[JLRC]

LPD 18 Transport Dock Ship Christened In New Orleans
 
 
(Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.; issued Nov. 22, 2004)
 
 
 NEW ORLEANS --- In celebratory tradition, Carolyn Shelton, ship's sponsor, smashed a champagne bottle across the hull of the amphibious transport dock ship LPD 18, officially christening the ship New Orleans on Saturday at Northrop Grumman Corporation's New Orleans shipyard.  
 
Mrs. Shelton, wife of U.S. Army Gen. Henry Hugh Shelton (Ret.), the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, exclaimed, "bless this ship and all who sail in her," prior to her christening in the presence of approximately 1,000 guests.  
 
Principal speaker, U.S. Navy Adm. Vern Clark, chief of Naval Operations said the ship "will be ready to take American sovereignty to the far corners of the earth, for the capability designed within this ship and for our Navy-Marine Corps team, is truly a bridge to the future."  
 
"As we plan for the security of our nation...," Clark continued, "we are searching for the most advanced capabilities we can deliver to the sons and daughters of America wearing the uniforms of this nation, who are representing our nation in this global war against those using the tactics of terror. We want them to have every advantage that we can deliver to them."  
 
The name New Orleans recognizes the largest city in Louisiana and honors one of the world's largest ports. Navy Cmdr. Brad Skillman, a native of Muncie, Ind., is New Orleans' prospective commanding officer. The ship is scheduled for commissioning in 2005 and will be homeported in San Diego.  
 
"We are all here together sharing in a special pride," said Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.  
 
Blanco read a congratulatory letter from U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La) that included the following comments: "A pride that workers from Louisiana, welders and pipefitters here in this shipyard at Avondale, together with the executives of the Navy, produced this magnificent product. As an American, I'm proud knowing this ship will soon head out to protect this nation and the freedoms that we hold so dear."  
 
New Orleans (LPD 18) is the second ship in the San Antonio (LPD 17)-class of amphibious transport dock ships being built by Northrop Grumman for the Navy/U.S. Marine Corps team. Construction is taking place at the company's New Orleans shipyard with fabrication and additional support from three other company facilities in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss., and Tallulah, La.  
 
Displacing nearly 25,000 tons, these ships will be the second-largest ships in the Navy's 21st Century Expeditionary Strike Groups. New Orleans will have a crew of 360 Sailors and 3 Marines and can carry up to 699 troops with a surge capability of up to 800.  
 
"Like the people of New Orleans, with their diversity of culture and history, this ship represents a rich mix of systems, a tapestry of capabilities without peer," said Philip A. Dur, president, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems sector. "The San Antonio class will transform assault from the sea and bring new technologies into the fleet at a time when the fleet needs them most. This ship is built to operate and survive in hostile waters - to go into harm's way, even as she delivers lethal and precise blows in a contested littoral. New Orleans will be tough enough to meet the challenges of the next 35 years, wherever they arise."  
 
The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships are 684 feet (208.5 meters) long and 105 feet (31.9 meters) wide and will replace the functions of four classes of older amphibious ships. This new class of ship affords the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group with the technology and flexibility to launch and recover amphibious vehicles such as the Landing Craft, Air Cushion, operate an array of rotary-wing aircraft, as well as the ability to carry and launch the Marine Corp's Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.  
 
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems is the ship systems integrator for the LPD 17 ship class, with prime responsibility for the design and integration of the innovative Shipboard Wide Area Network, the backbone of the LPD capability. Raytheon draws upon its experience and proven expertise to integrate all government and contractor furnished equipment, providing exceptional capabilities to the joint expeditionary forces who will serve onboard.  
 
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems includes primary operations in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss.; and in New Orleans and Tallulah, La., as well as in a network of fleet support offices in the U.S. and Japan. Ship Systems is one of the nation's leading full-service systems companies for the design, engineering, construction and life-cycle support of major surface ships for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and international navies.  
 
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[JLRC]

New Command Will Unify Navy’s Maritime Force Protection Units

By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor

Force protection has been a hot issue for the U.S. Navy since the terrorist bombing of the destroyer USS Cole in 2000 and the beginning of the global war on terrorism. The subsequent buildup of the Navy’s force protection units and weapons will culminate next month with the establishment of a new fleet-wide command to bring them under a single umbrella.

The Maritime Force Protection Command (MFPC) will be established on Oct. 1 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk, Va., where many East Coast force protection units are based. The command’s mission is to provide forces to protect Navy units and other assets that are outside secure installations or facilities. Elements of the new command are protecting oil terminals in Iraq, for example, and it will be responsible for the security and protection of Navy ships that drop anchor at some foreign ports.

The creation of the MFPC is indicative of a major restructuring within the Navy hierarchy. Until now, responsibility for force protection units was buried in the administrative staff structure of the surface force-type commanders in the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific fleets, where force protection forces competed for resources with the large surface combatants and combat systems. With the creation of this new Navy-wide command, force protection rises to a level befitting its current importance in U.S. naval operations.

MFPC, an element of Fleet Forces Command, will be responsible for training, equipping and deploying force protection units, as well as developing their doctrine, tactics and other standard procedures.

Capt. Mark E. Kosnik, selected to be the first commander of MFPC, will direct the force structure of existing naval coastal warfare squadrons (including inshore boat units and mobile inshore undersea warfare units), explosive ordnance disposal units, expeditionary salvage (diver) units and the recently created Navy Mobile Security Force detachments. With a budget of approximately $52 million, he will supervise the training of more than 5,000 naval coastal warfare sailors and 2,000 sailors from explosive ordinance disposal and expeditionary salvage units.

MFPC is not intended to provide security at installations that have resident security forces. “Expeditionary” and “mobility” are key descriptors of the command’s mission.

“When there is a requirement for a high-value asset [to be deployed] outside the traditional security of installations, then it’s our mission to provide protection,” Kosnik told Sea Power.

The force to be protected could be a ship — such as a Military Sealift Command logistics ship in a foreign port not frequented by Navy visits — or a high-value aircraft — such as an executive transport carrying VIPs or a P-3 surveillance aircraft — staged to a remote airfield with no resident security forces. Protection of maritime facilities such as Iraqi oil terminals from sabotage and direct attack also fall within the mission of mobile security force detachments and naval coastal warfare squadrons.

In June, the first operational Mobile Security Force detachment took over security of the Khawr Al Amaya and Al Basrah oil terminals in Iraq, when they relieved the Interim Marine Corps Security Force Bahrain. Mobile Security Force detachments operate 25-foot patrol boats that are deployable by Air Force C-5 transport aircraft.

Despite its expeditionary character, MFPC expects that its forces frequently will be assigned to homeland defense roles. Naval mobile security forces and naval coastal warfare units already have supported Coast Guard missions. Kosnik said the MFPC will have an “evolving relationship with the Coast Guard.”

MFPC will send forces overseas as required by combatant commanders. For the foreseeable future, Kosnik expects to maintain two mobile security force detachments in the Middle East and one in Europe, and to keep explosive ordnance detachments deployed overseas as well. He also expects the naval coastal warfare squadrons — all of which are reserve units — to rotate to the Persian Gulf on a routine deployment schedule.

Kosnik said the implementation of the Sea Basing concept, a part of the Sea Power 21 strategy of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark, is likely to increase the role of MFPC forces. Mobile sea bases, such as prepositioning ships operating away from established ports, may require more protection from hostile small craft and divers.

MFPC will be working with Fleet Forces Command in the latter’s active-reserve integration studies. At issue is the possibility of shifting the naval coastal warfare squadrons from the reserve to the active force structure, Kosnik said.

[JLRC]

Silent Hammer’ Will Test SSGN as Clandestine Sea Base

By STEPHEN E. JOHNSON

The Navy will conduct a critical sea trial, called “Silent Hammer,” scheduled for this fall off the coast of San Diego, to evaluate the capability improvements offered by a clandestine sea base of networked undersea, surface, air and ground forces in a coordinated operation. Using that network, the joint forces involved in “Silent Hammer” will conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike operations against an “enemy” force on land and in the littoral battlespace.

This is part of the continuing series of rapid concept and technology developments being conducted by the Navy to swiftly deliver enhanced capabilities to the fleet. This process is in keeping with the service’s Sea Trial initiative, a central element of its Sea Power 21 strategy. A key Navy goal is to operate in a joint network centric environment by connecting multiservice systems and platforms under the operational control of a joint warfare commander.

The heart of the “Silent Hammer” exercise will be a ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) as a surrogate for an SSGN, an Ohio-class SSBN being converted to fire Tomahawk missiles and transport and deliver Special Operations Forces (SOF). Other platforms and forces presently scheduled to participate in the exercise include SOF, two attack submarines, a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surrogate, the High Speed Vessel Swift, plus Marine Corps and Air Force assets. Other forces and platforms will likely be added before the experiment begins.

The SSGN will be “Silent Hammer’s” clandestine sea base platform. Sea Basing serves as the foundation from which offensive operations are conducted. The SSGN will provide the SOF with their logistics and command-and-control requirements while also deploying manned and unmanned sea vehicles, and conducting ISR and strike missions.

“Silent Hammer” will continue to evaluate universal encapsulation, which entails the development of methods to enable subs to affordably launch a variety of weapons and organic unmanned off-board systems. During “Silent Hammer,” a Flexible Payload Module installed in a D-5 missile tube will launch a Stealthy Affordable Capsule containing an inert test shape simulating a real UAV.

Additionally, the SSGN will have a Battle Management Center installed prior to the experiment. This will provide the embarked Joint Commander access to real-time intelligence and Command and Control capabilities.

Many advanced technologies and capabilities are included in “Silent Hammer” and each will be carefully evaluated as required by Sea Trial. These include the SSGN Battle Management Center; Encapsulation Spiral Development; simulated SSGN satellite communication and SOF capabilities; an advanced radio for long-range, high-data-rate communications; direct UAV and ISR down-linking to the SSGN; hardware and software needed to enable time-critical targeting of Tactical Tomahawks; UAV and aircraft ISR; and Unattended Ground Sensors (UGSs) and an associated land network. Negotiations are ongoing to incorporate more technologies into “Silent Hammer.”

SOF ground forces will play a major role in “Silent Hammer” by conducting clandestine intelligence-gathering and tactical missions. While some ground forces will be based aboard the SSGN, other SOFs will launch from an attack submarine equipped with the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle — these will act as surrogates for a SSGN submarine and an Advanced SEAL Delivery System.

Once ashore, the ground forces will emplace sensors, a communications network, conduct surveillance and direct action missions. The information they gather will be passed back to the Joint Commander, allowing for continuous real-time situational awareness and time-critical strike support while staying connected to the global grid for higher command interaction.

During “Silent Hammer’s” overt phase, the SSGN will play a role in the Navy’s “Trident Warrior” Sea Trial experiment. Here, the joint commander aboard SSGN will change roles from the supported commander to the supporting commander for USS Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group’s (ESG) emulated joint commander. The SSGN will identify threats, conduct ISR and provide strike for the ESG.

“Silent Hammer” will provide real data for improved capabilities offered by the SOF and SSGN team with access to a plethora of off-board assets (joint and organic) to conduct and support extended littoral, terrestrial and strike operations. A carefully conceived data collection and analysis plan will ensure that the contributions provided by new capabilities and technologies are thoroughly evaluated, providing the Navy with information needed to support investment decisions in the future.

Rear Adm. Stephen E. Johnson is commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and director for undersea technology at Naval Sea Systems Command.

[JLRC]

SSGN Conversion Will Boost Offensive Power of the Fleet

By BRIAN J. WEGNER

A single Ohio-class guided-missile submarine (SSGN) will be armed with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. That is more cruise missiles than are now carried by an entire carrier strike group, and almost 20 percent of the 800 Tomahawks fired by a cadre of coalition submarines and surface ships during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Navy is obtaining four SSGNs, a step that will substantially increase the offensive power of the fleet.

Four Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines are being converted to the SSGN configuration. The conversion program was just getting started in June 2002 when Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark introduced his Sea Power 21 strategic plan. The four Ohio-class SSGNs provide key capabilities for the Sea Power 21 pillars of Sea Strike and Sea Basing, while serving as models of the supporting processes of Sea Trial and Sea Enterprise.

The conversion of the four ballistic-missile submarines to SSGNs was prompted by the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review, which determined the nation needed 14 of its 18 commissioned ballistic-missile submarines to meet its strategic deterrent requirements. Rather than decommission the four oldest boats, USS Ohio, USS Michigan, USS Florida and USS Georgia, the Navy decided to convert them into stealthy guided-missile strike and Special Operations Forces (SOF) platforms. Each is still a highly capable submarine with 20-plus years of operational life remaining. It is this conversion process that makes the SSGN program a model Sea Power 21 initiative.

Sea Strike calls for projecting precise and persistent offensive power. SSGNs will be major contributors to Sea Strike by virtue of their significant payload, endurance and persistent in-theater presence, due in part to their large arsenals of Tomahawk missiles.

Sea Strike also aims to enhance the warfighting contribution of Marines and SOF. The SSGN has unequalled capability to conduct sustained, stealthy operations with embarked SOF and their specialized equipment. Missile tubes one and two are being converted into large lock-in/lock-out chambers that will double as the mating sites for Advanced SEAL Delivery Systems, Dry-Deck Shelters or one of each.

SSGNs may also be a key research and development asset. Since each of the 22 available missile tubes is about the size of a tractor trailer, the Navy has an unprecedented opportunity to test and evaluate future submarine payloads. Possible payloads could include new effects-based weapons, distributed sensors and networks, unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles. With sound engineering and some imagination, a staggering array of unmanned sub-surface, surface and airborne systems, weapons, sensors and specialized SOF equipment could be tested.

The SSGN captures several key attributes of Sea Basing, which will extend the Navy’s reach through the use of mobile, self-sufficient bases in forward arenas. It will maximize its forward presence by retaining the two-crew concept used on SSBNs, while maximizing in-theater time by conducting some crew turnovers at forward-deployed sites. This will lead to 14 years of forward-deployed operations out of 20 years of remaining life.

SSGN also will be an unrivalled submarine command-and-control asset. The SSGN conversion installs equipment and operating stations to monitor and control operations of the Lockout Chambers, Advanced SEAL Delivery Systems or Dry-Deck Shelters. They also can be used for displays, storage and local area network drops, and communications equipment needed to plan and supervise strike and SOF operations. The capability is here to conduct the SSGN’s own operations, and to embark command elements enabling the SSGN to serve as a Launch Area Coordinator, or to provide robust command and control for SOF operations.

The SSGN program epitomizes the streamlined, efficient process envisioned in Sea Enterprise to field capabilities quickly and at lower cost. The SSGN conversion leverages prior investments in the Ohio-class submarines themselves, and in their supporting infrastructure.

Moreover, SSGN conversion is an example of reducing cycle time in the procurement of a major system. In three years, this program progressed from the concept stage to two submarines undergoing conversion. By fiscal year 2007, all four SSGNs will have completed conversion, with the lead boat, USS Ohio, having attained initial operating capability.

The SSGN program takes full advantage of capabilities resident at General Dynamics Electric Boat, the original designer and shipbuilder for the Ohio-class SSBNs, and at the naval shipyards to complete the conversions in minimum time. Electric Boat produced the detail design for the SSGN, procures long-lead-time material, performs manufacturing and conversion planning, and is providing direct labor and management oversight as the conversion execution manager.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Va., and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Wash., are performing refueling overhauls on two submarines each, with the conversion work beginning about halfway through each submarine’s overhaul — reducing overall time in drydock and saving the Navy money. The naval shipyards also provide selected services for the conversion effort, leveraging existing facilities and on-site capabilities.

Sea Trial encompasses all of the Navy’s research and development efforts, including partnerships with government and civilian research centers and academic institutions to develop the weapons of the future. With their large payload capacity, versatility and multiple large ocean interfaces, SSGNs will be integral in the testing and evaluation of new submarine technologies.

The SSGN’s potential as a Sea Trial platform was demonstrated in January 2003 when the Florida successfully launched two Tomahawk cruise missiles during a demonstration validation exercise. After the exercise, the Florida simulated an SSGN for the “Giant Shadow” Sea Trial. The experiment included the first vertical unmanned underwater vehicle launch from a submarine.

The Seahorse vehicle mapped an ingress path through a suspected mine field, allowing Navy SEALs deploying from the submarine to successfully land on an island suspected of housing a terrorist-run weapons of mass destruction (WMD) facility. The SEALs conducted constant reconnaissance of the suspected facility for several days and during that time used the Seahorse to receive supplies and send soil samples back to the SSGN. When the soil samples confirmed the presence of WMD material, the SEALs withdrew from the island and the SSGN launched a simulated Tomahawk strike against the facility.

Another simulated SSGN is slated to play an integral role in the October Sea Trial “Silent Hammer,” which will build upon “Giant Shadow’s” success (See sidebar).

SSGN will provide key capabilities for Sea Power 21. In taking advantage of improved business practices and leveraging existent platforms and expertise, the SSGN program provides transformational platforms at an unprecedented rate and at an affordable cost. When these assets are delivered to the fleet in the near future, the Navy will have stealthy platforms that are capable of conducting non-provocative operations for months at a time or striking at a moment’s notice with missiles, special forces, or both.

Capt. Brian J. Wegner is the Navy’s SSGN program manager, Program Executive Office for Submarines at Naval Sea Systems Command.

[JLRC]

Major Success in the United States: TDA to Supply Weapon System for US Marine Corps’ EFSS  
 
 
(Source: Thales; issued Nov. 22, 2004, web-posted Nov. 23, 2004)
 
 
 NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France --- The consortium led by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS), which includes TDA (TDA is an equally owned subsidiary of Thales and EADS Deutschland GmbH), has been selected by the US Marine Corps to develop and produce the future Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS), transportable by the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.  
 
The EFSS will comprise a prime mover vehicle, 120 mm mortar, ammunition supply vehicle and trailer, fire control support and complete family of ammunition.  
 
The contract is worth 240 million euros (296 million dollars). TDA's share of this six-year program will amount to around 80 million euros if all options are exercised.  
 
TDA will supply the EFSS weapon system, comprising its 120 mm rifled towed mortar, the 120 RT, already in service with the armed forces of twenty-four countries, including four NATO members, and the associated family of ammunition. In the longer term, the US Marine Corps' ammunition requirements will continue throughout the weapon system's service life of around thirty years. The Marine Corps' selection of the TDA mortar confirms the inherent superiority of rifled technology for 120 mm mortars.  
 
This latest success strengthens Thales' position in the United States by extending its activities to weapon systems for land forces. In 2001, Thales set up ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS), the first-ever transatlantic defense company and the world leader in air defense systems. With more than 50,000 software-defined tactical radios delivered to Special Forces and Armies in a number of countries around the world, Thales Communications, Inc. is a world leader in secure, tactical, handheld miniature radio equipment. In 2003, Thales, which employs 3,000 people in North America, generated revenues of around one billion dollars in the United States, accounting for about ten percent of total sales.  
 
In addition to towed and vehicle-mounted mortars, TDA also specializes in the development and manufacture of aircraft rocket systems, smart munitions, safety and arming units and area control systems. The company has annual revenues of 100 million euros, half from export sales.  
 
Thales is an international electronics and systems group serving defense, aerospace, security and services markets. The Group employs 61,500 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10.6 billion euros in 2003.  
 
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS), a business unit of General Dynamics, is America's leading manufacturer of large- and medium-caliber munitions, bomb bodies, propellant powders, warheads and explosive charges for munitions, rockets and tactical missiles.  
 
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[JLRC]

Kearsarge Deck Sailors Train for AAV Operations
 
 
(Source: US Navy; issued Nov. 22, 2004)
 
 
 ABOARD USS KEARSARGE, At Sea --- USS Kearsarge’s (LHD 3) Deck Department Sailors earned valuable underway training with an amphibious vehicle that hasn’t been aboard Kearsarge in more than three years.  
 
While underway for PHIBRON Marine Integrated Training (PMINT) from Nov. 15-23 with the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Kearsarge conducted Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) operations, one of the several evolutions designed to integrate the Navy-Marine Corps team in preparation for an upcoming scheduled deployment.  
 
AAVs are full-tracked landing vehicles that transport troops in amphibious assault operations from ship to shore with the capability to carry 21 combat-equipped troops and 10,000 pounds of cargo. It has a cruising speed on land of 20-30 miles per hour, yet, can only move about six miles per hour in the water.  
 
“The primary responsibility of the AAV during an amphibious operation is to ‘spearhead’ a beach assault,” said Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class (SW/AW) Cary Carrigan, leading petty officer for deck’s 3rd division. “They are also used for carrying infantry troops and supplies, manning check points, military operations in an urban terrain and escorting food convoys.”  
 
The last time Kearsarge operated with AAVs was June 2001, so this evolution not only certified the ship to embark AAVs in the future, but also provided training for Deck personnel, many of whom had never worked with AAVs.  
 
“Although our primary mission in the Well Deck is to launch and recover LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion), we still have to be qualified and show the ability to launch and recover AAVs if needed,” said Carrigan.  
 
Carrigan said that despite the fact that Kearsarge hadn’t had AAVs aboard for more than three years, the event was well coordinated and was executed as planned.  
 
“We held signalman training before the evolution and made sure that all the safety requirements were maintained throughout the whole operation, which resulted in a very successful and mishap-free recovery, positioning and launch of three AAVs,” said Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class (SW) Suzanne Grandfield.  
 
The training proved to be valuable to deck Sailors as Kearsarge looks ahead to continued training with the Marines and its ESG deployment. Carrigan praised the deck Sailors for making a complex evolution run smoothly.  
 
“Deck Department’s leadership and know-how made this a smooth event, showing once again that Deck’s versatility and capability to accomplish diverse missions with many assets.”  
 
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[JLRC]

Pentagon Contract Announcement  
 
 
(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Nov. 24, 2004)
 
 
 BAE Systems Applied Technologies Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $62,184,430 cost-plus-fixed-fee, incentive-fee and award-fee, level of effort contract to provide for System Integration Support for the Trident I (C4) and Trident II (D5) Fleet Ballistic Missile Programs in implementing interface control programs and performing special technical investigations such as the following:  
 
(1) modify and update system test procedures and plan for and participate in Strategic Weapon System testing during submarine overhaul, refit and backfit;  
 
(2) perform configuration management and alteration control via documentation, drawings and technical manuals;  
 
(3) provide logistics, engineering and material control support;  
 
(4) provide planning and monitoring support in ensuring compliance with the U.S. Navy's portion of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START); and  
 
(5) provide maintenance support data system installation and support for the Strategic Weapon System, including materials.  
 
The contract also contains effort for Tomahawk Land Attack Missile-Nuclear (TLAM-N) Support and Advanced Systems Studies. Work will be performed in Rockville, Md., and is expected to be completed by September 2005. Contract funds in the amount of $38,963,072 will expired at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured.  
 
The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity  
 
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Observação : Julgava que o TLAM-N tinha sido retirado do inventário da US Navy.

[JLRC]

United Defense 57-mm Gun System Selected by Lockheed Martin for Littoral Combat Ship  
 
 
(Source: United Defense Industries; issued Dec. 1, 2004)
 
 
 MINNEAPOLIS, MN --- United Defense Industries, Inc. has been selected to provide its 57-mm Mk 110 Naval Gun System for Lockheed Martin's Flight Zero Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).  
 
"Our Mk 110 Naval Gun System is ideal for Lockheed Martin's LCS design and meets the demanding core ship self-defense needs due to its exceptional lethality, range, high firing rate, accuracy, compact weight, and size," said Steve Kelly, United Defense's LCS program manager. "The 57-mm Mk 110 and its Mk 295 '3P' intelligent ammunition are unparalleled in defeating high-density small boat raids because of the ammunition's programmable, precision-timed fuse and lethal air-burst capability."  
 
The initial contract is for long-lead material and contains options for procurement of the first two 57-mm guns for the LCS program upon receipt of government funding. United Defense will provide the gun systems, ancillary equipment and engineering and installation services. Contract award modifications for gun system production are expected in early 2005.  
 
Work is scheduled to continue through the end of 2007, given the exercise of all options. High-volume production work is expected to be centered at the United Defense facility in Louisville, KY. Program management and gun support services will be led in Minneapolis, MN.  
 
LCS, a revolutionary naval combatant designed to dominate the world's coastal waters, provides the Navy with fast, maneuverable and shallow draft ships aimed at maximizing mission flexibility. The ship's first missions will include mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.  
 
United Defense designs, develops and produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and precision munitions used by the U.S. Department of Defense and allies worldwide, and provides non-nuclear ship repair, modernization and conversion to the U.S. Navy and other U.S. Government agencies.  
 
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[JLRC]

Boeing MMA Model Passes Wind Tunnel Tests
 
 
(Source: Boeing Co.; issued Nov. 30, 2004)
 
 
 ST. LOUIS --- Boeing engineers completed the first series of wind tunnel tests for the 737 Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program on Nov. 5 under the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract.  
 
Low-speed wind tunnel tests began on an 11 percent scale model of a 737 MMA on Oct. 28 in Boeing's 20 ft. by 20 ft. subsonic wind tunnel facility in Philadelphia, PA. The facility is the largest privately owned wind tunnel in the United States and can subject models to wind speeds up to 215 knots. The full series of stability and control testing is expected to conclude in two weeks.  
 
Neal Mosbarger, Boeing's MMA flight technology manager, says a primary area of interest was a new weapons bay door. "We found the 737 MMA had good aircraft stability characteristics with the weapon bay doors open," said Mosbarger. "We are now ready to move onto high-speed wind tunnel testing next month with a high degree of confidence in our MMA configuration."  
 
The team looked at a variety of unique features in addition to the basic stability of the aircraft including weapons bay door open, flaps down, landing gear down to simulate takeoff and landing conditions. An estimated 3,000 hours of wind tunnel time will be logged to develop the 737 MMA. Because designers can use tools like computational fluid dynamics to refine the designs before testing starts fewer tests are needed when compared to past development efforts. In addition, the 737-800 commercial airframe was previously flight tested and is currently in service with airlines around the world.  
 
The Boeing-led team, which includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Smiths Aerospace will produce five test aircraft during the program's SDD phase. Plans call for up to 108 aircraft to be purchased by the Navy to replace its aging fleet of P-3 aircraft.  
 
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense and Department of Homeland Security; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.  
 
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[JLRC]

Lockheed Wins $15.6M Contract to Integrate Armed Helo under US Navy Multimission Helicopter Program
 
 
(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued Dec. 1, 2004)
 
 
 OWEGO, N.Y. --- Lockheed Martin has received a $15.6 million contract to integrate the Armed Helicopter mission kit for the MH-60S helicopter. The award represents Phase III of the U.S. Navy's Armed Helo program.  
 
Phase III, a two-year effort, covers integration from the preliminary design review, completed by Lockheed Martin in Phase II, through completion of operational testing. The Armed Helo mission kit includes sensors, avionics, weapons, integrated self-defense (ISD) and survivability capabilities. Initial operational capability of the Armed Helo is scheduled in September 2006.  
 
The MH-60S helicopter is a multimission platform being acquired by the Navy to replace the CH-46 and HH-60H helicopters. MH-60S aircraft in the Armed Helo configuration will perform organic combat search and rescue (CSAR), maritime interdiction operations (MIO), surface warfare (SUW) and carrier plane guard/SAR.  
 
"The Navy has an urgent need to arm helicopters flying in harm's way," said Jeff Bantle, vice president, Multi-Mission Solutions for Lockheed Martin Systems Integration -- Owego. "With helicopters increasingly flying in high- threat environments, the Armed Helo will provide critical protection for our war fighters."  
 
The Armed Helo program adapts key features of the MH-60R helicopter, including the ISD suite, Hellfire missiles and forward-looking infrared (FLIR), to the MH-60S platform. The mission kit also gives the crew capability to fire laser-sighted 7.62 mm guns from the port and starboard cabin windows and laser-sighted 0.50 caliber guns from the port and starboard cabin doors.  
 
The MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters are designed with a common cockpit that includes full-color, night vision device-capable, sunlight-readable displays, digital communications, fully integrated global positioning system and inertial navigation system, mass memory data storage, and integrated mission computer.  
 
Lockheed Martin is the systems integrator for the MH-60R and provides the cockpit, which is common to all MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters. Sikorsky designs and manufactures the MH-60S and MH-60R aircraft and is responsible for the mechanical and electrical modifications on the airframe.  
 
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.  
 
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[JLRC]

Wasp Finishes Osprey Exercise, Heads Home
 
 
(Source: US Navy; issued Dec. 2, 2004)
 
 
 ABOARD USS WASP, At Sea --- USS Wasp (LHD 1) completed a 10-day exercise testing the V-22A Osprey off the Mid-Atlantic coast, Nov. 12-23.  
 
The multipurpose amphibious assault ship spent nearly two weeks at sea helping more than 100 flight engineers, contractors, government employees and Marine Corps pilots collect data and aviation information about the military's future transport aircraft.  
 
"We came out here to perform a series of tests, like how the Osprey interacts with other aircraft in the air and on the flight deck," explained Troy Kindall, a flight test engineer at Naval Air Station Pataxent River, Md. "We tested its short takeoff capabilities with 50,000 pounds of cargo."  
 
"We had problems with the Osprey in the past on board USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7)," Kindall continued. "Whenever another V-22 would come in for a landing, the Osprey parked on the flight deck would suddenly shift from left to right. It was pretty dangerous. We came out to further monitor the aircraft-to-aircraft interaction. This time we didn't see any movement that resembled what we saw in the past.  
 
"We've also done regular launching and landing tests with the crew on the flight deck, while getting a few of our pilots qualified to fly both during the day and at night," he added. "This was a first for us and Wasp. These were our most successful tests in six years."  
 
Osprey test pilot Marine Maj. Frank Conway was one of five pilots to qualify to fly at night using night vision goggles and night vision devices. The two-year V-22 pilot said he preferred the fleet's new mode of transportation to its predecessor, the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, because of its jet speed, long-range capabilities and convenient pilot-friendly mechanisms.  
 
"The difference between flying the V-22 and the CH-46 is like night and day," said Conway of Lindenword, N.J. "The Osprey has top of the line equipment with a computer that pretty much does everything. The V-22 is an airplane that occasionally hovers for takeoffs and landings. You instantly go from hovering vertically off the deck to an airplane that can travel 200 knots in 10-12 seconds. The deceleration is even more impressive. It's like having 'Bugs Bunny' air brakes and stopping in mid-air. The Osprey will better serve the mission of the troops and the Navy/Marine Corps team."  
 
Other pilots and testers agreed. With the Osprey's ability to go as fast as 272 knots while carrying up to 60,000 pounds, the military's new hawk may be the best bird for the job.  
 
"When this aircraft hits the fleet, Sailors and Marines better watch out, because it's going to take us places we've never dreamed of," said Marine Staff Sgt. Craig Maynard, a developmental tester from Marine Unit 22. "I come from a 46 background, yet the V-22 is better for our missions. It carries two times more than its predecessor, it travels three times the distance and the navigation system is better for our pilots.  
 
"We came on board not just to do exercises, but to also get members of the ship's air department familiar with what they'll be working with in the future," he added. "I was impressed with how well the Sailors on the flight deck adjusted to the Osprey."  
 
For Sailors on the flight deck, nothing was taken for granted during the test period. They spent a lot of time studying the Osprey and preparing for its arrival.  
 
"It's a combination of what we usually work with under way. It lands like a CH-46 and jets off like an AV-8B Harrier, so the adjustment was fairly easy," said Enlisted Launch Officer Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class (AW) Devon Caldeira, of New York City. "We went to numerous safety briefs and watched several videos prior to the Ospreys' arrival. We were instructed to take extreme caution, even though it's actually a lot safer than other helicopters. Launching and landing the V-22s these past 10 days was new and exciting. It was a great experience."  
 
Even Sailors who don't launch and recover thought working with the 60,500-pound transformer aircraft was a unique experience.  
 
"Moving and chaining aircraft was always exciting for me, especially when I get to work with something new like the V-22," said Airman Gustavo Reyes, a native of New York City. "It transforms in mid-air, and it can transport more cargo and Marines. I'm looking forward to working with these birds in years to come." (ends)

[JLRC]

Osprey Completes Final Shipboard Developmental Testing
 
 
(Source: US Naval Air Systems Command; issued Dec. 2, 2004)
 
 
 The V-22 Integrated Test Team conducted Shipboard Suitability Phase IVc for ten days beginning on November 12.  
 
This was the fourth and final underway period for the ITT since the program's return to flight in May of 2002. Phase IVc's successful completion was an important step on the path toward the Osprey's operational evaluation early next year.  
 
The primary objective of this phase was to complete interaction testing between a V-22 parked on the flight deck and another V-22 hovering in front of it. Additional test objectives included flight envelope expansion for all port side landing spots aboard the LHD, developing a night short takeoff envelope, and evaluating the latest flight control software version.  
 
"The team was able to get a lot done during our time underway," said Bill Geyer, the ITT's lead shipboard suitability engineer. "The data we gathered will help us close the book on MV-22 shipboard developmental test. We've given the operational testers and, in turn, the fleet the tools for success at sea."  
 
While the ITT was busy working on the Wasp's flight deck, a group of maintainers from VMX-22, the V-22 operational test and evaluation squadron based at MCAS New River, were in the hangar bay conducting maintenance demonstration testing. Tests included removing both engines, jacking the aircraft and cycling the landing gear, and removing prop-rotor hubs and blade assemblies. The VMX-22 team's findings will serve them well during the squadron's upcoming operational evaluation.  
 
Geyer was quick to attribute the ITT's success to their hosts. "The Wasp was excellent," he said. "The bridge team went out of its way to get us the winds we needed, and the Air Department was always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done for us. Overall, it was the best experience I've ever had at sea while conducting tests."  
 
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[JLRC]

Gulf of Mexico Exercise Puts Navy To The Test  
 
 
(Source: US Naval Sea Systems Command; issued Dec. 3, 2004)
 
 
 PANAMA CITY, Fla. --- More than 500 personnel from Naval Station Ingleside and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, along with the High-Speed Vessel Swift 2 began putting their mine warfare training to practice Dec. 3-14, 2004 in the Gulf of Mexico exercise (GOMEX). The GOMEX 05-1 gives ships, aircraft and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) divers an opportunity to work together as an integrated team.  
 
"This will be the first time a mine countermeasures (MCM) squadron staff embarks and uses HSV2 Swift as their mine countermeasures command flagship for a fully integrated MCM exercise," said Naval Station Ingleside Public Affairs Officer FiFi Kieschnick.  
 
Naval Support Activity-Panama City (NSA-PC) Operations Director George C. Betz Jr. said the NSA-PC port has hosted similar training exercises, like other GOMEXs in the past, but this one offers more of an operational and logistic challenge.  
 
"This will be the first time ever that we have supported five MCM/MHC vessels, plus their command ship simultaneously," Betz said. "Also, the helicopter minesweeping units bring several additional aircraft to the activity, requiring 24/7 support. Our port, small craft, logistics and fueling folks will definitely be earning their pay during these next two weeks. We have been planning for this so we're ready to get it going."  
 
NAVSEA Warfare Center Panama City (NWC-PC), located at NSA-PC, is the mine warfare laboratory for the Navy and most mine countermeasure systems being used in the GOMEX were developed by NWC scientists and engineers.  
 
"The NSA-PC operation's areas present the fleet with a one-of-a-kind warfare test and training venue unique to the mine countermeasure, mine hunter-killer fleet. NSA-PC coordinates, and the Warfare Center maintains several ranges in the Gulf of Mexico that offer a wide variety of mine-type simulators," Betz said. "These 'systems' are typically deployed in a manner that addresses a multitude of threat scenarios, as they might encounter in hostile areas. In addition, most of the ranges can be reconfigured to evaluate new techniques as emerging threats evolve."  
 
Surface Units participating in the exercise include: USS Devastator (MCM 6), USS Scout (MCM , USS Chief (MCM 14), USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Osprey (MHC 51), and Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) from Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.  
 
EOD detachments based in Ingleside, under the command of the Charleston based Explosive Ordnance Mobile Unit 6 (EODMU) Forward, will handle underwater mine countermeasures responsibilities during the exercise.  
 
The purpose of GOMEX 05-1 is to provide the intermediate level assessment of the mine countermeasures squadron staff and ships so they can become deployment ready  
 
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[JLRC]

Navy to Commission New Guided-Missile Destroyer
 
 
(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Dec. 8, 2004)
 
 
 WASHINGTON --- The Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, James E. Williams, Dec. 11, during an 11 a.m. EST ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Charleston, S.C.  
 
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will deliver the principal address. Elaine Weaver Williams, widow of the ship’s namesake, is the ship’s sponsor. In the time-honored Navy tradition of commissioning U.S. naval ships, Mrs. Williams will give the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”  
 
James E. Williams is the 45th ship in the Arleigh Burke-class of guided-missile destroyers. This highly capable multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of the national military strategy. James E. Williams will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously. The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.  
 
Cmdr. Philip Warren Vance of Philadelphia, Pa., is the ship’s first commanding officer and will lead a crew of approximately 365 officers and enlisted personnel.  
 
Built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss., James E. Williams is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, an overall beam of 66 feet, and a navigational draft of 33 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the 9,300-ton ship to speeds of more than 30 knots.  
 
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[JLRC]

New Navy Invention: Laser Detector Protects Pilots' Eyes
 
 
(Source: US Navy; issued Dec. 10, 2004)
 
 
 PATUXENT RIVER, Md. --- The Vision Laboratory in Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR) Human Systems Division won an Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine "Product Breakthrough” award in late November for its Laser Event Recorder (LER), a device that gives aviators instant warning about laser radiation potentially hazardous to their eyesight.  
 
The LER is a green box which “tells” flyers if they are being targeted by a laser, and whether that laser can damage their eyes. A green light on the box means the system is functioning and everything is normal; yellow means a laser is pointed at them but is not an eye hazard; and red means they are being targeted by a laser that threatens their vision.  
 
"There are anti-personnel systems out there that are designed to make it very hard to do your mission, while even something as seemingly innocuous as a casino's laser light show or laser pointer can temporarily blind air crew and pose a hazard to aircraft many miles distant," said Jim Sheehy, Ph.D., chief scientist and chief technology officer for Human Systems.  
 
Though other laser detectors are in use by the fleet and other services, Sheehy said the units do not provide "real-time, medically relevant" information to the crews as they are flying their missions. Sensors currently in use can't cover the complete range of laser threats, nor can they let aviators know whether or not a laser pointed in their direction is dangerous to their eyes.  
 
With its sensors and integrated global positioning system, the tiny LER not only encodes information about the type of laser that was encountered, but also records a digital picture, which allows analysts to see from where the laser emanated. Air crews on subsequent missions can avoid the threat or target it for elimination, as necessary. In the meantime, medical personnel can use the recorded data to better assess the extent of damage that may have been done to a pilot's vision and inform them of treatment options.  
 
The LER not only gives simple feedback to the crew at the time of a laser event, but also records detailed information onto a compact flash card for later analysis by intelligence officers, medical staff or other air crews, said Jerri Tribble, Ph.D., research physicist and technical lead for the Navy team developing the laser event recorder.  
 
Designing laser eye protection for the fleet is one of the Vision Laboratory's top priorities, Sheehy added. The challenge lies in taking out the right frequencies and intensities to protect against a probable laser threat, without compromising a pilot's ability to see cockpit displays, lighting and other important visual cues.  
 
"We're always balancing where and how to provide protection," Sheehy added.  
 
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