US Navy ships and weapon systems

Modified US Navy littoral combat ships to be renamed

The US Navy has confirmed plans to rename 20 modified littoral combat ships (LCS) as frigates.

US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said: "It is going to be the same ship, same programme of record, just with an appropriate and traditional name.

"One of the requirements of the small surface combatant task force was to have a ship with frigate-like capabilities.
"It is going to be the same ship, same programme of record, just with an appropriate and traditional name."

"Well, if it is like a frigate, why don't we call it a frigate?"

The new designation of the FF label will apply to all LCS that are upgraded with additional weapons, sensors and combat systems such as retrofitted vessels.

However, hull numbers could stay as they are.

Future ships will also be eligible for the new designation, with 32 vessels set to be reclassified if and when they are equipped with additional weapons.

The decision comes as the US Navy retires the last of its legacy frigate vessels, including USS Kauffman, which is on its last deployment.

The navy is also reportedly considering changing the designation of the several other vessels such as joint high-speed vessels, mobile landing platforms and the afloat forward-staging base.

LCS Now Officially Called A Frigate

Raytheon Enters New Phase of Next Generation Radar Development

Raytheon announced on Wednesday that it has completed a preliminary design review (PDR) for the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) that will be fitted onto the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.

At the same time, the company announced that it has also completed the Integrated Baseline Review for the system. With the PDR completed, Raytheon will embark on what is called the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the program.

“With the technology risks retired in the earlier technology development phase and cost reduction initiatives already implemented, we’re now fully focused on the fabrication of the AMDR system and completion of the engineering and manufacturing development phase,” said Kevin Peppe, vice president of Raytheon’s seapower capability systems business area in a release.

Once development of the AMDR radar is completed, it will be fitted on to the second Burke-class destroyer built in fiscal year 2016. The 14-foot AMDR radar, which will fit into the ship’s deckhouse in much the same ways at the current SPY-1D radar, is expected to be revolutionary in many ways.

Constructed as an active electronically scanned array radar using Gallium Nitride-based transmit/receive modules, the Navy expects the system to be 30 times more power than the SPY-1 for about twice the electrical power input. It is Gallium Nitride technology that is enabling Raytheon to build the Flight III with the AMDR without straining the power and cooling capacity of the Burke-class hull.

The AMDR’s active electronically scanned array design will also enable digital beam forming, leading to a much more precise tracking. Further, the system could potentially be used to perform electronic attacks—a capability not found on any current Navy warship.

One advantage of the AMDR is that it is a scalable design that could be adapted for other vessels. The system is modular and groups of transmit/receive modules can be grouped together to form a radar for whatever application—either a smaller or larger vessel. However, at present, the Navy has no plans to fit the AMDR onto another type of warship.

US Navy Awards $610 Million Contract for Advanced Destroyer Construction

The US Navy awarded defense contractor General Dynamics a $610 million contract to fully fund the construction of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer as part of a $3.4 billion contract to build five destroyers, General Dynamics said in a statement on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer carries the AEGIS radar and communications missile tracking system, anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk anti-ship and land-attack missiles as well as two helicopters.

“The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is a multi-mission combatant that offers defense against a wide range of threats, including ballistic missiles,” General Dynamics explained in the statement.

“It operates in support of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups, providing a complete array of anti-submarine, anti-air and anti-surface capabilities,” it added.

The work will be carried out at the Bath Iron Works in the US state of Maine, where three other Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are in various stages of construction.

The Bath Iron Works is also building three Zumwalt-class destroyers.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150401/1020339417.html#ixzz3W5wQGIVy

US Navy Unveils Firefighting Robot

Researchers at Virginia Tech in cooperation with the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research presented a firefighting robot, capable of mobility aboard a ship, manipulating doors and fire hoses, and equipped with sensors to see and navigate through smoke.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150205/1017794688.html#ixzz3WBIP75qh

US to Base 60% of Military Fleet in Pacific-Indian Ocean Area

Pentagon says that the United States plans to locate in the future 60 percent of its military fleet in the Pacific-Indian Ocean area.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States plans to locate in the future 60 percent of its military fleet in the Pacific-Indian Ocean area, the US Defense Department said in a press release.

“The newest and most capable weapons systems will go first to the [Asia-Pacific] region. When movements are completed… 60 percent of the US fleet will be in the Pacific-Indian Ocean area,” the release, published on Monday, said.

The US Marines already have a rotational presence in Australia, and Washington is currently negotiating strengthening its military cooperation with the Philippines, according to the release.

The United States is also cooperating with Japan and South Korea on information-sharing agreements, and is working with Australia, Japan and India to strengthen maritime security, the release added.

“America is a Pacific power and will remain one,” US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in the release, noting that the United States will continue to engage with nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

On Monday, Carter begins his trip to Japan and South Korea to promote and strengthen defense relations with the countries. In May 2015, Carter will also visit Singapore and India to enhance their military partnership, according to the Defense Department.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150407/1020551099.html#ixzz3Wbjb2Vmm

Lol US only have japan , australia and s.korea as its slaves . He is coming to India for providing aircraft carrier tech under DTTI . They are going to singapore probably to arm twist them so that usa can block malaca straits . Fcuk the uS hegemony .

I know its russian defense forum. But guys you seriously don't keep an eye on US latest happenings .


DARPA's Unmanned Submarine Stalker Could Change Naval Warfare Forever


ACTUV concept, a possible solution for persistently tracking enemy submarines, especially the diesel AIP kind, with maximum affordability in mind.

Meet The Sea Hunter:




Sea Hunter will be a trimaran design, with the vast majority of its hull and superstructure built of lightweight and radar-translucent carbon-composite materials. It will have a length of around 130 feet and its center hull will be long and streamlined. The trimaran design lends itself to endurance, sea keeping, and speed, which will be necessary for keeping up with sprinting diesel submarines as well as those that are running slow and quiet for long periods of time. The first ACTUV prototype, named Sea Hunter, is currently under construction at Oregon Iron Works and will be tested on the Columbia River later this year. Oregon Iron Works have become something of a Scaled Composites-like boutique manufacturing house for exotic, experimental and stealthy naval vessels.

The unmanned, unarmed, and highly autonomous ship's design is largely based around a series of plug-and-play modular components, allowing the vessel to be reconfigured for different missions with relative ease. Periphery sensors will include multiple types of radar, electro-opitcal systems for viewing the ship's surroundings in day and night, and electronic support measures used to sniff out enemy radio and sensor transmissions. The Sea Hunter's most potent sensors will be its mid-frequency sonar, built into a bulbous enclosure that juts out below the ship's keel, used for locating undersea targets at longer ranges while its high-frequency active sonars, mounted in small protrusions below its main hull, will better refine tracking and make it extremely hard for the object being pursued to slip away. These high-frequency sonar systems will also be able take a synthetic 'picture' of the sub's target so that Sea Hunter's computers can help classify and identify it by comparing the target to images and sound signatures stored in its memory banks. From there, on-board automation helps predict what the target will do next and will send updates to controllers thousands of miles away when the target does something of significance or when it observes something in its area worth noting.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/darpas-unmanned-submarine-stalker-could-change-naval-wa-1695566032

Yeah... think about it... why go for unmanned?

Because current Russian diesel electrics are too quiet to be reliably detected at useful ranges with passive sonar so they have to use active sonar... which makes them look like the guy who wore a three piece suit to a Toga party thinking it was formal.

these super remote sub killers will be picked off at long range... most SSKs are coastal and coastal batteries of Uran/Bal will paste these defenceless robots fairly easily. If not a single torpedo from the sub being chased would do.

US Navy 30-year shipbuilding plan

MAKE THIS THREAD ACTIVE FELLAS !

Drone Swarms: How the US Navy Plans to Fight Wars in 2016  

Swarmbots’ could mean a new era in autonomous warfare

http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/drone-swarms-how-the-us-navy-plans-to-fight-wars-in-2016/

  Last week, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) released a video showcasing the U.S. Navy’s latest technology for conducting autonomous warfare: LOCUST, or the Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarming Technology program.

The LOCUST system can launch up to 30 small pre-programmed drones out of a rocket-launcher type mechanism under a minute, the video illustrates. Once airborne, the drones start communicating with each other autonomously and begin to fly in formation either to reconnoiter or attack an enemy target. “The breakthrough technology  utilizes information-sharing between the UAVs, enabling autonomous collaborative behavior in either defensive or offensive missions,” an ONR press release said.

The strategy behind “swarmbots” is simple: assault the adversary with a cloud of cheap and disposable drones and paralyze defenses by the sheer quantity of unmanned attackers in the air.

In comparison to other air-attacks this can be done on the cheap. “Lowering costs is a major benefit of UAVs . Even hundreds of small autonomous UAVs cost less than a single tactical aircraft — and having this capability will force adversaries to focus on UAV swarm response,” ONR emphasizes.

“The recent demonstrations are an important step on the way to the 2016 ship-based demonstration of 30 rapidly launched autonomous, swarming UAVs,” said ONR program manager Lee Mastroianni.“This level of autonomous swarming flight has never been done before. UAVs that are expendable and reconfigurable will free manned aircraft and traditional weapon systems to do more, and essentially multiply combat power at decreased risk to the warfighter,” he added.

While this new generation of autonomous drones will be able to operate completely independently once launched, ONR is at pains to emphasize that there will always be a human monitoring the mission, able to step in and take control as desired.

However, despite ONR citing a new “breakthrough technology,” one of the key obstacles remains communication with unmanned autonomous fighting systems, as many engineers acknowledge.

As I reported last week (see: “’Unmanned Killer Robots’: A New Weapon in the US Navy’s Future Arsenal?”), the U.S. Marine Corps seeks inspiration from nature, particularly the way termites coordinate without communicating to address this problem.

“Without communicating they sense the environment change around them, and they instinctively know which way to go,” Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea, head of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico notes. Termites release scents for other members of the hive to sniff, allowing each termite to react instinctively to danger.

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has also been working on swarmbots for a while now with its Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program, although in comparison to the prototype tube-launched LOCUST UAV no public demonstration has been given so far.

For all those who are concerned about the ethical dilemma autonomous weapon systems will pose in the future, I recommend reading this study done by the Center for New American Security (CNAS) entitled “Meaningful Human Control in Weapon Systems.”  Autonomous warfare will most definitely pose various moral and ethical problems in the years ahead.    

The strategy behind “swarmbots” is simple: assault the adversary with a cloud of cheap and disposable drones and paralyze defenses by the sheer quantity of unmanned attackers in the air." Apparently ONR forgot all the lessons learned from the national wargames the last decade.This is exactly what the Red Team was proposing the other side would be doing in the next 10-20 years.They can't afford to go head to head with the US on spending, so why not build swarms of unmanned systems. It doesn't even matter if they all work, they'll be cheap enough to be disposable

“The breakthrough technology utilizes information-sharing between the UAVs, enabling autonomous collaborative behavior in either defensive or offensive missions,” an ONR press release said.

WOW... dem Ruskies wont have that sort of future technology till the 1980s...



Granit...

GarryB wrote:

“The breakthrough technology  utilizes information-sharing between the UAVs, enabling autonomous collaborative behavior in either defensive or offensive missions,” an ONR press release said.

WOW... dem Ruskies wont have that sort of future technology till the 1980s...



Granit...

Apples and oranges.

Apples and oranges.

Read the quote... the Soviets had that sort of datalink technology in the 1980s where a group of missiles would operate as a team and even adapt to battle damage and unexpected situations.

The fact is that the US is trying to use it for a large number of weapons to penetrate a capable air defence system just makes it more alike... that is what Granit was designed for too.

the difference is that the US wants to go small and light and cheap and in huge numbers, while the Soviet solution is to use very high speed to shorten the reaction time and low altitude flight to limit engagement time.

US Navy to Christen New Guided Missile Destroyer

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150501/1021587162.html#ixzz3YryGD1Ip

I guess its a good strategy by usa with that they can penetrate russian air defenses and chinese air defenses . Russian /Chinese air defense system cant engage against such huge swarm of bots all together successfully isn't it ?

max steel wrote:I guess its a good strategy by usa with that they can penetrate russian air defenses and chinese air defenses . Russian /Chinese air defense system cant engage against such huge swarm of bots all together successfully isn't it ?

You don't have too, tactical and strategic ECM systems could defeat a large portion of PGM's before they even approach your airspace. The Russian's already have countless variations of ECM systems in service (probably more than any other country) for countering every known offensive weapon system imaginable.

For example the Russians already have tactical ECM systems capable of making PGM's explode prematurely because they hit a 'target', which was actually a imaginary false targets. Also capable of making PGM's propulsion system malfunction, and drop out the sky.

Are Guam Islands an occupied territory by US ?

What advantage does it give to yanks having control over an island in pacific ? Can they place ABM shields there to shoot down Nuke missiles etc ( they did during north korea issue )? Gives them access to pacific just like china is making its own islands in S.china sea ?

max steel wrote: Are Guam Islands an occupied territory by US ?

What advantage does it give to yanks having control over an island in pacific ? Can they place ABM shields there to shoot down Nuke missiles etc ( they did during north korea issue )? Gives them access to pacific just like china is making its own islands in S.china sea ?

Guam really isn't an occupied territory since it has been under US jurisdiction for over a century. To describe it differently, nowadays Guam is as American as Crimea is Russian.

Guam offers the US a way to project its power into the Pacific Ocean. Oftentimes counteracting another major power in the area (e.g. Japan 1930s-1940s or China 1990s-????). A term that can be used to describe Guam's role for the US is an unskinable aircraft carrier: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsinkable_aircraft_carrier

Navy’s Anti-Surface Tomahawk Test ‘Game Changing’

By: Sam LaGrone

Updated: February 11, 2015 5:48 PM

Tomahawk is no longer used in US navy . Old news .

max steel wrote:Tomahawk is no longer used in US navy  . Old news .

Apparently is being tested to make a come back.

LRASM can be countered . Rest we're yet to see tomahawk back in service . Why are they testing it again ? Is it a modified Tomahawk like extended range etc ?

max steel wrote:LRASM can be countered . Rest we're yet to see tomahawk back in service . Why are they testing it again ? Is it a modified Tomahawk like extended range etc ?

Max if you read it you will know, 1000 miles (1600 km)  

Yup got it . My bad .