US Navy

Rappel du premier message :

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)

Citation :

La Navy américaine dotée de « railguns » dès 2016

La marine américaine a annoncé son ambition de doter dès 2016 ses prochains navires d'une nouvelle arme, le railgun (« canons électriques » en français), rapporte Ars Technica. Contrairement aux armes conventionelles, qui utilisent une charge explosive pour propulser leur projectile, cette arme repose sur une force électromagnétique (connue sous le nom de force de Lorentz) générée par une différence de potentiel électrique entre deux rails parallèles dans lesquels circulent un courant. Les munitions utilisées ont une telle vélocité — sept fois la vitesse du son, soit plus de 8 500 km/h, pour une portée supérieure à 160 kilomètres — qu'elles ne nécessitent aucune charge explosive pour faire d'importants dégâts, ce qui pourrait représenter des économies pour la marine américaine, explique Wired : un projectile de railgun coûterait environ 25 000 dollars, comparés aux 500 000 voire aux 1,5 million de dollars pour les missiles conventionnels.

la vidéo de la bête ici:
http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/video/2014/04/10/la-navy-americaine-dotee-de-railguns-des-2016_4398732_3222.html

Citation :

Navy Makes Plans for New Destroyer for 2030s 


The U.S. Navy is in the very early stages of developing a new destroyer -- called the Future Surface Combatant -- which will replace the existing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and enter service by the early 2030s, Navy leaders told Military.com.
Navy officials said it is much too early to speculate on hull design or shape for the new ship but lasers, on-board power-generation systems, increased automation, next-generation weapons, sensors and electronics are all expected to figure prominently in the development of the vessel.
The Future Surface Combatant will succeed and serve alongside the Navy's current Flight III DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program slated to being construction in 2016. Overall, the Secretary of the Navy's long-range shipbuilding plan calls for construction of 22 Flight III DDGs, Navy officials said.
There are a handful of early emerging requirements regarding what admirals want for the ship, Rear Adm. Tom Rowden, director of surface warfare, told Military.com in an interview.
"I could not even draw a picture for you," said Rowden, who went on to explain that greater automation and integrated electrical power are part of the calculus of early discussions.

He emphasized that the new ship will leverage successful next-generation technologies already underway in other platforms such as the DDG 1000 destroyer, Littoral Combat Ship and Ford-class aircraft carriers.
The Future Surface Combatant may draw from the DDG 1000's high-tech electric drive system that propels the ship while generating 58 megawatts of on-board electrical power. On-board power will be in high demand as lasers and directed energy weapons become more prominent, Rowden said.
"We are moving all ahead with respect to the development of lasers as a weapon in the future. You can take the power that is generated on the ship and convert that into a fire control solution without having to shoot a missile that may cost a million to ten million," Rowden explained.
In fact, low-cost laser weapons are a way to help stay ahead of the cost curve on future destroyers, he added.
"One of the things I am concerned about is if our enemy can develop a million dollar missile but we have to shoot ten million dollars worth of missiles in order to ensure that they don't inflict damage on our ship – we're on the wrong side of the cost curve," he said.
Navy leaders will emphasize lethality and survivability as initial requirements are developed for the new destroyer. Rowden explained that the new destroyer will, among other things, be tasked with protecting America's aircraft carriers.
The largest aspect of emphasis for the nascent Future Surface Combatant program is something Rowden called modularity, a term referring to a technological ability to rapidly and effectively make adjustments as needed.  
The new ship design will emphasize flexibility to ensure the platform keeps pace with fast-moving technological change and threats, he said.
"You have to understand that in order to maintain the relevance of the combat system, you have to have a combat system that can evolve with the threat. If you integrate the ship so tightly that you have to take the ship apart in order to integrate the combat system -- then that adds significant cost to maintaining the relevance of the ship," Rowden said.
This approach is designed to ensure the platform keeps pace with emerging innovations in weaponry, electronics, computing and sensors.
"The modules that we install in the ship may have no bearing or resemblance to what needs to be there when we decommission the ship. The weapons and sensors will be different. We have to think about how to move through the design, manufacture and subsequent upgrades in the most cost-effective and affordable fashion. We need to design that into the ship," he said.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/04/09/navy-makes-plans-for-new-destroyer-for-2030s.html?comp=700001075741&rank=2

Citation :

Navy Axes Griffin Missile In Favor of Longbow Hellfire for LCS




The Navy has traded Raytheon’s Griffin IIB missile for Lockheed Martin’s Longbow Hellfire AGM-114L for the surface-to-surface missile for early increments and testing for the surface warfare (SuW) mission package for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the outgoing program manager for LCS Mission Modules (PMS 420), Rear Adm. John Ailes told reporters on Wednesday.
The choice between the missiles — roughly equivalent in size, range (about five miles) and warhead size — came in part from the ability of the Army’s Longbow to take targeting information from Saab’s Sea Giraffe radar and use its onboard millimeter wave seeker to find a target. The Griffin uses a semi-active laser seeker that requires the ship’s crew to ‘paint’ a target with a laser, limiting the number of missiles that can engage targets at once.
“We have these 10,000 [Longbow] missiles, there’s no cost risk at all, it’s vertically launchable and you can shoot lots of them at same time and you don’t have to do that thing where you keep the laser on it,” Ailes said.
“That’s why we’re excited about Longbow Hellfire.”
The Navy plans to test the missile aboard a LCS — likely USS Freedom (LCS-1) — next year. In 2013, the Navy tested the Longbow at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. against simulated small boat targets successfully.
“We had three boats and in one of the scenarios we had two boats in close company and it went for three for three, and we said ‘we’re with you’,” Ailes said.
The selection of Longbow for early SuW mission will not preclude a competition for a follow on surface missile for LCS, Ailes said.
The service originally planned to hold a competition for the SuW missile in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, but the Navy might be able to hold the competition sooner.
“I believe we’re going to have a competition for the follow-on to Longbow,” Ailes said.
“But we have these ones in inventory and we’ll just use those [until then].
The surface-to-surface missile has been the most troublesome component of the SuW mission package.
The Navy had selected Griffin in 2011 to be the follow on missile after the failure of the defunct Non-Line of Sight Launch missile system (N-LOS) that Navy officials initially planned to put onto the LCS.
The SuW package is designed to fight the so called fast attack craft/ fast inshore attack (FAC/FIAC) or small boat swarms that could threaten larger ships.
Though the selection of Longbow will improve the number of targets LCS can engage, it would be of little use against a large naval vessel.

http://news.usni.org/2014/04/09/navy-axes-griffin-missile-favor-longbow-hellfire-lcs

Citation :

Commissioning for USS North Dakota on hold, for now

BISMARCK, N.D. — Commissioning ceremonies for the USS North Dakota, the U.S. Navy's newest nuclear-powered submarine, may or may not happen on May 31 as scheduled.

Colleen O'Rourke of the U.S. Navy's Sea Systems Command, said Thursday the Navy is evaluating whether to postpone the commissioning in Groton, Conn.

O'Rourke said the Navy is looking to complete additional design and certification work and evaluate other issues before commissioning the $2.6 billion, 377-foot-long Virginia Class submarine.

"Once a final decision is made, we will release an official announcement," O'Rourke said.

She did not provide a timeline for the announcement nor did she offer specifics about what evaluations were being done.

The submarine was christened in November and will be the first U.S. Naval vessel to carry the name of North Dakota since 1910, when a coal-fired, steam-powered battleship was part of the Navy fleet.

The battleship was decommissioned in 1923 and sold for scrap in 1931.

The submarine will be the 11th in the Virginia Class, which can launch cruise missiles, navigate better in shallow water, house and deliver special forces commandos and conduct surveillance missions over land and sea.

The submarine has a crew of 138 and the senior enlisted sailor — Master Chief Petty Officer Tim Preabt, a Mandan High School graduate — is the lone crew member from North Dakota.

Robert Wefald, chairman of the USS North Dakota committee, said typically, more than 4,000 people attend commissioning ceremonies.

Attendance at the event is by invitation only through the Navy, and Wefald said about 700 responses to receive an invitation have come through the committee's website, www.ussnd.com.

Wefald said a luncheon for North Dakotans has been planned for the afternoon of the commissioning and he was expecting about 500 people to attend.

http://bismarcktribune.com

Citation :

 baptême de l'USS Zumwalt




WASHINGTON - La Marine américaine s'apprête à baptiser samedi l'USS Zumwalt, premier d'une nouvelle classe de destroyers aux formes futuristes qui ne sera finalement développée qu'en trois exemplaires en raison de son coût de développement et d'une réévaluation des besoins.
Le navire, dont la construction a débuté en 2009, doit entrer en service en 2016. La cérémonie de baptême, au cours de laquelle une bouteille de mousseux sera brisée sur la coque comme le veut la tradition, se déroulera sur le chantier naval de Bath, dans le Maine, précise l'US Navy dans un communiqué.
Le Zumwalt, nommé en l'honneur d'un ancien chef d'état-major de la Marine américaine, a été conçu comme un navire multi-missions axé sur des capacités de bombardement terrestre et naval grâce à deux canons de 155 mm. Il est également doté de 80 tubes de lancement de missiles, adaptés notamment pour les missiles Tomahawk.
Il comprend de nombreuses technologies nouvelles, notamment en matière de propulsion, qui lui permettent d'opérer avec un équipage réduit à 158 hommes contre 276 pour les destroyers de la classe Arleigh-Burke, en service depuis le début des années 1990.
Il est également plus gros, jaugeant plus de 15 000 tonnes, contre moins de 10 000 pour les Arleigh-Burke.
L'US Navy compte actuellement 62 destroyers de classe Arleigh Burke, dont 25 sont équipés du système de défense antibalistique (BMD) et constituent le fer de lance du bouclier antimissile américain.
Le Zumwalt, qui sera suivi du Michael-Monsoor et du Lyndon-Johnson, en est en revanche dépourvu.
4 milliards par navire
L'US Navy comptait à l'origine se doter de 24 destroyers de la classe Zumwalt. Elle n'en aura finalement que trois après avoir réévalué en 2008 les types de menaces auxquelles elle s'attend à faire face dans les décennies à venir.
Mais cette décision est également dûe au dérapage des coûts de développement du navire, une inflation aggravée par la baisse du nombre de navires finalement décidée: le Zumwalt coûtera plus de 4 milliards de dollars, contre environ 1,5 milliards pour un destroyer de la classe Arleigh-Burke.

http://fr.canoe.ca/hommes/enginsetgadgets/archives/2014/04/20140410-145040.html

USS Zumwalt

  

PHOTOS:

Citation :

Navy may delay decision on replacing carrier supply planes


(Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is looking for an inexpensive way to replace its aging fleet of 35 C-2 planes that ferry passengers and spare parts to aircraft carriers, but may be able to put off a procurement decision for one to two years, a Navy official said.

Rear Admiral Michael Manazir, who heads the Navy's air warfare division, said in an interview on Wednesday he was looking at proposals from C-2 maker Northrop Grumman Corp to modernize the existing planes, or buy V-22 tiltrotor planes from Boeing Co and Textron Inc's Bell Helicopter unit.

"There's not a very clear winner either way," he said.

But Manazir said the existing C-2A twin-engine turboprop planes that haul cargo, mail and passengers between carrier and shore would likely last long enough to allow him to put off a decision on their replacements for a few years.

Boeing and Bell have been pressing the Navy to move ahead with the V-22 option no later than 2017, when new orders are needed to maintain the production line. The companies are also working on possible foreign orders, including from Israel.

Manazir said the Navy had some flexibility since it planned to use options that were already available, instead of starting a more expensive and lengthy effort to design a whole new plane.

"I could feasibly, because of the service life of the C-2, wait to gain more information, gain more insight into the budget, and actually push this off one or two years," Manazir said after the annual Navy League conference.

Regardless of which solution was ultimately chosen, Manazir said, it was critical that the planes were cheap, given other priorities, including the need to replace the current Ohio-class submarines that carry nuclear weapons. "It's pushing the price point down to the lowest it can possibly be," he said.

Manazir said both options were "very viable" and that he was heartened by industry-funded efforts to develop a way to transport the large single engine built by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, to power the F-35 fighter jet that will be used on carriers beginning around 2019.

The admiral said the Navy's five-year budget plan included "several hundred million dollars" to start development of the "carrier on-board delivery" or COD program, but he welcomed any efforts by the companies involved to jump-start the process.

"If I could get some kind of a deal for the (research, development, test and evaluation) money that I was going to spend, that's attractive to me," he said.

Manazir said the Navy was studying all aspects of the issue, including how the Navy could benefit from Marine Corps training and maintenance facilities if it opted to buy the V-22s.

Keith Daniel, director of military business development for Bell Helicopter, said the V-22, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane, offered more flexibility given its ability to land on other ships besides a carrier, which could cut costs by reducing the need to fly back to shore.

Stephen Squires, director of product support and sustainment programs for Northrop's E-2/C-2 business, said his company would extend the life of the C-2s by 20 years by replacing the center wing, engine and nacelles on the existing planes, which he said could carry twice as much cargo by volume than the V-22.

The changes would lower the plane's fuel costs by 15 percent, and reduce maintenance costs since the new engines would be common with E-2D planes already on the carriers, he said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Citation :

Navy Extends Trident II D5 Nuclear Missile Service Life




National Harbor, Md. — The Navy is modernizing its arsenal of Trident II D5 nuclear missiles in order to ensure their service life can extend for 25 more years aboard the Navy’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine fleet, service leaders said.

The 44-foot long submarine-launched missiles have been serving on Ohio-class submarines for 25 years, Vice Adm. Terry Benedict, director of Strategic Systems and Programs said April 7 at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space exposition.

The missiles are also being planned as the baseline weapon for the Ohio Replacement Program ballistic missile submarine, so the Navy wants to extend their service life for at least an additional 25 years, Benedict said.

“Ohio Replacement will be in service until the 2080s, so a submarine missile launching capability must last that long,” he said. “The D5 system has served us well. However, 25 years is about the max of what we planned for the system.”

Benedict said the Navy has been working on technical upgrades to the existing Trident II D 5 in order to prevent obsolescence and ensure the missile system remains viable for the next several decades.

“We’ve modernized the guidance system by replacing two key components due to obsolescence – the inertial measurement unit and the electronics assembly,” Benedict said.

Under the U.S.-Russia New START treaty signed in 2010, roughly 70-percent of the U.S.’ nuclear warheads will be deployed on submarines, Benedict explained.

The 130,000-pound Trident II D5 missile can travel 20,000-feet per second and reach ranges of 4,000 nautical miles, according to Navy figures. The missiles cost $30 million each.

The Navy has recently acquired an additional 108 Trident II D 5 missiles in order to strengthen the inventory for testing and further technological development.

“We’re continually upgrading and testing new aspects of the missile system. We’ve had 148 successful test flights of the missile,” said John Daniels, spokesman for the Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs.

As part of the technical improvements to the missile, the Navy is upgrading what’s called the Mk-4 re-entry body, the part of the missile that houses a thermonuclear warhead. The life extension for the Mk-4 re-entry body includes efforts to replace components including the firing circuit, Benedict said.

The Navy is also working with the Air Force on refurbishing the Mk-5 re-entry body which will be ready by 2019, Benedict said.

Benedict said the Mk-5 re-entry body has more yield than a Mk-4 re-entry body, adding that more detail on the differences was not publically available.

The missile also has a larger structure called a release assembly which houses and releases the re-entry bodies, Navy officials said. There is an ongoing effort to engineer a new release assembly that will work with either the Mk-4 or Mk-5 re-entry body.

The Trident II D5 also arms the United Kingdom’s Vanguard ballistic missile submarine. In fact, the U.S. and UK are collaboratively working on a common missile compartment for their next generation SSBNs, or ballistic missile submarines.


http://defensetech.org/2014/04/11/navy-extends-trident-ii-d5-nuclear-missile-service-life/#ixzz2ysEt4Bvw

USS Zumwalt christened at Bath Iron Works

Citation :

Pentagon Condemns 'Provocative' Russian Military Action Against US Navy Ship


The destroyer USS Donald Cook is seen April 14 at the Constanta shipyard in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta. A Russian fighter jet on Saturday made repeated 'provocative' close-range, low-altitude passes above the U.S. Navy destroyer while it was steaming in the Black Sea. (Petrut Calinescu / Getty Images)

A Russian fighter jet on Saturday made repeated “provocative” close-range, low-altitude passes above the US Navy destroyer Donald Cook while it was steaming in the Black Sea, heightening Cold War-style tensions that have continued to escalate for weeks, a defense official said.

The Russian SU-24 Fencer made a total of 12 passes above the destroyer that is equipped with the powerful Aegis missile defense system. The incident occurred in international waters about 48 hours after the Navy ship arrived in the Black Sea.

The aircraft did not respond to multiple queries from the Donald Cook’s bridge. The Navy destroyer did not respond and the incident ended after about 90 minutes. The fighter jet did not appear to be carrying missiles under its wings, official said.

“This provocative and unprecedented Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said Monday.

Warren said the incident was unprecedented. The US and Russia have had no contact since the incident, he said.

“The Donald Cook was never in any danger. ... The Donald Cook is more than capable of defending itself against an SU-24,” Warrant said.

The provocative acts come about a month after Russia launched a ground invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea region and the Russian military amassed an estimated 40,000 troops along Ukraine’s eastern border. Russia maintains a large naval base in Crimea.

The Donald Cook was dispatched to the Black Sea last week in an effort to reassure NATO allies, which includes Romania, of US support in the face of Russian aggression.

The ship has now pulled into port in Constanta, Romania, Warren said, near the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, which is a permanent post for several thousand US troops, including airmen and Marines.

Russia’s aggressive actions have prompted Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and chief of the US European Command, to draw up a strategic shift in forces across his region. Breedlove is expected to make those plans public Tuesday.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140414/DEFREG02/304140021/Pentagon-Condemns-Provocative-Russian-Military-Action-Against-US-Navy-Ship

Citation :

Lockheed to continue torpedo maintenance
Lockheed Martin is to continue maintaining the U.S. Navy's MK-48 torpedo under an exercised option of a 2013 contract.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, April 16 (UPI) -- A $10 million contract has been given to Lockheed Martin by the U.S. Navy to continue supporting the readiness of MK-48 torpedoes.

The contract from Naval Sea Systems Command exercises the first option of a 2013 award, Lockheed said, and brings that award’s value to more than $18 million.

“The key to this program’s success is our strong partnership with the U.S. Navy," said Dr. Rob Smith, vice president of C4ISR for Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions. “Working in unison, our teams established a diligent process that ensures reliability and helps reduce life cycle costs for the Navy's torpedo enterprise.”

The MK-48 is a heavy torpedo that first made its appearance in the late 1960s for sinking nuclear-powered submarines and surface ships. It remains a Navy mainstay. Lockheed Martin has provided specialized maintenance for the weapon since 2007.

Under its award Lockheed provides infrastructure support for the intermediate maintenance activities for the torpedo, including quality assurance, training, audit support, pier-side services and ordnance handling, while the Navy provides necessary parts and equipment. Lockheed’s duties include refurbishing MK-48 torpedoes used in training as well as maintenance for those for use in combat.

http://www.upi.com

Citation :

Navy releases draft of UCLASS RFP

Source: Flightglobal.com


The US Navy has released a draft request for proposal (RFP) for its unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS) programme, the service announces in a media statement.

The RFP was released to the four prime contractors permitted to bid on the programme, which calls for development of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of operating from USN aircraft carriers.

Those contractors — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Northrop Grumman — are currently contracted to conduct preliminary design reviews for the project.



Northrop Grumman's X-47B UCLASS prototype operated from Navy aircraft carriers in 2013.

Industry members have been awaiting the RFP, which they expect will layout the Navy’s requirements for the projects.

Those requirements have reportedly been in flux, with industry members saying the US military has waffled on factors such as the aircraft’s desired level of stealth, its ability to survive in contested airspace and its inflight refueling ability.

The USN’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal, which still must be approved by Congress, would inject $403 million into UCLASS for fiscal year 2015, three times more than the $122 million allotted to the project in the current fiscal year.

The service plans to spend $2.67 billion through fiscal year 2019 on UCLASS development, according to budget documents.

Citation :

Navy Plan to Halt MH-60 Buy Rattles Sikorsky


The U.S. Navy’s plan to cut short a multi-year deal for maritime helicopters may have serious implications for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., as well as the military and the broader defense industry, a company official said.
For instance, the deal doesn’t just include the sea service. In July 2012, both the Army and Navy inked the five-year, $8.5 billion contract with the subsidiary of Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies Corp.
The agreement called for the services to buy at least 653 helicopters through December 2017, including a mix of UH-60M Black Hawks and HH-60M medical evacuation variants for the Army and MH-60R and MH-60S Seahawks for the Navy. It also included options for an additional 263 aircraft, increasing the potential value of the deal to $11.7 billion.

“The impacts, no matter what the scenario, are very significant to us,” Tim Healy, director of naval helicopter programs for Sikorsky, said in a telephone interview. “That’s why we’re so concerned.”
Automatic budget cuts known as sequestration forced the Navy to take the surprising — some say unprecedented — step of canceling plans to buy 29 MH-60Rs in fiscal 2016, the last year of the contract. The service determined they won’t be necessary if it decides to decommission one of its 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the USS George Washington (CVN-73).
But the multi-year deal was based on both of the services buying the agreed-upon quantity, so if the Navy backs out, the Army would also be affected, Healy said. “It’s not just a multi-year contract, it’s a multi-service contract,” he said. “The contract is such that if you cancel the contract, you cancel it all.”
Like in other multi-year contracts, the company offered more favorable pricing terms in return for a longer-term commitment for orders from the government.
The Defense Department uses “multi-year procurement” (MYP) or “block-buy contracting” (BBC), as the deals are officially known, to purchase all sorts of weapons and equipment, from aircraft and ships to tanks and trucks to rifles and missiles. They’re estimated to save anywhere from 5 to 15 percent compared to annual contracts, according to an April 1 report from the Congressional Research Service.
“Our program — the Romeo, specifically — it’s even higher than that,” Healy said.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has said canceling the Navy helicopter contract would cost about $250 million. That appears to be only what’s listed in Navy budget documents as funding for advancement procurement in 2016, meaning the true cost of termination could be higher.
As part of the contract, Sikorsky still intends to deliver versions of the helicopter to the governments of Australia and Denmark, and is actively seeking other opportunities for international sales of the aircraft, Healy said. Under a so-called foreign military sale (FMS), the U.S. buys weapons or equipment on behalf of a foreign government.
“We’re looking forward to FMS sales but there aren’t many FMS sales that would involve 29 aircraft in a single year,” he said. “The U.S. Navy is unique in its position.”
While Navy officials and the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer have signaled they’re looking for ways to preserve the deal, the situation has spooked defense contractors and their suppliers.
“Industry and the government are going to be put into a very tough position about making those long-term cost-savings and investments, when the threat of cancellation becomes more predictable,” Healy said. “As a taxpayer, I fear the government is not going to get those cost-savings going forward if there’s not the confidence in the industry that the multi-year contracts will be followed through on.”

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/04/16/navy-plan-to-halt-mh-60-buy-rattles-sikorsky/

Citation :

Navy delays submarine commissioning, says more work needed

(Reuters) - The Navy on Wednesday said it would delay the commissioning of the North Dakota, a new Virginia-class submarine that was due to enter active service on May 31, to carry out more design work and resolve quality problems with certain components.
The submarine, built jointly by General Dynamics Corp and Huntington Ingalls Industries, is returning to drydock for the additional work, according to the submarine's Facebook site. It said no new commissioning date had been set.

Colleen O'Rourke, spokeswoman for Naval Sea Systems Command, said the Navy decided to delay the commissioning because the ship needed additional design and certification work on its redesigned bow, and because of "material issues" with certain vendor-assembled and delivered components.

"The Navy is committed to ensuring the safety of its crews and ships. High quality standards for submarine components are an important part of the overall effort to ensure safety," O'Rourke said. She did not provide details on the faulty parts.

It was not immediately clear who would pay for the additional work, or how soon the ship would be commissioned.

O'Rourke said the lessons learned from work on the North Dakota were already being applied to the other follow-on ships in the next batch of submarines being built.

Bob Hamilton, spokesman for Electric Boat, the General Dynamics unit that serves as the prime contractor for the submarines, said his company still expected to deliver the ship by the original deadline of August 31.

Sources familiar with the submarine program said the Navy was taking a second look at 63 different components, including some used in the ship's stern, rudder and hydraulic systems.

Typically in weapons manufacturing, if quality problems are found with one component, all other components made by the same supplier are also reviewed carefully.

The Congressional Research Service estimates that each Virginia-class submarine costs about $2.7 billion to build. The first of the new class of submarines entered service in 2004.

The North Dakota is the first of eight ships in Block III of the Virginia-class submarines, a new design that is about 40 percent different from the previous submarines.

That means the ship is essentially the first in a new class, and the first ship often has problems associated with a new design.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/16/us-usa-navy-submarine-idUSBREA3F24Y20140416

Citation :

Keel-Laid for Navy's 10th LCS at Austal Yard


The Navy and Austal USA held a keel-laying ceremony for the future 'USS Gabrielle Giffords', the Navy's 10th littoral combat ship (LCS), in Mobile, Ala., informs the Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ships.
The ship's sponsor, Roxanna Green, was unable to attend the ceremony. The ship's namesake, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, authenticated the keel by having her initials welded into a sheet of the ship's hull. 

"It is a special day for all of us on the Gulf Coast to have the ship's namesake, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, here with us for the keel laying ceremony of LCS 10, the future USS Gabrielle Giffords," said Capt. Joseph Tuite, Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP) Gulf Coast.



LCS is a new class of U.S. Navy warship, capable of open-ocean operation, but optimized for littoral, or coastal, missions. LCS 10 is one of five Independence-variant LCS currently under construction at Austal USA. The ship is expected to deliver to the fleet in 2017.

"This is an important milestone for the Navy. I look forward to closely following the completion of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords, as well as her sister ships, as we bring this tremendous capability to the fleet," said Rear Adm. Brian Antonio, program executive officer, Littoral Combat Ships. 


The future USS Gabrielle Giffords will be approximately 420 feet in length, have a waterline beam of about 103 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and make speed in excess of 40 knots. The construction will be led by Austal Shipbuilding in Mobile, Ala.

This is the 16th ship to be named for a woman and the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850.

http://www.marinelink.com/news/keellaid-austal-navys367345.aspx

Citation :

Navy surveys female sailors for sub duty


A survey meant to gauge interest among enlisted women for submarine service is going out to the fleet.
Every enlisted woman in the Navy will receive an invitation to take the voluntary survey, which asks questions about everything from their career aspirations to their opinion on how switching to subs would affect their career.
The survey was sent to reservists March 31 and to active-duty women a day later — more than 57,000 enlisted women, all told.
The task force overseeing the integration of the silent service’s enlisted ranks had received about 8,000 responses as of April 9.
“We’ve had a great response so far, and we want to ensure all of our professional women sailors throughout the Navy have an opportunity to provide their input,” said Rear Adm. Ken Perry, the head of the Enlisted Women in Submarines Task Force, in an email.
Hawkins said the 8,000 responses was a great start but that the task force wants as much input as possible.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and will be open through the end of April, said task force spokesman Lt. Tim Hawkins.
Among female recruits at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., there are mixed opinions about how attractive submarine service would be. Seaman Apprentice Jessica Gerken, who is heading to the fleet as an undesignated airman, said subs would be too confining for her.
“I get claustrophobic in small spaces,” Gerken said. “Also I’m from Hawaii, which is a small place, so I’m looking forward to getting out and exploring, seeing the world.”
But Seaman Chelsea Milburn, who is bound for mass communications specialist “A” school but ultimately wants to be an officer, said she spent some time on a submarine while in ROTC in college and found the command environment attractive.
“It was a small crew and they were all really comfortable with each other,” she said. “It’s a more relaxed atmosphere. It was really awesome.”
The survey is part of the preparation for assigning the first female sailors to submarines. A task force will develop a plan in the next year, Hawkins said.
There are 40 women, all officers, now serving on guided- and ballistic-missile submarines, Hawkins said.
Female officers have been serving on submarines since 2011.
Under the latest plan, enlisted women will join the sub force in 2016, although it isn’t clear whether they will serve on attack boats or only on Ohio-class subs.
These issues are to be addressed by some of the six working groups involved in getting women on subs, Hawkins said.
In addition, they’ll study how best to configure female berthing and how to ensure those who volunteer have a viable career path.

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140419/CAREERS02/304190030/Navy-surveys-female-sailors-sub-duty

Citation :

Navy OKs changes for submariners' sleep schedules

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140420/NEWS/304200027

Citation :

U.S. Navy, Raytheon and Boeing started flight testing Advanced Airborne Sensor on P-8A Poseidon

A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was recently spotted at the Boeing headquarter's in Seattle conducting tests (including flight tests) with Raytheon's Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS) fitted under the aircraft. Based on the existing AN/APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS), the AAS is designed to detect moving targets both on the surface of water and on land.

LSRS is currently operational on U.S. Navy P-3C Orions. According to Raytheon, the AAS will provide airborne radar surveillance with next-generation line-of-site capability.

According to several sources, the AAS/Poseidon combo would provide the U.S. Navy with a capability similar to the US Air Force's dedicated E-8 Joint STARS platform. It is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform. Its primary mission is to provide theater ground and air commanders with ground surveillance to support attack operations and targeting that contributes to the delay, disruption and destruction of enemy forces.           

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/year-2014-news/april-2014-navy-naval-forces-maritime-industry-technology-security-global-news/1761-us-navy-raytheon-and-boeing-started-flight-testing-advanced-airborne-sensor-on-p-8a-poseidon.html

Citation :

USS Taylor Returns to Black Sea, 3 NATO Ships Now in Region




U.S. Navy frigate USS Taylor (FFG-50) has returned to the Black Sea for the second time in as many months, service officials told USNI News on Wednesday.
The ship is now one of three NATO ships in the Black Sea joining the ballistic missile defense (BMD) guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) and the French ship signals intelligence ship Dupuy de Lôme (A759), according to local press reports.
The frigate is part of a U.S. presence mission to reassure allies in the region following political unrest in Ukraine that resulted in the annexation of Crimea by Russian forces.
“Taylor is deployed in a multi-mission role in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to contribute to regional maritime security, conduct bilateral and multilateral training missions, and to support NATO operations and deployments throughout the region,” according to a Tuesday statement from U.S. 6^th Fleet.

http://news.usni.org/2014/04/23/uss-taylor-returns-black-sea-3-nato-ships-now-region

Citation :

New Growler construction may depend on upcoming Navy exercise

WASHINGTON • The Navy will conduct a battle exercise off the West Coast next month that could help determine whether another 22 more EA-18G Growler aircraft will be built at a Boeing factory in St. Louis.

The Navy’s Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group will conduct three days of exercises to see whether seven or eight Growlers on an aircraft carrier — rather than the five currently assigned — would provide better support for attacks from fighter jets and ground forces. A Navy vice admiral said that paper analysis indicated the higher number was more effective and that exercises off the Carl Vinson would be conducted to verify it.

The test will involve eight Growlers on the aircraft carrier, said Cmds. Kevin Stephens, a public affairs officer for the Navy in San Diego.

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, who is trying to drum up congressional support for funding of 22 more Growlers, says thousands of jobs and dozens of suppliers in Missouri are tied to the construction of the plane, which in five years will be the Pentagon’s primary weapons system designed to block and disrupt enemy electronics, in conjunction with other U.S. land and air forces.

A spokesman for Boeing, which builds the plane, said that although Boeing does not break down jobs related to planes, about 14,500 people work at the Boeing plant that builds the Growler.

The Navy currently has 138 Growlers in its fleet or under construction, and the 22 extra would be used to boost its capability to work jointly with other branches of the military.

Under pressure to cut the future Defense Department budget in the wake of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and large federal deficits, President Barack Obama did not include the $2.1 billion price tag for the new planes in his 2015 budget. The Navy has put the additional 22 Growlers on its “unfunded priorities” list, and Wagner and Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, have rounded up roughly 50 supporters — equally split between Democrats and Republicans — to add funding for the plane.

In addition, Wagner has scheduled a meeting next Wednesday with Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, to urge that funding for new construction be added to future Pentagon budgets.

“I come at this first and foremost from a military readiness standpoint, and a national security standpoint in the defense of the nation, but I also look at the economic impact to the area that I represent,” Wagner said.

Clay said recently that he was “very optimistic, especially since the Navy has also weighed in and said they would like 22 more Growlers so they could have more coverage on their aircraft carriers.”

Other members of the Missouri and Illinois delegations have weighed in to support more Growler funding. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., a former Naval intelligence officer, toured the Boeing plant in St. Louis last week and said he supported further funding as a necessary move in “maintaining our technological edge.”

But funding is not a certainty. The Pentagon is under heavy pressure to adhere to cuts in future spending plans mandated by a 2013 congressional budget agreement.

“Some in Congress are proposing that we’ll procure more EA-18G Growler electronic warfare, aircraft but it comes with a very high price and the Navy may not need more of these aircraft if it ends up eliminating an aircraft carrier and an associated wing, for example,” Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., the second-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said last month.

Navy Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee this month that the Navy is trying to determine whether to ask for the additional 22 aircraft, based on future needs, because Boeing was nearing the “end of the production line” of the planes already approved.

Grosklags, who is the head of research, development and acquisitions for the Navy, said a study last year showed that “the ability to increase the number of aircraft in one of our carrier air wings deployed on the carrier from five to seven represents a significant improvement in capability not only in defending the carrier, but also supporting our strike packages as they go forward over the beach.”

After the upcoming carrier exercise testing of the coordination and performance of eight Growlers on the Carl Vinson, the results will be combined with the “paper analysis,” and the Navy “will see if the two line up,” Grosklags said.

“Ideally, they will, and then we’ll have to come back to Congress and have that discussion” about future funding, he said.

http://www.stltoday.com

Citation :

US Navy deploys Standard Missile-3 Block IB for first time

In partnership with the Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Navy deployed the second-generation Standard Missile-3 Block IB made by Raytheon Company for the first time, initiating the second phase of the Phased Adaptive Approach.

"The SM-3 Block IB's completion of initial operational testing last year set the stage for a rapid deployment to theater," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems. "The SM-3's highly successful test performance gives combatant commanders around the world the confidence they need to counter the growing ballistic missile threat."

In 2009, the administration announced the U.S.'s decision to adopt a new, more flexible approach to missile defense of both the U.S. and Europe. The Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) Phase 1 began in March 2011 when the USS Monterey deployed carrying SM-3 Block IAs.

"The SM-3 program's evolution speaks to the importance of harnessing past successes to deliver increasingly capable systems to our customers, while reducing costs and delivery timelines," said Dr. Mitch Stevison, Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 program director.

In Oct. 2013, ground broke in Romania on the first operational Aegis Ashore site, which will be capable of launching SM-3 Block IAs, IBs and IIAs. The site continues on track for 2015 deployment as part of PAA Phase 2. Along with deployed Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships, Romania's Aegis Ashore site will provide additional ballistic missile coverage of NATO countries. The first Aegis Ashore test with the SM-3 Block IB and upgraded Aegis BMD Weapons System will take place this year at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii.

About the Standard Missile-3
The SM-3 does not contain an explosive warhead, but instead destroys the threats using sheer impact, equivalent to a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph.

» The program has completed 26 successful intercepts in space.
» More than 180 SM-3s have been delivered to the U.S. and Japan.
» SM-3 Block IB will be deployed ashore in 2015 in Romania.
» SM-3 Block IIA, co-developed with our Japanese partners, will have 21 inch 2nd and 3rd stage rocket motors and a larger, more capable kinetic warhead B

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1765

Citation :

Le destroyer américain USS Donald Cook a quitté la mer Noire
     
Washington, 25 avr 2014 (AFP) -

Le destroyer lance-missiles américain USS Donald Cook a quitté la mer Noire jeudi, deux semaines après y avoir été déployé pour rassurer les alliés est-européens inquiets de l'intervention russe en Crimée, a fait savoir la Marine américaine vendredi.

"La présence du Donald Cook a constitué un exemple de l'engagement de l'US Navy à améliorer l'interopérabilité en mer --pilier de la force militaire de l'Otan--, tout en démontrant les moyens des forces américaines et alliées à fournir la présence adéquate, au bon endroit, au bon moment", affirme l'US Navy dans un communiqué.

Au cours de son déploiement en mer Noire, le destroyer américain a effectué des manoeuvres avec des navires militaires roumains ainsi qu'avec la frégate américaine USS Taylor.

Il a également été en contact rapproché avec un avion de combat russe Sukhoï-24, qui a effectué 12 passes, certaines au ras des vagues à proximité immédiate du navire, une action dénoncée par le Pentagone comme "provocatrice et non professionnelle".

La présence navale américaine dans la mer Noire se résume dorénavant à la frégate USS Taylor, a confirmé à l'AFP un porte-parole de la Marine.

Le navire avait été déployé en mer Noire avant le début de la crise ukrainienne, pendant les jeux Olympiques de Sotchi, mais il s'était échoué le 12 février et avait dû subir des réparations dans le port turc de Samsun. Il a repris la mer lundi.

Début avril, Moscou avait dénoncé la présence du Taylor en mer Noire, qui outrepassait selon la Russie la durée de séjour autorisé de navires étrangers dans cette mer fermée par le Bosphore, selon la Convention de Montreux de 1936. Ankara a rejeté ces accusations.

Selon ce traité, les navire de guerre de pays non riverains de la mer Noire ne peuvent pas rester dans ses eaux plus de 21 jours.

http://www.marine-oceans.com/actualites-afp/7761-le-destroyer-americain-uss-donald-cook-a-quitte-la-mer-noire  

SWCC - Navy's Best Kept Secret

Citation :

Does the US Navy have 10 or 19 Aircraft Carriers?

The U.S. Navy operates 19 ships that could be called aircraft carriers, but only considers 10 to be actual carriers.



Last week the U.S. Navy accepted USS America, first of the America-class amphibious assault ships, into service. Unlike most recent amphibious assault ships, USS America and her sister USS Tripoli lack well-decks, instead focusing on aviation facilities.  When fully operational, America and Tripoli will operate as many as 20 F-35Bs, potentially playing a critical role in what the Navy projects as the future of air superiority.
Inevitably, the delivery of USS America rekindles the ongoing conversation over what, precisely, constitutes an aircraft carrier. In the United States, we endure the polite fiction that the USN’s 45,000 ton aircraft carriers are not aircraft carriers, but rather some other kind of creature.  USS America is roughly the same size as the French Charles De Gaulle and the INS Vikramaditya, although a bit smaller than the RFS Admiral Kuzetsov or her Chinese sister, the Liaoning. America is considerably larger than recent aircraft-carrying ships constructed for the Korean, Japanese, and Australian navies.
As an educator, I can attest to some frustration in relating to students that the United States operates ten aircraft carriers, plus another nine ships that we would refer to as aircraft carriers if they served in any other navy.  And while I appreciate the desire of analysts to differently categorize the capabilities of Wasp and Nimitz-class carriers, I wish that people had a firmer grasp on the abject silliness of claiming that a 45,000 ton flat-decked aircraft-carrying warship is not, in fact, an aircraft carrier. Think of the children.
The distinction between aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship began when the typology of USN flattops was considerably more complex than today.  The Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships entered service in 1961, sharing the sea with Forrestal-class supercarriers, Midway class semi-supercarriers, and a variety of configurations of Essex-class carriers. Unfortunately, the name stuck even as amphibs gained the capacity for launching VSTOL fighters, and as the number of carrier variants dwindled.
But today, no one benefits from an accurate characterization of the Navy’s amphibious flat-top fleet.  The USN prefers to fight its budgetary battles on the basis of the 11 carrier fleet, not the much more impressive sounding 19 carrier fleet. Naval aviation advocates are surely correct when they point out that the America and Wasp-class carriers fall far short of their Nimitz-class counterparts, even if they sometimes grudgingly grant that the smaller ships can carry out many of the same roles as their nuclear cousins.
And so what’s the problem? Who cares if the United States effectively disguises nearly half of its carrier fleet? The deception may not hold forever. At some point, skeptical legislators may choose to acknowledge the existence of the USN’s other nine carriers, and consequently the overwhelming superiority of USN aviation over any potential foe. It would be better to get ahead of this game, and develop a more appropriate way of talking about the USN’s light carrier fleet. The best choice might be to skip “light carrier” or “sea control ship” and go straight to “assault carrier,” a term that is sometimes used in British naval circles to describe HMS Ocean and her predecessors.  Such a designation would make for a considerably more intelligible naval vocabulary.

http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/does-the-us-navy-have-10-or-19-aircraft-carriers/

Citation :

Electronic Attack Squadron 132 Participates in Exercise Max Thunder

GWANGJU AIR BASE, Republic of Korea (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132 "Scorpions" participated in Exercise Max Thunder, a bilateral aerial training exercise for U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) military aircrews and maintainers April 23 at Gwangju Air Base.

Exercise Max Thunder is conducted annually to enhance bilateral air-combat capabilities that increase operational readiness and strengthen the U.S. and ROK alliance. The inaugural addition of the EA-18G Growler from VAQ-132 represented a historic first for Max Thunder, an exercise conducted primarily with U.S. and ROK Air Force assets.

"This is the first time a U.S. Navy squadron has participated in Exercise Max Thunder," said Cmdr. William McCombs, commanding officer of VAQ-132. "This exercise has been useful for our pilots and crews because we are rehearsing realistic training scenarios. It helps us create muscle memory for what we need to do, while underlining our logistics and tactics."

Aircrews from VAQ-132 flew 60 sorties during Max Thunder, operating with their U.S. and ROK Air Force counterparts. Exercise missions were comprised of flight formations, air warfare drills and tactical maneuvers.

"We've learned how to work efficiently with our Korean partners, and I think we've proven to ourselves that we can operate and do very well in this environment," said McCombs. "I'm very proud of the performance of the men and women of VAQ-132 while here in Korea."

VAQ-132 is currently on a routine deployment in support of U.S. Seventh Fleet operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The squadron is homeported at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Wash.

Exercise Max Thunder is part of a continuous exercise program to enhance interoperability between U.S. and ROK forces and is not tied to any real-world or specific threats. These exercises highlight the longstanding military partnership, commitment, and enduring friendship between the two nations, help ensure peace and security on the Korean peninsula, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to stability in Asia.

http://www.navy.mil

Citation :

Navy Tests its Over the Horizon Cruise Missile Defense System



The Navy is preparing for another test of a new cruise missile defense system that can identify and destroy threats from beyond the radar horizon, Lockheed officials said.
The system, called Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air, or NIFC-CA, uses a Standard Missile 6 and an airborne sensor to track and destroy approaching cruise missiles at much longer distances than existing technologies can.
“The NIFC-CA capability pushes out the engagement envelope that these ships have not had previously.  You are pushing the engagement envelope beyond the radar horizon,” said Jim Sheridan, director of Aegis U.S. Navy programs at Lockheed Martin.  “There’s an airborne sensor that’s involved. Once the missile leaves the ship you are actually firing it at something that the ship itself cannot see because the engagement takes place beyond the horizon.”
The test is slated for this coming June aboard the USS John Paul Jones, DDG 53. The first test firing, which involved a successful demonstration of the defensive technology, took place last August aboard a Navy cruiser — the USS Chancellorsville, CG62.
“This is the next step in the testing. Previously it was tested from a cruiser configuration and now we’re testing it in a destroyer configuration. Some of the parameters of the target and the flight profile are a little different. Let’s just characterize it as a more stressful test than the one on board the USS Chancellorsville,” Sheridan added.
The SM6 interceptor missile uses an active seeker to zero in on an approaching target at distances greater than a ship’s on-board sensors can detect.  Sheridan said the SM6 used for NIFC-CA leverages technology similar to the active guidance system engineered into an air-to-air beyond visual range missile, the AIM-120 Advanced-Air-to-Air Medium Range Missile.
“NIFC-CA employs ships and aircraft to consummate missile engagements beyond the radar horizon. This execution is operational rocket science. Those who master it will be identified as the best and brightest,”  said Capt. Jim Kilby, deputy for ballistic missile defense Aegis combat systems and destroyers, surface warfare directorate, N96, according to a blog post.
The NIFCA-CA is slated to deploy with Navy forces in 2015 as part of the Teddy Roosevelt battle group, so this cruise missile defense technology will be protecting the fleet pretty soon.
NIFC-CA is part of the Navy’s upgraded Aegis ballistic missile defense system called Baseline 9 which is being engineered into ships now under construction such as DDG 113 through DDG 118, Sheridan said.
Baseline 9 uses a common source code for a variety of applications so as to be able to tailor in functions and applications as needed, he added.
Much of the discussion regarding the Pentagon’s pacific rebalance hinges forward presence and developing technologies able to overcome Anti-Access/Area-Denial threats such as long-range, guided anti-ship cruise missiles designed to prevent ships such as carrier groups from entering closer to the coastline.
Many analysts have said that Chinese and North Korean cruise missile technology, for example, is advancing rapidly and being designed to deny potential adversaries access at much farther distances off their shores.
In particular, a 2013 ballistic and cruise missile threat assessment from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center identified a host of particular threats and systems in the pacific region.
The report cites numerous Chinese weapon s such as new conventionally armed medium range ballistic missiles called CSS-5 MRBMs. The report also says that both China and North Korea continue to develop and deploy large numbers of conventionally armed short and medium-range ballistic missiles.
NIFC-CA presents the Navy with a new technological tool to address these threats, potentially changing the equation regarding where and how ships will be able to operate.
“North Korea is doing a lot to challenge ships but we pride ourselves on staying ahead of that,” Sheridan said.


 http://defensetech.org/2014/04/26/navy-tests-its-over-the-horizon-cruise-missile-defense-system/#ixzz30H6R9L7R

Citation :

EB signs deal with Navy for 10 Virginia-class submarines


Groton — Navy officials have signed a $17.6 billion contract with Electric Boat, committing the service to buy the next 10 Virginia-class submarines.

For the Groton shipyard, which has faced a cycle of layoffs and recalls in recent years, the contract represents nearly a decade’s worth of work.

“This award has great significance for the U.S. Navy, our company and the entire submarine industrial base,” Jeffrey S. Geiger, president of Electric Boat, said in a statement. “By continuing to produce two ships per year, the Navy and industry team retains the stability required to achieve increased efficiencies, providing the fleet with the submarines it needs to sustain the nation’s undersea dominance.”

After months of negotiations, the Navy and EB signed the contract for the construction of 10 Virginia-class submarines Monday night. Under the five-year agreement, EB’s Groton shipyard and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, the subcontractor, will jointly build two ships per year from fiscal 2014 to 2018.

A previous budget proposal had capped the purchase of Virginia-class submarines at nine, but Congress then directed the military to include 10 submarines in its next multi-year contract and said the Navy could pay for the parts and services for the submarines over a set number of years instead of having to fund the ships fully upfront.

The group of submarines is collectively known as Block IV and construction of the first in the block, SSN 792, begins May 1. The 10th ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2023.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney,
D-2nd District, said the contract provides not only a stable horizon for the submarine manufacturer, but also for the hundreds of suppliers of submarine parts in the state. There are more than 350 submarine suppliers in Connecticut, of which more than one-third are located in eastern Connecticut.

“This is a real milestone moment for southeastern Connecticut’s economy and for the country’s national defense,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the contract is a “huge, historic win for our national security and for the dedicated men and women who make the strongest and stealthiest weapons system at sea today.”

“The Navy’s decision is the result of an extraordinary record of deliveries ahead of time and under budget, as well as the performance of these submarines under adverse conditions when the challenges are highest,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to continuing the battle to make sure the nation recognizes the importance of these submarines to our national security because fiscal austerity will be with us for some time.”

Scott Bates, president of The Center for National Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, called it a “banner day.”

“For America, this is a strong statement that we will retain naval supremacy in the Pacific, providing security and stability to ourselves and our allies,” he said. “For our region, this guarantees we preserve our industrial base for years to come.”

A Stonington native whose father worked at EB, Bates said he “couldn’t be more proud of the Navy’s decision to recognize that we build the best.”

EB and Newport News Shipbuilding have delivered 10 Virginia-class submarines to the Navy so far and eight more are currently under construction, out of a planned 30-ship class. The previous $14 billion contract for eight submarines was signed in 2008.

EB currently employs about 12,000 people, and the Virginia-class submarines are initially based at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton. New Virginia-class submarines cost about $2.6 billion each.

“This contract reflects the tremendous talent of our highly skilled workforce,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. “The men and women of Electric Boat continue to deliver each Virginia class boat ahead of schedule and under budget and are routinely held up as the model of efficiency and quality in a major DOD acquisition program.”

Courtney, a staunch advocate of the Virginia-class program, said he thinks the contract would have been signed earlier if the government had not shut down in October and the automatic budget cuts under sequestration had not been enacted.

But to have the contract signed in this budget climate, Courtney said, is “a very powerful validation of the work that people do at EB.”

http://www.theday.com

Citation :

Nimitz sets sail for flight deck qualification

EVERETT, Wash. (NNS) — The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) got underway April 28 for the first time since returning from a nine-month deployment in December 2013.

Nimitz set sail for a routine flight deck certification. Completing flight deck certification is essential in preserving the ship’s warfighting capabilities.

“We are excited to get back to sea,” said Capt. Jeff Ruth, commanding officer of Nimitz. “The crew has worked hard to maintain the ship since we returned from deployment. We are motivated to get back out and make sure our ability to launch and recover aircraft safely continues to exceed Navy standards.”

The Nimitz has gained more than 400 new crew members since returning from deployment in December, said Ruth. It is important that new personnel receive the proper training and qualifications to ensure the ship continues to be mission ready.

Being underway allows Sailors more time for hands-on training, practicing drills and a chance to study to advance in their personal and professional qualifications.

“I’m hoping to get more of my guys warfare qualified,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Dementrain Chew. “I would really like to see them get their pins and qualification. I really hope they get the opportunity to do that.”

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com