US military news, discussions and history

[AMDR]

Keel is Laid for Virginia-Class Submarine Indiana
SEAPOWER Magazine Online

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — With more than 500 guests looking into a submarine unit as the ceremony backdrop, Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, celebrated the keel laying of Virginia-class submarine Indiana (SSN 789) on May 16, the company announced in a May 18 release.

The submarine’s sponsor is Diane Donald, wife of retired ADM Kirkland Donald. As the keel authenticator, Donald chalked her initials on a metal plate, which were welded into the plate by Newport News welder Heather Johnson. The plate will be permanently affixed to the submarine, serving as a symbol of Donald’s enduring relationship with the shipbuilders, the submarine and the crew.

“I am confident that the shipbuilders of Newport News and their partners at Electric Boat, along with the hundreds of suppliers that provide equipment and craftsmanship unmatched in the world, will extend their legacy of delivering the very best ship,” she said.

Ceremony participants included VADM Michael J. Connor, commander, Submarine Forces; Stephen Trautman, deputy director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; Matt Mulherin, president, Newport News Shipbuilding; and Jeffrey S. Geiger, president, General Dynamics Electric Boat.

Connor stressed the quality and importance of the Virginia-class program at Newport News and Electric Boat.

“We talk every six months now about yet another milestone in a record of producing submarines ahead of schedule, under cost, highest quality ever, as if it were easy,” he said. “It’s not easy. And as we go forward, if we’re going to continue to do that, your effort here needs the support of the entire country in terms of steady, predictable budgets.”

The ceremony took place on Armed Forces Day, a holiday established by President Harry Truman for citizens to thank U.S. military members for their service. In this spirit, Mulherin acknowledged how fitting it was to celebrate the submarine and its crew and highlighted the mindset and commitment that can be found among the Navy, shipbuilder and supplier team that builds Virginia-class submarines.

“Together, we are delivering these boats ahead of schedule and under budget while continuing to find new and more innovative ways to build them, and we do it with the highest safety and quality standards,” he said. “The Virginia-class program continues to be hailed as the nation’s best shipbuilding program, and Indiana will continue that winning legacy.”

Indiana will be the 16th Virginia-class submarine and the eighth submarine to be delivered by Newport News and the sixth of the Block III submarines. Construction began in September 2012, with 4,000 Newport News shipbuilders contributing. The submarine is about 48 percent complete and on track for delivery in 2017.

Geiger addressed the shipbuilders’ commitment to producing capable and affordable submarines like Indiana.

“By honoring our commitment, we will help the U.S. fleet attain the submarine force levels required to sustain undersea dominance and safeguard our nation for decades to come,” he said.

The submarine is named for the residents of the state of Indiana and for their support of the U.S. military. Although not on the coast, Indiana is home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, the third largest naval installation in the world. Seventy-five Medal of Honor recipients are accredited to Indiana, spanning the Civil War through the Vietnam War.

 

[Taygibay]

About the nanosats story, there is at present no difficulty in sending many such small payload safely but …
there is a limited bubble around us that would saturate quite quickly if that idea was applied to major war.

For reference :
NASA - A Beehive of Satellites

Tay.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

The 218-Year-Old Constitution Is Getting A Refit In Its Ancient Dry Dock

After standing guard on Boston Harbor for nearly twenty years, the centuries old USS Constitution, the U.S. Navy’s symbolic flagship and floating museum will be put into her almost equally as vintage dry dock for inspections and repairs to her wooden hull and complex rigging.

Boston Naval Shipyard, which is no longer active, was almost the first yard in the hemisphere to have a dry dock, a claim to fame it missed by just one week when Norfolk Naval Shipyard opened their first dry dock on June 17th, 1833. Still, the achievement was a huge one, and the first ship to be brought into Boston’s then state-of-the-art Dry Dock #1 was, you guessed it, the USS Constitution.

The Constitution still uses this nearly purpose built vintage facility today to get refreshed every two decades or so. This is not only very cool, but it also offers visitors to “Old Ironside” and her museum a spectacular view of the entire ship, including its weathered hull, in a setting that looks nearly period correct.

Just like when she was originally pulled in for a refit nearly 200 years ago, special wooden keel and hull blocks, along with other wooden support rigging, will be used to keep the ship in a stable state while allowing workers to reach her every nook and cranny.

The last time the floating icon was put into dry dock was in 1995 and stayed their for two years. For this major restoration and overhaul, which will begin May 19th, she will remain at Dry Dock #1 for nearly three years. During her time there, her hull will be re-coppered, worn rigging will be replaced, an rotting planks will be replaced with new ones. Other repairs and restoration efforts will be centered around the bow, stern and the captain’s cabin. The effort is supposed to cost roughly $15M and the ship will be open for tours throughout the process. The ship normally sees about 500,000 visitors per year.

 

[KAL-EL]

The 218-Year-Old Constitution Is Getting A Refit In Its Ancient Dry Dock

After standing guard on Boston Harbor for nearly twenty years, the centuries old USS Constitution, the U.S. Navy’s symbolic flagship and floating museum will be put into her almost equally as vintage dry dock for inspections and repairs to her wooden hull and complex rigging.

Boston Naval Shipyard, which is no longer active, was almost the first yard in the hemisphere to have a dry dock, a claim to fame it missed by just one week when Norfolk Naval Shipyard opened their first dry dock on June 17th, 1833. Still, the achievement was a huge one, and the first ship to be brought into Boston’s then state-of-the-art Dry Dock #1 was, you guessed it, the USS Constitution.

The Constitution still uses this nearly purpose built vintage facility today to get refreshed every two decades or so. This is not only very cool, but it also offers visitors to “Old Ironside” and her museum a spectacular view of the entire ship, including its weathered hull, in a setting that looks nearly period correct.

Just like when she was originally pulled in for a refit nearly 200 years ago, special wooden keel and hull blocks, along with other wooden support rigging, will be used to keep the ship in a stable state while allowing workers to reach her every nook and cranny.

The last time the floating icon was put into dry dock was in 1995 and stayed their for two years. For this major restoration and overhaul, which will begin May 19th, she will remain at Dry Dock #1 for nearly three years. During her time there, her hull will be re-coppered, worn rigging will be replaced, an rotting planks will be replaced with new ones. Other repairs and restoration efforts will be centered around the bow, stern and the captain’s cabin. The effort is supposed to cost roughly $15M and the ship will be open for tours throughout the process. The ship normally sees about 500,000 visitors per year.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing @SvenSvensonov

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

The 218-Year-Old Constitution Is Getting A Refit In Its Ancient Dry Dock

Geez even I didn't know this. Might just check it out.

 

[Indus Falcon]

The 218-Year-Old Constitution Is Getting A Refit In Its Ancient Dry Dock

After standing guard on Boston Harbor for nearly twenty years, the centuries old USS Constitution, the U.S. Navy’s symbolic flagship and floating museum will be put into her almost equally as vintage dry dock for inspections and repairs to her wooden hull and complex rigging.

Boston Naval Shipyard, which is no longer active, was almost the first yard in the hemisphere to have a dry dock, a claim to fame it missed by just one week when Norfolk Naval Shipyard opened their first dry dock on June 17th, 1833. Still, the achievement was a huge one, and the first ship to be brought into Boston’s then state-of-the-art Dry Dock #1 was, you guessed it, the USS Constitution.

The Constitution still uses this nearly purpose built vintage facility today to get refreshed every two decades or so. This is not only very cool, but it also offers visitors to “Old Ironside” and her museum a spectacular view of the entire ship, including its weathered hull, in a setting that looks nearly period correct.

Just like when she was originally pulled in for a refit nearly 200 years ago, special wooden keel and hull blocks, along with other wooden support rigging, will be used to keep the ship in a stable state while allowing workers to reach her every nook and cranny.

The last time the floating icon was put into dry dock was in 1995 and stayed their for two years. For this major restoration and overhaul, which will begin May 19th, she will remain at Dry Dock #1 for nearly three years. During her time there, her hull will be re-coppered, worn rigging will be replaced, an rotting planks will be replaced with new ones. Other repairs and restoration efforts will be centered around the bow, stern and the captain’s cabin. The effort is supposed to cost roughly $15M and the ship will be open for tours throughout the process. The ship normally sees about 500,000 visitors per year.

WOW!!!! Thank you for sharing appreciate it!!!!

 

[Transhumanist]

Six USMC F-35Bs Land Aboard The Wasp For Critical Operational Trials

A half-dozen F-35Bs just landed on the deck of the USS Wasp (LHD-1) to begin the first shipboard phase of their operational trials. For the next two weeks, the six jets will prove they can operate aboard a Gator Navy Flattop under real-world conditions similar to those the jet will face during its operational lifespan.

No less than five squadrons will be involved in this portion of the F-35B’s operational testing. These include Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 and 501, as well as Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron 22. Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 and 31 will also play a crucial role to see if these new jets continue operating throughout this critical evaluation phase.

Dubbed OT-1, the testing will including operating the F-35B during a wide array of flight deck scenarios, including day and night operations, while flying in various configurations. It will also assess the jet’s connectivity with the ship’s communications and data systems, the landing signal officer’s new software tailored for the F-35B, as well as all types of maintenance scenarios. There will also be the loading and unloading of weapons on and off the jets as it operates at sea.

Beyond testing the jets themselves, this period at sea will also be used to assess what other modifications will need to be made to the USS Wasp and other helicopter landing ships in order to support the jet during its operational career. This has been a sensitive topic as the F-35’s hot exhaust has proven to be very abrasive to the decks of all existing ships that could accommodate it.

The sea trials phase comes as the F-35 program office is looking to declare the USMC’s version of the jet operational this summer, even though it will be stripped of many of its capabilities and its software and testing will remain deep in development.

Operating from a ship with a contingent of six aircraft under conditions they have never faced is a challenging event that has its risks. Even though the F-35B has been to the ship before on multiple occasions it has never been pushed like how it will be during OT-1.

The F-35 program hopes that this evaluation period will go just as well as the F-35C’s initial boat trials a few months ago, although that event was far less complex than this one and only included two jets. The Navy’s F-35C operational test trials remain years away.

 

[AMDR]

Airbus Provides TRS-4D AESA Radars to Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ships
SEAPOWER Magazine Online

HERNDON, Va. — Airbus Defense and Space Inc. now is under contract with its affiliate, Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, to provide an additional TRS-4D naval radar for the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship (LCS) program through Freedom-class LCS prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, Airbus said in a May 18 release. The radar is planned to go aboard LCS 21 following the already planned installations of TRS-4D aboard LCS 17 and LCS 19.

The TRS-4D radar for LCS is a rotating version of the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) fixed panel TRS-4D radar currently going aboard the German F-125 class frigates. It combines mechanical and electronic azimuth scanning to achieve fast generation of target tracks.

System characteristics of the TRS-4D are an excellent match for the environment faced by LCS and its evolution to a frigate. The radar’s AESA technology delivers increased sensitivity to detect smaller targets with greater accuracy, as well as faster track generation to give LCS more time to react to advanced threats.

This software-defined radar is programmable by the customer, enabling changes to radar characteristics to match future threats that evolve over the life of the ship. The ability to customize the characteristics of the TRS-4D helps enable LCS to evolve through its service life and adapt to evolving required operational capabilities and projected operational environments in an affordable manner.

“Superior performance and adaptability for the future are key characteristics of the TRS-4D radar,” said Mike Cosentino, president of Airbus Defense and Space Inc. “It supports the LCS evolution to a frigate, meets current and future threats, and can readily be adapted to change over the service life of the ship.”

Employing state of the art AESA technology, the TRS-4D is a three-dimensional, multimode naval radar for surveillance, target acquisition, self-defense, gunfire support and aircraft control. It automatically detects and tracks all types of air and sea targets, alleviating crew workload requirements.
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US Air Force to decommission final MC-130P Combat Shadows
US Air Force to decommission final MC-130P Combat Shadows - Airforce Technology

The US Air Force's (USAF) final two MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft landed for the last time in Hurlburt Field, Florida, during an MC-130P heritage flight, prior to their decommissioning.

The aircraft, designated 66-0217 and 69-5819, were built in 1969. They will take their last flight to the boneyard in June at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, US.

1st Special Operations wing-commander colonel Sean Farrell said: "We are truly saying goodbye to a legend.

"The Shadow's been a warhorse for Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the nation for over 25 years, and the airframes are even older. It is a legacy of valour that we are honouring today."

The MC-130P started its special operations career in the mid-1980s and received their P designation in 1996. The aircraft carried out critical air refuelling missions in the late 1980s during Operation Just Cause in Panama, and the early 1990s during Operation Desert Storm.

Operations the aircraft have been involved in include Operation Desert Storm, Northern and Southern Watch, Deny Flight in Yugoslavia, Restore Democracy and Uphold Democracy in Haiti, Deliberate Force and Joint Endeavor in Bosnia.

In addition, the units were part of Assured Response in Liberia, Guardian Retrieval from Zaire, Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, and Odyssey Dawn.

The Combat Shadows are scheduled to be replaced by the MC-130J Commando II aircraft, which are being built by Lockheed Martin as part of Air Force Special Operations Command's fleet-wide C-130 recapitalisation.
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USMC Eyes Options for Light Vehicle
USMC Eyes Options for Light Vehicle

WASHINGTON — As the US Marine Corps returns to its expeditionary roots, it is planning a safety and reliability upgrade — and a possible replacement — for its internally transportable vehicle (ITV), designed to fit in an MV-22 Osprey.

The efforts dovetail with higher demand in operations and the service's Expeditionary Force 21 concept, which emphasizes lighter forces, such as its quick-reaction Marine expeditionary units (MEUs), a Corps official said. When the last dozen or so MEUs have deployed, each has brought as many as 20 ITVs with them.

"Dispersed company operations are our way forward, and with this platform we are finding, with the infantry community, a desire to reduce the load they're carrying on their backs," said Mark Godfrey, transportation branch chief at the Marine Corps' logistics division and capabilities integration directorate.

The efforts also run parallel with US Special Operations Command's effort to develop an Osprey-transportable vehicle.

This fall, the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is conducting a limited objective experiment and a limited technical assessment to define the need and find vehicles that could fill it. Though originally designed for light-strike missions, such a vehicle is also considered a contender for logistics and casualty evacuation missions.

The machine, or machines, are envisioned as readily available at an affordable price, particularly as the Marine Corps prioritizes its Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). The ACV, in development now, is expected to eat a significant chunk of the service's budget when it is fielded, Godfrey said.

The Corps is in talks with 12 vendors whose vehicles can fit inside a V-22 to participate in the technical assessment at the Nevada Automotive Test Center. The limited objective experiment will involve an infantry company in an exercise set for Camp Pendleton and Fort Hunter Liggett in California.

These efforts mark something of a comeback for the ITV. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan saw a reluctance to use a vehicle without armor to protect it from roadside bombs. Intended for the infantry, ITVs were fielded primarily to the reconnaissance, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and artillery communities.

When the last of the vehicles was purchased and fielded in 2010, the requirement had been pared from 750 to 266, with another 145 "prime mover" variants, which carry a 120mm mortar. These M1161 and M1163 Growlers were originally manufactured by American Growler in 2004 and subsequently bought out by General Dynamics.

"The fielding was a bit of bad timing because we were heavily involved in [Iraq and Afghanistan], and trying to field a vehicle that was unarmored led to a delay before there was a lot of use of this platform," Godfrey said. "Of late, we are seeing a lot larger demand signal as we are trying to transition the Marine Corps back to its expeditionary roots."

Meanwhile, the program office is working to resolve the readiness and parts supply issues that have gnawed at the ITV program. The goal is to have the Corps' own maintenance and supply personnel maintain the vehicle organically by 2020, said Andy Rodgers, the Marine Corps' program manager for light tactical vehicles.

The original ITV had to be light enough to fit into the V-22 and

"You added a lot of complexity on the maintenance side to achieve the lightweight parts needed to have it fit in the aircraft, and durability to go over that same terrain that you expected a Humvee to go over," Godfrey said.

For Rodgers, parts and supply issues play into the argument for better cooperation with Special Operations Command and its effort to develop an ITV.

"Any opportunity for commonality between services is a good thing for lifecycle support and overall cost to the government," Rodgers said.

 

[monitor]

Boeing, Pentagon discussing space-based hyperspectral sensor options
By: James Drew
Los Angeles
Source: Flightglobal.com
12 hours ago
Boeing says it is in discussions with the US government about deploying a space-based hyperspectral imaging sensor several years after the air force started flying Raytheon’s Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System-Hyperspectral, or ACES-Hy, system tactically on an MQ-1 Predator UAV.

ACES-Hy, which captures images based on an object’s electromagnetic signature, was originally tested on a satellite before being integrated with an unmanned aircraft. Now, Boeing says there is interest from the Pentagon in augmenting a space-based capability with its airborne hyperspectral imaging pods.

Umesh Ketkar, Boeing’s director of advanced space and intelligence systems, said at company-sponsored media tour in Los Angeles May 19 that the commercial sector is interested in providing hyperspectral imaging services to the government, but the Pentagon might also choose to deploy its own payload on a satellite.

“We’re engaged with government at two levels,” he explains. “One is a government acquisition of a space system, and the other that the government has expressed a lot of interest in is acquiring the data without having to acquire the satellite system.

“We’re having a lot more discussions with them about providing them data or even [alerting them to] signals of interest.”
Ketkar says the defense department is still assessing its requirements, and it could be a while before any decision is made.

“They’re trying to figure out what mix of air-based – things like ACES-Hy – and space-based systems they need,” he says. “I don’t think they’ve come to a final conclusion on that yet.”

The US Air Force currently leads the development and fielding of hyperspectral imaging technology, and is currently working on an improved, high-resolution ACES-Hy camera, according to its latest budget documents.

The research and development programme attracts $14.5 million in funding through 2020. L-3 Communications and Exelis both support ACES-Hy with Raytheon as the prime contractor. A space-based system would require a much larger investment.

The air force's Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer (ARTEMIS) hyperspectral imaging payload was put on orbit in 2009 for a two-year mission.

Hyperspectral sensors are used to detect minute changes on the battlefield and they have been used to detect improvised explosive devices and other hidden threats.

 

[Transhumanist]

All credit to @SvenSvensonov for the original post.

Please go here for more info:

Micro stories - small news bits too small to have their own thread | Page 18

March 20, 2015 X-37B launch:

Austal USA Launches Sixth Joint High Speed Vessel

The sixth Joint High Speed Vessel launched on Tuesday from Austal USA’s yard in Mobile, Ala., Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) announced in a statement.

The aluminum catamaran Brunswick (JHSV-6) will now undergo final outfitting before the ship delivers to U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) later this year.

“Launch marks a major milestone for this ship as this is the first time it’s entered the water, signifying its readiness to prepare for tests and trials and eventual delivery,” said Capt. Henry Stevens, Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Manager, Program Executive Office, Ships. “This is a very busy time for the Navy and the shipbuilder as we continue to mark the major milestones that bring each ship closer to delivery and eventual in-service operations.”
The ship was christened earlier this month and the fifth JHSV, Trenton, completed acceptance trials in March.

Trenton (JHSV-5) will host the first at-sea test of the Navy’s electromagnetic railgun next year.

JHSV began as a joint Army and Navy Program until the Army left the ten-ship $2.5 billion program.

The 1,515 ton ship can carry up to 600 tons of troops and gear. The ships displace 1,515-tons, can cruise at 35 knots at a range of 1,200 nautical miles.

From Austal USA Launches Sixth Joint High Speed Vessel - USNI News

 

[Transhumanist]

I saw where the F-35 gets one of its most classified features, and it's amazing

"This room is the most advanced painting facility in the world," retired US Air Force pilot and F-35 simulation instructor Rick Royer told me as we toured Lockheed Martin's highly secure plane facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Aircraft Final Finishes bay is where America's most expensive weapons system gets coated with a highly classified stealth technology, which makes it invisible to radar.

After the jet is assembled and before it can take flight, three laser-guided robots apply the Radar-Absorbing Material (RAM) to each of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II variant aircraft.

Here's all we know (and can share) about how the F-35 gets its invisibility cloak:

First, each F-35 variant is assembled in Lockheed Martin's mile-long production facility.

Once an F-35 is ready to leave the production line, it is carefully rolled ...

... into the windowless, multistory, 226,000-square-foot Aircraft Final Finishes (AFF) complex.

The jet is placed in one of two paint bays where three laser-guided robots are programmed to spray RAM on all surfaces except the tails and various parts that are coated at a separate area called the Robotic Component Finishing System.

According to an SAE International report, the first coating process was completed on a F-35B in 2008 and took three days.

Lockheed Martin's AFF facility services seven planes a month and is expected to increase to 17 jets by 2020.

From Where F-35 gets classified features - Business Insider

 

[Transhumanist]

This Stealth Missile Will Use EMPs To Cripple Enemy Electronics

The Pentagon’s Counter-Electronics High-Power Advanced Microwave Project (CHAMP) has been one of the sci-fi like weapons programs that has the ability to change warfare as we know forever. Now it looks like the CHAMP has found an ideal delivery vehicle, the stealthy Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range.

The whole idea behind CHAMP is to be able to destroy an enemy’s command, control, communication and computing, surveillance and intelligence (C4SI) capabilities without doing any damage to the people or traditional infrastructure in and around it. In other words, it can eliminate a facility’s effectiveness by destroying the electronics within it alone, via a microwave pulse, without kinetically attacking the facility itself. Think of it as the mother of all less than lethal weapons.

The effects of a CHAMP are very similar to what would happen during an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) caused by a high-altitude nuclear detonation or by a powerful solar storm, just on a much smaller, more focused scale. Unlike an EMP bomb, which are area weapons and indiscriminate as to who they target within their blast area, CHAMP is really an EMP assassin that comes in and surgically eliminates an enemy’s war enabling technology, barely leaving a fingerprint it was ever even there.

The technology has been around conceptually for many years and something like it was even rumored to have been deployed secretly before. For instance, there were reports that during the fall of Qaddafi, unmanned aircraft orbited over Libya’s most volatile weapons stockpiles and zapped vehicles engines and electronics that approached.

Regardless of if this technology already exists in any operational form or not, CHAMP is a heavier hitting capability that could very well save many lives while dealing the enemy a huge blow during the opening stages of major air campaigns. CHAMP, which is a Boeing and Air Force Research Laboratory project, was successfully tested in 2012 aboard a AGM-86 Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM). During the test, which occurred over a bombing and testing range in Utah, the CHAMP equipped CALCM flew over a two story building filled with computers and other powered technology and initiated a high-power, directed microwave burst above it as it passed by. The burst knocked out all the equipment inside. The test went on to zap six more targets successfully before the missile crashed itself in a pre-designated area. Other test flights are set to have followed, and even hardened targets were not completely immune to CHAMP’s zapping power.

CHAMP’s previous tests are said to have used a unit based on a powerful vacuum tube that used a magnetron that produces large directed pulses of microwave radiation. Newer systems will most likely be based on Active Electronically Scanned Arrays (AESAs) like those used in cutting-edge radar systems. These systems have a whole slew of advantages of their ‘analogue’ predecessors, one of which is miniaturization, beam focus and agility.

X-band AESA radar arrays are currently flying aboard F-15C and F/A-18E/F/G and F-22 fighters, and will be a centerpiece sensor aboard the F-35. They are also migrating to airborne surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as surface combatants. Details as to these platform’s ability to use their powerful radars for pinpoint “soft kill” attacks against electronics, especially those fitted onto sensitive enemy sensors and even incoming missiles, remains cloaked in classification but is clearly exists. As one contact of mine in the electronic warfare field puts, “everywhere there is an aperture (an antenna or radar array) there is a vulnerability.”

Now, as CHAMP is nearing operational form, it needs a proper platform that can deploy it against the enemy. Although the CALCM is a proven weapon, and converting older AGM-86s over to CHAMP makes sense in the interim, it is an old missile and not nearly as capable or survivable as modern stealthy cruise missiles such as Lockheed’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM.

JASSM-ER (for Extended Range) is a logical platform for CHAMP as it can be launched by both bombers and fighters, and is a proven design that is already being evolved into a highly advanced anti-ship missile, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM. Also, it is smart and stealthy, able to actively detect threatening radars and evade or attack them, making it survivable against the world’s most capable air defense systems.

The ER model also offers double the range as the older AGM-158 JASSM model (about 550 miles), and this may even end up being extended further as the CHAMP equipped JASSM-ER will need no terminal homing sensor or warhead at all, which could make space for more fuel.

Once integrated into JASSM-ER, CHAMP will be a ‘first day of war’ standoff weapon that can be launched outside an enemy’s area-denial/anti-access capabilities, and fly a route over known C4SI facilities, zapping them along its way, before destroying itself at the end of its mission. Because of its stealth design, long-range and is expendable, it will fly where no other assets could and because it does not blow anything up, its use does not necessarily give away the fact that the enemy is under direct attack in the first place. In that sense, it is a psychological weapon, capable of at least partially blinding an enemy before they even know that a larger-scale attack is coming.

CHAMP may have trouble knocking out the most hardened enemy electronic systems, but their sensors are possibly another story. Command and control components and sensors used at surface-to-air missile sites and for integrated air defense system connectivity could be put at great risk by the stealthy JASSM-ER/CHAMP combo. Such a system could loiter for prolonged periods of time over enemy territory, and use similar radar warning receivers as those featured on the LRASM to attack enemy air defense nodes that come online.

If a swarm of these missiles were networked together, they could work as a team to suppress the enemy’s ability to communicate and defend itself in real time without any direction from human operators. In such a role, CHAMP equipped JASSM-ERs could be used alongside Miniature Air Launched Decoys to play complete havoc on an enemy’s ability to defend its airspace to an incoming attack.

Although the stealthy and expensive JASSM-ER will be an effective ‘fire and forget’ platform for a CHAMP-like device, this capability is really suited for unmanned aircraft that can have all the advantages of JASSM-ER but can return to base to be used again when their mission ends. Really, any combat aircraft could benefit from a CHAMP-like ability.

Even if laser weaponry is seen as the future’s super pinpoint aerial attack capability, it still causes physical damage to its target, including to human beings. CHAMP on the other hand would be able to neutralize many targets by destroying electronics alone. In doing so the system could be greatly effective at doing everything from stopping trucks full of insurgents, to rendering improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inoperable, to disabling massive command and control facilities full of computers and communications devices. As such, everything from a Predator unmanned aircraft to an F-35 could use such a capability in its quiver.

Seeing as CHAMP can fit inside a CALCM today, and probably inside a small diameter bomb in the future, there is no reason to think that combat aircraft around the globe will be equipped with CHAMP-like pods in the not so distant future. Even here at home, law enforcement could use such a device to totally eliminate dangerous high-speed vehicle chases. The Coast Guard and Navy could also potentially use similar devices to disable unresponsive ships or those that are swarming around surface combatants in a combined attack.

A very precise, close-in air defense version of CHAMP, based on an AESA type emitter, could solve the White House’s and other VVIP’s hobby drone problems. Simply zap them out of the sky by frying their electronic components instead of using kinetic weapons, such as missiles or bullets, or even lasers. This precise ‘soft kill’ capability solves so many modern day security and defense problems that it could very well revolutionize the way we look at ‘striking’ a target.

Right now, CHAMP is like the first guided bombs of the 1970s. Sure, its technology is exciting and shown to be effective, but where it will quickly lead has the ability to change modern warfare as we know it forever, and for the better.

 

[Indus Falcon]

BAE Systems Submits Bid for US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle 1.1 Program
(Source: BAE Systems; issued May 19, 2015)

Like most of its competitors, BAE Systems teamed with a European manufacturer – in this case, Italy’s Iveco – to compete for the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle program. (BAES photo)
The company’s solution, built from the ground up to be a truly amphibious vehicle, would provide a significant benefit to the Marine Corps’ current and future needs.

BAE Systems is teamed with IVECO Defence, which brings additional proven experience having designed and built more than 30,000 multi-purpose, protected, and armored military vehicles in service today. The team’s U.S.-built, non-developmental solution has completed thousands of miles of mobility testing and a full range of amphibious operations, including demonstrations of launch and recovery of the vehicle from amphibious ship test platforms.

“Our solution will provide the Marine Corps with a truly amphibious capability, designed into our solution and backed by our more than 70 years of experience designing and building amphibious vehicles,” said Deepak Bazaz, director of new and amphibious vehicles at BAE Systems. “Our ACV 1.1 proposal offers a mature, cost-effective solution with growth capacity to meet future Marine Corps needs.”

The Marine Corps plans to award up to two initial contracts later this year to deliver 16 engineering, manufacturing, and development prototypes beginning nine months after the contract award.

BAE Systems Submits Bid for US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle 1.1 Program

 

[Transhumanist]

Navy Has Begun EMALS Testing on Carrier Ford

Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the James River during the ship’s launch and transit to Newport News Shipyard pier three for the final stages of construction and testing in November 2013. US Navy photo.

The Navy conducted its first-ever shipboard full-speed catapult shot with the General Atomics Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) aboard the aircraft carrierGerald R. Ford (CVN-78) earlier this month, the Navy said in a May 15 statement.

EMALS will replace steam catapults on the Ford-class carriers. It is more maintainable, reliable and efficient than the steam system, generates more launch energy and puts less stress on the aircraft by creating a smoother, more linear acceleration, according to the Navy statement.

The recent test shots were called “no-loads,” as nothing was attached to the launching shuttle. The test was meant to demonstrate the integration of the catapult system. In the next phase of testing this summer, the catapults will launch “dead loads” – wheeled steel vessels up to 80,000 pounds that simulate the weight of an aircraft – to verify that the catapult and each of its components are working properly.

“This is a very exciting time for the Navy,” Program Executive Officer for Aircraft Carriers Rear Adm. Tom Moore said in the statement.

“For the first time in over 60 years, we’ve just conducted 22 no-load test shots using electricity instead of steam technology.”

Moore has previously said the dead load testing would take place in June in the James River, near the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia.

On the other end of the carrier, the Navy has had problems with the GA Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) that is two years behind its testing schedule.

From Navy Has Begun EMALS Testing on Carrier Ford - USNI News

 

[Transhumanist]

Army Tests New Acoustic Threat Detection System

The U.S. Army is experimenting with acoustic threat detection systems to help soldiers in combat zones pinpoint the location of incoming fire, from automatic weapons to rocket-propelled grenades, officials said.

The service is testing products including FireFLY, which was used in Afghanistan for a two-year period through 2013, and a newer and bigger system called Serenity, which is works with infrared cameras to produce more precise geolocation data.

“It’s not an official program of record, but it’s based off of 10 years of research and it’s in the late prototyping stage,” David Anderson, president of Invariant Corp., said last week during an exhibition at the Pentagon to showcase various military research projects.

The company teamed with Hyperion Technology Group to develop the technology in collaboration with the Army Research Lab and the Army Aviation Research, Development and Engineering Center, known as AMRDEC.

Serenity, made by Logos Technologies LLC, builds upon technology developed for the FireFLY ground system and integrates data from both electo-optical and acoustic sensors to increase accuracy and reduce false alarms. It features a six-microphone array and eight-sensor camera pod that can be mounted on a blimp or radio tower to detect threats such as rocket-propelled grenades and detonations up to 10 kilometers away.

“The infrared looks for a flash from a gunshot and the acoustics listens for the bang,” said Geoffrey Carter, president of Hyperion. “So we get the flash and the bang, and then we cue the operator. The accoustics get us very accurate azimuth, or bearing, to the threat. The combination of knowing the speed of light and the speed of sound, we’re able to get the distance in the time of arrival to the threat.”

The product is designed to be installed around the perimeter of a contingency operating base, or COB, or forward operating base, or FOB, where troops can have limited situational awareness, Carter said. “They hear gunshots but they don’t always know where they’re coming from,” he said. “So this gives them very pinpoint geolocation where the activity is coming from.”

A typical configuration for FireFLY costs around $45,000, while the bigger Serenity system goes for about $400,000, officials said.

From Army Tests New Acoustic Threat Detection System | Defense Tech