The future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is underway for its first set of sea trials, known as Builder’s Sea Trials (BST). Builder’s sea trials provide an opportunity to test systems, components and compartments at sea for the first time.
The future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) underway on its own power for the first time. The first-of-class ship – the first new U.S. aircraft carrier design in 40 years – will spend several days conducting builder’s sea trials, a comprehensive test of many of the ship’s key systems and technologies (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/Released)
Over the next several days, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) Sailors, shipbuilders from Huntington Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS), the Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Naval Sea Systems Command personnel will be working side-by-side testing many of the ship’s key systems and technologies.
«The U.S. Navy and our industry partners are excited to have the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) underway under her own power for the first time, executing a rigorous and comprehensive test program for this first-of-class ship», said Rear Admiral Brian Antonio, program executive officer for aircraft carriers. «This milestone is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, and we look forward to learning a great deal during sea trials. We will continue to work together to deliver Ford’s critical capabilities to the fleet».
Future USS Gerald R. Ford underway for Builder’s Sea Trials (BST)
General Characteristics
Builder
Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division christened its 31st Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), with approximately 1,000 guest in attendance at Saturday’s ceremony, April 08, 2017.
Ship’s Sponsor Nancy Ignatius christens DDG-117, the destroyer named for her husband, Paul Ignatius, former Secretary of the Navy. Also pictured (left to right) are Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John M. Richardson; Commander Robby Trotter, the ship’s prospective commanding officer; Doctor Elisa Ignatius, granddaughter of Paul and Nancy Ignatius; Paul Ignatius, the ship’s namesake; Philip Gunn, Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives; and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias (Photo by Andrew Young/HII)
«These Arleigh Burke destroyers provide our leaders with the ability to conduct a wide range of missions», said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson. «That kind of flexibility is increasingly important in the world of maritime competition. … USS Ignatius and her crew will be doing the nation’s work, providing credible options to our nation’s leaders for decades to come. They’ll be respected always, welcome news to our friends and a worst nightmare to our enemies. Our body, the ship, is tough, built with the best materials in the hands of the best shipbuilders and manned by the best crew America can produce».
USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) is named in honor of Paul Ignatius, who served as the United States’ 59th Secretary of the Navy from 1967 to 1969. He made significant contributions during the administrations of presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Ignatius is a living namesake and was in attendance for today’s ceremony.
«I want to express my appreciation to the men and women of one of the world’s best – if not the best shipyard – here at Huntington Ingalls, whose ships, as their motto proudly proclaims, are built stronger than steel», Ignatius said. «One of the great strengths of our country is the industrial might that builds ships, tanks and airplanes that ensured victory in World War II and that continue to undergird our efforts to maintain stability amid the new threats that face us».
Nancy W. Ignatius, his wife, is the ship’s sponsor and officially christened the ship after successfully breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across its bow. Paul and Nancy Ignatius have been married nearly 70 years and have four children together. They were escorted to the platform by Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias.
«Ingalls ships are built with one goal in mind: to protect the brave men and women who protect our freedom», Cuccias said. «Working closely with our Navy partner, we continue to improve on each ship we build. And the Paul Ignatius will be no exception. Today, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in modernizing our facilities alongside our partners, the leadership of the great state of Mississippi. Combine that with a hot production line and our talented and experienced shipbuilders, and we are uniquely positioned to provide our country with the highest quality, most capable destroyers in the fleet. Simply stated, Ingalls builds the finest, most capable warships the world has ever known … right here in Pascagoula, Mississippi».
Ingalls has delivered 29 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119), USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and USS Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123).
«Two days ago, when the United States fired missiles on Syria, the two ships that fired those missiles were made right here at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula», said Philip Gunn, Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. «So, as you can see, between World War II and as recently as two days ago and every point in between, Ingalls shipyard has been an integral part of providing freedom. Every one of us ought to feel the weight of that, every one of us ought to be grateful for that, and every one of us ought to be proud of what takes place at Ingalls».
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. DDGs are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
Ingalls shipbuilders raise the flag on Paul Ignatius (DDG-117)
Ship Characteristics
Length Overall
510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline
59 feet/18 m
Draft
30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load
9,217 tons/9,363 metric tons
Power Plant
4 General electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
SPY-1D Phased Array Radar and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V) Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures
SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft
2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
Lockheed Martin on April 4, 2017, announced the CH-53K King Stallion program successfully passed its Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) review and achieved a Milestone C decision that enables Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) funding.
U.S. Marines established the King Stallion’s capability during initial operational assessment in October 2016
«This affirmative Milestone C decision validates the maturity and the robust capability of the King Stallion in meeting the United States Marine Corps mission requirements», said Doctor Michael Torok, Sikorsky vice president, CH-53K King Stallion Programs. «This establishes the CH-53K King Stallion as a production program and marks another critical step toward our goal of delivering this tremendous capability to the USMC».
Numerous, successfully completed pre-requisites preceded the Milestone C decision. Supplier as well as prime contractor Production Readiness Reviews took place throughout 2016 to establish the program’s readiness to move into low rate initial production. Aircraft maturity was established well in advance with over 400 flight hours achieved, and the October 2016 initial Operational Assessment by the USMC fully established the ability of the CH-53K King Stallion to achieve critical mission flight and ground scenarios in the hands of active duty Marines. Overall, post evaluation interviews of aircrew, ground crew and flight surgeons revealed a high regard for the operational capability demonstrated by the CH-53K King Stallion.
«We have just successfully launched the production of the most powerful helicopter our nation has ever designed. This incredible positive step function in capability is going to revolutionize the way our nation conducts business in the battlespace by ensuring a substantial increase in logistical throughput into that battlespace. I could not be prouder of our government-contractor team for making this happen», said Colonel Hank Vanderborght, U.S. Marine Corps program manager for the Naval Air Systems Command’s Heavy Lift Helicopters program, PMA-261.
The CH-53K King Stallion provides unmatched heavy lift capability with three times the lift of the CH-53E Super Stallion that it replaces. With more than triple the payload capability and a 12-inch wider internal cabin compared to the predecessor, the CH-53K King Stallion’s increased payloads can range from multiple U.S. Air Force standard 463L pallets to an internally loaded High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) or a European Fennek armored personnel carrier, to up to three independent external loads at once. This provides extraordinary mission flexibility and system efficiency.
The CH-53K King Stallion also offers enhanced safety features for the warfighter, including full authority fly-by-wire flight controls and mission management that reduce pilot workload and enable the crew to focus on mission execution as the CH-53K King Stallion all but «flies itself». Other features include advanced stability augmentation, flight control modes that include attitude command-velocity hold, automated approach to a stabilized hover, position hold and precision tasks in degraded visual environments, and tactile cueing that all permit the pilot to focus confidently on the mission at hand.
Further, the CH-53K King Stallion has improved reliability and maintainability that exceeds 89% mission reliability with a smaller shipboard logistics footprint than the legacy CH-53E Super Stallion.
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Program of Record remains at 200 CH-53K King Stallion aircraft. The first six of the 200 are under contract and scheduled to start delivery next year to the USMC. Two additional aircraft, the first LRIP aircraft, are under long lead procurement for parts and materials, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2020. The Marine Corps intends to stand up eight active duty squadrons, one training squadron, and one reserve squadron to support operational requirements.
Navantia on March 30 launched the Maritime Action Ship (Buque de Acción Marítima, BAM) «Audaz» (P-45) for the Spanish navy at its San Fernando shipyard. The ceremony was sponsored by Defense Minister María Dolores de Cospedal García. The construction of the BAM, until its delivery in 2018, involves 1.1 million hours of work for Navantia sites in the Bay of Cádiz.
Navantia Launches the Maritime Action Ship «Audaz» (P-45) for the Spanish Navy
In addition to the Minister of Defense, the launching ceremony was attended by, among others, the Minister of Economy and Knowledge of the Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Ramírez de Arellano; the mayor of San Fernando, Patricia Cavada Montañés; Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Jaime Muñoz-Delgado y Díaz del Río; the president of SEPI, Pilar Platero Sanz, and the president of Navantia, José Manuel Revuelta Lapique.
This ship is the fifth of this type to be built, and the first of the second batch that Navantia contracted with the Spanish Navy, according to the Order of Execution signed on December 5, 2014. Navantia commissioned the lead ship of the first batch in 2006, which was completed in 2012 with the construction and delivery to the Spanish Navy of four BAMs, named Meteoro (P-41), Rayo (P-42), Relámpago (P-43) and Tornado (P-44). These vessels have successfully participated in numerous national and international operations.
The construction of this ship means 1.1 million hours of work for Navantia Bahía de Cádiz, both for the company’s own staff and for the auxiliary industry. Likewise, and with a similar workload, the Navantia shipyards in the Ría de Ferrol are building the sixth BAM, «Furor» (P-46), which will be launched soon. The «Audaz» (P-45) and the «Furor» (P-46) will enter service from 2018. The keel-laying of the BAM «Audaz» (P-45) took place on April 29, 2016; it is the third vessel of the Spanish Navy to receive this name.
The BAMs are modern ships with advanced technology, and combine moderate size, high performance, great versatility in terms of missions, high level of commonality with other ships of the Navy and reduced acquisition and life-cycle costs.
They will incorporate all measures regarding MARPOL environmental regulations, such as new propulsion, auxiliary and emergency engines, as well as the TAR wastewater treatment plant.
It will also incorporate improvements aimed at reducing weight, new equipment derived from obsolescence, suitability for a larger load and the application of updated regulations on prevention and operational safety.
Its main missions are:
Protection and escort of other ships;
Control of maritime traffic;
Control and neutralization of terrorist actions and piracy;
Operations against drug trafficking and trafficking in persons;
Maritime Rescue and Rescue Operations;
Support for crisis situations and humanitarian aid;
Control of fisheries legislation;
Control of environmental and anti-pollution legislation.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that the newest Virginia-class submarine (VCS), USS Washington (SSN-787), successfully completed its initial sea trials on Sunday. Sea trials test the submarine’s capabilities at sea. Washington was built as part of a teaming agreement between HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division and General Dynamics Electric Boat.
The Virginia-class submarine USS Washington (SSN-787) successfully completed its initial sea trials on Sunday, April 2, 2017 (Photo by Ashley Major/HII)
«The ship and its crew performed exceptionally well», said Matt Needy, Newport News’ vice president of submarines and fleet support. «It was truly an amazing process to see the hundreds of suppliers and the many thousands of shipbuilders from both Newport News and Electric Boat work closely with the ship’s crew to bring this great warship to life».
All systems, components and compartments were tested during the trials. The submarine submerged for the first time and operated at high speeds on the surface and underwater. Washington will undergo a round of acceptance trials before delivery to the Navy by Newport News.
Construction of Washington, which began in September 2011, marked the beginning of the VCS program’s two-submarines-per-year build plan for Newport News.
General Characteristics
Builder
General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. – Newport News Shipbuilding
Date Deployed
October 3, 2004
Propulsion
One GE PWR S9G* nuclear reactor, two turbines, one shaft; 40,000 hp/30 MW
Length
377 feet/114.8 m
Beam
33 feet/10.06 m
Hull Diameter
34 feet/10.36 m
Displacement
Approximately 7,835 tons/7,961 metric tons submerged
Speed
25+ knots/28+ mph/46.3+ km/h
Diving Depth
800+ feet/244+ m
Crew
132: 15 officers; 117 enlisted
Armament: Tomahawk missiles
12 individual VLS (Vertical Launch System) tubes or two 87-in/2.2 m Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs), each capable of launching 6 Tomahawk cruise missiles
Armament: MK-48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoes
4 torpedo tubes
Weapons
MK-60 CAPTOR (Encapsulated Torpedo) mines, advanced mobile mines and UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles)
* – Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories
Nuclear Submarine Lineup
Block I
Ship
Yard
Christening
Commissioned
Homeport
SSN-774 Virginia
EB
8-16-03
10-23-04
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
SSN-775 Texas
NNS
7-31-05
9-9-06
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
SSN-776 Hawaii
EB
6-19-06
5-5-07
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
SSN-777 North Carolina
NNS
4-21-07
5-3-08
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
EB – Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut
NNS – Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia
SSN – Attack Submarine, Nuclear-powered
Block II
Ship
Yard
Christening
Commissioned
Homeport
SSN-778 New Hampshire
EB
6-21-08
10-25-08
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-779 New Mexico
NNS
12-13-08
11-21-09
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-780 Missouri
EB
12-5-09
7-31-10
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-781 California
NNS
11-6-10
10-29-11
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-782 Mississippi
EB
12-3-11
6-2-12
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-783 Minnesota
NNS
10-27-12
9-7-13
Norfolk, Virginia
Block III
Ship
Yard
Christening
Commissioned
Homeport
SSN-784 North Dakota
EB
11-2-13
10-25-14
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-785 John Warner
NNS
09-06-14
08-01-15
Norfolk, Virginia
SSN-786 Illinois
EB
10-10-15
10-29-16
Groton, Connecticut
SSN-787 Washington
NNS
03-05-16
SSN-788 Colorado
EB
12-03-16
SSN-789 Indiana
NNS
Under Construction
SSN-790 South Dakota
EB
Under Construction
SSN-791 Delaware
NNS
Under Construction
The Virginia-class submarine USS Washington (SSN-787) completed the initial sea trials in March 2017
On April 1, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116). The ship is named for Captain Thomas Hudner Jr., who intentionally crash landed his plane in an effort to save Ensign Jesse Brown, the nation’s first African-American Navy pilot, during the Korean War’s Chosin Reservoir campaign.
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Christens Future USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116)
The Saturday morning christening ceremony took place at Bath Iron Works’ shipyard and was attended by Captain Hudner as well as several members of his family and the family of Ensign Brown. Speakers included Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Representative Chellie Pingree and Representative Bruce Poliquin. Allison Stiller, Principal Civilian Deputy, performing the duties and functions of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, was the principal speaker.
Georgea F. Hudner, wife of the namesake, and Barbara Joan Miller, wife of Vice Admiral Michael Miller, former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, are the ship’s sponsors and officially christened the ship by breaking bottles of sparkling wine against its bow.
Dirk Lesko, president of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, said «Our sailors and Marines depend on the tools we give them to perform when put to the test. When the future USS Thomas Hudner goes to sea as part of the Navy fleet, it will do so with the fearless spirit of an American hero backed by the promise of Maine’s shipbuilders that Bath Built is Best Built».
The keel for USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), the 36th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Bath Iron Works, was laid on November 16, 2015.
Guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW). Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.
Ship Characteristics
Length Overall
510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline
59 feet/18 m
Draft
30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load
9,217 tons/9,363 metric tons
Power Plant
4 General electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
SPY-1D Phased Array Radar and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V) Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures
SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft
2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
ANTONOV Airlines’ new multipurpose aircraft, the AN-132D, took to the skies for its maiden flight on March 31, 2017, from the company’s airfield in Kiev, Ukraine.
ANTONOV AN-132 makes first flight
The first prototype of the new aircraft flew for 1 hour and 50 minutes captained by ANTONOV test pilot 1st class, Victor Goncharov, accompanied by test pilot General Mohammed Ayash of the Taqnia Aeronautics Company, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, co-piloted by ANTONOV test pilot, 2nd class, Bohdan Zagoruyko. Volodymyr Nesterenko, a leading ANTONOV test flight engineer, was also on board the flight, which was escorted by a new AN-178 jet transport.
The AN-132 programme is being developed following a contract with a customer from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in close cooperation with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the Тaqnia Aeronautics Co. Leading suppliers of the global aircraft industry are involved in the project.
The AN-132D was met by Piotr Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, and the aircraft creators at the ANTONOV Company’s flight test base. The head of the state thanked the participants of the programme and said in particular: «I am proud of my compatriots, thousands of employees of ANTONOV Company and other enterprises of Ukraine, who have worked and will do a lot to launch series production of this aircraft. But today the important event was happened – our aircraft rose into the sky. I saw the aircraft landing. It was well done»!
Oleksandr Kotsiuba, President of ANTONOV, congratulated colleagues and partners on the successful completion of this stage of the programme’s development.
According to him, the next important step will be the presentation of the AN-132D in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which will be conducted after the completion of more aircraft tests.
In his turn Dr. Khaled Abdullah Alhussain, Director of National Aerospace Technology Center of King Abdulaziz City Science and Technology, emphasized importance of AN-132 for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He expressed confidence, that the sky of his country will meet this aircraft hospitably and will become a native for it.
The AN-132 multipurpose turboprop aircraft is intended for operation on short and medium-haul routes.
The new aircraft will perform various tasks including the transportation of raw materials, mail and other cargo, including bulk cargo, ULDs and light self-propelled and non-self-propelled vehicles weighing up to 9.2 tonnes.
The aircraft will also be deployed for emergencies, including civilian and casualty evacuation from disaster areas and airdropping paratroop rescue teams.
A world-leading flight engineering simulator created by BAE Systems is ready to be «flown» by F-35 Lightning II pilots for the first time as they prepare for flight trials on the UK’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier next year.
Pilots begin flights in new F-35 Lightning II simulator in preparation for trials on carrier
The refurbished simulator will test pilots’ skills to the limits as they practice landing on the deck of the new aircraft carrier in a range of difficult sea and weather conditions provided by the simulator.
The bespoke £2M simulator facility offers a 360-degree immersive experience for pilots to fly the jet to and from the UK carrier. It comprises a cockpit moved by an electronic motion platform and a full representation of the ship’s Flying Control Tower (FLYCO), where a Landing Signal Officer on board the carrier will control aviation operations.
The 360-degree view for pilots is vital as potential obstacles on an aircraft carrier are often behind the pilots as they land. Over the coming months, the simulator will be used by UK and U.S. military test pilots who have experience of flying F-35s on U.S. carriers.
The pilots will practice thousands of ski jump short take-offs and vertical landings that use both the vertical thrust from the jet engine and aerodynamic lift from the wings, allowing the aircraft to take-off and land on the carrier with increased weapon and fuel loads compared to predecessor aircraft.
Peter ‘Wizzer’ Wilson, BAE Systems’ test pilot for the short take-off and vertical landing variant on the F-35 Lightning II programme, said the simulator trials will provide engineers with the data to begin flight trials on HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), the First of Class aircraft carrier in 2018.
He said: «The immersive experience is as near to the real thing as possible. The data will show us exactly what will happen when F-35 Lightning II pilots fly to and from the Queen Elizabeth carriers. The trials we can run through the simulator are far more extensive than what we will do in the actual flight trials because we can run and re-run each trial until we have all the data we need. The simulator provides greater cost efficiency for the overall programme and is extremely important to the success of the first flight trials».
Over the last 15 years, BAE Systems’ flight simulation has been used to support the design and development of the interface between the F-35 Lightning II and the UK’s next generation of aircraft carriers.
The new simulator replaces a previous version which was first built in the 1980s to develop technology for the Harrier jump-jet and the Hawk advanced jet trainer before being converted for F-35 Lightning II.
The U.S. Navy successfully conducted a flight test March 15 with the AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) off the west coast of Hawaii.
The Air and Missile Defense Radar is expected to meet the Navy’s current and future mission requirements
During a flight test designated Vigilant Hunter, the AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR searched for, detected and maintained track on a short-range ballistic missile target launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii. This is the first in a series of ballistic missile defense flight tests planned for the AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR.
«This marked a historic moment for the Navy. It’s the first time a ballistic missile target was tracked by a wideband digital beamforming radar», said U.S. Navy Captain Seiko Okano, Major Program Manager for Above Water Sensors, Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems. «This radar will revolutionize the future of the U.S. Navy and is bringing a capability our Nation needs today».
Based on preliminary data, the test met its primary objectives. Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.
The culmination of over a decade of rigorous engineering and testing effort in advanced radar technology, AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR is being designed for the DDG 51 Flight III destroyer to provide the U.S. Navy with state-of-the-art technology for Integrated Air and Missile Defense.
Program Executive Office (PEO) Integrated Warfare Systems, an affiliated PEO of the Naval Sea Systems Command, manages surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems and coordinates Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms.
AN/SPY-6(V) provides greater capability – in range, sensitivity and discrimination accuracy – than currently deployed radars, increasing battlespace, situational awareness and reaction time to effectively counter current and future threats. It is the first scalable radar, built with Radar Modular Assemblies (RMA) – radar building blocks. Each RMA, roughly 2′ x 2′ x 2′ in size, is a standalone radar that can be grouped to build any size radar aperture, from a single RMA to configurations larger than currently fielded radars. The U.S. Navy’s new Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar leverages the highly-scalable design and mature technologies of AN/SPY-6 in a scaled nine-RMA configuration to meet the mission requirements of carriers and amphibious ships. The commonality – in both hardware and software – with AN/SPY-6 offers a host of advantages, including maintenance; training; logistics; and lifecycle support.
The Air and Missile Defense Radar is the U.S. Navy’s next generation integrated air and missile defense radar. It enhances ships’ abilities to detect air, surface and ballistic missile targets
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) announced the successful completion of the Factory Acceptance Test for the 60 kW Spectrally Combined High Power Solid State Fiber Laser program March 16.
A Soldier stands next to a High-Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck, which is planned to be integrated with a 60-kW laser that successfully completed testing earlier in March. The laser was designed and built by Lockheed Martin, headquartered in Bothell, Washington, and was managed by USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technical Center’s High Energy Laser Branch, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)
During the testing conducted last week, the laser demonstrated a sustained power of 57.5 kW for a duration of 200 seconds with good beam quality. This level exceeds the contract threshold for success, and with the addition of three more channels planned before delivery, power will exceed the 60-kW program objective.
This important technical milestone represents the first successful demonstration of a high-power fiber laser at this power level for defense applications. After delivery, the laser will be integrated with the High-Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck where it will be used in test environments to support analyses and studies related to warfighting applications.
The laser was designed and built by Lockheed Martin, headquartered in Bothell, Washington, and was managed by USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technical Center’s High Energy Laser Branch, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal.
