts needed to complete the ship, 250 have been accomplished.

"We have a tremendous team of shipbuilders that is working hard and making great progress," said Rolf Bartschi, vice president of the CVN 78 Program. "There is still work to be done, but it is incredibly satisfying to see Gerald R. Ford taking shape."

About 860 feet of the ship's total 1,092-foot length is in dry dock, and the ship has been built up to the main deck level, which is about 64 feet above baseline. About 23,000 tons of the Gerald R. Ford's total steel weight of 48,000 tons is currently in the dry dock. More than 1,800 shipbuilders are working on the ship today, and manpower is expected to peak at 3,000 before Gerald R. Ford is completed. As with all aircraft carriers built by Newport News Shipbuilding, suppliers from more than 40 states across the nation, representing more than 24,000 jobs, are contributing to Gerald R. Ford's construction.

Gerald R. Ford represents the next-generation class of aircraft carriers. The Ford class features a new nuclear power plant, a redesigned island, electromagnetic catapults, improved weapons movement, an enhanced flight deck capable of increased aircraft sortie rates, and growth margin for future technologies and reduced manning.

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SOURCE:Flight International
Boeing starts work on IRST for F/A-18E/F

The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $135 million contract to develop an infrared search and tracker (IRST) to integrate in the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet.
The four-year development programme will adapt the Lockheed Martin AAS-42 IRST to mount in the forward section of the F/A-18E/F's centreline fuel tank. The AAS-42 was last operated on board the Grumman F-14D Tomcat.
Immune from most kinds of electromagnetic interference, including jamming, IRST sensors are popular especially onboard non-American fighter designs. The Sukhoi T50 prototypes boast forward and rear-facing IRST sensors integrally attached to the fuselage.
 
But US operators have preferred to integrate IRST sensors into external pods, and the Super Hornet's new system will be no exception.
The forward section of the centreline tank is empty, so integrating the sensor will not reduce its 330gal fuel capacity. That location also allows the IRST sensor to have a nearly unrestricted field of regard in the forward hemisphere except for directly above the

The US Navy plans to buy at least 150 IRST pods for the F/A-18E/F, according to Lockheed's marketing materials.
Boeing also has proposed an integrally-mounted IRST sensor for international customers. The "international roadmap" variant of the F/A-18E/F includes a low-observable, faceted window under the nose.