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Citation :: (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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Citation :: US Navy reexamines electronic jamming contract following BAE protest

The US Navy is reevaluating proposals to develop the next generation jammer (NGJ) after a formal protest over the contract award to Raytheon was upheld.

A decision released on 18 December by the US Government Accountability Office found the US Navy used improper procedures while selecting Raytheon, upholding a protest filed by BAE Systems.

“In accordance with GAO’s recommendation, the Navy is taking corrective action by reevaluating proposals and performing and documenting a new cost/technical tradeoff analysis,” the Navy tells Flightglobal in a statement.

“As a result of implementation of corrective action, we are operating in a competitive source selection environment,” the service adds.

The Navy awarded the contract to Raytheon in July to develop mid-band frequency jamming capabilities for the NGJ — the system intended to replace the current ALQ-99 jamming system.

ALQ-99 is designed to jam radar and communications and is carried in pods on the Navy’s Boeing AE-18G Growler and Northrop Grumman EA-6B aircraft.

Asset Image
http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=23720
EA-18G Growler

BAE, which also submitted a bid, protested Raytheon’s award, saying the Navy did not adequately evaluate technical risk, did not sufficiently document its analysis and made errors in its analysis of bidders’ relevant experience.

The GAO agreed with some of BAE’s allegations.

“We recommend that the Navy document a reevaluation of the proposals,” writes the agency in its report, dated 13 November. “If the Raytheon proposal is not found to represent the best value to the government in accordance with the [request for proposal’s] evaluation factors, the agency should terminate the award to Raytheon and award a new contract.”

Raytheon and BAE were among four firms awarded “technology maturation” contracts in July 2010 during the first phase of the project.

But only Raytheon received a contract for the second technology development phase.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Citation :: General Dynamics Awarded $122 Million for Virginia-Class Submarine Procurement

GROTON, Conn. – The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $121.8 million contract modification to buy long lead-time material for three Virginia-class submarines, SSN-793, SSN-794 and SSN-795. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The contract provides funding for steam and electrical-plant components, main propulsion unit and ship-service turbine generator sets, as well as miscellaneous hull, mechanical and electrical-systems components to support construction of the submarines.

With the modification, the contract has a value of $716.5 million. It was awarded initially in April 2012.

Recognized as a model defense-acquisition program for its technical excellence and schedule performance, the Virginia-class submarine program provides the Navy with the capabilities required to dominate both the open ocean and the littorals. In partnership with the Navy, Electric Boat is successfully pursuing its goal to reduce ship costs without decreasing capabilities through overall efficiency improvements, decreased ship-construction labors costs and shortened ship-construction cycle times.

More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com.

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Citation :: US Navy orders 200 AGM-154C-1 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs) from Raytheon

Raytheon Company received an $80.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 200 full rate production Lot 10 AGM-154C-1 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs). The contract also includes associated support equipment and one performance characterization test.

Raytheon Company received an $80.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 200 full rate production Lot 10 AGM-154C-1 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs). The contract also includes associated support equipment and one performance characterization test.
US Navy F-18 with JSOW

(Picture: Raytheon)

The JSOW C-1 is designed to provide fleet forces with the capability and flexibility to engage moving maritime targets, while retaining its robust capability against stationary land targets. The weapon is a modification to the existing JSOW C, which adds a weapon datalink radio and modified seeker software to increase capability for the anti-surface warfare mission.

Raytheon Company received an $80.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 200 full rate production Lot 10 AGM-154C-1 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs). The contract also includes associated support equipment and one performance characterization test.
JSOW is a family of affordable, air-to-ground weapons that employ an integrated GPS- inertial navigation system.

(Picture: Raytheon)

About the Joint Standoff Weapon
JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employ an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and terminal imaging infrared seeker. JSOW C-1 adds the two-way Strike Common Weapon Datalink to the combat-proven weapon, enabling a moving maritime target capability.

» JSOW C-1 is the world's first network-enabled weapon with a range of more than 100 kilometers.
» The U.S. Navy's first two JSOW C-1 free-flight tests also resulted in direct hits on their moving ship targets.
» Raytheon is using company funding to develop a powered version of the JSOW that will have the potential to engage targets at more than 250 nautical miles.

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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Citation :: NAVSEA Completes Waterjet Seal and Evaluation on USS Fort Worth (LCS 3)

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) divers recently completed the first full underwater waterjet seal and evaluation on a littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), the Navy announced, Jan. 2. LCS class ships are unique to the U.S. Navy because they use waterjets instead of propellers for propulsion. Each waterjet draws seawater in through a duct, increases the water's pressure and then ejects it, causing the ship to move.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) divers recently completed the first full underwater waterjet seal and evaluation on a littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), the Navy announced, Jan. 2. LCS class ships are unique to the U.S. Navy because they use waterjets instead of propellers for propulsion. Each waterjet draws seawater in through a duct, increases the water's pressure and then ejects it, causing the ship to move.
USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), Freedom class Littoral Combat Ship
Picutre: US Navy

To protect these waterjets from internal corrosion, the LCS class uses what's known as a cathodic protection system, a system by which the waterjets are equipped with sacrificial metal structures that are specifically designed to corrode. Because these structures - known as anodes - corrode so easily, it keeps the rest of the waterjet structure safe from rusting or pitting.

On Freedom-variant ships, the anodes installed on the waterjets need to be inspected and replaced every four months. NAVSEA's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) was tasked to develop a procedure to replace these anodes at sea, instead of having to conduct the replacement in a dry dock.

Working with the ship's operators and the in-service LCS program office, SUPSALV engineers developed a plate to seal the waterjet inlet, as well as external patches to isolate the waterjet, creating a dry environment. This allowed maintenance teams to inspect and replace the zinc anodes while the ship was waterborne.

"It is important to have this underwater process to provide a cost effective, timely, and manageable procedure to the LCS fleet," said Joe Theodorou, SUPSALV program manager. "Having this capability saves the Navy $100 million in dry dock costs in the San Diego area."

With the procedure complete for Freedom-variant littoral combat ships, SUPSALV will begin testing a similar process for Independence-variant ships. Though both variants use waterjets for propulsion, there are significant differences in their design. Testing on Independence variant ships is expected to complete by March 2014.

The Office of the Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving is part of the Naval Sea Systems Command and is responsible for all aspects of ocean engineering, including salvage, in-water ship repair, contracting, towing, diving safety and equipment maintenance and procurement.

Link to Freedom class Littoral Combat Ship technical datasheet

From Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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Citation :: First E-2D Squadron Declared Safe for Flight

By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Navy’s first operational E-2D Advanced Hawkeye squadron has been declared safe for flight.

Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 (VAW-125), based at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., now has enough trained air crews to operate its aircraft in a safe manner, a milestone on the way to operational readiness. The “safe for flight” designation was determined on Jan. 3.

VAW-125 will bring the E-2D to initial operational capability in October. It will deploy with its new aircraft on an aircraft carrier late this year or early 2015.

http://www.seapowermagazine.org

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Citation :: MQ-4C testing continues as USA considers broader mission

Northrop Grumman and the US Navy have completed nine MQ-4C Triton test flights, and expect to ferry the first aircraft to NAS Patuxent River in Maryland "this summer".

Northrop’s announcement of flight test progress, made on 6 January, comes amid indications that the Triton’s capabilities could be widened to include a ground-moving target indicator (GMTI) sensor, like that found on the US Air Force’s RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 40s.

Triton has now logged 46 flight hours, completing half its “envelope expansion” testing, during which the aircraft is evaluated at different altitudes, speeds and weights, says Northrop.

In flights performed from the company’s Palmdale, California facility, the first flight test vehicle has flown on flights lasting longer than 9h, reached and altitude of 50,000ft (15,200m) and performed “doublets” - manoeuvers which test the aircraft’s response to turbulence, says the company.

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Northrop Grumman

Based on the Global Hawk, Triton is a maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that, together with Boeing’s 737-based P-8 Poseidon, is expected to replace the navy’s Lockheed P-3 Orions.

The USN expects to acquire 65 Tritons at an estimated programme cost of $11 billion. Initial operational capability is expected in January 2016.

Despite similarities with Global Hawk, wing structure differences and alternations allowing operations in marine conditions mean Triton must complete its own airworthiness testing, says Northrop. The company expects to finish initial envelope expansion testing by late February and will then install sensors and communications equipment.

By March or April a second aircraft will fly, and by May a software upgrade will be complete, Northrop says.

The company plans to move the first Triton to Patuxent River by the end of June and to begin one year of operational assessment testing by the end of 2014.

The USN should complete a six- to eight-month initial operational test and evaluation activity in 2017 and reach early operational capability by the end of the same year, Northrop says.

Meanwhile, Northrop says it has largely dealt with earlier issues with the aircraft's sense and avoid radar and mission management computer. It says it has also addressed wing manufacturing problems, after discovering “voids and wrinkles” created during bonding of layers inside the aircraft’s wing.

“We have gotten through those challenges,” Northrop says.

Though Triton is designed for maritime work, the US Defense Authorisation Bill for fiscal year 2014 suggests it could assume more duties for other military branches.

Signed by President Barack Obama on 26 December, the bill requires the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to study if it is “feasible, affordable and advisable” to outfit Tritons with a GMTI capability.

An earlier Senate version of the bill would have required the technology, and also classified Tritons as “joint” assets of the US military.

Northrop says a GMTI mode could be incorporated into the Triton's existing radar, or added elsewhere.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Citation :: U.S. Will Start Cutting Its Submarine Missile Launchers Next Year

The United States next year is slated to begin reducing launch tubes on each of its Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, a new independent report states.
The elimination of four operational launch tubes on each of the 14 submarines that make up the Navy's Ohio submarine fleet will be the first substantial reduction in U.S. strategic weapon delivery capability since the 2011 New START accord went into effect, according to Hans Kristensen, who co-authored an assessment on the current status of U.S. nuclear forces. The report was published in the January/February edition of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Nearly three years after the New START pact with Russia entered into force, implementation of the treaty has "been going very slowly," Kristensen said in a brief Monday phone interview.
The treaty requires Russia and the United States by 2018 to each reduce their fielded stockpiles of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 and to cut their arsenals of long-range delivery vehicles down to 700 apiece, with an additional 100 systems allowed in reserve on each side.

http://www.defenseone.com/management/2014/01/us-will-start-cutting-its-submarine-missile-launchers-next-year/76361/?oref=d-interstitial-continue

Citation :: Next LCS Deployment To Last 16 Months

WASHINGTON — Having just wound up the first overseas deployment of a littoral combat ship (LCS) at 10 months, the US Navy is planning for an even longer cruise the next time around.
“It’s going to be about 16 months,” Vice Adm. Tom Copeman, commander of naval surface forces, said Jan. 6.
He spoke to reporters from his base at San Diego to discuss the cruise of the Freedom (LCS 1), which returned Dec. 23 from its deployment to Singapore.
The longer cruise, to be made starting in the late fall by the Freedom’s sister ship Fort Worth (LCS 3), will involve “significantly more crew turnovers other than the one we experienced with Freedom,” Copeman said. “That will give us longer-term flex in locations other than the forward operating base. We restricted LCS 1 primarily to Singapore, but we probably need to branch out and try other areas.”
The Fort Worth was commissioned in August 2012 as the second ship of the Lockheed Martin-produced Freedom class. A 16-month cruise means the ship will likely spend all of 2015 forward-deployed to the western Pacific, and won’t return to her home port of San Diego until the late winter or early spring of 2016.
The standard crew of an LCS also is being enlarged, Copeman said.
Ten additional sailors were added to the Freedom’s 40-sailor crew and 15-sailor mission detachment before the 2013 deployment, a change that will become permanent.
“The additional people let us have a 4-section versus a 3-section watch bill,” he said. “That gave the crew more rest — fatigue has been a problem in the past. It also gave the ships more ability to do corrective maintenance.”
As a result, “the additional 10 people is going to become a permanent fixture” on both LCS variants, Copeman said. “I’ve signed off on in it and we’ve submitted it as a budget issue.”
While several equipment issues during the deployment kept the Freedom in port for repairs, Copeman noted that maintenance improved over the course of operations, so that the “ship was available more than 70 percent of the time, on par with most of the rest of the fleet.”
The support approach for the Freedom evolved during the deployment and will continue to be analyzed, he noted.
“One of the takeaways is that we have to be more flexible in our maintenance philosophy,” he said. “As the deployment wore on the maintenance requirements got less and less and we became more efficient. As we get two or three of these ships operating out of forward operating bases the per capita cost of doing the maintenance is going to go down, because the people will be there, and we’ll become more efficient.”
Overall, Copeman said, “I’m pretty positive about the future and how we’ve got the concept of the maintenance mix between contractors and Navy sailors.”
Asked about any deployment plans for the Independence-class LCS variant, Copeman demurred.
“It’ll be some time post-2015,” after testing with the mine countermeasures mission package, he said, noting that Navy commanders have not put together a deployment schedule for the ships.
“It’s certainly going to be a deployable asset, and we intend on deploying it in the future,” he declared.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140106/DEFREG02/301060023/Next-LCS-Deployment-Last-16-Months

Citation :: Update: Two Crew Members Confirmed Dead in MH-53E Crash

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- A second crewman has died following the crash this morning of a U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter in the Virginia Capes.

Two crew members remain hospitalized at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. One is listed in serious condition and the other has been upgraded to fair condition.

The search for the fifth crew member is continuing.

The identity of the deceased crew members will not be released until 24 hours after the notification of next of kin.

The crew members are all members of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen (HM-14) based at Norfolk Naval Station Chambers Field. They were flying a MH-53E "Sea Dragon" on a routine mine countermeasure training exercise when the accident happened.

Virginia Beach Fire Department boats have located the aircraft fuselage and tail section using their side-scan radar.

http://www.navy.mil

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Citation :: US conducted extensive surveillance of Liaoning sea trials

The United States Navy kept a close eye on the recent sea trials conducted in the South China Sea by the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, according to a report published on US military affairs website Strategy Page.
The Liaoning and its escort group of two Type 051C destroyers, two Type 054A frigates and a supply ship, returned to base on Jan. 1 after 37 days at sea, with state media declaring it a successful sea trial the next day.
The Xinhua news agency said the carrier "attained the anticipated objectives," including testing its combat system and conducting a formation practice. All tests and training programs went well, as scheduled, it said.
The Jan. 7 Strategy Page report claimed that the final month of Liaoning's seal trials were particularly important to the US Navy as the aircraft carrier was operating as part of a task force on the high seas for the first time.
"There were some days of bad weather and how well the Chinese ships performed under these adverse conditions was a good indicator of how effective the Liaoning task force would be in combat," the article said.
To monitor the Liaoning's task force during the sea trials, the US Navy employed aircraft, satellites and submarines, the report claimed, adding that it was also important to observe all activities from the surface using the USS Cowpens, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser which was confronted by the PLA Navy.
On Dec. 5, one of the Liaoning's escort ships cut in front of the USS Cowpens while it was observing the carrier from a distance of 40 kilometers, a move that was condemned by US officials as a "dangerous maneuver."

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140109000004&cid=1101

Citation :: General Dynamics Receives U.S. Navy Award for Common Missile Compartment Development

The U.S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $15 million contract modification to continue development of the Common Missile Compartment for the Ohio replacement submarine and the United Kingdom’s Successor ballistic-missile submarine. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.

The U.S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $15 million contract modification to continue development of the Common Missile Compartment for the Ohio replacement submarine and the United Kingdom’s Successor ballistic-missile submarine. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.
A US Navy SSBN seen with all its missile tubes hatches opened

(picture: US Navy archives)

Electric Boat will procure long-lead-time material for the Common Missile Compartment’s integrated missile-tube and hull. Initially awarded in December 2012, the five-year, $1.85 billion contract calls for Electric Boat to perform research and development work for the Navy’s next-generation ballistic-missile submarine, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2021. The potential value of the overall contract is $2.3 billion.

This work will engage Electric Boat’s engineering and design organization, which comprises more than 4,000 employees. Possessing proven technical capabilities, these employees work on all facets of the submarine lifecycle from concept formulation and design through construction, maintenance and modernization, and eventually to inactivation and disposal.

The Ohio Replacement SSBN Program is tasked with recapitalizing American sea-based strategic deterrent in a cost-effective manner. The US Navy plans to replace its current fleet of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs with only 12 Ohio Replacement SSBNs. The first Ohio Replacement is scheduled to begin construction in fiscal year 2021, deliver to the US Navy in 2027, and conduct its first strategic deterrence patrol in 2031 after undergoing a rigorous testing and evaluation regime.

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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Citation :: Sikorsky Wins $549 Million MH-60 Heli Contract

Sikorsky Aircraft has won a $549 million modification contract for US Navy’s 18 MH-60S helicopters and 19 MH-60R helicopters.
Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2015.
Sikorsky was first awarded the contract to develop the MH-60S in 1997. By January 2011, 52 MH-60R and 154 MH-60S helicopters were in the service with the US Navy, with the first deployment took place on board USS Essex, Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, in January 2003 and a number of MH-60S helicopters were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/9792/Sikorsky_Wins__549_Million_MH_60_Heli_Contract#.UtB9SfKA3aB

Citation :: Navy’s new $12b aircraft carrier beset with performance problems
Review raises doubts about launch capacity, other vital systems in new vessel

WASHINGTON — The US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, a multibillion-dollar behemoth that is the first in a next generation of carriers, is beset with a number of performance problems, even failing tests of its ability to launch and recover combat jets, according to an internal assessment by the Pentagon.

The early tests are raising worries that the USS Gerald R. Ford, christened in honor of the 38th president in November, may not meet the Navy’s goal of significantly increasing the number of warplanes it can quickly launch — and could even be less effective than older vessels. The carrier is undergoing testing at a Virginia shipyard and is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2016, with a price tag estimated at more than $12 billion.

At least four crucial components, which are still being installed on the ship, are at risk because of their poor or unknown reliability, states the 30-page testing assessment, which was delivered last month to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and other top Pentagon leaders.

In addition to the ship’s launching and landing systems for jet fighters, officials are also concerned about its advanced radar system, which is being produced by Waltham-based Raytheon Company. It also remains unclear if a key weapons elevator will work as promised.
Related

Graphic: Electromagnetic aircraft launch system

“Poor reliability of these critical systems could cause a cascading series of delays during flight operations that would affect [the ship’s] ability to generate sorties, make the ship more vulnerable to attack, or create limitations during routine operations,” according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by the Globe.

‘We expect to wring out the rest of the problems. We have 26 months to go.’
Rear Admiral Thomas J. Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers

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A number of other systems, such as communications gear, meanwhile, are performing at less than acceptable standards, according to the assessment by J. Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation. Gilmore concluded that the Navy has little choice but to redesign key components of the ship.

Rear Admiral Thomas J. Moore, the program executive officer for aircraft carriers, defended the progress of the ship in an interview and expressed confidence that, in the two years before delivery, the Navy and its contractors will overcome what he acknowledged are multiple hurdles.

“With these new technologies comes a lot of developmental challenges,” said Moore, an MIT-trained nuclear engineer. “We disagree with the characterizations of the risks. The ship . . . is going to be a fantastic ship that will provide capabilities [the current fleet] doesn’t have.”

But the Navy declined to discuss specifics of the assessment, saying it was an internal document and has not been made public. It also could not say how the problems might affect the delivery schedule, cost, or combat effectiveness. The ship’s primary contractor, Newport News Shipbuilding, also declined to discuss the findings of the report.

“We are going to defer to the Navy on the report,” said Christie R. Miller, a spokesperson for its parent, Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding.

The ship has had its share of critics in the past. The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found last year that the cost of producing the ship had risen 22 percent from original predictions.

The Accountability Office recommended delaying construction of the second ship in the class, the USS John F. Kennedy, until the Navy and its contractors have a better handle on a series of untried technologies.

A third vessel in the new ship class, the USS Enterprise, is in the works, and the Navy could buy up to eight more vessels.

At 1,106 feet, the Gerald Ford class ships are the first newly designed carriers in more than 30 years. The prototype has 25 decks and is 250 feet high. The carriers are intended to replace some of the 11 Nimitz class aircraft carriers that debuted in the 1980s.

Most new Pentagon weapons systems encounter development and engineering problems. In this case, the Navy still has two years before scheduled delivery to work on solutions.

But Gilmore’s assessment, which was based on a yearlong evaluation of the Gerald Ford ending in September 2013, is the strongest indication yet that the Navy may be falling short of its goal of increasing the number of combat flights that can be flown from an individual ship.

About 60 percent of the ship, which like its predecessors will be nuclear powered, is based on the Nimitz design, while the remaining 40 percent consists of entirely new components — including a larger flight deck and high-tech systems. It is many of those new technologies that are encountering serious problems, Pentagon leaders have been told.

Primary among them is the so-called electromagnetic aircraft launch system, which is replacing the steam-powered catapult system long used to launch jets off the deck. The new system features a 100,000-horsepower linear electric motor, with a slide that accelerates along a giant rail. It has the ability launch multiple planes, one after the other, at a rapid pace.

Land-based tests of the system in New Jersey have demonstrated a reliability rate of only 240 launches without a failure, when it should be above 1,250 launches without failure at this stage of the Gerald Ford’s development.

Meanwhile, a companion system, known as the advanced arresting gear, which is designed to safely snare landing aircraft with cables stretched across the deck, is similarly unreliable, according to the report. In the tests, the system of cables has averaged 20 successful landings without failure. That is far less than the 4,950 successful landings it should be achieving without failure. The ultimate goal is for the system to work 16,500 times without failure.

Unless the various problems are resolved, the Pentagon weapons testers warned, the Gerald Ford will not be able to fly the number of wartime sorties envisioned by Navy planners, and two carriers might be needed to achieve the same effect of one.

The launch and landing systems are both being built by California-based General Atomics. Gary Hopper, vice president at the company, declined to respond to questions.

“I would defer your questions to our customer,’’ he said. “It is not our policy not to speak for the Navy on this program or others.”

Ronald O’Rourke, a naval analyst at the Congressional Research Service and an expert on shipbuilding programs, said the first ship in a new class traditionally faces significant technological challenges and cost growth.

“Lead ships tend to be difficult,” he said. Still, he added, “the number of new technologies on this ship is not extraordinary.”

Admiral Moore did not address directly the Pentagon’s concerns about the new launch and recovery systems but said the technology was not so futuristic that problems cannot be solved.

“This isn’t like a laser or a proton torpedo,” he said, noting that similar power systems are used to run roller coasters at amusement parks.

But he acknowledged the amount of electric power the Navy needs to generate to launch and recover hundreds of planes each day on the deck of an aircraft carrier at sea is unique.

“On the scale we are talking about, we haven’t done this before,” he said.

The assessment also raised concerns about the progress of the so-called dual band radar that Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems and Advanced Technology division in Rhode Island is helping design.

The radar, which is currently being tested along the Virginia coast, is supposed to be able to multitask: conduct air traffic control, scan the skies and the horizon for potential threats, and gather target data that can be fed into the computers of weapons systems.

“There is little information on reliability,” the assessment concludes about the new radar, even though an estimated 86 percent of the system’s components have already been delivered to the Navy. Raytheon did not respond to requests for comment.

Moore, however, said the Navy remains confident in the new radar, although he acknowledged that testing has been limited with the ship in port, where its full power cannot be utilized “unless you want to shut down everybody’s TV station in Norfolk.”

Moore predicted that the ship will overcome its hurdles before it enters the fleet.

“We expect to wring out the rest of the problems,” Moore said. “We have 26 months to go.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com

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Citation :: Défense anti-missiles: un premier destroyer AEGIS à Rota (Espagne) à partir de la mi-février

Le premier des quatre destroyers lance-missiles déployés par les Etats-Unis dans le cadre de l’European Phased Adaptive Approach va arriver en Espagne vers le 10 février.

L'EPAA (approche adaptative phasée) prévoit la mise en place en quatre phases, jusqu’à 2020, de missiles SM-3 sur des plates-formes navales (AEGIS) puis à terre (Roumanie et Pologne).

Ces quatre destroyers AEGIS seront basé à Rota, près de Cadix (Espagne). Il s'agit des USS Ross (photo ci-dessus), USS Donald Cook et USS Porter, qui viendront de Norfolk, et de l'USS Carney de Mayport.

Le Ross et le Donald Cook arriveront au cours de l'année fiscale 2014 et les deux destroyers suivants au cours de l'année fiscale 2015.

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2014/01/08/temp-4acdf0bee060d25df6749048dfce0f48-10979.html

Citation :: Federal spending bill calls for $572B for Pentagon

WASHINGTON — Congressional appropriators on Monday evening unveiled a massive federal spending bill that includes a full 2014 Pentagon appropriations measure that would provide nearly $93 billion to buy new weapons.
The Defense Department would get $63 billion for research and development (R&D) projects, an area senior officials have warned isn’t funded enough. That is almost $7 billion less than the department got in 2013.
The White House had asked for $99.3 billion for Pentagon procurement, and $67.5 billion for R&D.
The government-wide omnibus appropriations bill released by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., would allocate $572 billion to the Defense Department.
That means $487.6 billion goes into the base budget and $85 billion is for overseas operations.
The 2014 defense appropriations bill would give the Pentagon $92.9 billion in total procurement funds, down nearly $8 billion from the 2013 amount.
The Pentagon appropriations bill spells out few weapons program-specific funding levels.
But it does lay out proposed program funding allocations for several major Navy shipbuilding programs, including more than $6 billion for the Virginia-class submarine program. The measure proposes around $2 billion for the DDG 51 destroyer effort (including advanced procurement funds), and another $1.8 billion for aircraft carrier refueling work.
It proposes more than $900 million for the service’s carrier replacement program, and $1.8 billion for its Littoral Combat Ship program. The Joint High Speed Vessel program would get nearly $3 million
Pentagon and industry officials long urged Congress to pass a full defense bill because operating under continuing resolutions prohibits actions such as new program starts or the awarding of multiyear contracts.
On the latter, the bill would clear the Pentagon to enter multiyear contracts on several big-ticket programs: “E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, SSN 774 Virginia 19 class submarine, KC-130J, C-130J, HC-130J, 20 MC-130J, [and] AC-130J aircraft.”
Though it offers few other program-specific funding lines, the bill does state the Air Force would receive $10.3 billion to buy aircraft and $4.4. billion to buy missiles. The Army would get $1.6 billion for ground vehicles, $4.8 billion for aircraft, $1.5 billion for missiles and $1.4 billion for ammunition.
The Navy is set to get more than $16 billion for new aircraft, $15 billion for shipbuilding, $3 billion for weapons, and $549 million for ammunition. The Marine Corps would receive $1.2 billion for all of its procurement accounts.
The omnibus also includes $85.2 billion for the war in Afghanistan and America’s other overseas contingencies operations. That amount is $5 billion more than the Obama administration requested, and that section also contains procurement funding for each service.
The existing continuing resolution expires Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. EST. But due to congressional rules, the omnibus won’t pass before then. Both chambers are expected to pass a three-day stopgap measure, moving the deadline to pass the omnibus to Saturday.
The department’s operations and maintenance accounts took a hit, with appropriators forced to cut the accounts to fit the Pentagon spending bill under caps set in 2011. The omnibus sets O&M funding at $159.9 billion, nearly $14 billion less than 2013 level.
“We are pleased to have come to a fair, bipartisan agreement on funding the government for 2014. Although our differences were many and our deadline short, we were able to a draft a solid piece of legislation,” Rogers and Mikulski said in a joint statement Monday evening.
“As with any compromise, not everyone will like everything in this bill, but in this divided government a critical bill such as this simply cannot reflect the wants of only one party,” Rogers and Mikulski said. “We believe this is a good, workable measure that will serve the American people well, and we encourage all our colleagues to support it this week.”

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140113/DEFREG02/301130039/Federal-spending-bill-calls-572B-Pentagon

Citation :: Raytheon delivers 3000th Tomahawk Block IV to US Navy

Latest variant is cruise missile gold standard

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered the 3000th Tomahawk Block IV missile to the U.S. Navy as part of its ninth Block IV full-rate FY12 production contract.

The U.S. Navy continues to purchase Tomahawk missiles via the FY13 budget, and negotiations are ongoing for next year's production contract.

The Block IV missile design was initiated as both a cost savings and a capability improvement effort. The Block IV variant is warrantied for 15 years. Following successful recertification, the missile will be returned to service for another 15 years upon commencement of re-certifications in 2019.

"Raytheon continues to work with the Navy to evaluate Tomahawk's technical and operational capabilities, while utilizing cost-efficient manufacturing processes," said Roy Donelson, Tomahawk program director with Raytheon Missile Systems.

A major enhancement introduced with the Tomahawk Block IV missile includes a two-way satellite data-link that enables a strike controller to redirect the missile in-flight to preprogrammed alternate targets or more critical targets. Tomahawk is employed from both surface- and sub-surface platforms, and more than 2,000 have been expended in real-world operations.

About Tomahawk Block IV
With a range of approximately 1,000 statute miles, the Tomahawk Block IV missile is a surface- and submarine-launched precision strike stand-off weapon. Tomahawk is designed for long-range precision strike missions against high-value and heavily defended targets. Tomahawk is integrated on all major U.S. surface combatants, as well as U.S. and U.K. sub-surface platforms, including the Los Angeles, Virginia, Ohio, Astute and Trafalgar-class submarines.

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com

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Citation :: New type of Navy ship to deploy from Virginia Beach

A new breed of Navy ship is preparing to begin its maiden deployment.
The Spearhead is a joint high-speed vessel that can be called upon by the Army, Navy or Marines to quickly ferry people and equipment for a variety of missions. Its 22-person crew is composed of civilians, but it also has a small Navy detachment onboard.
The ship is scheduled to leave Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story on its way to Europe and Africa on Thursday, where commanders will test out the new ship's capabilities in an operational environment. Ultimately, the Navy plans to have 10 of the ships available to military commanders around the world.
The Navy says its missions could include transporting tanks, carrying a containerized portable hospital or supporting disaster-relief operations. The ship has 20,000 square feet of cargo storage area and is also capable of landing helicopters. Other Navy ships are already capable of transporting people and equipment, but what sets apart the Spearhead and the others in its class being built is that it is designed for speed and to operate in small or damaged ports.
The expansive ship is a large catamaran made of aluminum that can carry 600 tons about 1,200 nautical miles.
"We can take pretty much whatever you can think of onboard here and rapidly reconfigure," said Capt. Douglas Casavant, master of the Spearhead.
The Spearhead has an average speed of about 40 miles per hour. By comparison, the Navy's amphibious transport dock that carries Marines and their equipment travels at about 24 miles per hour.
The Spearhead is also much more spacious in nearly every aspect than its warship counterparts, from its passageways and stairs to the more than 300 seats it has to transport people that provide more legroom than many first-class airline passengers will find.
The cost for the 10 joint high-speed vessels is about $1.5 billion, according to James Marconi, a spokesman for the Navy's Military Sealift Command, which owns the ships.
Casavant acknowledged that a ship built of aluminum is more vulnerable than warships made of steel, but he said that it could have other Navy ships escort it if it needed protection from adversaries, or to help clear mines from its path. He also said that security teams may come aboard the ship as needed, such as if it were to travel in pirate-infested waters. In a pirate scenario, he also said the ship's speed would make it difficult for anyone to catch.
The Spearhead is scheduled to be in European and African waters until May. After that, it will briefly return to Virginia Beach for a few weeks before heading toward Central and South America.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/new-type-navy-ship-deploy-virginia-beach

Citation :: SNA 2014: Navy Won’t Rule Out Army Longbow Hellfire for LCS

The Navy is not closing the door on integrating an Army missile into the weapons package for the sea service’s Littoral Combat Ship surface warfare mission package.
The Navy plans to continue tests on the Army’s Longbow Hellfire AGM-114L as a potential replacement to the Raytheon Griffin weapon aboard the Littoral Combat Ship, Capt. John Ailes, head of LCS mission module development, said Tuesday at the Surface Navy Association 2014 symposium in Crystal City, Va.
Program leaders and Army officials have conducted three live fire tests of the Lockheed Martn’s Longbow missile aboard a surface vessel designed to replicate the LCS deck, according to the company.
The missile are the primary close air support weapons aboard the Army’s AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.
However, Alies was quick to point out that all options for LCS armaments remain on the table.
Navy, Army and industry officials are “still working . . . to define the parameters” of what weapon combinations would best fit the the ship’s surface warfare mission package, Ailes said.
A decision on what that final weapon loadout for that particular mission module, the most advanced of the three packages aboard the LCS, is expected by 2020, he added.
Other LCS mission modules include mine countermeasure (MCM) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) packages.
But the flexibility of the Longbow, compared to the Raytheon-manufactured Griffin rocket, has garnered many fans inside the LCS program office, Ailes said.
The Army missile ability to track and engage multiple targets in a single strike is a key factor in the Longbow’s appeal to program officials.
In comparison, the Griffin’s laser-based tracking system only allows the weapon system to engage targets one at a time.
That targeting autonomy aboard the Longbow could be a possible game changer, given the type of threats, such as small-boat attacks, the LCS could encounter during combat deployments.
Navy leaders in 2011 selected the Griffin rocket to replace the defunct Non-Line of Sight Launch missile system that Navy officials initially planned to put onto the LCS.
The Navy teamed up with the Army on NLOS-LS acquisition, with the Army planning to field a version of the missile on their fleet of tactical vehicles.
But the the ground service was forced to cancel their portion of the weapon’s development, due to rising costs associated with that work.
At the time, Navy leaders admitted the Griffin lacks many of capabilities that NLOS had, especially against long-range targets.
As a result, Navy drafted plans to hold a competition for a follow-on, beyond the horizon missile to replace the Griffin by the end 2011, service officials said at the time.

http://news.usni.org/2014/01/14/sna-2014-navy-wont-rule-army-longbow-hellfire-lcs

Citation :: SNA 2014: Navy Eyes Next Generation Fire Scout for LCS

Navy leaders are considering options to field the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C —the newest version of the Fire Scout unmanned aircraft aboard the service’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet.
The service’s current plans for unmanned capabilities aboard the LCS are focused on the current MQ-8B Fire Scout, Capt. John Ailes, head of LCS mission module development for the Naval Sea Systems Command, said Tuesday.
Navy leaders anticipate the maritime surveillance aircraft to play a critical role in all three mission module packages currently under development for the LCS.
The MQ-8C Fire Scout rotary-wing surveillance aircraft could be a better fit for the LCS as newer iterations of the ship roll off the assembly line, Ailes said during a briefing at the Surface Navy Association symposium 2014 in Crystal City, Va.
The latest Fire Scout can carry larger and more complex surveillance and reconnaissance payloads, while maintaining a longer flight range, compared to the current B models, according to Ailes.

With those kinds of capabilities, “you could see in the future how that could be [possible]” to replace the Fire Scout B variants with the new C version,” he added.
That potential is prompting program officials and service leaders to run a series of recent tests and review “to see if you could” replace the B version with the C variants.
But those tests and subsequent findings could fall by the wayside, as program leaders have yet to approve a change from the B version to the C version in the LCS program of record, Ailes said Tuesday.
That said, Navy officials are pressing ahead with new rounds of trials on future iterations of Lockheed Freedom-class versions of the LCS, to test its ability to support the Fire Scout, regardless of which version may be fielded.
Program officials have already integrated the B variant into the ship’s surface warfare (SUW), mine countermeasure and sub hunting mission modules, each taking advantage of the unmanned aircraft’s sensor and imagery capabilities.
An updated version of the ship’s surface warfare package, including the Fire Scout B, is set to undergo sea trials aboard USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) in March.
The MQ-8Bs has undergone several test deployments, primarily with Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates (FFG-7) as part of counterdrugs operations in U.S. Southern Command.
The Navy began test flights with the MQ-8C in November. The airframe is based on a stock Bell 407 and heavily modified in a Northrop facility in Alabama.
Current MQ-8Bs have a maximum speed of 100 kts with a range of 618 nautical miles and an eight-hour endurance time.
The MQ-8C variant will extend the time in the air to twelve hours, a there-and-back range of about 1,200 nautical miles and the ability to conduct an orbit around a ship of up to 150 nautical miles.
The Navy plans to deploy the new version by 2014.

http://news.usni.org/2014/01/14/sna-2014-navy-eyes-next-generation-fire-scout-lcs

Citation :: Sea Giraffe Radar now AN/SPS-77(V)1 in U.S.

EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y., Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Saab Defense and Security USA (SDAS) announced today that Saab's Sea Giraffe AMB Radar recently received its official designation from the U.S. Navy. The Sea Giraffe AMB Radar system's official U.S. Navy nomenclature is now the AN/SPS-77 (V)1.

Partnering with General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works and Austal, SDAS is responsible for integrating the AN/SPS-77 radar into the USS Independence and other ships of the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Independence variant program.

The AN/SPS-77 is multi-role medium-range 3D surveillance radar system for naval applications. It provides medium range, simultaneous air and surface surveillance and can be employed in a weapon designation role. The SPS-77 is suitable for demanding naval environments from the littorals to blue-water operations.

The radar system is being adapted for U.S. operations by the Sensor Systems division of SDAS. The division, located in Syracuse, New York, is also responsible for the integration, installation, and testing of the AN/SPS 77 systems as well as for providing in-service sustainment and repair services.

Mr. Erik Smith, Vice President of Sensor Systems Division within SDAS, sees the new designation of the radar as a key milestone in Saab's growing support of the U.S. Navy and the LCS program. "The AN/SPS 77 has proven to be the most capable and adaptable medium range multi-mission radar asset available to the LCS program and future U.S. maritime security platforms. The radar system is able to efficiently incorporate new capabilities through Saab's modular architecture and Rapid Technology Insertion process."

"Receiving this U.S. Navy system designation means that Sea Giraffe is now formally acknowledged by the U.S. Navy as part of the U.S. Navy standard inventory. Saab is very proud to deliver this new and highly-advanced surveillance capability to the U.S. Navy," said Smith.

To date, the AN/SPS 77 has been installed on LCS 2 (USS Independence), LCS 4 (USS Coronado), and LCS 6 (USS Jackson). Five additional AN/SPS-77 radar systems are in various stages of manufacturing and test to meet LCS construction schedules with four more systems under contract to complete the current deliveries under the LCS Block Buy contract.

Saab Defense and Security USA LLC delivers advanced military technology and systems to United States armed forces and other government agencies. Headquartered in Sterling Virginia, the company has business units and local employees in four states.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers' changing needs.

http://www.prnewswire.com

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Citation :: USA: un chasseur F-18 s'écrase en mer au large de la Virginie

WASHINGTON, 15 jan 2014 (AFP) -

Un chasseur F-18 de la Marine américaine s'est abîmé en mer mercredi au large de la Virginie (est), a annoncé l'US Navy, précisant que son pilote avait pu s'éjecter et être secouru.

L'accident s'est produit à 14H30 heure locale (19H30 GMT) à environ 70 kilomètres au large d'Oceana, une base de l'aéronavale américaine, a précisé à l'AFP le lieutenant de vaisseau Ryan Perry, un porte-parole de la Marine.

Les causes de l'accident n'ont pas été déterminées dans l'immédiat.

Le 7 avril 2012, un F-18 qui venait de décoller de la base d'Oceana s'était écrasé sur une zone résidentielle située à proximité, à la suite d'une défaillance mécanique. L'accident avait provoqué d'importants dégâts mais fait que neuf blessés légers, "un miracle" selon le gouverneur de Virginie, Bob McDonnell.

http://www.marine-oceans.com/actualites-afp/7045-usa-un-chasseur-f-18-secrase-en-mer-au-large-de-la-virginie

Citation :: Pentagon Cuts LCS Buy to 32 Ships

WASHINGTON — The office of the secretary of defense (OSD) has directed the US Navy to limit its overall buy of littoral combat ships to a total of 32 ships, foregoing 20 more of the small, fast and controversial warships, Pentagon sources have confirmed.
The decision, in a Jan. 6 memo from Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine Fox, came after the Pentagon received its final 2015 budget guidance from the White House. Several major acquisition decisions, including direction on what to do with the LCS program, were awaiting the numbers from the Office of Management and Budget.
The program of record calls for the service to build 52 littoral combat ships, built to two designs, one from Lockheed Martin and the other from Austal USA. Three of the ships are in service, and a fourth ship will be commissioned in April. Another 20 are under construction or on order, split evenly between the two prime contractors.
Asked for comment, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Ryan Perry said “we’ll continue to work with OSD on LCS acquisition plans.” No date has been announced for the submission of the 2015 budget to Congress, but it’s expected to take place no earlier than mid-February.
Over the past year, the Navy and OSD have debated cutting the LCS program — along with discussions about the future of virtually every significant defense acquisition program. Various alternatives have been put forth, including ending the buy at 24 ships.
It’s believed that OSD’s initial guidance in January was to cut the program even further. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, a strident defender of the LCS program, personally argued to restore at least a portion of the future ship buy, Pentagon sources said.
One Navy source familiar with the situation declared that the decision to end LCS at 32 ships isn’t yet a done deal. “This isn’t over yet,” the source said.
The reduction is not surprising to the Navy, but it is a disappointment to many senior officials and officers who have defended the ships. Unlike most warships, LCS doesn’t carry a major load of weapons and sensors, but rather features a large mission bay and adaptable systems to accommodate a range of mission modules — equipment fashioned to perform specific warfare tasks such as anti-submarine or counter-mine missions.
OSD has long harbored a variety of LCS critics, who each year have sought to limit the program’s scope. The concept, under development for over a decade, remains hotly contested within the Navy’s surface warfare community.
A major political feature of the LCS program was that the 52 ships represented a major portion — nearly one-sixth — of the 306-ship fleet. Among other issues, the Navy is in the earliest stages of thinking about what sort of ship might be useful and affordable instead of an LCS.
It’s also not clear that any decision has been made as to how the eight ships remaining to be ordered would be structured. Current plans call for two ships per year, one from each builder, starting in 2016. Options would include four ships per year, or a down-select to only one of the LCS designs.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140115/DEFREG02/301150037/Pentagon-Cuts-LCS-Buy-32-Ships

Citation :: L’US Navy base un porte-avions de plus dans le Pacifique

http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/lus-navy-base-un-porte-avions-de-plus-dans-le-pacifique

Citation :: U.S. 7th Fleet  commander praises P-8A performance

Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander, 7th Fleet, flew over Japan with Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 in the Navy’s newest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, Jan. 9 and praised the crew for their mission skills and hard work.
The “War Eagles” of VP 16 are making their inaugural deployment with six P-8As in support of 7th Fleet maritime domain awareness efforts in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. According to Thomas, the P-8A deployment brings increased capability to 7th Fleet’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force.
“I am extremely impressed with VP-16 and the P-8A Poseidon’s performance during their inaugural deployment to Seventh Fleet,” Thomas said. “Across every mission set, from anti-submarine warfare to maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), P-8A capability represents a significant improvement over the P-3C, providing the opportunity to detect, track and report on more targets than ever before. This continues to be validated throughout the course of the aircraft’s time here. I had the opportunity to fly with the squadron and witnessed their capabilities firsthand . . . this aircraft is a game changer.”
The P-8A is the most advanced long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft in the world. A true multi-mission aircraft, it also provides superior maritime ISR capability. Built on the proven Boeing 737 airframe, the transition to P-8A brings with it enhanced safety and reduced maintenance. The P-8A is significantly quieter than the P-3C, requires less maintenance, and provides more on-station time. The P-8A remains fully interoperable with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s P-3C force.
The new P-8A Poseidon is part of the Navy’s commitment to the Pacific rebalanced, bringing latest technology to 7th Fleet to ensure the U.S. is best postured to honor its security commitments to regional security and stability.

http://jaxairnews.jacksonville.com/military/jax-air-news/2014-01-15/story/us-7th-fleet-commander-praises-p-8a-performance#ixzz2qbbMq8Lo

Citation :: Austal Launches USNS Fall River (JHSV 4). First of four Navy ships to be launched at Austal in 2014.

January 17, 2014
On January 16, 2014, Austal USA successfully completed the launch process of the USNS Fall River (JHSV 4). Recently christened, this 103-meter high-speed catamaran represents the U.S. Department of Defense’s next generation multi-use platform. It is part of a 10-ship program, the funds for all of which have been appropriated, worth over US$1.6 billion.

On January 16, 2014, Austal USA successfully completed the launch process of the USNS Fall River (JHSV 4). Recently christened, this 103-meter high-speed catamaran represents the U.S. Department of Defense’s next generation multi-use platform. It is part of a 10-ship program, the funds for all of which have been appropriated, worth over US$1.6 billion.

The launch of USNS Fall River was conducted in a multi-step process that involved having Berard Transportation transfer the ship from Assembly Bay 3 onto a deck barge, which was then towed to BAE Systems Southeast Shipyard. The next day, Fall River was transferred onto BAE’s dry dock Alabama; it was floated then returned to Austal’s facility where it will undergo final outfitting and activation before sea trials and delivery to the Navy later this year.

Craig Perciavalle, Austal USA President, commented, “It’s really amazing at how easy the team makes this complicated process look. I appreciate the efforts of all involved.”

JHSV 4 is now one of four Austal-built Navy ships moored in the Mobile River, joining USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3), Coronado (LCS 4), and Jackson (LCS 6).

Perciavalle added, “With JHSV 3 recently completing Acceptance Trials and preparing for delivery, and now the launch of Fall River, the JHSV program continues to progress well as we meet our commitments to the Navy. The incredible shipbuilders here at Austal should be very proud of this accomplishment”.

USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) was delivered in December 2012 and is soon to be deployed. USNS Choctaw County (JHSV 2) was delivered to the Navy in June 2013. USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) has completed Acceptance Trials and is scheduled to be delivered within the next month. Construction is well underway on Trenton (JHSV 5) which will begin final assembly in, now vacant, Assembly Bay 3 by the end of January, and construction will begin on Brunswick (JHSV 6) by the end of this month.

The JHSV is a relatively new asset that will be an important Navy connector. In peacetime, JHSVs will be operating forward supporting Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and riverine forces, theater cooperating missions, Seabees, Marine Corps and Army transportation. Each JHSV also supports helicopter operations and has a slewing vehicle ramp on the starboard quarter which enables use of austere piers and quay walls, common in developing countries. A shallow draft (under 4 meters) will further enhance theater port access.

Austal USA is also prime contractor for the construction of ten Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), a contract totaling $3.5 billion. Four of these ships are under construction at this time, the first of which was launched just last month.

For the LCS and JHSV programs, Austal, as prime contractor, is teamed with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics. For the JHSV program, General Dynamics is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the navigation and communication systems, C4I and aviation systems. As the Independence-variant LCS ship systems integrator, General Dynamics is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the ship’s electronic systems.

http://www.austal.com

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Citation :: SNA 2014: 52-Ship LCS Requirement is ‘Solid’

Navy projections for its proposed Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) buy remains on solid footing heading into the Fiscal Year 2015 budget process, despite recent reports of pending reductions to the program.

“We have a valid requirement for 52 ships, and the program is performing strongly,” Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley told reporters on Thursday.
Testing and development on the high-profile warship remains on schedule, with senior Navy leaders expected to put the next four LCS ships on contract within the next few months, according to the Navy.
“So the Navy’s position on the LCS program is that it is solid,” Stackley said during a media briefing at the Surface Navy Association’s 2014 symposium in Crystal City, Va.
That said, the Navy acquisition chief declined to comment on, “any press reports to the contrary.”
Stackley’s comments come a day after a report in Defense News stated the the White House’s Office of Management and Budget ordered Navy leaders to slash the proposed LCS buy from 52 ships down to 32.
Acting deputy secretary of defense Christine Fox issued the order in a Jan. 6 memo, directing the Navy to implement the cuts in its upcoming FY 2015 budget proposal.
For his part, Stackley declined on Thursday to comment on the memo or the service’s FY ’15 plans
“We don’t talk about the [FY] 15 budget process until the [20] 15 budget gets to [Capitol] Hill,” Stackley added.
Pentagon press secretary Read Adm. John Kirby reiterated Stackley’s comment noting the Pentagon-wide FY 2015 proposal “is not complete [but] its is near complete.”
In the last year, the services have plotted several different courses for budgeting that included alternative budget plans tied to budget restrictions imposed by sequestration cuts. The regular fully funded program objective memoranda (POM) was developed in tandem with a so-called alternative version (ALT POM).
In September a version of the ALT POM contained a cut to a mere 24 hulls, ending the program at the Navy’s current commitment to each variant of the ship.

http://news.usni.org/2014/01/16/sna-2014-52-ship-lcs-requirement-solid

Citation :: USNS John Glenn (MLP 2) Successfully Completes Builder's Trials

The USNS John Glenn (MLP 2) successfully completed Builder's Sea Trials Jan. 13. During the week of sea trials the shipbuilder, General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO), conducted comprehensive tests to demonstrate the performance of all of the ship's major systems.

The USNS John Glenn (MLP 2) successfully completed Builder's Sea Trials Jan. 13. During the week of sea trials the shipbuilder, General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO), conducted comprehensive tests to demonstrate the performance of all of the ship's major systems.
The Military Sealift Command mobile landing platform ship USNS Montford Point, first ship in the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class

(U.S. Navy photo)

"John Glenn performed extremely well, a testament to the thorough preparation by NASSCO, the Navy MLP program office, and our Supervisors of Shipbuilding," said Capt. Henry Stevens, strategic and theater sealift program manager, Program Executive Office, Ships. "This ship is well on its way to acceptance trials and delivery later this year."

USNS John Glenn is the second ship of the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class. Using the commercially designed Alaska-class crude oil carrier as its base, the Navy's Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Office (PMS 385) worked in conjunction with NASSCO to develop a design that supports the Navy's core capabilities while maintaining low costs.

MLP has a maximum speed of 15 knots and range of 9,500 nautical miles. The ship has tankage for 100,000 gallons of potable water and can hold 380,000 gallons of JP-5 jet fuel. Acting as a mobile seabase, MLP will be part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces and supplies to provide prepositioned equipment and supplies with flexible distribution in support of a variety of missions including humanitarian support and sustainment of traditional military missions.

Following Builder's Trials, the ship will be inspected by the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey during a series of Acceptance Trials. Delivery of the ship to the Navy is expected in March 2014.

As one of the Defense Department's largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, and special warfare craft. Delivering high-quality war fighting assets - while balancing affordability and capability - is key to supporting the nation's maritime strategy.

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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Citation :: Navy Buys New Landing Craft Air Cushion for Amphibs

Navy is about to begin production of its first nine new Landing Craft Air Cushions, or LCACs, as part of a broad effort to recapitalize existing shore connectors and replace the service’s aging fleet, service officials said Jan. 16 at the Surface Navy Association Annual Symposium, Crystal City, Va.
“A contract was awarded for the first nine LCAC replacements and we’re in design now and heading to a production readiness review this year,” said Capt. Chris Mercer, amphibious warfare program manager.
The LCAC contract mentioned by Capt. Mercer was awarded to Textron Marine & Land System, who is currently working on a next-generation LCAC replacement called Ship to Shore Connector, or SSC. The first SSC is slated to arrive in 2017.

The Navy wants to sustain, maintain and modernize its fleet of 81 LCACs, the ship-to-shore boat vehicles able to transport troops, weapons, vehicles, equipment and even tanks to shore. Existing LCACs are engineered to transport up to 150,000 pounds and can carry as many as 180 people. Using four gas-turbine engines and two four-bladed propellers, LCACs can travel through water, ice, snow, sand and tundra.
Textron leaders say the next-generation LCAC will build upon the successful technology of the original, but add some new features such as joystick controls and innovative aluminum materials. The new LCAC or SSC is being engineered with two Rolls Royce engines and will be able to reach speeds of 50 knots, said Tom Walmsley, general manager, Textron.
The SSC is engineered with a simpler, more efficient drive train using one gearbox per side, Navy charts show. Fewer parts allow for less maintenance and higher reliability. In addition, the use of an aluminum alloy and additional composite materials is expected to greatly reduce corrosion for the new vehicle.
Also, the SSC’s gear-driven bow thrusters are designed for increased reliability, Navy charts explain.
Along with the effort to acquire new LCACs, which is expected to move toward a larger production contract, the Navy is also progressing along with an effort to recapitalize the existing fleet of LCACs, Mercer said.
Mercer said the Navy is about three quarters of the way through with what it calls a service life extension for 72 of its LCACs.
“This includes adding an amphibious assault direction system, a radio-based networking system that links up our craft and our ships to that we know where everyone is during an assault. A common operational picture is shared in the ship,” Mercer added.

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/01/20/navy-buys-new-landing-craft-air-cushion-for-amphibs/

Citation :: USS Makin Island (LHD8 )Successfully Completes Sea Trials

USS Makin Island (LHD8 )completed a nine-day scheduled sea trials on Jan. 17, after coming out of a 13-month Phased Maintenance Availability (PMA). During the nine-day underway period, Makin Island crew members tested a number of shipboard systems, including communication circuits, damage control systems, navigation systems and propulsion plant. The crew also conducted full-power runs of the ship, ballasting demonstrations and flight operations.

Sea trials gave the ship an opportunity to operate and test equipment as designed following a lengthy maintenance period. It was also a chance to see if the repairs were done correctly, according to Capt. Alvin Holsey, Makin Island's commanding officer.

"After a 13-month maintenance period, the crew performed exceptionally well," said Holsey. "We had a few growing pains, but their focus remained on executing safe and precise evolutions."

Makin Island's Executive Officer, Capt. Michael S. Feyedelem, expressed the PMA provided an opportunity to upgrade existing ship systems, repair damaged or degraded equipment and bring the ship back to a level commensurate with a brand new ship.

"The maintenance period allowed significant repairs and design changes to be made to the ship's exhaust stacks as well as numerous other upgrades to keep Makin Island at the forefront of operational capability," said Feyedelem.

Inspectors observed Makin Island crew members as they conducted in-port and at-sea demonstrations and checks, of critical shipboard systems.

"I think the more practice we get the better," said Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Patrick J. Webb, Makin Island crew member. "Most of the crew has never been out to sea, so doing these drills gave us a taste of what to expect when we're out on deployment. I'd rather go through trial and error during a drill now, then not knowing what to do during a real casualty."

Makin Island is the first U.S. Navy ship to deploy using a hybrid-electric propulsion system. By using this unique propulsion system, the Navy expects over the course of the ship's lifecycle, to see fuel savings of more than $250 million, proving the Navy's commitment to energy awareness and conservation.

The ship's hybrid-electric propulsion system is designed to run on auxiliary propulsion motors at low speeds and on gas turbines at higher speeds. This technology allows the Department of the Navy to reduce the use of fossil fuels that leads to reduced carbon emissions and cleaner air.

This initiative is one of many throughout the Navy and Marine Corps that will enable the Department of the Navy to achieve the Secretary of the Navy's energy goals to improve our energy security and efficiency afloat and ashore, increase our energy independence and help lead the nation toward a clean energy economy.

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Kory Alsberry, USS Makin Island (LHD 8)Public Affair

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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