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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VP-5 certified ‘Safe for Flight’


Navy’s second P-8A Poseidon squadron begins IDRC

The VP-5 “Mad Foxes” received their certification from Patrol and Reconnais-sance Group Aug. 2 as “Safe for Flight “ in operating the P-8A Poseidon.

This concludes nearly seven months of incredibly hard work by every Mad Fox that began on Jan. 4 with their transition process from the P-3C Orion to the P-8A.

VP-5 has flown the P-3C since 1974. The Mad Foxes history of excellence in the P-3C includes locating pieces of the tragic Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, remaining on top of a sinking Soviet Yankee Class submarine, support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom – and the first employment of an AGM-65F Maverick Missile from a maritime patrol aircraft during Operation Odyssey Dawn.

This memorable P-3C history came to an end Dec. 4, 2012 as then VP-5 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Erin Osborne landed the squadron’s final Orion flight at NAS Jacksonville after a successful 7th Fleet deployment.

“Safe for Flight was a Herculean accomplishment for 240 Mad Foxes,” VP-5 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Matthew Pottenburgh told squadron personnel during the Aug. 1 command quarters.

“The work that began the day when Skipper Osborne landed our last P-3C Orion could not have been possible without the total effort of each and every Mad Fox.”

VP-5’s Safe for Flight inspection was conducted by Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) -11 and began June 3 when the ordnance shop was inspected through a conventional weapons training proficiency inspection (CWTPI).

Mad Fox ordnance men and women demonstrated proficiency to both safely upload and download ordinance to the P-8A over the course of the three-day inspection.

Following CWTPI, Mad Fox aircrew completed five tactical flights in the Poseidon under the instruction of VP-30 instructor aircrew.

These flights took VP-5 aircrew members from the Florida Keys to New Orleans to showcase their abilities operating this new aircraft. The month concluded with VP-5 naval flight officers, acoustic operators, and electronic warfare operators receiving their successful NATOPS evaluations from VP-30 instructors.

The very last stage of Safe for Flight certification began on July 29 as CPRW-11 kicked off a comprehensive inspection of every VP-5 maintenance program, administrative instruction, safety program, and NATOPS program – to name just a few. Following these intensive four days of drills and inspections, Skipper Pottenburgh proudly announced to the assembled squadron that VP-5 was recommended as “Safe for Flight” by CPRW-11 to Patrol and Reconnaissance Group.

Each and every Mad Fox is now focused on beginning the inter-deployment readiness cycle (IDRC) with their two new P-8A Poseidon aircraft, side numbers 436 and 437. VP-5 looks to execute safely and efficiently in preparation for its upcoming 7th Fleet deployment.

The squadron continues to embody their motto: “No Fox Like a Mad Fox!”

http://jaxairnews.jacksonville.com

An F-35B Lightning II aircraft lands aboard USS WASP LHD 1 during the second at-sea F-35 developmental test event, Aug. 14, 2013


 as USS Arlington (LPD 24) Sailors help test the recovery of National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA's Orion space capsule



An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter being readied for launch aboard





 

APRA HARBOR, Guam (Aug. 9, 2013) Sailors aboard the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Houston (SSN 713) shift colors as Houston moors in Apra Harbor, Guam, to conduct maintenance and liberty. Houston is conducting operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.



VELLA GULF, Solomon Islands (Aug. 5, 2013) The Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Mathew Perry (T-AKE 9), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) and the Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Canterbury (LSL 421) transit the Vella Gulf during Pacific Partnership 2013.

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Final Aircraft Elevator Installed on U.S. Aircraft Carrier


Huntington Ingalls Industries announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division installed the third and final aircraft elevator on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

The elevator, which is used to move aircraft from the hangar bay to the flight deck quickly and safely, is located on the starboard side of the ship. It measures 85 feet long and 52 feet wide and weighs 120 tons, akin to a steam locomotive.

"The Ford class is designed with three aircraft elevators, one less than the Nimitz class," said Rolf Bartschi, NNS vice president, CVN 78 carrier construction. "The design provides greater flight deck area for increased sortie rates over the Nimitz-class design. The location and number of aircraft elevators are an integral part of the design."

Gerald R. Ford's primary hull structure reached 100% structural completion in May, bringing more than three years of structural erection work to a close. Work continues on the ship, including work on the piping and electrical systems and habitability areas such as the galley and mess spaces. Shipbuilders are also in the process of painting the hull prior to the ship's christening, scheduled for Nov. 9.

huntingtoningalls.com

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Navy to Decommission 7 Frigates, MCM and SSN.

Seven Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates are up for Foreign Military Sale (FMS), according to a list of ships the Navy plans to decommission by the end of 2014.

The list, issued on Wednesday, included a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack boat USS Dallas (SSN-700),  minesweeper USS Avenger (MCM-1),  an amphibious warship and two Military Sealift Command ships.

Dallas will begin an elaborate decommissioning process, while Avenger will be used for spare parts for the remaining fleet of MCM ships. Oiler USNS Bridge (T-AOE-10) and USS Denver (LPD-9) will be held in reserve status.

The list did not include the Ticonderoga-class cruisers the service planned to decommission by 2015.

2014 Decommission List : Sheet1

http://news.usni.org/2013/07/11/navy-to-decommission-7-frigates-mcm-and-ssn

USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) from your seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific.



 



Pre-Commissioning Unit Somerset (LPD 25) undergo tests before its commissioning in 2014



NORFOLK (Aug. 15, 2013) NASA engineers, Navy divers and Sailors assigned to the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) tow a test Orion capsule into the well deck of Arlington. This phase one test determined the best method for recovering the capsule after earth reentry and splashdown in the ocean.



ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 14, 2013) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft lands aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during the second at-sea F-35 developmental test event. The F-35B is the Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and is undergoing testing aboard Wasp.

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Austal's second of 12 littoral combat ships clears latest U.S. Navy hurdle

MOBILE, Alabama – Austal USA's USS Coronado completed acceptance trials Aug. 23 in the Gulf of Mexico, company officials confirmed Tuesday.

The Independence-variant vessel, being assembled in Mobile and known officially as LCS-4, is the shipbuilder's second in a U.S. Naval contract for 12 littoral combat ships.

The vessel achieved this latest milestone – its last before delivery in September – by demonstrating successful operations of its major systems and equipment.

"The successful completion of acceptance trials for this vessel validates the quality and reliability of Austal's shipbuilding know-how," Craig Perciavalle, president of Austal USA, said in a prepared statement upon returning from trials.

"I am pleased with the performance of this ship which is a direct result of the hard work and incredible craftsmanship of the entire Austal USA team of shipbuilding professionals," Perciavalle said.

The first of Austal's 419-foot Independence-variant LCS class ships, the USS Independence, was delivered to the Navy in 2009, with the final 10 of 12 vessels in the program awarded to Austal as prime contractor subsequent to a $3.5 billion block buy in 2010.

Five other LCS vessels are currently under construction at Austal, including the USS Jackson, slated to launch by the close of 2013, and the USS Montgomery for which the keel was laid June 25. In addition, construction is well underway for the USS Gabrielle Giffords and construction began in July on the USS Omaha.

"The LCS program is maturing well as we leverage lessons-learned and improve productivity, while providing an incredible platform to fulfill the Navy's needs," Perciavalle said.

Specifically, the small and speedy LCS fleet is intended to replace aging frigates and other vessels while performing such missions as destroying mines, hunting submarines, interdicting drugs and providing humanitarian relief in shallow waters.

Lockheed Martin Corp., based in Bethesda, Maryland and Austal Ltd., based in Henderson, Australia, build two separate versions of the LCS. The dual sets of ships were meant to get them built faster, at a rate of four a year rather than two a year.

Currently, the Lockheed Martin group produces a steel-hulled version in Marinette, Wis., while Austal builds an aluminum trimaran variety in Mobile.

Austal is also under a $1.6 billion, 10-vessel contract with the U.S. Navy to build 337-foot Joint High Speed Vessels. Two of the 10 have been delivered to date, while the USNS Millinocket prepares for builder's sea trials in the fall and is slated for delivery to the navy later this year.

Meanwhile, construction on both the Fall River and Trenton is also underway in Austal's Mobile shipyard.

http://www.al.com

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Navy continues to expand infrastructure for future fleet of long-range maritime patrol UAVs


VENTURA COUNTY NAVAL BASE, Calif., 28 Aug. 2013. U.S. Navy leaders are continuing their expansion of basing and infrastructure to support the Navy's future fleet of Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Just this month, Navy officials have awarded two contracts to build a mission-control complex for MQ-4C Triton UAVs at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Fla., and to build a maintenance and training facility for the Triton at Point Mugu Naval Air Station, which is part of the Ventura County Naval Base complex north of Los Angeles.

The Point Mugu contract, awarded Tuesday, calls for Triton Maintenance Training Facility PM50 renovation at Point Mugu, which will renovate the west wing of building PM50 at Point Mugu into a maintenance training facility for the Triton UAV.

The facility will provide training device classrooms, high bay aircraft trainers, instructors work
The construction firm of A&D GC Inc. in Santee, Calif., is building the Triton maintenance and training facility at Point Mugu under terms of a potential $9.9 million contract awarded Tuesday by officials of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest in San Diego.

MQ-4C BAMS unmanned aircraft will work together with the Navy's future fleet of P-8A Poseidon long-range manned maritime patrol aircraft to provide combat information to expeditionary forces, carrier strike groups, and other Navy fighting forces. Specifically, BAMS UAVs will help locate and track potentially hostile surface ships and submarines.
The MQ-4C Triton UAV, which is based on the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk long-range UAV, will provide intelligence of broad open-ocean areas, and post contacts to the Global Information Grid (GIG) in support of a variety of intelligence activities.

When the MQ-4C Triton enters Navy service in 2015, the large unmanned aircraft will be based at Point Mugu; Jacksonville NAS; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; Sigonella NAS, Italy; as well as at installations on Hawaii and Diego Garcia.

Earlier this month officials of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., awarded $15.9 million contract to the construction firm of Whitesell-Green Inc. in Pensacola, Fla.

The company will construct a freestanding two-story building to house the BAMS mission-control complex, which will have two electromagnetic interference- (EMI) shielded mission control systems, a tactical operations center with sensitive compartmented information facility spaces, and several roof-top mounted antennas.

The construction company also will renovate some existing interior spaces at Jacksonville NAS, including a reconfigured command suite. Whitesell-Green also will prepare space at a remote site south of the new BAMS mission-control complex for the installation's antennas.

The BAMS mission-control complex at Jacksonville NAS will be the operations center for all activities of the BAMS UAVs, and will help consolidate and disseminate data from BAMS aircraft, as well as coordinate BAMS operations.

The BAMS control complex in Jacksonville should be finished in December 2014, while the BAMS maintenance and training facility at Point Mugu should be ready by November 2014 -- all in time for the first basing and deployments of the MQ-4 Triton the following year.

The MQ-4C Triton will be a forward deployed, land-based, autonomously operated system that provides a persistent maritime persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability using a multi-sensor mission payload that blends maritime radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors, electronic support measures (ESM), automatic identification system (AIS) and basic communications relay.

The MQ-4C Triton air vehicle is based on the U.S. Air Force RQ-4B Global Hawk UAV, while the Triton's sensors are based on components and systems already fielded. The MQ-4C's ability to operate within a range of 2,000 nautical miles on missions lasting as long as 30 hours will enable the P-8A aircraft to focus on its core missions of ASW, anti-ship warfare, and multi-intelligence operations.

The MQ-4C Triton UAV is 48 feet long, 131 feet wide, 15 feet high, and can fly as fast as 310 knots at altitudes to 60,000 feet. The UAV will be able to fly unrefueled for nearly 10,000 nautical miles. The MQ-4C crew, who will operate at BAMS mission-control complexes like the one to be built at Jacksonville NAS, will consist of the aircraft operator, mission and communications commander, and two sensor operators.

http://www.militaryaerospace.com

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USS Nimitz Carrier Moves Into Red Sea, But No Orders for Syria


In another “just in case” move by a Navy ship, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz has moved into the Red Sea, but it has not been given orders to be part of the planning for a limited U.S. military strike on Syria, U.S. officials told ABC News.
A U.S. official confirmed that the Nimitz and four other ships moved into the Red Sea earlier today. The official said the carrier strike group has not been assigned a mission and the move to the Red Sea was a prudent move in case its resources are needed to “maximize available options”. The other ships in the strike group are the cruiser USS Princeton and the destroyers USS William P. Lawrence, USS Stockdale and USS Shoup.
On Saturday, President Obama announced that he had decided upon military action against Syria, but that he would first seek authorization from Congress.  Another U.S. official said that in the wake of that decision military planners are reviewing their options and force posture requirements in the region.
Last Wednesday, with the likelihood of a U.S. military action against Syria increasing, the USS Nimitz and four other ships in its strike group were kept in the Indian Ocean for what an official described as a “prudent responsible decision.”
The carrier had just ended a months-long deployment to the Arabian Sea where its fighter aircraft had been providing air cover over Afghanistan. Having been replaced by the USS Harry S Truman, the carrier was expected to soon begin the trip home to its home port in Everett, Wash., when it received orders to linger in the area.
Defense officials told ABC News Sunday that the Nimitz was heading west, but added that it had not been assigned to a specific mission, so the move was just “prudent positioning.”
Reuters was first to report Sunday that the Nimitz was moving westward towards the Red Sea.
On Saturday, President Obama announced that he had decided upon military action against Syria, but that he would first seek authorization from Congress.
For now, U.S. officials have said any limited U.S. military action against Syria will likely come in the form of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from Navy destroyers currently stationed in the eastern Mediterranean.
There are now five U.S. destroyers in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, but even those numbers are the result of fortuitous timing. Typically, three Navy destroyers are stationed there to counter an Iranian ballistic missile threat to Europe.
Two of the destroyers were held over at the end of their deployments because of the dynamic situation in Syria and are now serving alongside the two destroyers that were slated to replace them.
On Friday, the USS San Antonio, a Navy amphibious ship with several hundred Marines aboard, was ordered to remain in the eastern Mediterranean though defense officials said it too was not part of the U.S. military planning for a limited strike against Syria. Defense officials described the move as “a prudent decision should the ship’s capabilities be required.
The San Antonio was originally to be in the Mediterranean as part of a long-scheduled commitment to support U.S. Africa Command, several officials said. The ship was on its way to a port call at the U.S naval base at Souda Bay on the Greek Island of Crete when it was ordered to remain in the area.
The San Antonio has resources that could prove useful in future operations in the region. For example, the ship has several hundred Marines aboard from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), as well as several helicopters or V-22 Ospreys that could be useful in helping to rescue downed pilots.
That scenario played out in the early days of the 2011 air assault on Libya when Marines from the 26th MEU aboard the amphibious ship USS Kearsarge rescued one of two F-15 pilots forced to eject after their fighter crashed outside Benghazi.
The San Antonio is one of three ships, carrying the 2,200 Marines of the 26th MEU aboard, that have been serving a six-month deployment to U.S. Central Command’s area of operations. That area encompasses the Middle East area around the Arabian Peninsula.
The three-ship force is headed by the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, which was most recently in the Persian Gulf.
A defense official says Kearsarge is in the Arabian Sea and is not expected to go to the Red Sea. The other ship in the task force is the USS Carter Hall, which is currently off the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/09/uss-nimitz-carrier-moving-toward-red-sea-but-no-orders-for-syria/

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Navy to Commission 10th Virginia-class Submarine

NORFOLK -- The Navy is scheduled to commission its 10th Virginia-class attack submarine Sept. 7, during a pierside ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va.

During a formal ceremony to be attended by several hundred dignitaries, families and crew members, Pre-Commissioning Unit Minnesota (SSN 783) will officially become USS Minnesota and join the Navy's active fleet.

Minnesota began construction in February 2008 and was built in Newport News, Va., under a teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The building team delivered the ship 11 months ahead of schedule in June. It achieved the highest readiness score of any Virginia-class submarine to date during an inspection by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey.

The leaders and Sailors already assigned to Minnesota have excelled, said Rear Adm. Ken Perry, commander, Submarine Group 2.

"Minnesota has done a superb job of readying the ship for service in the fleet as a commissioned warship," said Perry. "[Commanding Officer] Capt. John Fancher and his team have literally from stem to stern worked the combat systems, nuclear propulsion plant, logistics, and culinary service."

Perry is currently responsible for 25 Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class attack submarines in commission. Minnesota will be the 26th.

"Administratively and operationally, the Minnesota is ready to join the fleet," Perry said.

During Saturday's ceremony, the ship's sponsor Ellen Roughead, wife of former Chief of Naval Operations retired Adm. Gary Roughead, will take part in a time-honored tradition when crew is called upon to "man the ship." With the order, Minnesota's crew will run aboard the vessel and formally place the submarine in commission.

"I think it will be one of those defining moments in our careers," said Senior Chief Machinist's Mate (SS/DV) Jody Reynolds who reported to Minnesota in 2011. "I remember when I showed up and the boat was an empty shell in a large building with pieces everywhere. I think there will be a lot of reflection on everything we've been through to get the boat to this point."

The Virginia class is an improvement in capability for attack submarines. The fly-by-wire ship control system improves ship handling in shallow water. It also features a larger lock-in/lock-out chamber and a reconfigurable torpedo room that can better support Special Operations Forces and their equipment.

"There's a very high demand signal on the attack submarine force from the combatant commanders. They require the key attributes of the attack submarines," said Perry. "They need that speed, they need the agility, they need the stealth, they need the endurance, and when necessary they need the firepower."

Minnesota is 377 feet in length and has a beam of 34 feet. It displaces 7,800 tons and can operate at more than 25 knots submerged.

Its reactor plant is designed to last the entire planned 33-year life of the ship, which helps reduce lifecycle cost while increasing the time the ship is available to perform missions.

The new submarine will be the Navy's third ship to bear the state of Minnesota's name. The first USS Minnesota, a sailing steam frigate, was commissioned in 1857 and served during the Civil War, remaining in service until her decommissioning in 1898.

The second Minnesota was commissioned in 1907. On Dec. 16, 1907 she departed Hampton Roads as one of the 16 battleships of the Great White Fleet sent by then-President Theodore Roosevelt on a voyage around the world. She continued her service through World War I and was decommissioned in 1921.

Saturday's commissioning ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will be viewable via live web stream at http://navylive.dodlive.mil.
Related Topics
Navy Submarines

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Lockheed Martin’s paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb Successfully Employed in Navy Exercises


Archbald, Pa., Sept. 4, 2013 – Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb (DMLGB) was successfully employed in recent U.S. Navy Tactics Development exercises at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Fallon, Nev.

During four missions over a two-day period, F/A-18C/D Hornets and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets released 36 GBU-12F/B bombs fitted with recently upgraded paveway II DMLGB guidance kits. The weapons were used in tactically representative engagements against fixed targets and met all mission success criteria, demonstrating the increased operational utility of the enhancements.

By adding the GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) guidance to standard laser-guided paveway II weapons, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps can execute precision-strike missions against stationary and relocatable targets in all weather conditions. The kits can operate in laser mode only, INS/GPS mode only or dual mode to provide pilots with the flexibility to engage various types of targets in a single mission. The most recent paveway II DMLGB upgrade to Block II Operational Flight Program software improves overall weapon performance and effectiveness in all three release modes.

“We worked closely with our U.S. Navy and Marine Corps customers to develop the Block II Operational Flight Program software upgrade to the paveway II DMLGB guidance kits,” said Joe Serra, precision guided systems manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Delivered to the fleet earlier this year, the enhanced fire-and-forget technology of our DMLGB kits provides naval warfighters with a mature and highly maneuverable all-weather direct-attack capability.”

Aircrews from the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, along with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9) “Vampires” from Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif., participated in the exercises.

“The same company-wide discipline that provides customers with affordable single-mode LGB targeting capability is applied to our current and future dual-mode weapons to provide U.S. and international customers with the most affordable and reliable precision capability,” said Serra.

Lockheed Martin has upgraded more than 7,000 paveway II LGB guidance kits with dual mode, all-weather capability for the U.S. Navy. Additionally, the company has delivered more than 65,000 LGB kits and over 125,000 Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and international customers. Lockheed Martin is the sole-source developer and provider of the paveway II DMLGB kits to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is a 2012 recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence. The Malcolm Baldrige Award represents the highest honor that can be awarded to American companies for achievement in leadership, strategic planning, customer relations, measurement, analysis, workforce excellence, operations and business results.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com

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C-130T digital cockpit modifications complete

The final C-130T with digital cockpit modifications from BAE Systems has been delivered to the U.S. Navy.

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Mise en service du sous-marin américain USS Minnesota

L'USS Minnesota
crédits : US NAVY

Livré le 6 juin par Huntington Ingalls Industries, l’USS Minnesota a été officiellement mis en service samedi, au cours d’une cérémonie à Norfolk. Il s’agit du dixième sous-marin nucléaire d’attaque du type Virginia. Construit en 63 mois à Newport News, le SSN 783 est le dernier SNA de la série Block II (les quatre premiers forment le Block I, les six suivants le Block II et les six prochains le Block III).
Longs de 114.9 mètres et présentant un déplacement de 7800 tonnes en surface, les Virgina peuvent atteindre la vitesse de 34 nœuds. Armés par un équipage de 134 hommes, ces bâtiments à propulsion nucléaire sont dotés de 12 cellules pour missiles de croisière Tomahawk, ainsi que quatre tubes lance torpilles de 533mm (capacité de 28 torpilles lourdes Mk 48).
Remplaçant les SNA du type Los Angeles, les Virginia doivent être réalisés à 30 exemplaires. HII et General Dynamics se partagent leur construction.

M&M

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Long Beach Boeing Plant To Roll Out Last C-17 Cargo Plane For U.S. Military

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — It’s the end of an era for a Boeing assembly plant in Long Beach.

KNX 1070′s Bob Brill reports the military contractor is set to roll out its final C-17 Globemaster transport plane for the U.S. military in the coming days.

The C-17, which first rolled off the assembly line in 1991, can carry a tank or up to 800 soldiers into combat and has been sold to nations all over the globe.

Initially, only 40 of the oversized transports were to be built following some early issues that threatened to ground the aircraft, but since then, 250 of the giant aircraft have been manufactured at the Long Beach facility.

The Indian government is expected to receive the final ten C-17s before construction on the aircraft is discontinued.

Boeing is expected to keep the plant open in the hopes of securing international orders for aircraft and has made plans to relocate some of its Seattle staff to Long Beach.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com

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US Navy begins unmanned refuelling trials

The US Navy has begun its first unmanned air-to-air refuelling trials, only weeks after the first unmanned aircraft carrier landings.

For the refuelling trials, software from the Northrop Grumman X-47B was uploaded to a manned surrogate aircraft, a contractor-flown Learjet 25B, refueling from a Boeing 707. Though a pilot was on board the Learjet, the aircraft flew autonomously.

Surrogates are often used as stand-ins for unmanned aircraft, especially on the X-47B programme, which has used both the Learjet and a surrogate Boeing F/A-18.

"By demonstrating that we can add an automated aerial refuelling capability to unmanned or optionally-manned aircraft, we can significantly increase their range, persistence and flexibility," says Capt Jaime Engdahl, the Navy's programme manager. "This is a game-changer for unmanned carrier aviation."

Testing began on 28 August, flying out of Niagara Falls, New York.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Massive Shooting at washington navy yard shooter leaves 7 wonded inside US navy yard

Cnn

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MBDA & LM co-operation achieves 1st missile launch from a MK 41 launcher using ExLS

MBDA and Lockheed Martin demonstrated the first launch of a Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) from Lockheed Martin’s MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) launcher using the host variant of the Extensible Launching System (ExLS).
This is the first test by MBDA and Lockheed Martin since the May 2013 announcement of cooperation between the two companies to offer MBDA missile systems for use with the MK 41 and ExLS family of launchers. The test used MBDA’s soft vertical launch technology to eject the CAMM from its canister and position the missile for main motor ignition. The trial is the first in a series to demonstrate that the CAMM can be installed using ExLS in vessels that use the MK 41 launcher or on the 3-cell stand-alone ExLS CAMM launcher.
Announcing the result of the trial, Paul Mead, Business Development Director for MBDA said, “This first CAMM trial is an example of how MBDA and Lockheed Martin are offering the global MK 41 customer base a real choice in which missile they use. The missile offers a wide range of benefits, not least its active seeker, as well as low impact of installation on-board due to the soft vertical launch method. This is the start of what we hope will be a wider range of MBDA missile systems available to Lockheed Martin vertical launcher users.”
“The multi-missile MK 41 VLS has fundamentally changed the way world navies think about sea-launched weapons by providing the flexibility to respond to numerous threats," said George Barton, vice president of business development of Ship & Aviation Systems for Lockheed Martin's Mission System and Training business. "Our partnership with MBDA allows us to grow the MK 41 multi-missile capability and offer our customers an outstanding VLS launcher alternative.”
Lockheed Martin, in collaboration with MBDA, is developing a 3-cell stand-alone ExLS CAMM launcher for those navies whose ships cannot accommodate the larger MK 41 VLS but desire the superior missile packing density, survivability and reliability that the 8-cell MK 41 launcher has been offering for over 30 years to 13 navies worldwide.
The trial was carried out on the 10th of September near Bedford, England, using a MK 41 launcher outfitted with a host ExLS.

http://www.asdnews.com/news-51083/MBDA_&_LM_co-operation_achieves_1st_missile_launch_from_a_MK_41_launcher_using_ExLS.htm

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Un Learjet pour simuler le ravitaillement d’un drone X-47B



Une nouvelle étape a été franchie dans la démonstration d’une capacité de ravitaillement en vol pour les futurs drones de combat embarqués de l’US Navy dans le cadre du programme Ucas-D (Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration).
 
L'objectif du programme Ucas-D est de démontrer la compatibilité d'un Ucav – en l’occurrence le X-47B deNorthrop Grumman – avec les opérations sur porte-avions, ainsi que la possibilité de pouvoir le ravitailler en vol de manière automatique, à la fois avec un système de réceptacle pour perche rigide (méthode US Air Force) et avec un système de perche escamotable compatible avec le système « tuyau-panier » (méthode US Navy).
 
Le X-47B vient par ailleurs d’achever une première campagne d'essais en mer.
 
Les essais de ravitaillement ont été réalisés avec un Learjet spécialement modifié par la société Calspan (perche de ravitaillement, systèmes de navigation, de contrôle, de traitement d’image … du X-47B) pour simuler un ravitaillement en vol.
 
Le X-47B obtient la précision requise pour le ravitaillement autonome grâce à un système de navigation relative hybride combinant GPS de précision et vidéo. L'échange de position avec le ravitailleur repose sur des communications tactiques à haut débit.
 
Le Learjet a ainsi évolué en mode « autonome » derrière un ravitailleur K-707 d’Omega Air Refuelling. 
Ces essais font suite à une première démonstration (sans perche fixe) réalisée en janvier 2012. 
Dans la prochaine phase d’essais, prévue au cours des semaines qui viennent, les manoeuvres autonomes comprendront des opérations de contact/séparation entre la perche et le tuyau souple du K707.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/un-learjet-pour-simuler-le-ravitaillement-d-un-drone-x-47b.html

jonas a écrit:

Citation :

USS Peleliu : Hong Kong

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellchan/8840278005/in/photostream/

Belle image de fond d'ecran..Magnifique.