US Navy

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(Jan. 26, 2013) Huntington Ingalls Industries celebrated significant progress today as the 555-metric ton island was lowered onto the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The 60-foot long, 30-foot wide island was the 452nd lift of the nearly 500 total lifts needed to complete the aircraft carrier. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy Huntington Ingalls Industries/Released)

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Publiée le  3 juil. 2013


NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain - Patrol coastal (PC) ships USS Tempest (PC 2), USS Squall (PC 7) and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) arrived pierside in Bahrain July 3, as part of a realignment that will see a total of eight PCs permanently stationed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
 

   

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Publiée le  3 juil. 2013  


NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain - Patrol coastal (PC) ships USS Tempest (PC 2), USS Squall (PC 7) and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) arrived pierside in Bahrain July 3, as part of a realignment that will see a total of eight PCs permanently stationed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
 

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Premier catapultage électromagnétique !  



Patuxent River, Maryland, L'US Navy vient de réussir le lancement d’un F/A-18 «Super Hornet» à l’aide d’une catapulte électromagnétique. La technologie EMALS (Electromagnetic Launch Aircraft System) doit  remplacer les catapultes à vapeur des porte-avions de la Navy à terme.

Ce test marque la 2ème phase des essais de lancement d’avions pilotés. Le développement du système EMALS est prévu pour être achevé à la fin de 2015. Il sera intégré sur les futurs porte-avions nucléaires de la classe Gerald R. Ford.

Une nouvelle génération de catapulte :

Les catapultes à vapeur actuelles actuelles, utilisent environ 615 kg de vapeur pour chaque lancement d’avion, laquelle est habituellement livrée par canalisation à partir du réacteur nucléaire. Il faut y ajouter l’hydraulique requis et les huiles, l’eau nécessaire pour freiner la catapulte et des pompes associées, les moteurs et les systèmes de contrôle. Cela représente un système lourd, et un entretien intensif, avec des chocs soudains qui peuvent raccourcir la durée de vie de la cellule du porte-avions.



Le système EMALS :

L’EMALS (système de lancement avec appareil Electro-Magnétique) utilise une méthode analogue à un canon sur rail électro-magnétique pour accélérer la vitesse du sabot qui lance l’aéronef. Cette approche fournit un lancement plus lisse, tout en offrant jusqu’à 30% d’énergie supplémentaire au lancement notamment pour les avions lourds. Ce système occupe aussi moins d’espace et réduit les besoins d’entretien car il dispense de la plupart des tuyauteries pour la vapeur de la catapulte, mais aussi les pompes, les moteurs, et les systèmes de contrôle, et à terme un personnel plus restreint.

Le générateur du système EMALS pèse plus de 80.000 livres, et mesure 13,5 pieds de long, pour 11 pieds de large et près de 7 pieds de haut. Il est conçu pour délivrer jusqu’à 60 mégajoules d’électricité, et 60 mégawatts maximum. En 3 secondes, il doit délivrer une quantité d’énergie équivalente à celle de 12.000 foyers pour lancer un seul avion sur le pont. Or, chaque nouveau porte-avions de la classe Gerald R. Ford devra posséder 12 générateurs EMALS.

Ce système marque un gros changement, mais c’est une technologie essentielle pour l’US Navy qui souhaite livrer sa nouvelle classe de porte-avions dans les délais et le budget prévus et tenir les promesses de réduction des coûts du programme CVN-21.



Photos : 1 & 2 Premier catapultage d’un Super Hornet avec EMALS 2 Image de synthèse @ US navy

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2013/07/06/premier-catapultage-electromagnetique.html  

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USS Constitution fires a 21-gun salute in honor of America's 237th birthday during the ship's annual Fourth of July turnaround cruise in Boston, July 4

 

 

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Aviation ordnancemen load missiles on an aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the Gulf of Oman, July 2

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The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) departs Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga., July 3.

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P-8A Poseidon fires Harpoon, hits mark

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(U.S. Navy photos)
PMA-290, PMA-201 successfully launch missile during testing evolution

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — After approximately six minutes of flight time, one of NAVAIR’s test aircraft successfully launched a Harpoon missile during a live fire event June 24 in California at the Navy’s Point Mugu Sea Test Range and scored a direct hit on a Low Cost Modular Target.

Completing only one practice dry run, a P-8A Poseidon from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 successfully fired a Harpoon AGM-84D Block IC missile from station 10 on the first hot run, which was later confirmed by onsite explosive ordnance disposal personnel.

“The successful launch of one of the U.S. Navy's most dependable over-the-horizon all-weather anti-ship missiles, the Harpoon Block IC, from the P-8A is a significant milestone in naval aviation,” said Capt. Carl Chebi, Precision Strike Weapons (PMA-201) program manager.

For more than 40 years, the Harpoon weapon system has served the Navy well by offering a low-level and sea-skimming cruise trajectory that supports high survivability and effectiveness. This air-launched variant of the Harpoon 1C is currently integrated on the P-3C.

According to Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Program Office (PMA-290) Program Manager Capt. Scott Dillon, the significance of this program milestone is that the P-8A was able to launch the Harpoon at a target and achieve a direct hit.

“As the Navy’s replacement for the P-3 Orion, the P-8A Poseidon will be performing maritime surveillance missions as needed by the operations tempo and the success of this testing evolution brings us one step closer to Initial Operational Capability [IOC] this fall,” Dillon said. “The test was very successful and the Harpoon directly hitting the target proves the system’s capability and lethality.”

The purpose of this test was to validate the weapons hardware and software integration. The weapons integration testing that was achieved last week at Point Mugu was a culmination for all of the lab development and integration as well as developmental testing over the past year to get one step closer to fielding an anti-surface warfare (ASuW) weapon for fleet IOC, said Paul Sheridan, the P-8A assistant program manager for system engineering assigned to PMA-290’s Weapons Systems Integration team.

At the completion of this developmental testing, the P-8A will be ready for Harpoon operational testing to support fleet IOC.

“This live-fire event was made possible through the efforts of teams across NAVAIR including PMA-290 and PMA-201 here, in China Lake and Corona, Calif.,” said Chebi. “The teams continuously meet the challenges placed before them from test-asset preparations, ground testing, separation tests and the end-to-end live-fire evaluation. PMA-201 will continue to support the P-8A program and provide solutions to meet current requirements as well as the integration of future requirements that will advance the Navy's long-range maritime patrol capability.”

Dillon and Sheridan agreed with Chebi that the Harpoon P-8A testing was a collaborative effort between PMA-290 and PMA-201.

The P-8A Poseidon will replace the P-3C Orion as a long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. This valuable addition to naval air forces will protect the sea base and to enhance the Navy's forward presence.

www.nav

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Northrop Grumman prepares to build five E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based aircraft
July 8, 2013

Posted by John Keller

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 8 July 2013. Aircraft designers at the Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems sector in Bethpage, N.Y., are preparing to build an additional five E-2D Hawkeye carrier-based surveillance and early warning aircraft for the U.S. Navy.

Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station last week awarded Northrop Grumman a $9.3 million contract modification to procure long lead materials and related support for the full rate production of five E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Lot 2 radar aircraft.

An aircraft long-lead-item contract enables an aerospace manufacturer to buy components and equipment that typically take a long time to acquire so the company can complete the final aircraft as soon as possible after final contracts are awarded.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed to take off and land on aircraft carriers. Its large saucer-like radar antenna mounted to the top of the aircraft enables it to detect hostile aircraft and missiles at extremely long ranges and vector Navy aircraft to intercept.


The E-2D's capabilities include true 360-degree radar coverage for all-weather tracking and situational awareness; open-architecture commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based hardware and software; network-enabled capability; and the ability to carry out missions ranging from command and control, missile defense, and border security.

The plane is nearly 58 feet long, has an 80-foot wingspan, can fly faster than 300 knots, and can fly to altitudes as high as 37.000 feet. It carriers a crew of five: two pilots and three mission systems operators. The co-pilot also can act as a fourth mission systems operator.


Northrop Grumman officials call the E-2D a "digital quarterback" to sweep ahead of Navy aircraft carrier strike groups, manage missions, and keep U.S. network-centric carrier battle groups out of harm's way. The aircraft provides battle management, theater air and missile defense, and multi-sensor fusion capabilities.

Compared with its E-2C predecessor, the E-2D has a completely new radar with mechanical and electronic scanning capabilities; glass cockpit; advanced identification friend or foe (IFF) system; new mission computer and tactical workstations; electronic support measures enhancements; an d modernized communications and data link suite, Northrop Grumman officials say.


The E-2D first flew in 2007, and Navy officials say they hope to procure 73 of these aircraft by 2022. Full-rate production of the E-2D is scheduled for this year, and the aircraft should go to the fleet in 2015.

Historically Northrop Grumman has managed the E-2 program from its facility in Bethpage, N.Y., but the company will assemble the aircraft in Melbourne, Fla. The company no longer builds aircraft at its Bethpage facility.

On the current contract Northrop Grumman will do the work in Syracuse, N.Y.; Bethpage, N.Y.; El Segundo, Calif.; Chicago; Menlo Park, Calif.; Indianapolis; Cleveland; Aire-Sur-L’Adour, France; Owego, N.Y.; Torrance, Calif.; Edgewood, N.Y.; Falls Church, Va.; and at other locations throughout the United States, and should be finished in March 2014.

For more information contact Northrop Grumman Aerospace online at www.northropgrumman.com, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.

http://www.militaryaerospace.com

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Drone lands on aircraft carrier in historic first


Experimental X-47B drone offers glimpse of future
Focus shifts to designing an operational Navy drone
Program to focus on surveillance, affordability

A US drone has carried out a manoeuvre long considered the most challenging in naval aviation – landing aboard an aircraft carrier – in a milestone that lifted expectations about basing unmanned jets with reconnaissance and strike capabilities on ships.
A Northrop Grumman X-47B aircraft nicknamed "Salty Dog 502" slipped out of a cloudy sky off the Virginia coast after a flight from Patuxent River Naval Air Station and dropped its tailhook to snag an arresting cable on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
An X-47B drone combat aircraft lands on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier.


An X-47B drone combat aircraft lands on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier. Photo: AP

"It's not often that you get a chance to see the future, but that's what we got to do today," said US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who witnessed the landing and likened it to the first manned aircraft landing on a carrier a century ago.
The achievement came as the Navy mulls the role that new ship-carried drones may play in the future for the US military, while some experts question whether these unmanned aircraft are needed by the Navy at all.

The Salty Dog is one of two experimental X-47B aircraft built by Northrop Grumman as part of a program to test the feasibility of integrating unmanned aircraft into carrier operations, which program director Rear Admiral Mat Winter called "the most dynamic and demanding" environment in the Navy.

The X-47Bs will be retired to flight museums in Florida and Maryland after completing a minimum of three arrested landings aboard a carrier in the coming week, officials said.

In their place, the Navy has started the follow-on UCLASS program to design and build unmanned reconnaissance and strike aircraft to be deployed aboard carriers in the coming three to six years.

The start of the UCLASS program with a Navy request for proposed designs from Northrop, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics earlier this month has touched off a debate over exactly what the new drone should be and what missions it should take on.
With a stealthy bat-wing air frame, a 3200 kilometre range and the ability to carry the equivalent of two precision-guided bombs, the X-47B raised the prospects of a long-range, radar-evading, unmanned reconnaissance and strike aircraft.

A carrier-based drone with those capabilities could be used to counter countries like China and Iran that have been developing missiles and other weapons aimed at forcing the US Navy to operate far from shore in a conflict.

'Tyrannosaurus Rex arms'

Peter Singer, director of the Centre for 21st Century Security at the Brookings Institution think tank, likened the threat to "facing a boxer with really long arms when you've got little Tyrannosaurus Rex arms".

"The idea is you could utilise the UCLASS [carrier drone program] to extend your reach," he said.

The Navy's request for proposed designs appeared less ambitious than some analysts had expected. Rather than seeking proposals for a radar-evading jet with a robust strike capability, the request called for a long-range reconnaissance aircraft able to stay on station for extended periods, Navy officials said.

With the focus on affordability, the drone would not necessarily be able to evade radar – potentially leaving it vulnerable to enemy fire – and it would have only a light attack capability.

Some experts say it is not clear that the Navy needs a carrier-based drone.

They note that such an aircraft's main strength is the ability to remain over a target area for long periods of time looking for potential threats such as mobile missile launchers. Land-based drones can provide that capability as effectively as sea-based ones, they say.

"When it comes to operating an unmanned aircraft from carrier decks, the Navy seems to be ambivalent about the whole idea," said Loren Thompson, a defence expert at the Lexington Institute think tank.

He said the Navy needs to conduct a rigorous assessment to see what UCLASS drones would bring to the fleet that cannot be accomplished with manned aircraft or land-based drones.

"Can we fly drones off of aircraft carriers? Yes we can. Is there a good reason for doing so? That's not as clear," Thompson said.

Reuters

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US Navy hopes to increase AIM-9X range by 60%

The US Navy is hoping to increase the range of the new Raytheon AIM-9X Block III by some 60% over current Sidewinder variants due to the unique needs of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) says. The new weapon is scheduled to become operational in 2022.

"The Block III range requirement was in response to Joint Strike Fighter requirements in the 2020+ timeframe," NAVAIR says. "The design is anticipated to increase AIM-9X employment ranges by 60%."

NAVAIR says the current Block II AIM-9X already overlaps some of the range capability of the more powerful Raytheon AIM-120D AMRAAM, however the new Block III variant will increase that overlap. The AIM-9X Block III's increased range will "provide fighter aircraft with increased capacity of BVR [beyond visual range] weapons for tactical flexibility," NAVAIR says.
The need for that added flexibility arises from the proliferation of advanced digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammers that many potential adversaries are adding to their fighter fleets. DRFM jammers have the potential to blind the AMRAAM's onboard radar, which makes the AIM-9X's passive imaging infra-red guidance system a useful alternative means to defeat those threats. While a completely new missile would have been ideal, the Pentagon is faced with era of declining budgets and has to take into account the price tag of any new weapon.

"Programme affordability was a primary concern for new missile development," NAVAIR says. "Modifying the existing AIM-9X for increased range provides a highly affordable solution for meeting the performance requirement."

To create the new AIM-9X Block III, the NAVAIR will primarily focus on the missile's rocket motor. "Increased range will be achieved through a combination of increased rocket motor performance and missile power management," NAVAIR says.

In addition to an improved, more energetic, rocket motor, the enhanced weapon will also have a new insensitive munitions warhead, which will be safer to use onboard an aircraft carrier. However, the Block III will "leverage" the current Block II's guidance unit and electronics-including the missile's AMRAAM-derived datalink.

While the Pentagon needs the new Sidewinder to be a supplemental BVR weapon for situations where friendly fighters are faced with electronic attacks that degrade with radar-guided weapons, it will not compromise on the AIM-9X's close in performance. "The requirement and design call for the same WVR [within visual range]/HOBS [high off-boresight] capabilities as those found in the AIM-9X Block II," NAVAIR says.

The Block III is currently scheduled to enter into its engineering and manufacturing development phase in 2016, NAVAIR says. Subsequently, it will go into developmental testing in 2018 with operational tests starting in 2020. If all goes well, an initial operational capability date is expected in 2022. "The Block III development schedule follows the increased number of Joint Strike Fighter aircraft entering service," NAVAIR says.

http://www.flightglobal.com

8 OHP HS ...

allah ijib li ifhmna  quel gachis

the ‪ USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group leaves for an eight- to nine-month deployment in support of 5th and 6th Fleet operations.


 
PACIFIC OCEAN (July 18, 2013) A Sea Sparrow (RIM-7P) missile is launched from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) during a missile firing exercise. Boxer is underway off the coast of Southern California conducting a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX).


CORAL SEA (July 18, 2013) The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) is underway during Talisman Saber 2013. Talisman Saber is a biennial training activity aimed at improving Australian and U.S.

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dans Forces terrestres | 1 Commentaire »
Le Congrès ouvre une enquête sur la mort de 22 Navy SEALs dans la chute d’un hélicoptère en Afghanistan
25 juillet 2013 – 11:47

Le 6 août 2011, un hélicoptère Chinook fut abattu par une roquette tirée par des insurgés dans la province de Wardak, en Afghanistan, alors qu’il était engagé dans l’opération Extorsion 17. Au total, 38 militaires américains et afghans y perdirent la vie.

Les circonstances de ce drame ne manqua alors pas d’interroger étant donné que, parmi les victimes, se trouvaient 22 commandos appartenant au Team 6 des Navy SEALs (ou DevGRu), c’est à dire l’unité qui mena le raid, quelques semaines plus tôt, contre Oussama Ben Laden, à Abbottabad, au Pakistan.

Seulement, et d’après Military Times, les Navy SEALs tués dans la chute de ce Chinook appartenaient au Gold Squadron alors que l’opération ayant permis d’éliminer celui qui était alors chef d’al-Qaïda avait été réalisée par le Red Squadron du DevGru, qui compte environ 300 hommes dans ses rangs.

Quoi qu’il en soit, il n’en reste pas moins qu’il subsiste des zones d’ombres autour de cette affaire, au point que, à l’initiative de Jason Chaffetz, un représentant (Parti républicain) de l’Utah, par ailleurs président du sous-comité sur la sécurité nationale et des opérations étrangères, une enquête va être ouverte par le Congrès pour y voir plus clair. Et cela parce que les familles des militaires tués dans la chute de l’hélicoptère estiment que le Pentagone ne leur a pas donné des réponses satisfaisantes aux questions qu’elles se posent sur les circonstances du décès de leurs proches.

Officiellement, le Chinook a donc été abattu par une seule roquette. Pour le Pentagone, il ne s’est pas agi d’un coup monté mais d’un tir d’opportunité effectué par des insurgés qui se trouvaient là presque par hasard et qui ne pouvaient par conséquent pas savoir que des Navy SEALs appartenant au DevGru se trouvaient à bord de l’appareil.

Sauf que, selon Charlie Strange, le père d’un des commandos tués, les insurgés se seraient vantés sur Internet d’avoir porté un coup à la Team 6 très peu de temps après avoir abattu le Chinook… Comment pouvaient-ils connaître la qualité des passagers de l’hélicoptère? Qui plus est, dans les transcriptions figurant dans le rapport de 1.000 pages au sujet de ce drame, l’hypothèse d’une “embuscade établie” a été avancée, selon The Hill, un journal de Washington.

Un autre élément qui mérite d’être tiré au clair est que les 7 membres des forces spéciales afghanes qui devaient prendre place à bord du Chinook furent remplacés à la dernière minute. Interrogé par The Hill, un fonctionnaire du Pentagone a indiqué ne pouvait pas en parler, avant d’être interrompu par un de ses collègues.

Quoi qu’il en soit, les familles endeuillées des Navy SEALs ont ainsi rapporté que leurs proches ne faisaient pas confiance aux militaires afghans. L’un des commandos américains tué aurait confié à leur sujet qu’ils étaient “loyaux avec le plus offrant”.

L’enquête lancée par le représentant Jason Chaffetz cherchera aussi à savoir pourquoi la boîte noire de l’hélicoptère n’a pas pu être récupérée. Pour le Pentagone, il était impossible de le faire. Ce qui est, pour l’élu de l’Utah, “terriblement bizarre.”

D’autres questions posées par les familles portent sur la configuration du Chinook, qui, affirment-elles, n’était pas équipé pour mener la mission dans laquelle il était engagé, ainsi que sur la cérémonie organisée sur la base de Bagram pour rendre hommage aux disparus. Devant les corps des victimes, un imam aurait déclaré, en arabe, que les militaires américains devaient “aller brûler en enfer”.

Le Pentagone n’a pas répondu sur le dernier point. En revanche, il a fait valoir que “la planification opérationnelle et l’exécution de cette mission était compatible avec les précédentes” et qu’elle a fait l’objet d’une “enquête approfondie.” Et d’ajouter : “Nous partageons la douleur de toutes les familles qui ont perdu leurs proches. La mort de 38 militaires américains et afghans a été une perte tragique lors d’une campagne difficile.”

Certaines familles sont soutenues par l’organisation Freedom Watch, dirigée par Larry Klayman, un juriste qui, bien que proche du Parti républicain, a aussi bien lancé des procédures contre les administrations Clinton et Bush Jr. “C’est un scandale encore plus grand que Benghazi”, a-t-il déclaré. “Nous avons sacrifié 30 soldats américains. La grande question est de savoir si ces Américains courageux ont été vendus par le gouvernement afghan comme moyen de paiement aux taliban pour la mort de Ben Laden”, a-t-il poursuivi.


http://www.opex360.com/

on verra surement un film ladessus prochainement  

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 18, 2013) The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) demonstrates its maneuvering capabilities in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego



 ARABIAN GULF (July 22, 2013) Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Janet Lee signals to pilots assigned to the Desert Hawks of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26 on the flight deck of the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61).



NORTH ARABIAN SEA (July 25, 2013) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the Black Knights of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154 launches off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).



SOUTH PHILIPPINE SEA (July 22, 2013) Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) prepare to launch combat rubber raiding craft (CRRC) during a boat company raid exercise aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver (LPD 9).

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The Electric Warship

After years of research, development, and debate, the USS Zumwalt, the first of a new class of high-tech destroyers, nears completion


Two decades ago, the U.S. Navy began designing what it then called its “21st-century destroyers.” These were to be a fleet of 32 guided-missile destroyers that would be able to cruise near coastlines and attack forces on land with mind-boggling might. In 2001, though, the Navy canceled that program and replaced it with a less costly alternative.

It took another dozen years, but the first destroyer of that new generation is now nearing completion. Although less ambitious than the original concept, the first ship of this new class, the USS Zumwalt, is pioneering so many advanced technologies that some decision makers have criticized the program for trying to do too much, too soon.

Some of the pushback came simply from the enormous costs involved in developing so many cutting-edge technologies. Indeed, faced with mushrooming costs, the U.S. government reacted by repeatedly reducing the number of these destroyers to be built—eventually settling on just three ships. The total cost of the program, including R&D, that will result in those three ships is estimated to be US $22 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service [PDF]. Another point of intense debate was whether the main task envisioned for this ship—cruising in coastal waters while supporting military operations on nearby lands—was really so important to U.S. geopolitical interests.

And there has been no shortage of purely technical questions. Chief among them: Are the many advanced technologies slated for the Zumwalt really battle ready? It will probably be years before we’ll know for sure. But it’s not too soon to consider how these technologies will affect future naval warfare.

The U.S. Navy has not released details about the ship’s interior. But after gathering what information we could, including construction photos, we assembled the accompanying illustration. Together these visual elements offer what may be a preview of how warships will look for decades to come.

One of the most obvious differences between the Zumwalt and almost all other ships is its basic shape. The Zumwalt has what’s known as a tumblehome hull, which narrows rather than widens with height above the waterline. The rake of the bow is also inverted, making the ship look like an oddly angular submarine.

Tumblehome hulls haven’t been seen on naval ships in over a century. The U.S. Navy used it here because the inward-angled hull won’t reflect radar energy straight back to an adversary’s antennas. Its main disadvantage is instability: A tumblehome hull provides no additional righting force when the ship heels over, causing some naval architects to speculate that it could make the Zumwalt prone to capsizing in rough seas.

Another distinguishing feature of the Zumwalt is its deckhouse, which rises above the main deck and houses the bridge, the exhaust stacks, and various radar antennas. Like the hull, it was designed to reduce the ship’s radar profile and has sides that cant inward. Unlike the steel hull, the upper part of the deckhouse is made of balsawood-cored carbon-composite panels.

This material, highly unusual for a warship, was used to reduce weight up top (which aids stability), enhance corrosion resistance, and make the ship more stealthy. But it’s very expensive, and in January of this year the Navy began investigating using only steel for the deckhouse of the third and final ship of the Zumwalt class, the USS Lyndon B. Johnson.


electricship diagram
Illustration: John MacNeillDownload PDF of the illustration.

Yet another departure from tradition is how the Zumwalt arranges its many missiles. Guided-missile destroyers of earlier design position their vertical missile-launcher tubes amidships, where they are best protected from enemy fire. The Zumwalt’s designers arrayed its missiles along the ship’s flanks, positioning them between inner and outer hulls. Putting them on the periphery does make the missiles more vulnerable to enemy fire, but it lessens the consequences should they be struck. Were that to happen, the resulting blast would explode outward, leaving intact the inner, watertight hull.

In another break from the U.S. Navy’s usual designs, the Zumwalt’s propellers and drive shafts are turned by electric motors, rather than being directly attached to combustion engines. Such electric-drive systems, while a rarity for the U.S. Navy, have long been standard on big ships. What’s new and different about the one on the Zumwalt is that it’s flexible enough to propel the ship, fire railguns or directed-energy weapons (should these eventually be deployed), or both at the same time. That’s because the 78 megawatts from its four gas-turbine generators can be directed through the ship’s power-distribution network wherever it’s needed. The presence of such a tightly integrated power-generation and distribution system has led some to call the Zumwalt the U.S. Navy’s first “all-electric ship.”

While the general idea of using electric motors to propel the ship wasn’t particularly controversial, the choice of what kind of motors to use did not come easily. The leading idea at first was to use permanent-magnet motors, but these proved challenging to develop, and the Navy ultimately opted for two 34-MW induction motors instead.

It’s perhaps a bit ironic that, despite the many cutting-edge technologies it contains, the Zumwalt class was passed over for one of the Navy’s most technologically challenging missions of all: sea-based ballistic-missile defense [PDF], which has grown more important to the United States and its allies lately as more nations of concern attain nuclear and ballistic-missile capabilities. Instead, the Navy will build more destroyers of a more conventional type and outfit them with the radars and antiballistic missiles needed.

In a 2009 speech, Adm. Gary Roughhead, then Chief of Naval Operations, made his reasoning for this change clear. While he applauded the Zumwalt’s advanced technology and how the program was being run, he also repeated a truism that only the most naive engineers in attendance didn’t already know: “Technology does not always equate to relevant capability.”

http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/military/the-electric-warship

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A US Navy With Only 8 Carriers?

WASHINGTON — At first, the statement is shocking. “Reduce the number of carrier strike groups from 11 to 8 or 9, draw down the Marine Corps from 182,000 to between 150,000 and 175,000.”

But those words July 31 from US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel brought into the open some of the behind-the-scenes discussions that have been going on at the Pentagon for months. Senior Defense Department officials continue to stress no decisions have been made out of the Strategic Choices and Management Review (SCMR), but the everything-is-on-the-table nature of the discussions is becoming clearer.

Or is it? Beyond top-line statements, hardly any real details were released, leaving those outside the inner circles to speculate on the immediate and far-reaching effects of sequestration. One reason, many observers feel, is that talking about a specific potential cut could turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even acknowledging that an eight-carrier fleet is on the table, some fear, could turn that once-unthinkable idea into a reality.

And it’s not just about cutting carriers — it’s air wings with seven or so squadrons of aircraft, it’s a cruiser and three or four destroyers, and it’s the crews. Substantial savings would be found from reducing nearly 10,000 personnel billets with the elimination of each strike group.

Reducing the air wings would ease carrier acquisition, maintenance and recapitalization. The fleet of legacy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft – mostly C models — could be swiftly retired, leaving an all-Super Hornet fleet of Es and Fs that itself could be smaller than what exists today. Retirement of older SH-60 helicopters could also be accelerated.

Dropping the carrier fleet could be done several ways. Two or three ships could simply be ordered to go — likely the oldest ships that have not undergone a refueling overhaul. The older Nimitz-class ships — Nimitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carl Vinson and Theodore Roosevelt — are likely safe, having completed their reactor refueling. Abraham Lincoln, which has just begun its overhaul at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., is likely safe, as the three-year effort has already been largely paid for. But the George Washington, set to begin its refueling overhaul in 2015, would likely go, along with the John C. Stennis and possibly the Harry S. Truman.

Spreading out the current five-year carrier building schedule is dangerous, and could actually lead to increased costs that would cancel out any savings. Significant portions of the carrier supply base are barely sustainable under the current schedule, and some suppliers can be expected to go out of business should the building time be stretched any further. Newport News, faced with the loss of the refueling overhauls and a longer building time, would be forced to lay off several thousand workers, again increasing costs for new ships.

Carriers also have a significant disposal cost. The eight-reactor Enterprise, now in the early stages of a multiyear disposal process, will likely cost more than $1.1 billion to ultimately dispose of. Nimitz-class carriers have only two reactors and could cost less to dispose of, but the bill still will be significant and, with inflation, would likely exceed the Big E’s cost.

Even laying up the carriers in mothballs will entail major costs. Reactors, once shut down for a significant time, cannot be restarted due to changes in their metallurgy, so the ships cannot be completely shut down and maintained in reserve.

Rather, the reactors would be set to a minimum level and the ships kept at a secure facility, like an active naval base. The Navy already has a significant backlog of seven decommissioned conventional carriers to get rid of, and the nukes would likely sit for some years before actually going away.

Fate of the Warships
The Navy’s 22 remaining Aegis cruisers are on the back-half of their projected 30-35 year careers, and the service already is trying to decommission seven.

The first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer entered service in 1991, and the Aegis ships are still being built. Complicating the decision about which ships would be cut are expensive modernization upgrades to the older ships, most of which have already received a ballistic-missile defense (BMD) capability — a key requirement among most regional combatant commanders.

For littoral combat ships, contract options to build them run through LCS 24, and the Navy is considering how to approach the rest of the planned 52-ship force. Options include eliminating one of the two LCS variants or ending the program at 24.

Cutting the Navy Department means cutting the Marine Corps, which inevitably leads to fewer amphibious ships. While the Navy seeks a 10 or 11-ship big-deck amphibious force, nine are in service today. Peleliu, the oldest assault ship, already is to be replaced by the new America. A reduction to eight big decks would likely mean the Wasp — about to begin a sorely-needed $110 million modernization overhaul — would be decommissioned.

Construction of the eleventh and last of the highly capable LPD 17 San Antonio class of amphibious transport docks has begun at HII’s Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., and the ships are nearly as effective as the bigger assault ships, so they would likely survive.

But the older dock landing ships of the Whidbey Island class would be on the chopping block — as would be their LSD(X) replacement.

Submarines
Pentagon support for the nuclear attack submarine force seems to be stronger than ever, and the number of SSNs is not likely to diminish. But the Navy’s desire to incorporate a Virginia Payload Module (VPM) with four large weapon tubes into Block V Virginia-class ships is threatened. Each VPM would add about $350 million to the cost of each sub, but without the modifications the four SSGN guided-missile submarines will retire in the 2020s without a replacement.

Also to be decided is the fate of the Ohio-class replacement submarine, a major acquisition effort sitting squarely in the middle of future shipbuilding budgets. The first ship isn’t scheduled to be ordered until 2021, but development costs are significant.

Future modernization programs also are at significant risk under the various SCMR options. The Air Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) to be installed in an Arleigh Burke Flight III version beginning in 2016 is threatened and could be delayed, despite urgent requirements for the BMD mission.

As for infrastructure, a fleet that would drop below 250 or 230 ships would also need fewer bases or support facilities. With the shift to the Pacific, whereby 60 percent of the fleet will be Pacific-based, several facilities could close. Targets would likely include the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, and Mayport Naval Station in Florida, as well as lesser facilities.

The shipbuilding industry could shift as well. The most striking change could be a joining of the two biggest shipbuilders, HII and General Dynamics. Such a move would probably mean the closure of one or two of the five major yards operated by the two companies. The upshot would mean less competition for Navy contracts, something the service would not welcome.

http://www.defensenews.com

3 PA/GAN a la fois ca sera un vrai "on ne peut plus"  

Spoiler:

Citation :

US Navy’s seventh San Antonio-class ship completes final contract trials

USS Anchorage (LPD 23)

USS Anchorage (LPD 23), the US Navy's seventh San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, has successfully completed its final contract trials.

During the contract trials, conducted by the navy's board of inspection and survey (INSURV) as part of a series of post-delivery testing, the vessel demonstrated operational capability.

The ship's crew demonstrated all the ship's systems such as the main propulsion, engineering and ship control systems, combat systems, damage control, food service and crew support.

In addition to performing steering and anchor handling demonstrations, the ship conducted a full power run and self-defence detect-to-engage exercises as well as rapid ballasting and deballasting.

US Navy's programme executive office, ships LPD 17 programme manager captain Darren Plath said: "This is a major accomplishment for the crew of Anchorage as post-delivery test and trials are completed in preparation for joining the fleet.
Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries, the LPD-23 ship can transport air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing crafts, as well as supporting amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions.

The ships' flight deck can accommodate two Sikorsky CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters, six Bell AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters, four Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two Boeing Bell MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft.

The LPD 17-class ships will significantly replace the ageing LST 1179 Newport-class tank landing ships, LKA 113 Charleston-class amphibious cargo ships, Anchorage-class dock landing ships and Austin-class ships.

Delivered to the US Navy in September 2012, the HII-built USS Anchorage will undergo further testing and maintenance period as part of post-shakedown availability.

http://www.naval-technology.com

Citation :

Le porte-avions américain Truman en escale à Marseille

Mise à jour : 06/08/2013 13:37

Du 5 au 9 août 2013, le porte-avions américain Truman et ses 5000 marins font escale à Marseille. Interview du capitaine de vaisseau Frédéric Paillat, commandant de la Marine dans la cité phocéenne.


Le porte-avions américain Truman en escale à Marseille

«Accueillir en toute sécurité un bâtiment militaire important»

Le porte-avions américain Truman vient d'arriver à quai à Marseille. Vous êtes le commandant de la Marine sur place. Qu'est-ce qui rend cette escale possible?

Les infrastructures de Marseille, notamment les quais en eaux profondes, permettent d'accueillir des bâtiments comme les porte-avions ou les plus gros bâtiments de croisière ou de commerce de plus de 400m de long. Les croisiéristes et les marines d'État trouvent ici tout le soutien logistique (shipchandlers, fret) comme les moyens de transport (TGV, aéroport) et les moyens techniques pour entretien. Concernant les porte-avions américains, tout est fait en amont pour assurer leur sécurité. Cela se prépare à l'avance et demande forcément beaucoup de travail. Les administrations de l'État sont mobilisées: préfecture, préfecture de police, gendarmerie maritime, affaires maritimes, douanes, marins pompiers, plongeurs de la Marine. Au début du mois de mars dernier, nous avions accueilli le porte-avions USS Eisenhower et tout s'était remarquablement passé.

Qu'apporte la présence d'un bateau de cette importance à la ville?

Marseille tire son histoire, sa culture et son économie de la mer. L'arrivée d'un porte-avions américain est donc une excellente occasion pour le rappeler aux Marseillais et pour valoriser les valeurs véhiculées par la Marine nationale. Enfin sur le plan des relations internationales une telle escale ne peut que renforcer les liens entre nos deux marines.

Sources : © Marine nationale

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actu-marine/le-porte-avions-americain-truman-en-escale-a-marseille

Citation :

US Navy Decides To Scrap Submarine Miami
Repairs Too Costly Under Sequestration
Aug. 6, 2013 - 09:10PM

WASHINGTON — In a move that will sadden and anger many submariners, the US Navy has concluded the cost to repair the nuclear attack submarine Miami, severely damaged last year by an arsonist, is more than it can afford in an era where repair and maintenance funds are being slashed by mandated budget cuts.

“The decision to inactivate Miami is a difficult one, taken after hard analysis and not made lightly,” Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, the Navy’s director of undersea warfare at the Pentagon, said in a statement released Tuesday evening.

“We will lose the five deployments that Miami would have provided over the remaining ten years of her planned service life, but in exchange for avoiding the cost of repairs, we will open up funds to support other vital maintenance efforts, improving the wholeness and readiness of the fleet.”

The Navy last year estimated that repairs to the Los Angeles-class submarine would cost at least $450 million, and at least $94 million has been spent to plan the repair work.

But after what a Navy official termed a “comprehensive damage assessment” conducted over the past year, the estimated repair costs have risen dramatically.

“The increased cost estimate and scope means that without $390 million in additional funding in fiscal 2014, funding the repairs would require cancellation of dozens of remaining availabilities on surface ships and submarines,” Breckenridge said in the statement.

He noted that the cost would compound pressures from sequestration in 2014. “The Navy and the nation simply cannot afford to weaken other fleet readiness in the way that would be required to afford repairs to Miami,” Breckenridge said.

A key factor in the heightened cost estimate, the Navy official said, was the effect of “environmentally-assisted cracking” in the steel piping and fasteners used in the air, hydraulic and cooling water systems aboard the submarine, meaning much more equipment would have to be replaced than previously thought.

The official added that a review of other recent repair efforts on submarines suffering from major damage “revealed that planned contingency funds were insufficient.”

The Miami was devastated by a fire that broke out late in the work day on May 23, 2012, while the submarine was in drydock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Casey James Fury, 24, a civilian painter and sand blaster at the shipyard, was arrested after a three-week investigation and charged with arson. On Nov. 8 he pleaded guilty to the May 23 fire, and to a smaller fire set outside the submarine on June 16. He was sentenced on March 14 to more than 17 years in federal prison.

He set the May 23 fire, he told authorities, because he was having an anxiety attack, wanted to leave work and had already used up his sick leave.

The blaze burned for about 12 hours inside the submarine, which was only a few weeks into a planned 20-month overhaul. Fire teams from as far away as Boston and Connecticut battled intense fires throughout the night and into the next morning. The conflagration heavily damaged or destroyed the submarine's control room, combat systems and torpedo room.

Navy officials have repeatedly said the ship’s nuclear reactor was not threatened by the inferno. But temperatures inside the forward hull reached extreme levels and the lower portions of the bow section were flooded by firefighters.

Although many observers thought the damage would be fatal to the submarine, the Navy was determined to repair the ship. Privately, officials declared their resolve not to let an arsonist destroy a sophisticated and powerful warship.

After initial repair cost estimates were revised upward, the decision to repair the submarine was announced on Aug. 22 in a statement from the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

“The Navy's revised cost estimate to restore USS Miami (SSN 755) is approximately $450 million, with an estimated date of completion for the repairs of April 30, 2015,” NAVSEA said in the Aug. 22 statement. “The estimate includes 10 percent variability due to the unique nature of the repair and the cost impacts of shifting the planned maintenance availabilities of other ships and submarines.

“The Navy is committed to delivering the submarine back to the fleet with no operational limitations. Once returned to service, Miami will serve for an additional 10 years with five planned full-length deployments, ready to respond to any combatant commander tasking,” the Aug. 22 statement concluded.

Built at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Conn., the Miami was commissioned in June 1990 and had been expected to serve for 30 years.

While statistics haven’t been verified, the decision to scrap the submarine means the Miami could become the first warship — and submarine or nuclear-powered ship — to be lost while in the hands of a US naval shipyard since the Civil War. A handful of ships have been lost since, but all those appear to have been at a commercial yard or pier.





http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130806/DEFREG02/308060015/US-Navy-Decides-Scrap-Submarine-Miami

Citation :

Northrop Grumman Awarded $617 Million for Full-Rate Production E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes

BETHPAGE, N.Y. – Aug. 12, 2013 – The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) a $617 million contract for five full-rate production Lot 1 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=20371.

"Moving from low-rate production into full-rate production is a significant milestone for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program," said Bart LaGrone, vice president, E-2/C-2 programs, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We look forward to manufacturing and delivering a mature and effective airborne early warning, battle management, command and control system."

"Attaining E-2D full-rate production is the culmination of years of hard work," said Capt. John S. Lemmon, program manager, E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data System Program Office (PMA-231). "The E-2D team continues to work together with one vision and goal – deliver a solid product to the fleet."

On Aug. 3, 2007, the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye took to the skies over St. Augustine, Fla. Since then, Northrop Grumman has delivered 10 new production E-2Ds to the U.S. Navy, on cost and on schedule. An additional 10 aircraft are in various stages of manufacturing and predelivery flight testing at the company's St. Augustine Aircraft Integration Center. Initial operational capability with the Navy remains on track for 2015.

The E-2D program continues to find ways to reduce costs and provide best value to the customer through improving aircraft delivery processes, standardizing repair methods and looking for opportunities to improve spares timing to increase the overall program affordability.

"We've got the right people and processes in place to make a seamless transition into full-rate production," LaGrone said. "With the Navy's E-2D program of record at 75 aircraft, full-rate production enables the production of the remaining 55 aircraft over the next 10 years and provides the opportunity for a cost-effective, multiyear procurement."

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

http://www.northropgrumman.com

Citation :

Northrop Grumman to Build MK54 Lightweight Torpedo Nose Arrays for U.S. Navy

2013-08-14T12:15:00-0700

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Aug. 14, 2013 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy for the production of acoustic nose arrays for the MK54 lightweight torpedo in support of Navy and foreign military sales requirements. The initial scope is for 428 nose arrays with a potential for as many as 3,000 over the life of the contract.

The $45.9 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $294.3 million.

"This contract represents the continuation of our proud torpedo heritage that dates back to World War II," said Tom Jones, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Undersea Systems business unit. "We are pleased to support the Navy's torpedo enterprise once again by providing this undersea warfare capability to the Navy and our international partners."

This contract includes MK54 torpedo nose arrays for the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy.

During the peak of the Navy's torpedo production from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, Northrop Grumman produced more than 550 MK50 lightweight torpedoes along with 491 MK48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) heavyweight torpedoes. Northrop Grumman was also a lead designer for the current MK48 ADCAP Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System upgrade in the early 2000s.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

http://www.northropgrumman.com