US Navy

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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)

Citation :

Stennis ready to go after completing sea trials

BREMERTON — USS John C. Stennis became fully certified for operations after completing a six-day sea trial and returning home Monday to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton.

During sea trials, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier tested its equipment and emergency protocols, performed high-power turns, ran damage-control drills and acclimated new crew members to life at sea.

The trials were the last phase of a 16-month, $240 million maintenance period, called a docking planned incremental availability, that included 10 months in dry dock.

While at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, the ship received upgrades to its firefighting, navigation, weapons and combat systems. The rudder and propellers were removed and maintained, and a new network system implemented. In total, the project comprised over 92,000 man hours.

“A monumental amount of work has been accomplished since we began ... in June 2013,” said Capt. Michael Wettlaufer, Stennis’ commanding officer. “After 16 months of maintenance, the Stennis and PSNS team is returning this great ship to the fleet.”

In addition to renovations, Stennis organized and applied command-wide training, general knowledge tests and drills for the crew to meet fast cruise and underway deadlines. It was all part of certifying the ship’s crew for sea trials.

In the upcoming months, the carrier’s flight deck will be certified so it can support Carrier Air Wing 9 and other West Coast squadrons, and Stennis will participate in coordinated training with its strike group in group sails off the West Coast. Before deployment, the ship also must carry out an extended training period called “work-ups” and complete a thorough ship inspection and survey evaluation.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.kitsapsun.com

Citation :

Aegis BMD Successful Simultaneous Target Engagement  

Ajoutée le 11 nov. 2014

http://wp.me/p3cRXG-dGG | The US Navy Aegis missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) successfully conducted
a flight test yesterday, November 6, 2014 testing the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system capability to defeat a
synchronized raid by nearly simultaneous attacks of ballistic and cruise missiles. The test included three successful
near-simultaneous target engagements over the Pacific Ocean.

USS George Washington

Citation :

Un sous-marin nucléaire américain bloqué à quai depuis 5 mois pour une « petite » fuite


Par Rédacteur en chef.
Publié le 16 novembre 2014, dernière mise à jour le 16 novembre 2014.


Lorsque le sous-marin nucléaire d’attaque américain Jefferson City a quitté le 9 avril dernier son port-base de San Diego, les 150 membres d’équipage s’attendaient à passer 6 mois de patrouille dans le Pacifique ouest et au-delà. Pourtant, le sous-marin est bloqué depuis la mi-juin à Guam, mis à l’écart par une petite fuite qui s’est révélée difficile à localiser et encore plus dure à réparer.


« Le sous-marin USS Jefferson City a une très petite fuite d’eau sur une vanne située sur un des systèmes du réacteur du sous-marin, » explique le Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, porte-parole de la force sous-marine de la flotte du Pacifique à Pearl Harbor.

« Comme la fuite est très petite, une recherche complète, avec des instruments très sensibles a été nécessaire pour identifier sa localisation, » indique le Cmdr. DeWalt. « Une fois localisée, ils ont eu besoin de temps supplémentaire pour examiner les possibilités de réparation. »

Bien que l’eau provienne des systèmes de réfrigération du réacteur, les risques de radioactivité sont « négligeables », a assuré le Cmdr. DeWalt. « L’eau ne contient que des traces infimes de radioactivité et est récupérée à bord du sous-marin. »

La quantité d’eau récupérée, a-t-il ajouté, est « probablement de quelques litres par jour », et est traitée de la façon habituelle. « Les systèmes du sous-marin sont plus que capables de traiter cette quantité d’eau et de la conserver à bord, » a expliqué le Cmdr. DeWalt.

Le Jefferson City est arrivé à Guam le 21 juin afin de réparer des problèmes d’étanchéité sur les presse-étoupes de ligne d’arbre et des systèmes d’eau de mer auxiliaires, a indiqué DeWalt. Une fuite d’eau de mer était aussi apparente, se manifestant par une condensation accrue. L’équipage pensait au départ qu’il s’agissait d’une fuite sur un tuyau de refroidissement.

L’équipage du Jefferson City ne s’attendait qu’à une courte escale, mais la fuite s’est révélée beaucoup plus difficile à localiser que prévu.

« Trouver la fuite n’a pas été une chose facile, » explique DeWalt. « Il a fallu utiliser des équipements spécialisés très sensibles. Cela a pris beaucoup de temps. »

Au mois de juillet, il est devenu clair que le sous-marin ne pourrait pas accomplir les objectifs opérationnels de la mission. « La mission a été adaptée pour faire face à leurs problèmes de maintenance, » explique DeWalt.

« Après avoir trouvé la fuite, il a fallu décider que faire ensuite : réparer le sous-marin à Guam, à San Diego ou à Pearl Habour. Les moyens et le personnel se trouvaient à Pearl Harbour, sans qu’il y ait besoin de les y envoyer. »

Il était déjà prévu que le Jefferson City entre, à l’été 2015, en période de maintenance lourde pour 22 mois. La Navy a décidé d’avancer la période de réparation et de la combiner avec la réparation de la vanne. Mais la disponibilité des cales sèches a été un problème.

Pour compliquer la situation, le sous-marin devait temporairement changer de port-base administratif pour Pearl Harbor pendant les presque 2 ans de maintenance lourde, afin de permettre aux familles des membres d’équipage de déménager. Tous ces arrangements ont dû être avancés eux aussi.

Les préparatifs sont presque terminés, et le Jefferson City devrait quitter Guam sous peu, arrivant à Pearl Harbour avant la fin novembre.

Référence :
Defense News (Etats-Unis)


http://www.corlobe.tk/spip.php?article36570

Citation :

Le rapport d’enquête sur l’incendie d’un sous-marin américain révèle des manquements à la sécurité


Par Rédacteur en chef.
Publié le 17 novembre 2014, dernière mise à jour le 17 novembre 2014.


Des manquements à la sécurité lors des réparations dans les chantiers navals et l’utilisation de pompiers non-spécialisés dans la lutte contre les incendies à bord de navires, sont des facteurs qui ont aggravé un incendie qui a gravement endommagé un sous-marin nucléaire, conclut une enquête de l’US Navy.


Incendie à bord de l’USS Miami

Les enquêteurs ont aussi découvert que la confusion qui a régné au début de l’incendie, en mai 2012 au chantier naval de Portsmouth, ont fait perdre de précieuses minutes. Alors que l’incendie prenait de l’importance à bord de l’USS Miami, il s’est écoulé 2 heures pendant lesquelles rien n’a été fait pour éteindre les flammes.

Ces conclusions, dont certaines sont contestées par les pompiers, se trouvent dans un rapport de 100 pages sur l’enquête sur l’incendie.

Il a fallu 12 heures et les efforts de plus de 100 pompiers pour éteindre l’incendie à bord de l’USS Miami. Un ouvrier du chantier, qui voulait quitter son travail en avance, a allumé un petit incendie qui s’est rapidement étendu. Bien que le sous-marin ait finalement été sauvé, la Navy a décidé de le démanteler, la facture des réparations atteignant 700 millions $.

L’incendie a gravement endommagé les logements de l’équipage, le central opération et la salle des torpilles. Il n’a pas atteint la partie arrière, où se trouve les réacteur nucléaire. 7 personnes ont été blessées en luttant contre les flammes.

« La force de l’habitude, conséquence du faible nombre d’incendies et du succès relatif des mesures de prévention, » indique le rapport, « a laissé s’installer des manquements à la sécurité. Les responsables partaient du principe que la proximité de moyens nombreux, en particulier de pompiers fédéraux, réduisait la probabilité que l’incendie ne puisse pas être rapidement contenu. Cette réticence organisationnelle à se préparer à un incendie de cette échelle devrait servir de signal d’alerte : des incendies de grande ampleur peuvent survenir et surviennent dans des environnements industriels. »

La Navy a lancé une série d’enquêtes qui ont conduit à des recommandations, dont l’installation de systèmes temporaires de détection incendie lorsque les navires sont réparés ou modernisés. Elle a publié un nouveau manuel de sécurité et de prévention des incendies.

La Navy indique qu’elle a tiré les leçons de l’incendie du Miami et les a transmises à toute la flotte.

« Nous allons continuer à appliquer les meilleurs pratiques de réaction dans les plans d’urgence contre les incendies dans les chantiers navals, » a indiqué jeudi le porte-parole de la Navy, le Lt. Timothy Hawkins.

Un rapport du Fleet Forces Command montre à quel point la situation est devenue grave à bord du sous-marin. A un moment, les responsables ont envisagé d’abandonner la lutte et d’inonder la cale sèche parce qu’il semblait que le sous-marin allait être perdu. Les pompiers ont pourtant continuer de lutter contre la chaleur extrême, dans des compartiments exigus et sans visibilité contre les flammes.

Selon les enquêteurs, les pompiers du chantier naval ne connaissaient pas le plan du sous-marin et il n’était pas nécessaire d’avoir une qualification spécifique pour lutter contre un incendie dans un environnement tel que celui d’un bâtiment de combat ou d’un sous-marin, ni même d’effectuer une simple visite à bord pour se familiariser avec l’intérieur.

Mais Brian Tapley, qui était à l’époque le chef des pompiers du chantier naval, dément que les pompiers aient pu ne pas connaitre le Miami. Les pompiers effectuaient des visites du sous-marin chaque mois, s’entraînaient à dérouler des tuyaux incendie dans tout le sous-marin et n’ont jamais manqué un exercice, a-t-il expliqué.

Tapley dément aussi une affirmation de la Navy, selon qui les pompiers n’auraient pas demandé l’état de la batterie du sous-marin, alors même que combattre un incendie de batterie avec de l’eau peut provoquer une explosion. Le commandant du sous-marin nous avait confirmé que les batteries avaient été débarquées, a-t-il indiqué.

Le rapport remarque que des trous découpés dans la coque épaisse pendant les réparations ont alimenté l’incendie en oxygène, transformant la coque de métal en fournaise.

Même si le rapport s’interroge sur la préparation des pompiers, la Navy reconnait qu’elle est responsable pour ne pas avoir tiré et appliqué les leçons des précédents incendies dans les exercices, et pour ne pas avoir éclairci les rôles respectifs des différentes autorités. A un moment, l’ordre a été donné de renvoyer les pompiers de la  base sous-marine de Groton, qui pourtant savaient parfaitement comment lutter contre ce type d’incendie. Cet ordre a été ensuite annulé.

Le rapport énumère 99 recommandations, presque toutes censurées parce qu’il ne s’agit pas de décisions définitives, explique le Lt Hawkins. La Navy connait en moyenne un incendie de l’ampleur de celui du Miami une fois tous les 5 ans. Sans action corrective, ce rythme continuera, indiquent les enquêteurs.

Ces recommandations concernent les navires en réparation ou modernisation. Le rapport souligne que les navires sont plus vulnérables dans ces périodes, parce que le matériel de lutte contre les incendies est débarqué ou inutilisable. L’équipage est réduit au minimum et il est moins habitué aux équipements temporaires.

Référence :
Central Maine (Etats-Unis)

http://www.corlobe.tk/spip.php?article36561

Citation :

US Navy Deploys Laser Weapons in Persian Gulf: Laser Beams Will Warn And Destroy Hostile Drones and Swarming Boats


To show off its naval power in hostile ocean fronts, the U.S. Navy has developed a brand new weapon to scare away enemy drones and swarming boats. It is going to be a nightmare for pirates too. The Laser Weapon System, or LaWS, is the U.S. Navy's new answer to unmanned drones and pirate boats aiming to attack cargo ships or war ships.


The laser weaponry has been installed on the USS Ponce to be tested across the Persian Gulf, this summer. The programme, now in the prototype phase would be deployed across Navy's fleet by 2017, reported Bloomberg.

Prototype

Naval Sea Command technicians developed the prototype at a cost of about $40 million. Right now, the Ponce crew has the authority to deploy the weapon as it has passed a series of at-sea tests, including static surface targets tests, according to the 5th Fleet spokesman Commander Kevin Stephens. The prototype can focus the light from six solid-state commercial welding lasers on a single spot, according to a July 31 Congressional Research Service report. It "can effectively counter surface and airborne threats including small boats and drones", Miller said.

The USS Ponce, as an armed transport ship, has been patrolling with this prototype 30-kilowatt-class Laser Weapon System for more than four months. The laser allows to be fired in several modes and a dazzling warning flash or destructive beam can set ablaze drones or swarming small boats.

Says Vice Admiral John Miller, the 5th Fleet commander, the Ponce "is a unique platform to deploy the new capability in an operationally relevant region." The ship is the 5th Fleet's main command and control as the staging base for operations. It works like a floating helicopter pad capable of transporting marines and equipment for amphibious assaults.

The Naval Technology.com gives an accurate account of the new system. "The system comprises a single laser weapon control console manned by a surface warfare weapons officer on board. It can operate all functions of the laser. Using a video-game-like controller, the sailor can manage the laser's power to accomplish a range of effects against a threat, from disabling to complete destruction", reported Quartz.

Iranian Threat

Since 2011, the U.S. Navy has been trying to boost its presence in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, where one fifth of the world's traded oil flows. Cases of naval mines and swarming small vessels by Iran targeting ships, have been quite common.

However, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations said the laser has not been designed or deployed to counter Iran's arsenal of small armed vessels. "It is not targeting any country", the commander said. Greenert said more perfection is going to come over in the months to come. He said, "we still have some work to do on the technology side in making it compatible in heat, humidity, dust and at sea. It's got to roll, move around and I have to take it out and get it wet, and the Arabian Gulf's a pretty tough environment."

http://au.ibtimes.com

Citation :

F-35C completes initial sea trials




SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter completed its first phase of developmental test (DT) aboard an aircraft carrier Nov. 14, three days ahead of schedule aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

During the DT-I event, F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) the F-35 Lightning II Integrated Test Force (ITF) from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland, tested the carrier suitability of the aircraft and its integration with carrier air and deck operations in the at-sea environment, achieving 100 percent of the threshold test points.

The aircraft demonstrated exceptional performance throughout its initial sea trails, accelerating the team's progress through the DT-I schedule and enabling them to conduct night operations - a milestone typically achieved during the second at-sea phase of developmental tests, as evidenced by the test schedules of the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

"We had such confidence in how the plane is flying that we lowered the weather minimums to what the fleet is actually using, knowing that when I lower my hook and come into the groove I'm going to trap," said Lt. Cmdr. Ted Dyckman, Navy test pilot. "That says a lot for the airplane. So, when it came time for night traps, we said the plane is ready and we launched it. It flew very well behind the ship. Even on the darkest night - pretty much as dark as you can get behind the boat. Two hook-down passes and two traps and that says it all right there. It's unheard of to conduct night ops on the first det."

"The engineers responsible for the aircraft's control laws at Pax (Patuxent) River and Fort Worth have done a phenomenal job designing a carefree aircraft from the pilot's perspective," said Cmdr. Tony Wilson, DT I Team Lead."The F-35C's performance on the ball was revolutionary, providing carefree handling on approach. The Integrated Direct Lift Control (IDLC) allows ball control like no other aircraft.

"The control schemes of the F-35C provide a tool for the below average ball flyer to compete for top hook," he added. "And, Delta Flight Path is an innovative leap in aircraft flight controls - this command enables the F-35 to capture and maintain a glideslope, greatly reducing pilot workload, increasing safety margins during carrier approaches and reducing touchdown dispersion."

The cadre of DT-I test pilots logged a total of 39.2 flight hours as they conducted 33 flights featuring 124 catapults, 222 touch-and-go landings, and 124 arrestments. There were zero unintentional hook-down bolters, or missed attempts to catch an arresting wire on the flight deck. (Two hook-down, intentional bolters were conducted as part of the DT-I test plan.)

Successful carrier landings of the F-35C also point to an effective re-design of the once-troubled tailhook. Initial testing shore-based testing pointed toward tailhook design issues and the Atlantic Test Range (ATR) at NAS Patuxent River captured critical measurement data with their precision photogrammetric technology and modeling capabilities. The re-design collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Fokker Technologies of the Netherlands - with insight and participation by Navy airworthiness engineers - has yielded a preponderance of three-wire landings during DT-I and firmly established the success of the redesign.

The goal of DT-I, the first of three at-sea test phases planned for the F-35C, was to collect environmental data through added instrumentation to measure the F-35C's integration to flight deck operations and to further define the F-35C's operating parameters aboard the aircraft carrier. A thorough assessment of how well the F-35C operated in the shipboard environment will advise the Navy of any adjustments necessary to ensure that the fifth-generation fighter is fully capable and ready to deploy to the fleet in 2018.

http://hanfordsentinel.com

Au large des côtes de la partie Sud du Japon (19 novembre 2014), les bateaux de la marine des forces d'autodéfense du Japon et de la MARINE des états-UNIS au cours de l'exercice "Une épée aiguë 15"

Citation :

Raytheon successfully tests US Navy's next-gen radar jammer


Raytheon has successfully tested the US Navy’s next-generation jammer (NGJ) pod against simulated enemy radar threats over a naval base in California.

The flight test was the first time the pod has flown as part of an “end to end, integrated electronic attack system” including an active electronically scanned array (AESA), a digital, open-architecture, scalable receiver and techniques generator. It was mounted to the belly of a Gulfstream GIII business jet for the tests performed at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.

NGJ is an effort to replace the analog ALQ-99 tactical jamming system carried by the Boeing E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft with a digital electronically scanned radar jammer.

"Eight months after award of the NGJ program we successfully flew the integrated prototype system against representative threat radars," Travis Slocumb, vice-president of electronic warfare systems at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, says in a statement.

"This demonstrates the capability and readiness of the core enabling technologies for the next generation of EW systems, and we did it on our first flight."

Raytheon is the sole participant in the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the NGJ competition.

The October test was designed to reduce risk associated with that phase of the programme, Raytheon says. The system had previously been tested in a laboratory setting, but this flight test was the first time it was flown aboard an aircraft and powered by the air stream captured by intakes on either side of the jamming pod.

A team of Raytheon engineers collected data during the flight confirming that the system can jam and disrupt simulated enemy air defense radar, the company says. Which enemy radar bands were disrupted is not known, but the Navy has for years expressed the need for an upgraded mid-band jammer, which is what a large number of existing threats use.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Two Navy supply ships collide in Gulf of Aden, no injuries


MANAMA, Bahrain — Two U.S. navy supply ships collided in the Gulf of Aden early Thursday, apparently suffering only minor damage, the U.S. Navy said in a release. No one was injured.

The USNS Amelia Earhart and USNS Walter S. Diehl were beginning a replenishment operation, when the collision occurred at 5:26 a.m. Both ships are continuing their assigned missions, the Navy said.

The Earhart is a dry cargo and ammunition supply ship, and the Diehl is a replenishment oiler. Both ships are tasked with resupplying U.S. Navy warships at sea that are operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

The 5th Fleet encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water around the Middle East region, including the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.

The cause of the collision will be investigated.

http://www.stripes.com

Citation :

East Asian waters to be US aircraft carrier-free for a time

TETSURO KOSAKA, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- Defense policymakers in Japan and the U.S. are privately voicing concern about the total absence of U.S. aircraft carriers from East Asian waters for four months next year.


Budget constraints at home, combined with the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East, are limiting the American fleet's ability to operate in Asia. Temporarily at least, not a single aircraft carrier will be deployed in East Asia.

Japanese and U.S. officials fear having no U.S. carriers, which have long been the bedrock of the region's stability, could tempt North Korea and China to take advantage of the power vacuum to initiate a military adventure.

The USS George Washington, the only U.S. aircraft carrier with an overseas home port, is to leave its base for nuclear refueling and an overhaul. Until the USS Ronald Reagan arrives at the Japanese port of Yokosuka, located at the mouth of Tokyo Bay, to replace the ship, there will be no American carriers in East Asia, according to persons familiar with the matter.

The U.S. Navy has not disclosed details on the rotation, but the Ronald Reagan is expected to arrive sometime between the spring and autumn of 2015.

Who rules the waves?

A typical aircraft carrier can accommodate more than 50 fighter jets and about 15 helicopters. Carriers can quickly move to trouble spots and project air power. They are essentially mobile air bases that can establish air supremacy wherever they sail.

The U.S. Navy routinely deploys carriers to East Asia and the Persian Gulf to keep potential adversaries such as China, North Korea and Iran in line. For its part, China is working aggressively to build a fleet of aircraft carriers to enhance its naval air-defense capabilities in the South China Sea.

The U.S. has 10 carriers in service, but its military campaign against the Islamic State group, launched in August, is putting additional strains on the fleet.

The U.S. used to deploy two carriers to the Middle East, but budgetary constraints forced it to reduce the number to one around 2013. Some policymakers in the administration of President Barack Obama want a return to a two-carrier operation as the battle against Islamic State fighters continues.

Aircraft carriers for Japan?

The four-month absence of the big U.S. ships could prompt Japan to start developing its own fleet of aircraft carriers.

It would not have to build the vessels from scratch. Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force already has two helicopter carriers, the Hyuga and the Ise. The much larger Izumo is due to be completed soon. If these ships were converted to carry F-35B short-takeoff, vertical-landing fighters and escorted by Aegis-equipped destroyers, Japan would have a full-fledged convoy of aircraft carriers.

If fighting broke out between Japan and China in the waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force fighters would have to be deployed from bases in Okinawa or Kyushu. The long flights from these bases would limit the amount of time they could operate in the area. A Japanese fleet of carriers, on the other hand, could bring fighters near the islands, which are known as Diaoyu in China.

From the end of World War II through the Cold War, U.S. policy was to keep Japan dependent on its military power. But the growing fiscal squeeze and frequent conflicts around the world have led to new priorities. Washington is now making it clear that it wants its allies to be able to deal with strategic challenges close to home on their own.

Australia is moving in this direction. The idea of turning its two Canberra-class amphibious assault ships into aircraft carriers by equipping them with F-35B fighters has been floated in the country. It appears any move in this direction would be designed to secure independent defense capabilities against emergencies when no U.S. carriers are deployed in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Washington's planned four-month break from carrier duty in East Asia may be aimed at nudging Tokyo into building its own fleet of carriers, nearly 70 years after the U.S. effectively assumed responsibility for Japan's naval air defense and combat.

http://asia.nikkei.com

Citation :

Navy Gets First Upgraded Fire Scout Unmanned Copter



Northrop Grumman Corp.‘s division in Rancho Bernardo has delivered the first operational MQ-8C Fire Scout, an upgraded unmanned helicopter for use off Navy ships.

The MQ-8C is an upgraded version of the existing MQ-8B Fire Scout using a larger airframe. It can fly nearly twice as long and carry three times more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads.

The earlier version of the craft was deployed for the first time last month about the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth, which is based in San Diego.

Northrop Grumman is under contract to build 19 MQ-8C Fire Scouts, including two test aircraft. The Navy plans to purchase 70 aircraft total.

http://timesofsandiego.com

Citation :

Infrared Search and Track for US Navy Super Hornets to enter Low-Rate Initial Production

The Navy’s infrared search and track (IRST) system received Milestone C acquisition approval Dec. 2, authorizing low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the sensor pod. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are developing and integrating IRST, an essential upgrade to the combat capability of the U.S. Navy’s Super Hornets.

The Navy’s infrared search and track (IRST) system received Milestone C acquisition approval Dec. 2, authorizing low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the sensor pod. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are developing and integrating IRST, an essential upgrade to the combat capability of the U.S. Navy’s Super Hornets.
The crew of the F/A-18 Super Hornet carrying the Navy’s Infrared Search and Track (IRST), a long-wave infrared sensor system that searches for and detects heat sources within its field of regard, inspects the aircraft Feb. 11 before the maiden flight with the pod at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

Approved by Vice Admiral Paul Grosklags, Principal Military Deputy for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), LRIP authorization provides the Navy’s IRST program with the six pods needed to achieve future initial operational capability (IOC). IOC is a key procurement milestone achieved when a military system or product meets operational capabilities before proceeding to full operational capability.

The IRST system, managed by Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) F/A-18 & EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265), is a long-wave infrared sensor pod that searches for, identifies and tracks heat sources at extended ranges. The IRST pod is a passive system that does not emit radiation, thereby hindering the enemy’s ability to detect the system.

“Integrating the infrared pod onto the Super Hornet revolutionizes how we fight on a networked battlefield,” said Capt. Frank Morley, PMA-265 program manager. “IRST advances the Super Hornet’s role in air-to-air combat operations, keeping us ahead of our adversaries in an evolving threat environment.”

The pod allows simultaneous tracking of multiple targets under normal and electronic attack warfare conditions. The sensor pod is mounted within the Super Hornet’s centerline fuel tank, requiring no modifications to the aircraft’s airframe.

The IRST system completed its first flight aboard an F/A-18F Super Hornet in February 2014.

Following the Milestone C decision, performance and aeromechanical flight testing will continue to determine the IRST capability’s limits within aircraft constraints and to ensure operational stability and safety. These are critical steps toward attaining IOC, expected later this decade, Morley said.

“The team worked hard to reach the milestone despite budgetary challenges during the manufacturing development and engineering phases of the IRST system,” said Michele Moran, PMA-265 Electro-Optics/Infra-Red integrated product team lead.

“Like many programs across the Navy, budget cuts presented significant financial uncertainties, and the IRST program was not impervious to these cuts,” Moran said. “Our team was able to completely restructure the program, overcome the budget constraints and press forward with Milestone C.”

PMA-265 will now transition into the limited production and introduction phases of the next-generation capability with the support of industry partners, Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

In addition to the IRST system, next-generation capabilities incorporated in the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Flight Plan include advanced fused sensors, Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, counter electronic attack, Distributed Targeting System, multi-sensor integration, anti-surface warfare, IP-based linked networks and advanced air-to-ground and air-to-air precision weapons operating on an open architecture.

http://www.navyrecognition.com

Citation :

US Navy Laser Weapon System (LaWS) Live Firing Onboard USS Ponce AFSB(I)-15 Office Of Naval Research

Ajoutée le 10 déc. 2014

The U.S. Navy has deployed the LaWS Laser Weapon System prototype for operational testing on board the
USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15, interim Afloat Forward Staging Base) in the Persian Gulf. The at-sea demonstration
onboard USS Ponce is part of a wider portfolio of near-term U.S. Navy directed energy programs that promise
rapid fielding, demonstration and prototyping efforts for shipboard, airborne and ground systems.  

Citation :

Raytheon awarded $26 million US Navy contract for Tomahawk launching system

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) received a $25.9 million U.S. Navy contract for Tomahawk missile Composite Capsule Launching Systems (C/CLS). Production and delivery of the systems will support submarine-launched Tomahawk Cruise missiles.

"Submarine and surface-launched Tomahawk missiles have been employed in more than 2,000 combat missions worldwide," said Roy Donelson, Raytheon Tomahawk senior program director. "Raytheon and the U.S. Navy are working together to give this proven missile even greater capability."

The new launching systems will be integrated into nuclear powered fast attack submarines and nuclear powered guided missile subs. The C/CLS provides for all mechanical and environmental interfaces between the missile and the submarine missile tube. Deliveries will begin in September 2015.

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com

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La marine américaine teste un drone-poisson

le 15/12/2014

C’est un peu le petit frère du sous-marin requin du professeur Tournesol dans Le trésor de Rackham le Rouge. Mais lui n’existe pas que sur le papier. Il navigue. Mieux, il nage !

C’est la dernière trouvaille de l’US Navy. La marine américaine vient de tester sur sa base de Virginia Beach un prototype de drone sous-marin furtif se déplaçant comme un poisson. Plus précisément, ce drone imite l’un des poissons les plus rapides et les plus manœuvrants qui soient : le thon rouge.

Le Ghostswimmer  (« nageur fantôme »)  mesure environ 1,50 mètre de long et pèse 45 kg. Il peut opérer dans des profondeurs d’eau allant de 25 centimètres à 90 mètres. « Il nage comme le fait un poisson en faisant onduler sa queue vers l’avant et l’arrière », indique Michael Rufo, directeur de l’équipe du Boston Engineering qui a conçu l’engin.

Plus flexibles d'emploi

Le programme a démarré en 2008. Le besoin exprimé par l’US Navy était de disposer de drones plus flexibles d’emploi, plus agiles et moins gourmands en énergie. Les chercheurs ont travaillé à partir d’un thon rouge de l’Atlantique d’un mètre de long, pêché au large du Massachusetts. Ce spécimen a été scanné en laboratoire. Ses caractéristiques ont été reproduites à l’aide d’un logiciel de conception assistée par ordinateur (CAO).

Le robot conserve le profil hydrodynamique du thon. Des muscles artificiels actionnent les différentes nageoires. Cette technologie de thon robotique permet au drone d’être efficace à différentes vitesses, contrairement aux drones sous-marins munis d’un système de propulsion classique, généralement optimisé pour une seule vitesse.

Ce bio mimétisme doit permettre de mener en toute discrétion des missions de renseignement, de surveillance et de reconnaissance (ISR). Ce type de drone pourrait aussi servir à l’inspection des coques avec l’avantage d’être plus silencieux que les robots sous-marins actuels mus par une hélice. Autre emploi possible, la détection des mines dans des environnements complexes comme les ports.



http://www.lemarin.fr/secteurs-activites/defense/20423-la-marine-americaine-teste-un-drone-poisson

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Rheinmetall to supply USMC and US Navy with advanced infantry and screening smoke munitions

Rheinmetall has won a multimillion-dollar ammunition contract from the US armed forces. The Department of the Navy recently announced the award of three framework contracts worth a total of $127.8 million (€95.7 million) to American Rheinmetall Munitions, Inc. (ARM) – a wholly owned US subsidiary of Germany’s Rheinmetall Defence AG – for advanced infantry and screening smoke munitions.

The three framework contracts, one for the M1110 40 x 46mm day/night training cartridge and two for 66mm vehicle-launched screening smoke grenades, are all five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts running through FY 2019. In June 2014 ARM received delivery orders under these frame contracts totalling $26.2 million (€19.1 million). An additional $6.8 million (€5.0 million) in sales volume relates to a recent order for 66mm screening smoke munitions. As a result, the current volume of incoming orders under these framework contracts now comes to $33.0 million (€24.2 million). Future ammunition purchases will also be booked as incoming orders in the respective fiscal year. The 40mm ammunition ordered by the US military will be produced at the American Rheinmetall Munitions plant in Camden, Arkansas, with the first deliveries scheduled to take place in mid FY 2015. Production of the 66mm grenades ordered by both the USMC and the US Navy will take place at the Rheinmetall factory in Neuenburg, Germany.

Advanced infantry training with the M1110 40 x 46mm day/night cartridge
Advanced infantry training with the M1110 40 x 46mm day/night cartridge

The M1110 is the world's first 40 x 46mm low-velocity (LV) cartridge specially designed to enable infantry forces to conduct live fire training at night. The projectile of the M1110 contains two distinct chemiluminescent marking agents made by Cyalume Technologies which together are able to mark the impact point of the fired projectile with a signature that is visible at day and at night, either with the naked eye or night vision devices. It thus eliminates the need for high explosive rounds in order to observe the impact point. This low-cost, night marking capability was developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC), and allows Marine infantry units to train during all weather and all range conditions, since the non-toxic, environmentally safe marking payloads of the M1110 contain no energetic or flammable materials that could create an unexploded ordnance hazard or a range fire.

The M1110 has already been qualified for US military service by the Marine Corps and will be manufactured using only American parts and American labour.

Enhanced screening and obscuration with the 66mm smoke grenade
Enhanced screening and obscuration with the 66mm smoke grenade

Rheinmetall's family of 66mm smoke grenades are the world's most advanced screening and obscuration munition for vehicle protection. Already in service with militaries all over the world, including the US (as the MK 1 MOD 0), the UK (as the L82A1) and a number of other NATO countries (as the 66mm MASKE), the Rheinmetall 66mm vehicle-launched smoke grenade uses an innovative and proprietary composition of red phosphorus (RP) to provide effective and long-lasting screening effects in both the visual and infrared bands. The Rheinmetall 66mm vehicle-launched grenade produces a visible and infrared smokescreen that protects combat vehicles from observation and subsequent targeting by laser illuminators, targeting devices and rangefinders. Consequently, the probability of damage or loss due to hostile action is decreased, as sensor-guided weapons – particularly anti-tank guided missiles – are rendered less effective against any combat vehicle protected by the smokescreen produced by the Rheinmetall 66mm grenade.

The US government has awarded two contracts to ARM for Rheinmetall 66mm smoke grenades. For the first award, the USMC will be ordering additional quantities of the MK 1 MOD 0 version of the 66mm grenade, a grenade that is already qualified and in-service with the Marines.

The second contract was awarded by the Department of the Navy, and will encompass work on a new version of the MK 1 66mm grenade specifically designed to be deployed and function over water. This new version of the grenade uses a slightly modified MK 1 design that carries an RP formula optimized for screening small boats operating in “brown water” and littoral environments.
The second contract was awarded by the Department of the Navy, and will encompass work on a new version of the MK 1 66mm grenade specifically designed to be deployed and function over water. This new version of the grenade uses a slightly modified MK 1 design that carries an RP formula optimized for screening small boats operating in “brown water” and littoral environments.

http://www.navyrecognition.com/

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US Navy MQ 8B Fire Scout UAS on board U S Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Bertholf WMSL 750  

Ajoutée le 16 déc. 2014

The U.S. Navy completed an MQ-8B Fire Scout demonstration aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Bertholf
(WMSL 750) on Dec. 12 as part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing efforts to assess the potential for future unmanned
air system (UAS) operations from the 418-foot National Security Cutter class.
 

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Navy Awards Contract to Boeing for Upgrade of P-8A’s Weapons and Sensors

By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Boeing Co. has been awarded a $67.8 million contract modification to integrate high-altitude sensor and weapon capabilities into the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

Under the Naval Air Systems Command contract, Boeing will integrate the High-Altitude Antisubmarine Weapon Capability (HAAWC) and a Link 16 data link capability for network-enable weapons into the P-8A.

Although the P-8A is capable of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) at low altitudes, the Navy is integrating the new capabilities to enable it to conduct acoustic search and tracking and launch torpedoes from high altitudes upon achieving attack criteria.

The HAAWC program involves fitting a wing and a guidance kit to a Mk54 torpedo, enabling it to glide to a target, jettison its wings and activate its sonar upon water entry. The Link 16 capability would enable the crew to update the target information in mid-flight of the HAAWC. Boeing, as a builder of the Joint Direct-Attack Munition, has extensive experience in developing wing and guidance kits for precision aerial weapons.

Currently, the P-8A deploys sonobuoys for acoustic search and can do so from high altitudes, but the Navy plans to improve that capability with sonobuoy modifications that can extend the range and speed of deployment.

http://www.seapowermagazine.org

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GDEB Awarded $36 Million for Development of Advanced Submarine Technologies

General Dynamics Electric Boat has been awarded a $36.5 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to develop advanced submarine technologies for current and future undersea platforms. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.

General Dynamics Electric Boat has been awarded a $36.5 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to develop advanced submarine technologies for current and future undersea platforms. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.
Artist Impression of a Virginia class submarine under water
(picture: US Navy)

Under the terms of the modification, Electric Boat will perform advanced submarine research and development studies in support of a wide range of technology areas including manufacturability, maintainability, survivability, hydrodynamics, acoustics and materials. Electric Boat also will conduct research and development work in additional areas including affordability, manning, hull integrity, performance, ship control, logistics, weapons handling and safety. Additionally, the contract supports near-term Virginia-class technology insertion, future submarine concepts and core technologies.

Initially awarded in November 2010, the contract has a potential value of $710.6 million over a total of five years if all options are exercised and funded.

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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Koweït: 3 blessés dans le crash d'un hélicoptère militaire américain


Dubaï, 22 déc 2014 (AFP) -

Un hélicoptère de la marine américaine s'est écrasé lors d'une mission d'entraînement au Koweït, faisant trois blessés légers, a annoncé lundi la Ve flotte américaine dans un communiqué.

L'hélicoptère MH-60S s'est écrasé dimanche matin lors d'un vol de formation au camp Buehring, selon le communiqué.

"Les six membres d'équipage à bord ont survécu au crash et ont été évacués vers un centre médical proche. Trois des six membres ont été légèrement blessés et ont reçu des soins avant d'être autorisés à quitter" le centre médical, a précisé la marine américaine.

Le crash n'a pas été provoqué par une action hostile et une enquête est en cours, selon le communiqué.

Le Koweït accueille quelque 15.000 militaires américains alors que les Etats-Unis dirigent une coalition internationale, en guerre contre les jihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) en Syrie et en Irak.

Au total, environ 35.000 militaires américains sont présents au Moyen-Orient, sans compter les 3.100 conseillers militaires en cours de déploiement en Irak dans le cadre la lutte contre l'EI.

http://www.marine-oceans.com/actualites-afp/9414-koweit-3-blesses-dans-le-crash-dun-helicoptere-militaire-american

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Navy considers upgrading AV-8B jump jet with small-form-factor Link 16 MIDS terminals


RIDGECREST, Calif., 22 Dec. 2014. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jump jet has provided a substantial avionics engineering challenge since the aircraft entered service in 1985. The small aircraft's tight spaces can make avionics upgrades difficult.

One recent challenge has been equipping the AV-8B with U.S. military Link 16 tactical data exchange networking capability. The aircraft simply doesn't have the room onboard to install Link 16 Multifunction Information Distribution System (MIDS) terminals ... that is, until now.

Navy avionics experts have acknowledged that electronics miniaturization has yielded promising small-form-factor Link 16 terminal products, and it's time to find out any of them is suitable for the venerable AV-8B vertical- and short-takeoff jet fighter-bomber.

http://www.intelligent-aerospace.com

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USS Nimitz coming to Bremerton on Tuesday



BREMERTON — The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will arrive Tuesday at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton for a 16-month planned maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

Nimitz's homeport will be shifted from Naval Station Everett to Bremerton during the stay so the ship's crew can move their families here.

Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent sees advantages to the shift for the families and city.

"They're actually going to be here for two years instead of Everett, and I'm liking that, for our schools and for our community," she said.

The mayor has connections to the Nimitz. She once made an arrested landing in a C-2 Greyhound cargo plane in the Pacific and was catapulted back off. When she was a county commissioner, she and her peers were helicoptered to the Nimitz in a snowstorm as the ship neared Puget Sound.

General Dynamics NASSCO, which won a five-year contract last summer for non-nuclear carrier work in Bremerton, will perform tasks to include mechanical, electrical and structural work all around the ship, sewage piping and life rafts. Shipyard workers are responsible for nuclear jobs. The ship's crew also will pitch in. The carrier was originally scheduled for dry dock work, but that has been delayed.

Kevin Terry, General Dynamics program manager, said the company is all set up, awaiting authorization from the government to get started next month.

"We're going to execute flawlessly and be the best prime contractor we can be," he said. "We're very excited for the Nimitz's arrival."

It's not unusual for two aircraft carriers to be in Bremerton at the same time, though it hasn't happened since the USS Ronald Reagan returned March 21, 2013, to San Diego after 14 months of work. The USS John C. Stennis came home to Bremerton from deployment March 3, 2013.

For a few days in March 2012, the Stennis, Nimitz and Reagan were here. Reagan was in dry dock and Stennis and Nimitz shared Pier D. The crowd caused several problems, particularly parking.

http://www.kitsapsun.com