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Sujet: Re: US Navy Mar 29 Déc 2020 - 12:23
JOSEPH TREVITHICK - The Drive a écrit:
Snakehead Will Be The Largest Underwater Drone That U.S. Nuclear Submarines Can Deploy
Snakehead was designed to fit inside existing dry dock shelters that attach to the back of Navy submarines and are typically used by Navy SEALs.
The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans to expand its unmanned undersea vehicle capabilities with the acquisition of a new large-displacement design as part of its Snakehead program. The service wants these drones, which its nuclear-powered submarines will be able to launch and recover underwater, to initially be able to scout ahead or monitor certain areas, as well as perform other intelligence-gathering missions. It has plans to use them in other roles, including as electronic warfare platforms, in the future, as well.
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) announced that it had issued the final request for proposals (RFP) for Snakehead's Phase 2 on Dec. 23, 2020. The actual RFP is only available, at present, to companies bidding for the contract to build these large-displacement unmanned undersea vehicles (LDUUV). The Navy plans to pick a winning offer before the end of the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, 2021.
An artist's conception of a Snakehead large-displacement unmanned undersea vehicle (LDUUV).
"Snakehead is a long-endurance, multi-mission UUV, deployed from submarine large open interfaces, with the capability to deploy reconfigurable payloads," an official Navy press release regarding the RFP said. "It is the largest UUV intended for hosting and deployment from submarines."
"Initial vehicles will be designed to support Intelligence Preparation of the Operating Environment (IPOE) missions," it continued. "Future vehicle missions may include deployment of various payloads."
IPOE, in layman's terms, is a mission set that involves collecting information about a particular area or objective ahead of an operation, to help with planning. UUVs used in this role typically have a mixture of sensors, including side-scan sonars and bathymetric sensors, to create detailed maps of the seabed and otherwise identify potential hazards or other objects of interest.
The video below shows the kind of imagery that be produced using side-scan sonar.
For submarines, this information is critical for being able to safely ingress and egress from a designated area, especially a denied or otherwise sensitive one, safely and with the lowest chance of detection. If the objective itself is underwater, such as a sunken object or undersea cable, a Snakehead could also help confirm its general location and the presence of any hostile forces in the area, all without its host boat having to perform this kind of reconnaissance directly, which could put it at increased risk.
What obstacles might exist under waves would be valuable details to pass along to teams of special operators, which the submarine in question might be carrying itself, as they prepare to carry out various missions. This could include raids, either in the water, such as blowing up ships in a port using munitions such as limpet mines, or ashore. An IPOE mission could also be in support of a larger-scale amphibious operation.
The Navy has said in the past that Snakehead should be able to carry out more general intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, as well. IPOE and general ISR were the mission sets that the service said it planned to explore using the initial Phase 1 Snakehead design, which it previously expected to have in the water by 2019. At the time of writing, the first Phase 1 Snakehead is still under construction and is not expected to be delivered until sometime next year.
Details about this initial Snakehead UUV are extremely limited and it is unclear what companies exactly are involved in building it. In 2019, Advanced Technology International did announce that it had awarded a contract to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems to develop a Lithium-ion Fault Tolerant (LiFT) battery for the Phase 1 Snakehead. The goal was for the LiFT battery to provide improved safety and reliability, while also offering sufficient power to support longer-endurance missions.
A General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems LiFT battery.
In the meantime, the Navy's Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Squadron One (UUVRON-1), the service's first dedicated underwater drone squadron, which it activated in 2017, has been using two earlier LDUUVs that the service previously acquired from the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Pennsylvania State University. The first these was the 28-and-a-half-foot-long, 10,800-pound Sea Horse, the development of which began in 1999 and that you can read more about in this past War Zone piece. The more recent Sea Stalker, also known as Large Training Vehicle 38, is a derivative of the Sea Horse design.
Penn State ARL's Sea Horse underwater drone.
The Sea Stalker UUV, also known as Large Training Vehicle 38.
Without being able to see the full RFP, we don't know what the Navy wants in terms of general performance, endurance, or other capabilities from the Phase 2 Snakehead design. The official contracting notice does say that the service expects these new drones to have some ability to operate with at some autonomy, using the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA) and the Common Control System (CCS).
UMAA is a common set of systems and software that the Navy has been working on to support work on increased autonomous functionality for UUVs, as well as unmanned surface vessels (USV). CCS provides a common tool for UUV and USV mission planning and execution, as well as monitoring the systems on those vehicles during operations.
A briefing slide offering a very broad overview of the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture concept.
It's also not clear what submarines might be slated to employ Snakeheads in the future. The Navy has said that "the LDUUV will achieve full integration with Modernized Dry Deck Shelter and Payload Handling System-equipped submarines."
The Navy presently can fit Dry Deck Shelters (DDS) onto its four Ohio class guided-missile submarines, or SSGNs, each of which can carry two at a time. At least six more Virginia class attack submarines are configured to carry a DDS, but there are not enough of the shelters to equip all of those boats at once. The Seawolf class spy submarine submarine USS Jimmy Carter, which is a unique subclass unto itself, has an 100-foot-long Multi-Mission Platform (MMP) section of its hull that also has a large "ocean interface" that could be used to launch UUVs.
A briefing slide showing submarines configured to carry Dry Deck Shelters (DDS) and specific DDS assignments as of 2014.
The DDSs allow for the deployment of large payloads, such as miniature submarines that special operations forces use to get to shore undetected, like the existing Mk 8 SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) and the future Mk 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) and Dry Combat Submersible (DCS). They also provide a way for large numbers of special operators to deploy from a submerged submarine all at once.
Work to modernize the existing DDS design has been focused on increased the overall volume inside the shelter to accommodate larger payloads, as well as the integration of an improved payload handling system to enable it to launch and recovery large, semi-autonomous or fully-autonomous UUVs.
A briefing slide showing changes made to the DDS as part of modernization efforts.
Another briefing slide showing how an improved DDS would allow for the launch and recovery of a large UUV.
It's worth noting that the Navy has explored other kinds of payload handling systems for deploying LDUUVs, such as Sea Horse, as well as other kinds of drones, from the missile tubes on the Ohio class SSGNs, versions of which are likely in service now. You can read more about these developments in this past War Zone feature. The service has also launched Sea Stalker on the surface from an Arleigh Burke class destroyer on at least one occasion.
A briefing slide showing how a Universal Launch and Retrieval Module capable of deploying the Sea Horse UUV, among other types, could be installed in one of an Ohio class SSGN's missile tubes.
The Navy also envisions the Phase 1 and 2 Snakeheads as leading to a more robust Increment 1 type that might also support anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare activities, such as helping in the hunt for enemy ships and submarines. This would give submarines something very loosely similar to the "loyal wingman" type drones that the U.S. Air Force, among others, is developing to work together with manned combat jets.
A 2018 briefing slide showing the Navy's plans for the Snakehead program, as well as other UUVs.
They could also provide the aforementioned electronic warfare capability. An electronic warfare payload would require the UUV to run on the surface, or at least close enough to extend some kind of mast above the waterline. Still, an LDUUV carrying out this mission would be a much lower-risk alternative to doing it with a traditional crewed submarine. A Snakehead could also be employed in a similar fashion equipped with an electronic support measures (ESM) system to grab information enemy emitters, such as radars and communications nodes, to help build a so-called "electronic order of battle" of hostile fleets at sea or facilities along the shoreline. The same could be said for intercepting certain communications.
In a similar fashion, Snakeheads could be employed as a component of the Navy's shadowy, networked electronic warfare "ecosystem," known as the Netted Emulation of Multi-Element Signature against Integrated Sensors, or NEMESIS. This program has been working to develop a 'system of systems' to work together across a battlespace via linking electronic warfare-enabled manned and unmanned aircraft, ships, and submarines. Combined, they could effectively create highly convincing phantom fleets to distract and confuse opponents, as well as employ other highly impactful electronic warfare tactics in a cooperative manner. Unmanned underwater vehicles are clearly a component of this program based on its own illustrations.
The Snakeheads will all be modular, open-architecture designs to allow for the relatively rapid integration of new payloads and other functionality as time goes on. These underwater drones look set to significantly expand the ISR capabilities of various submarines, especially the Ohio SSGNs, which are already very capable in this regard and are in high demand as a result, as well as future submarines the Navy is eyeing to specifically carry and deploy larger payloads. The service has also historically had a small number of special mission submarines available for espionage and other more specialized intelligence-gathering missions, such as the aforementioned USS Jimmy Carter, any future examples of which could also make good use of this kind of unmanned underwater capability.
The Snakehead program represents just one tier of the Navy's overall UUV plans, which also include small and medium tiers of underwater drones, as well as an extra-large category. Last year, Boeing won the contract to build the service's first four XLUUVs, also known as Orcas, which you can read about in more detail in this previous War Zone story.
In general, the Navy sees unmanned platforms that operate below and above the waves as increasingly critical to its future operations, especially in support of distributed warfare concepts of operation that will require its forces to conduct a wide array of missions across broad areas simultaneously. Together with the service's expanding communications and data-sharing networks, as well as those in development elsewhere across the U.S. military, growing fleets of UUVs and USVs are set to offer important additional operational capacity across multiple mission sets with more limited personnel, infrastructure, and logistical demands.
Above all else, Snakehead will give America's already incredibly capable fast attack and guided-missile submarine fleet a whole new capability set that will drastically expand the tactical playbook available to them. One can see where this is headed in the future, and given the limited number and already overtasked nature of the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet, Snakehead could allow an SSN or SSGN to be in two places at once, at least to some degree. Overall, this capability is a huge step in moving more deeply into the unmanned space when it comes to the shadowy world of undersea warfare.
Next year could be a particularly important one for the Snakehead program with the Phase 1 design set to finally hit the water and the service now also planning to get work started on the improved Phase 2 type.
_________________ Les peuples ne meurent jamais de faim mais de honte.
mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
messages : 627 Inscrit le : 25/07/2009 Localisation : London UK Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: US Navy Jeu 7 Jan 2021 - 13:57
Virginia Block III class USS Delaware
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mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Ven 8 Jan 2021 - 13:22
https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2021/01/05/bae-wins-navy-contract-for-quick-turnaround-electronic-countermeasure/ a écrit:
BAE wins Navy contract for ‘quick-turnaround’ electronic countermeasure
WASHINGTON — BAE Systems received a $4 million contract from the Navy for a “quick-turnaround” demonstration of a new radio frequency countermeasure system for the P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
The system will be a lightweight pod mounted to the aircraft that will add a new self-protection capability to the Poseidon, the company said in a Jan. 5 announcement.
The system consists of a small form factor jammer, a high-powered amplifier and the AN/ALE-55 Fiber-Optic Towed Decoy, BAE said. It jams signals to guide missiles away from the aircraft to the towed decoy.
“The ability to meet this unprecedented response time underscores our agility, focus on meeting customer needs, and our ultimate goal of protecting our war fighters,” said Don Davidson, director of the Advanced Compact Electronic Warfare Solutions product line at BAE Systems. “A process that used to take 18 to 24 months has been scaled to five or six months.”
BAE said it will design, build, integrate and ship the system in around five months followed by two months of flight testing on the Poseidon, beginning in early 2021. This rapid timeline stems from collaboration of small focus teams that developed an approach to the system’s mechanical parts, the company said.
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mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Ven 8 Jan 2021 - 22:53
With three open spaces designed to house a variety of weapons and a hull that’s 40% reconfigurable, Littoral Combat Ships can be adapted to meet any @USNavy mission.
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Ven 8 Jan 2021 - 22:55
All systems go! #USNavy Sailors conduct their duties aboard a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 46 in Sigonella, Italy, while forward deployed to @USNavyEurope and assigned to Commander, Task Force 67. #FlyNavypic.twitter.com/28BfBqpiwd
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Lun 11 Jan 2021 - 21:35
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/surface-navy-2021-usn-works-to-equip-zumwalt-destroyers-with-conventional-prompt-strike-weapon a écrit:
Surface Navy 2021: USN works to equip Zumwalt destroyers with conventional prompt strike weapon
Responding to a recent mandate by US lawmakers, the US Navy (USN) is working now to develop and integrate a conventional prompt strike system on the Zumwalt-class guided-missile (DDG 1000) destroyer, Rear Admiral Paul Schlise, director, USN Surface Warfare Division said on 8 January.
“This has been under discussion for a little while,” Rear Adm Schlise said during a media discussion in advance of the virtual Surface Navy Association 2021 National Symposium, which begins on 11 January.
“It’s in the law now,” he noted. “We are moving out on that on the studies of the hull form, and what’s going to be done to modify it to incorporate that capability down the road.”
Developing a conventional prompt strike (CPS) capability will augment USN firepower potential in part by getting the service to increase the potential size of the vertical launch system, he noted. “We think a larger diameter round like a CPS round is part of our future.”
Such a missile, he explained would “extend [USN] range substantially, [and] put a larger set of targets at risk”.
He added, “The CPS round is still very much a developmental round.” But the USN expects such a weapon could offer greater options for both maritime- and land-attack roles.
Zumwalt work will also help with the development of systems for other ships.
“We are working on the Large Surface Combatant,” he pointed out. “The requirements have now just been approved. A version of the larger diameter launcher and a round like the CPS will be part of that platform. What we learn from DDG 1000 integration will be applied going forward.”
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mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Lun 11 Jan 2021 - 21:38
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/surface-navy-2021-usn-will-use-lcs-asw-testing-to-develop-new-frigate-ops a écrit:
Surface Navy 2021: USN will use LCS ASW testing to develop new frigate ops
The US Navy (USN) will use the testing done on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission packages to help develop those types of operations for the new guided-missile Constellation-class (FFG 62) frigate, Rear Admiral Paul Schlise, director, USN Surface Warfare Division said on 8 January.
The USN also plans to use the LCS mission-package testing for LCS to help determine what kind of ASW equipment will be required for the Constellation-class frigates, Rear Adm Schlise said during a media discussion in advance of the virtual Surface Navy Association 2021 National Symposium, which begins on 11 January.
“What we’re doing in the ASW mission-package testing is directly tied to what we will eventually field on the FFG 62 Constellation-class frigate,” Rear Adm Schlise said.
Speaking about specific LCS mission-package systems, he said, “We are pretty excited about the progress we’ve made with variable-depth sonar system. That is a piece of the ASW mission package the Connie (Constellation)-class frigate will have. We are joined at the hip there, for the small-surface combatant, between the LCS and the frigate.”
Speaking during the same media discussion on 8 January, US Marine Corps Major General Tracy King, director of USN Expeditionary Warfare, also noted the importance of countermine mission-package development for the LCS programme. The navy is building those mission packages and should start fielding them within the next two to three years, he said.
While the LCS is a “tremendous platform” for countermine operations, there are also other vessels of opportunity for those packages, he said.
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Vamtac Aspirant
messages : 592 Inscrit le : 13/01/2020 Localisation : España Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: US Navy Mar 12 Jan 2021 - 14:57
_________________ SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM
DULCE BELLUM INEXPERTIS
Le vrai soldat ne se bat pas parce qu'il déteste ce qui est devant lui, mais parce qu'il aime ce qui est derrière lui...
mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Jeu 14 Jan 2021 - 12:36
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/01/asw-exercise-sea-dragon-2021-kicked-off-with-us-navy-raaf-rcaf-indian-navy-and-jmsdf/ a écrit:
ASW Exercise Sea Dragon 2021 Kicked Off With US Navy, RAAF, RCAF, Indian Navy And JMSDF
Two P-8 Poseidon aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 5, the “Mad Foxes,” joined several partner nations to kick off multinational anti-submarine warfare exercise Sea Dragon 2021, Jan. 12.
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mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Jeu 14 Jan 2021 - 21:36
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/01/u-s-navy-ohio-class-submarine-filmed-by-iranian-navy-while-submerged/ a écrit:
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mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Ven 15 Jan 2021 - 15:33
The final rendering of the Future Constellation Class FFG 62
El nuevo contrato, hasta enero de 2028, es por un importe máximo de 822,4 M€ y podría generar más de 1.000 empleos directos al año@NAVSTA_Rotapic.twitter.com/c7TLlBEvd9
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Mar 26 Jan 2021 - 12:38
_________________ SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM
DULCE BELLUM INEXPERTIS
Le vrai soldat ne se bat pas parce qu'il déteste ce qui est devant lui, mais parce qu'il aime ce qui est derrière lui...
Adam Modérateur
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Dim 31 Jan 2021 - 10:12
THOMAS NEWDICK - The Drive a écrit:
The Navy Has Begun To Hunt For Its MH-60 Seahawk Helicopter And Fire Scout Drone Replacements
The U.S. Navy is looking toward next-generation vertical-lift platforms to replace existing types starting in 2030.
The U.S. Navy says it starting to work out how to replace its existing fleet of MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters and MQ-8B/C Fire Scout rotary-wing drones. The effort is part of the larger Future Vertical Lift program, a U.S. Army-led initiative that aims to acquire replacements for that service's various helicopter fleets, as well as others across the U.S. military, that are set to start entering service in the 2030s.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) posted a request for information (RFI) for an Analysis of Alternatives for what it is calling the Future Vertical Lift-Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) program on the U.S. government’s beta.SAM.gov contracting website. At this early stage, the Navy is emphasizing that it is looking for formal proposals from industry, but information that is needed “to support efforts to identify cost-effective alternatives to fill capability gaps in the MH-60R/S and MQ-8C as they begin to reach their end of service in the 2030s.” These new aircraft are expected to reach initial operating capability in the mid-2030s.
An MQ-8B and an MH-60R share the flight deck of a U.S. Navy warship
While the Navy document is clear that successors for the MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters are covered under FVL-MS, it is less clear which variants of the Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle the service is looking to replace at the same time. At different points, the RFI refers to the MQ-8B/C, just the MQ-8C, and also the generic MQ-8 designation. Which one is most accurate could make a significant difference, since the MQ-8B is a completely different design from the larger, more capable MQ-8C, the latter of which is derived from the commercial Bell 407 airframe and entered service much more recently.
Regardless, since the MH-60R/S and MQ-8B/C fleets represent the vast majority of the Navy’s current rotary-wing fleet, manned and unmanned, anything that replaces them will need to be able to perform a wide array of mission sets. The Navy lists the missions required of the future FVL-MS platform, in no particular order, as follows:
*Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (ISR&T) *Surface Warfare (SUW) *Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) *Mine Counter Measures (MCM) *Air Warfare (AW) *Electronic Warfare (EW) *Search and Rescue (SAR) *Command and Control *SOF Support
An MH-60R fires a Hellfire missile during a training sortie.
In addition, the Navy provides certain other functional requirements that will be studied in the various responses. These are:
*Embark Aviation and Air Capable Ships *Conduct Logistics *Conduct Patient Movement *Signature Control
The last of these categories, “Signature Control,” refers to efforts to reduce the aircraft’s radar, infrared, acoustic, and other signatures for operations in more contested airspace.
An MQ-8C at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu, California.
Once the Navy receives responses to the RFI, it will examine the alternatives for their contributions across this full range of mission areas. The service will also assess how the proposed solutions will meet the challenges posed by the increasingly sophisticated adversaries that they are likely to encounter.
Without a doubt, it will be a challenge to meet these diverse mission profiles with a single airframe, with the Navy’s contracting notice itself remarking that the “warfighting capability provided, whether deployed as Carrier Air Wing squadrons embarked on aircraft carriers under the leadership of carrier air wing commanders or as expeditionary squadrons embarked on LHAs / LHDs, surface combatants and logistics vessels, is broad and unparalleled in naval warfare.” At the same time, there is no specific wording in the RFI, responses to which are due no later than April 13 of this year, that says the Navy intends to acquire a single type to meet all of its demands.
The overarching FVL program has already produced diverse sets of requirements with the aim of replacing various other helicopters. Headed up by the Army, the effort has so far yielded the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, which should provide a high-speed, long-range replacement for the UH-60 Black Hawk series of helicopters, and the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), a project that is looking to fill the gap left by the early retirement of the service’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters. The winner of the FARA competition is set to eventually supplant the nearly half of the service’s AH-64 Apaches that presently serve in the armed reconnaissance role.
Variants of either of the two candidates for the FLRAA program, the Bell V-280 Valor advanced tilt-rotor and the Boeing-Lockheed Martin Defiant X advanced compound helicopter, could potentially meet some of the Navy’s FVL-MS requirements. As possible UH-60 replacements, these designs could well be adapted to serve as successors to the Navy’s MH-60R/Ss.
Bell V-280 Valor
The latest concept for the proposed Defiant X
Bell, for its part, has already provided an idea of what a navalized V-280 could look like, with an artist’s impression, seen below, of the tilt-rotor operating from a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship. This was meant to portray a Marine Corps-specific FLRAA variant that is able to operate from ships in maritime environments and that could perform troop and cargo-carrying missions, as well as to conduct airstrikes and other armed operations. This immediately aligns with a number of the FVL-MS mission sets.
That same artwork also features Bell’s V-247 Vigilant, an unmanned tilt-rotor design the company had proposed for U.S. Marine Corps’ now-stalled MUX project. The V-247 has a modular design that could make it appealing to the Navy, as well. The Vigilant, which you can read more about here, could be one potential replacement for the MQ-8B/C under the FVL-MS program.
Bell showed a full-size model of its V-247 Vigilant to the public for the first time at the Modern Day Marine Expo at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia in 2018.
That being said, despite the superficial similarities in replacing the MH-60R/S and the Army’s UH-60 series, it is worth remembering that the FVL program had previously separated replacements for these helicopters into different categories. As originally laid out, the Navy's current FVL-MS program fell under the FVL’s Capability Set 2 bracket, which envisaged an aircraft smaller than Capability Set 3. Capability Set 3 has since evolved into the FLRAA program and the Capability Set terminology has since fallen out of use entirely in discussions about FVL.
All of this may have, at least in part, reflected the fact that a successor for the Army Black Hawks might easily end up being too large to be readily adapted to operate from all the types of ships expected of the Navy aircraft. In addition, while the requirement to replace the MH-60R/S could still lead to an airframe that’s essentially a maritime version of the Army’s eventual FLRAA design, the need to supersede the MQ-8 drone suggests a different mission profile altogether. The fact the Fire Scout is unmanned would seem to demand the FVL-MS be an optionally-manned platform, if not include separate manned and unmanned components, entirely.
It’s also worth remembering that when the Marine Corps drew up its FLRAA requirements, they were markedly different from those specified by the Army, including a cruising speed of 275 knots, or more than 310 miles per hour, and a top speed of 305 knots, or over 350 miles an hour, to match the performance of the Marine’s existing MV-22 Ospreys. The Army specifications for FLRAA included a top speed of 250 knots, or more than 285 miles per hour, and potentially up to 280 knots, or more than 320 miles per hour. The maximum speed of the UH-60M Black Hawk, by contrast, is just 200 miles per hour. With these differing requirements in mind, it could be that a Marine Corps-optimized FLRAA would be a better fit for the Navy, too.
The view from the cockpit of an MH-60S as it conducts maneuvers with the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt
All this also speaks to the continuing debate about the value of joint-service programs, especially with regards to aviation, and the struggle to find a platform that can meet such diverse requirements. Already, it seems, the Army, Marine Corps, and Navy have very different and potentially incompatible ideas about what they want from the FVL program.
Time will tell whether the Army’s FLRAA will provide a starting point for the Navy’s FVL-MS, or indeed U.S. Marine Corps vertical-lift requirements, but if the naval program is anything like as productive as the Army equivalent, then it may well yield some potentially game-changing results.
_________________ Les peuples ne meurent jamais de faim mais de honte.
Vamtac Aspirant
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Jeu 18 Fév 2021 - 14:06
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Shugan188 Modérateur
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The Navy Wants To Get Rid Of Its Nearly Brand New Patrol Boats
The Navy is looking to have all of its Mk VI patrol boats, the oldest of which it acquired just six years ago, decommissioned by the end of the year.
Joseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayFebruary 15, 2021 A Mk VI patrol boat. NECC has also suggested in the past the Mk VIs could be used in swarms against larger enemy vessels, themselves. Smaller missiles, such as the AGM-179A, would not be able to sink, or even severely damage, a larger surface combatant, but could potentially be used to destroy key systems, such as radars, to effect a mission kill that could effectively put the target vessel out of commission for a protracted period of time.
La suite
Fox-One General de Division
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The Navy Wants To Get Rid Of Its Nearly Brand New Patrol Boats
The Navy is looking to have all of its Mk VI patrol boats, the oldest of which it acquired just six years ago, decommissioned by the end of the year.
Joseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayFebruary 15, 2021 A Mk VI patrol boat. NECC has also suggested in the past the Mk VIs could be used in swarms against larger enemy vessels, themselves. Smaller missiles, such as the AGM-179A, would not be able to sink, or even severely damage, a larger surface combatant, but could potentially be used to destroy key systems, such as radars, to effect a mission kill that could effectively put the target vessel out of commission for a protracted period of time.
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intéressant
Adam Modérateur
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Sam 20 Fév 2021 - 14:41
COURTESY PHOTO BY COMMANDER PETER SCHEU/:
_________________ Les peuples ne meurent jamais de faim mais de honte.
mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
messages : 627 Inscrit le : 25/07/2009 Localisation : London UK Nationalité :
Get a rare look at routine operations aboard the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine #USSOhio (SSGN 726) as the ship and crew operate somewhere in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/03/us-navys-zumwalt-class-destroyers-update-with-navsea/ a écrit:
_________________ Le courage croît en osant et la peur en hésitant.
Vamtac Aspirant
messages : 592 Inscrit le : 13/01/2020 Localisation : España Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: US Navy Sam 20 Mar 2021 - 11:27
_________________ SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM
DULCE BELLUM INEXPERTIS
Le vrai soldat ne se bat pas parce qu'il déteste ce qui est devant lui, mais parce qu'il aime ce qui est derrière lui...
jf16 General de Division
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Sam 20 Mar 2021 - 22:00
Citation :
19/03/2021
Préparation pour la mise à jour des EA-18G « Growler » !
Boeing a lancé un programme de mise à jour destiné à la flotte d’avion de combat EA-18G « Growler » au Block II de l'US Navy. Un premier appareil a rejoint la Naval Air Station Whidbey Island pour y subir les modifications.
Les modifications sont axées sur la mise à jour de l'architecture des systèmes structurels et de mission de l’avion permettant une future croissance des capacités des quelques 160 « Growler » de la Marine. Les « Growler » jouent un rôle essentiel dans le brouillage des signaux radar et de communication des forces de la menace, désactivant leur capacité à détecter et à suivre les forces militaires américaines et alliées.
À la suite de l'attribution des contrats en octobre 2020 et février 2021 pour les matériaux et la main-d'œuvre, les travaux de modification comprennent diverses mises à niveau des systèmes de mission de l’avion. Le système de brouillage AN/ALQ-218 va recevoir des améliorations qui augmenteront sa communication avec les brouilleurs et récepteurs du Growler afin de permettre des capacités futures telles que le brouillage automatique des systèmes de radar et de communication ennemis rapidement une fois détectés. L'AN/ALQ-218 peut fonctionner sur les bandes RF 0, 1, 2 et bande 3, avec un radar pulsé et à ondes continues avec prise en charge des communications en option, tout en fournissant une identification d'émetteur spécifique. Il offre une mesure de fréquence fine améliorée pour supporter le brouillage électronique.
Des modifications supplémentaires permettront d'élargir le pipeline d'informations du « Growler » pour un transfert de données plus rapide et plus sécurisé vers d'autres aéronefs et plates-formes, ainsi que d'améliorer considérablement la vitesse de traitement des données. Boeing prépare également l’EA-18G afin qu’il puisse recevoir la nouvelle génération de brouilleurs en nacelle, soit le « Jammer Next Generation » pour remplacer les systèmes ALQ-99 utilisés sur les avions d’attaque électroniques aériens EA-18G. En 2016, l’US Navy a attribué à Raytheon un contrat d’ingénierie et de développement de fabrication (EMD) pour le brouilleur de nouvelle génération.
La nouvelle nacelle utilise les dernières technologies numériques, logicielles et à réseaux à balayage électronique actif, et fournira des capacités améliorées d'attaque électronique aéroportée pour perturber et dégrader les systèmes de défense aérienne et de communication terrestre ennemis.
Le calendrier du programme prévoit que tous les EA-18G « Growler » seront modifiés d’ici cinq ans. La modification complète devrait commencer en juin 2021.
Le EA-18G « Growler » :
L’EA-18G dispose du radar AN/APG-79 à antenne active (AESA) lui permettant non seulement d’être autonome en comparaison de son prédécesseur le EA-6B en mode air-air, mais intègre des possibilités de liaisons de données numériques et de brouillage dirigé indépendant du reste des systèmes embarqués.
Pour la lutte contre les défenses ennemies, l’EA-18G dispose de pod ALQ-99 de brouillage couplé à un système d’analyse à large spectre ALQ-218 lui permettant de différencier les types de radars (surveillances, poursuites, sol ou embarqué) et l’analyse des types de fréquences. Le système enregistre et répertorie l’ensemble des menaces pour permettre leur restitution sur un écran tactique, avec une plus grande précision que par le passé.
Les systèmes embarqués du « Growler » lui permettent d’agir sur trois modes tactiques :
- Reconnaissance électronique (analyse des diverses menaces, radar et missiles)
- Suppression des menaces connues et mémorisées selon un scénario prévu.
- Réaction immédiate à l’engagement d’une nouvelle menace non répertoriée.
Du point de vue des communications, l’avion dispose du système AlQ-227 qui lui permet d’épier et de brouiller les communications adverses, en contrepartie le « Growler » dispose pour sa propre protection le nouveau concept INCANS qui améliore les communications et transferts de données à l’intérieur d’un groupe naval.
Capacités ECM :
- Détection passive/active.
- Analyse des menaces et classifications.
- Brouillage actif, perturbation électronique (radar et communication).
- Paralysie électronique avec des virus informatiques.
Capacités de tirs :
- air-air (AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM,)
- Élimination de radars ennemis (AGM-88 HARM)
L’ensemble de ces possibilités offrent l’opportunité aux équipages du « Growler » de pouvoir participer directement à l’escorte d’un groupe d’attaque tout en étant susceptible de se défendre face à n’importe quelles menaces en vol.
Photos : 1 EA-18G @Peter Foster 2 Nouvelle nacelle de brouillage @ Rayhteon
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Sujet: Re: US Navy Jeu 25 Mar 2021 - 21:03
Citation :
Des navires de l’US Navy ont été suivis par de mystérieux essaims de drones
PAR LAURENT LAGNEAU · 25 MARS 2021
Il se passe des choses curieuses dans le ciel des États-Unis. Entre 2015 et 2019, 24 installations nucléaires civiles firent l’objet de 57 incursions de drones, qui, parfois, évoluaient en essaim de cinq ou six, comme cela fut par exemple le cas pour les centrales nucléaires de Palo Verde [Arizona] et de Limerick [Pennsylvanie]. Des témoins ont décrit des appareils ayant une « taille industrielle », avec un diamètre d’environ 90 cm.
Le dernier survol d’une installation nucléaire eut lieu en décembre 2019 [en l’occurrence, il s’agissait du réacteur n°3 de la centrale de Palo Verde, survolée pour la troisième fois, ndlr]. Et, malgré les dispositifs anti-drones, comme celui qui, fourni par l’entreprise Aerial Armor, devaient permettre de localiser le ou les télépilote[s] dans un rayon de 30 km, le mystère reste entier à ce jour.
Comme celui entourant d’autres essaims de « gros » drones repérés dans le Colorado entre décembre 2019 et janvier 2020. Là encore, le seule certitude est qu’il ne s’agissait pas d’activités militaires américaines. Mais comme ces engins évoluèrent non loin d’une base de missiles stratégique Minuteman III de l’US Air Force, ce phénomène ne peut qu’interroger…
D’autant plus que d’autres essaims de drones ont été observés au large de la Californie, en juillet 2019. C’est en effet ce que révèle le site « The War Zone« , après avoir obtenu des documents en vertu de la loi d’accès à l’information [Freedom of Information Act – FOA]. Tout a commencé quand le documentariste Dave Beaty a rapporté qu’une navire de l’US Navy, le contre-torpilleur USS Kidd avait été survolé par des drones non identifiés lors de manoeuvres menés au large de Los Angeles avec les USS Rafael Peralta et USS John Finn.
Ce qui a donné l’idée à The War Zone de demander un accès aux journaux de bord de ces navires. Ainsi, le 14 juillet 2019, à 22 heures, les marins de quart de l’USS Kidd ont repéré deux drones [ou, du moins, décrits comme tels] qui ont suivi le navire pendant environ 90 minutes. L’un d’eux s’est même approché de la plateforme aéronautique du bâtiment, qui était alors en mode « silence radio » pour les besoins de l’exercice.
Les journaux de bord de l’USS Rafael Peralta et de l’USS John Finn mentionnent également la présence de ces deux engins… dont la trajectoire, par la suite, n’a pu être suivie malgré les capteurs des navires américains [radar, imagerie thermique, optronique, moyens de guerre électronique, etc].
Le même phénomène s’est reproduit la nuit suivante… mais avec au moins quatre drones. Et il a duré trois heures. Deux autres incidents ont ensuite eu lieu les 25 et 30 juillet de la même année.
Au regard de la taille des drones et de leur autonomie, il est clair qu’il ne s’agit pas d’appareils vendus pour les télépilotes amateurs. Dans un premier temps, certains ont soupçonné qu’ils provenaient d’une autre unité de la marine américaine, en l’occurence du FACSFAC [Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility Center] de San Diego. Mais ce dernier a réfuté toute responsabilité.
Les survols des navires ayant eu lieu près de l’île de San Clemente, où est implantée une base des Navy Seals, il a été avancé que les drones en question pouvaient faire partie d’un programme classifié. Sauf que, si cela avait été le cas, la marine américaine n’aurait pas lancé une enquête et on suppose que toute mention de ces incidents aurait été caviardée dans les journaux de bord des navires suivis. À moins qu’un autre agence gouvernementale américaine en soit à l’origine.
Une hypothèse aussi envisagée est que ces drones ont été mis en oeuvre depuis un navire civil naviguant au large de la Californie… Mais les investigations n’ont rien donné de ce côté là… Ce qui ne veut pas dire qu’il n’y avait pas effectivement un navire non identifié dans les parages au moment des faits. Cependant, il faudrait aussi être en mesure de déployer de tels engins depuis un bateau…
En tout cas, faire évoluer en essaim des drones imposants capables de repérer de nuit et de survoler des navires naviguant à la vitesse de 15/20 noeuds n’est pas à la portée du premier plaisantin venu : cela suppose des moyens importants, comme ceux d’un État.
Mais il reste à déterminer le mobile. Ces drones avaient-ils la mission de collecter des renseignements d’origine électro-magnétiques concernant les trois navires de l’US Navy? De brouiller leurs capteurs? De tester leurs vulnérabilités? Autant de questions qui resteront sans réponse pour le moment.
À noter que ces survols de drones évoluant en formation ont commencé alors que nombreuses observations de « phénomènes aériens non identifiés » ont été rapportés entre l’été 2014 et le printemps 2015 par des pilotes de l’US Navy basés sur la côte Est des États-Unis.
Le Pentagone a d’ailleurs mis en place une cellule de travail pour « détecter, analyser et cataloguer ces phénomènes aériens non identifiés qui pourraient représenter une menace pour la sécurité nationale des États-Unis ». À la demande du comité « Renseignement » du Sénat, un rapport « non classifié » sur le sujet devra être rendu d’ici juin prochain. Sans doute en saura-t-on davantage.