Monthly Archives: November 2021

Navy

SPY-6(V)3 radar

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, in partnership with the Office of Naval Research, completed successful demonstrations of the Network Cooperative Radar (NCR) program, an advanced radar system solution that supports the U.S. Navy’s goal of creating distributed sensing networks to defend against evolving threats. NCR supports the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations concept by giving electromagnetic maneuver warfare capabilities to the fleet.

SPY-6
Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s SPY-6(V)3 radar at the U.S. Navy’s Wallops Island Test Facility in Virginia. Tactical radars like SPY-6 will benefit from concepts developed in the Network Cooperative Radar program

During the demonstration, two surface-based radar emulators detected targets using distributed sensing capabilities. The demonstration proved that tactical radars, like SPY-6, will benefit from advanced distributed radar concepts developed in the NCR program.

«SPY-6 will provide an unprecedented level of protection to naval forces, and software updates like this demonstrate that it’s only getting better», said Rear Adm. Seiko Okano, program executive officer for the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Warfare Systems. «Programs like NCR ensure SPY-6 will be the backbone of our distributed sensing capabilities in the future».

Cooperative radars collaborate using distributed sensing capabilities to create a fuller picture of objects in a given coverage area. NCR-enabled sensors work together to identify and track threats, communicating real-time information to improve system performance and mission success.

«NCR furthers the development of our next-generation software-defined apertures», said Colin Whelan, vice president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. «The continued development of capabilities demonstrated by NCR will ensure SPY-6 remains the most advanced naval radar in the world».

Navy

Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle

Underwater obstacle avoidance technology from maritime defence technology companies, Sonardyne and Wavefront, has been successfully demonstrated on board an extra-large, uncrewed, underwater vehicle (XLUUV) built and operated by Plymouth-based MSubs Ltd.

XLUUV
Sonardyne and Wavefront demonstrate obstacle avoidance capability on UK’s test XLUUV

The demonstration of the Vigilant forward-looking sonar was part of the first phase of the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator’s (DASA) ‘Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle Testbed – Opportunity to Integrate’ competition, run jointly with the Royal Navy and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

The DASA competition is focused on testing and validating Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Technologies (COTS) sensors and payloads, like Vigilant, to help the Royal Navy understand the future roles for XLUUVS for surveillance, reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, and deliver new capabilities to the Royal Navy years earlier than otherwise be possible.

Vigilant, developed by Wavefront and manufactured and commercialised by Sonardyne, is a navigation and obstacle avoidance sonar for ships, Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) and underwater vehicles. It provides crews with automated long-range detection of objects in the water column, showing them where it is safe to navigate and alerting them to potential underwater dangers that could result in a collision or grounding.

The system has two operating modes. In 3D mode, Vigilant produces accurate 3D bathymetry and colour-coded depth imagery out to 600 m/1,968.5 feet and to depths down to 100 m/328 feet. In Sonar mode, Vigilant processes the intensity of the acoustic data to extract long-range positional data out to 1.5 km/0.93 mile and over a 120-degree field of view. The sonar returns are used to generate alerts highlighting the presence of a navigationally relevant obstacle.

For the trial, the system’s sonar projector and receiver array were mounted in the bow of the 9 m-long/29.5-foot-long MSubs’ S201 XLUUV. At just 31 cm-wide/12.2 inch-wide and weighing only 14 kg/31 lbs. in air, Vigilant is easy to retrofit on a wide range of platforms including ships, USVs or, as in this case, an XLUUV.

As part of the demonstration, the XLUUV was programmed to travel beyond the breakwater outside Plymouth sound. Vigilant was used to create a bathymetric map that was used by the XLUUV to navigate. The data was also overlaid over existing charts of the area, demonstrating the higher resolution provided by Vigilant.

Ioseba Tena, Head of Defence at Sonardyne, said: «We’re delighted to be playing a role in helping the Royal Navy and programme partners to test and evaluate technologies that will help the UK stay ahead of her adversaries in the underwater battlespace. Seaborne collision avoidance is a vital consideration for autonomous and uncrewed naval platforms. Vigilant can be integrated into these ocean robots to provide essential information to autopilots and command and control systems, to aid safe navigation and manoeuvres around hazardous obstacles».

Air, Air Force, Unmanned Systems

Off-Board Sensing Station

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) received a $17.8 million award from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to design and develop an unmanned Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) aircraft. AFRL is developing an open architecture concept Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) to achieve its goals of rapid time-to-market and low acquisition cost, while extending and enhancing the sensing volume of manned platforms.

Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS)
GA-ASI Awarded OBSS Contract from AFRL

«We’re excited to continue working on this project with AFRL», said Chris Seat, senior vice president of Special Programs for GA-ASI. «Our experience in developing and delivering the most cost-effective and forward-looking UAS solutions puts GA-ASI in a great position to deliver the right ACP to meet our customer’s requirements».

The award covers the next 12 months as the base effort, and if the option is exercised, GA-ASI will spend the following 15 months manufacturing and flight demonstrating the aircraft with the award potentially growing to a total of $49 million.

Missiles & Guided Weapons, Navy

Tomahawk Block Va

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, was awarded a $20 million contract for low-rate production of the Maritime Strike Tomahawk cruise missile Block Va, which includes navigation and communication upgrades in addition to an advanced multi-mode seeker for engaging moving targets at sea.

Tomahawk Block Va
U.S. Navy awards Raytheon Missiles & Defense $20 million contract for Maritime Strike Tomahawk

«This award is a significant and essential step toward addressing the U.S. Navy’s need to counter moving targets at sea», said Kim Ernzen, vice president of Naval Power at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. «Maritime Strike Tomahawk Block Va production ensures our Sailors have the most advanced long-range, first-strike weapons available to defeat advancing threats».

Tomahawk Block V series:

  • Block V: A modernized TACTOM with upgraded navigation and communication;
  • Block Va: Block V that can strike moving targets at sea;
  • Block Vb: Block V, with a joint multi-effects warhead that can hit more diverse land targets.

The Tomahawk cruise missile is a precision weapon that launches from ships and submarines and can strike targets precisely from 1,000 miles/1,609 km away, even in heavily defended airspace. U.S. and allied militaries have flight-tested the GPS-enabled Tomahawk 550 times and used it in combat more than 2,300 times. Its most recent use came in 2018, when U.S. Navy warships and submarines launched 66 Tomahawk missiles at Syrian chemical weapon facilities.

Air, Air Force, Fighters

Weapon System

Lockheed Martin and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., of Israel, signed an expanded teaming agreement, allowing the team to jointly develop, market, manufacture and support Rafael’s Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (SPICE) 250 weapon system for sale in the United States and in Poland. This agreement marks the first time SPICE 250 is available for sale to the U.S. military.

SPICE 250
SPICE 250, pictured on the left-wing station of an F-16 Fighting Falcon, increases range, lethality and precision without the need for GPS

The addition of SPICE 250 builds on a 2019 teaming agreement, where Lockheed Martin and Rafael agreed to jointly market SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000 guidance kits for U.S. sale.

SPICE is a family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface weapon systems that provide affordable precision in a GPS-denied environment. The combat-proven SPICE family of products includes two guidance kits, SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000, as well as an all-up round, known as SPICE 250.

«Lockheed Martin’s deep expertise in weapon system integration will help us adapt SPICE 250 to meet U.S. standards», said Dave Pantano, Lockheed Martin program director. «We’re excited to leverage this experience and offer this unique, proven weapon system to aircraft operators for additional mission flexibility where it’s needed most».

In use since 2003, SPICE is combat-proven and in service with the Israeli Air Force and several other nations worldwide. It enables maximum loadout on F-16’s and F-15’s, reduces pilot workload, and provides multiple strike capability against multiple target types.

«GPS is not required to operate any of the products within the SPICE family, allowing for operations in a variety of locations and adverse environments», said Alon Shlomi, Rafael Air to Surface Directorate vice president. «By expanding our teaming agreement with Lockheed Martin, we’re able to offer the entire product portfolio to the U.S. military – providing warfighters with the opportunity to enhance mission flexibility».

Air, Air Force, Unmanned Systems

Autonomous Teaming

The Skyborg team conducted a multi-hour flight test on October 26 of the Skyborg Autonomy Core System (ACS) aboard two General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger tactical unmanned vehicles during the Orange Flag (OF) 21-3 Large Force Test Event at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California.

MQ-20 Avenger
Two General Atomics MQ-20 Avengers fly collaborative unmanned aircraft teaming experiments during Edwards Air Force Base’s Orange Flag 21-3 (Photo courtesy of General Atomics)

Skyborg is focused on demonstrating an open, modular, government-owned ACS that can autonomously aviate, navigate, and communicate, and eventually integrate other advanced capabilities.

This experimentation event built upon the basic flight autonomy behaviors demonstrated at OF 21-2. The flight demonstrated matured capabilities of the ACS that enabled two MQ-20s to fly autonomously while communicating with each other to ensure coordinated flight. Additionally, the aircraft responded to navigational commands, stayed within specified geo-fences, and maintained flight envelopes. Both aircraft were monitored from a ground command and control station.

The test community, especially the 412th Test Wing, has been instrumental in helping to integrate government-owned autonomy into operational test events. These test events facilitate trust between the warfighter and autonomous technologies to help inform future operational use cases.

«These operational experimentation tests continue to demonstrate emerging technologies and helps the enterprise posture to transition this capability to the warfighter while preparing for the high-end fight», said Brigadier General Dale White, Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

«We have made tremendous progress in transforming ideas to reality in a short time frame. The team has continued the full court press to mature a Government-owned autonomy core and develop the foundational technologies for a future capability», said Major General Heather Pringle, Air Force Research Laboratory commander.

«Large force testing of autonomous unmanned-unmanned teaming is the natural evolution to fielding warfighter capability for the future fight», said Brigadier General Matthew Higer, 412th Test Wing commander at Edwards AFB, California.

Future Skyborg experimentation events will explore direct manned-unmanned teaming between manned aircraft and multiple ACS-controlled unmanned aircraft.

Background: The Skyborg Vanguard team is a unique relationship that pairs Major General Heather Pringle, Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory as the Skyborg Technology Executive Officer (TEO) and Brigadier General Dale White, Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft as the Skyborg PEO. The Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force (ET-CTF), under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Adam Brooks, serves as the executing agent for these test missions at the 412th Test Wing, Commanded by Brigadier General Matthew Higer at Edwards AFB.

Air, Air Force, Tanker

Japanese Pegasus

Boeing has delivered its first KC-46A Pegasus tanker to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) marking the program’s first delivery to a customer outside the United States.

KC-46 Pegasus
Boeing Delivers First KC-46A Pegasus Tanker to Japan

«This is an exciting and historic moment for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Boeing as Japan joins the United States with the world’s most advanced, proven and safe multi-mission combat aerial refueling capability», said James Burgess, Boeing vice president and program manager, KC-46 Pegasus Program. «We are looking forward to decades of partnership with our Japan customer to ensure aircraft mission effectiveness and enable the success of the JASDF».

The Japan KC-46A Pegasus is capable of refueling JASDF, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft. Globally, the KC-46A Pegasus has already completed more than 5,000 sorties and transferred more than 50 million pounds of fuel to other aircraft through its boom and drogue systems.

«Japan’s acquisition of KC-46A Pegasus tankers marks a significant milestone for both the program and U.S.-Japan cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and plays a critical role in the security alliance between both countries», said Will Shaffer, president of Boeing Japan. «With its ability to carry cargo and passengers, the KC-46A Pegasus tanker can also support Japan’s humanitarian and disaster relief efforts».

The versatile, multi-role tanker carries 18 military standardized pallets (463L) in cargo configuration and accommodates a mixed load of passengers and cargo. It is also equipped with robust defensive and tactical situational awareness systems that will help Japan secure and maintain its air superiority.

The U.S. Air Force and JASDF awarded Boeing a Foreign Military Sale contract for this first JASDF KC-46A Pegasus in December 2017, and exercised an option for a second in December 2018. Options for the third and fourth JASDF KC-46As were exercised in October 2020.

Boeing builds KC-46A Pegasus aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force and other international customers on its 767 production line in Everett, Washington. In addition, Boeing’s Japanese partners produce 16 percent of the KC-46A Pegasus airframe structure.

Boeing is currently assembling the second KC-46A Pegasus for Japan and has delivered 48 KC-46As to the U.S. Air Force, beginning with the first delivery in January 2019.

Navy

Full digital radar

Thales Sea Fire, full digital radar is qualified by the DGA after exhaustive and thorough testing in Saint-Mandrier, the reference trial centre for the French naval forces. The radar is now handed over to Naval Group for integration into combat system on-board the FDI frigates.

Thales Sea Fire
Thales digital radar, Sea Fire, qualified and ready for integration on France’s future FDI frigates combat system

Over a period of 18 months, the Sea Fire radar underwent a substantial number of land-based tests, mobilising a vast panel of resources and combined teams from the DGA, Thales and Naval Group. All testing took place at the Shore Integration Facility (SIF) on the DGA’s SESDA site in Saint-Mandrier in the South of France – a major testing reference centre in Europe for the naval sector. Since 1969, this facility has been testing and qualifying ashore every combat system and critical sensors of major ships (frigates and aircraft carriers) in service within the French Navy.

Evaluated and tested against an extensive range of situations including surface targets (light boats, surface vessels…), air targets (helicopters, jets, missiles, drones, etc.) in various environments. – the Sea Fire assured its ground-breaking ability to search simultaneously for air and surface targets in a difficult environment, scanning a range of several hundred kilometres with 90° in elevation and an unmatched refresh rate.

Thanks to the Sea Fire’s unique full digital technology (for instance digital beamforming), the radar delivers enhanced performance for all missions through dynamic radar resource management with very short response time. This digital radar is at the forefront of technological innovation and benefits from all Thales’s Big Data and cybersecurity expertise.

In addition, through its advanced radar software, the digital nature of the Sea Fire made possible the implementation of a high fidelity digital twin. Compared to classical simulations, the digital twin of the Sea Fire truly reproduces the radars’ behaviour and performance. It supports radar development throughout the product life cycle from initial development to in-service support, operation and upgrades. The use of a digital twin played a key role in securing the development schedule of the Sea Fire despite the Covid-19 crisis.

Assembled in Limours, south of Paris, with the contribution of a network of French small and medium- sized companies, Sea Fire production started in May 2018 and the first FDI shipset was delivered in May 2021 (4 panels).

Navy

Builder’s Trials

The future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), the U.S. Navy’s 12th San Antonio class-amphibious transport dock ship, conducted Builder’s sea trials, October 26th.

USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28)
Future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) Completes Builder’s Trials

Builder’s trials consist of a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations that allow the U.S. Navy and the shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding Division to assess the ship’s systems and readiness prior to Acceptance trials and delivery to the U.S. Navy.

«The completion of Builder’s trials is a great first step in ensuring operational readiness of the vessel and the capabilities it will soon bring to the fleet», said Captain Scot Searles, San Antonio Class Program Office, program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «The collaboration between the U.S. Navy and our industry partners ensures that we’ll have a capable and ready ship for our Sailors».

The San Antonio-class is designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing Marines and their equipment by conventional or air-cushioned landing craft. The ship’s capabilities are further enhanced by its flight deck and hangar, enabling the ship to operate a variety of Marine Corps helicopters and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (MV-22). Because of the ships inherent capabilities, they are able to support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations, expeditionary warfare, or disaster relief missions, operating independently or as part of Amphibious Readiness Groups (ARGs), Expeditionary Strike Groups, or Joint Task Forces.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Division is currently in production of the future USS Richard S. McCool (LPD-29) and the future USS Harrisburg (LPD-30). LPD-28 and 29 will serve as transition ships to LPD-30 – the first LPD-17 Flight II ship.

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, and boats and craft.

 

Ship Facts and Characteristics

Propulsion Four sequentially turbocharged marine Colt-Pielstick Diesels, two shafts, 41,600 shaft horsepower/31,021 kW
Length 684 feet/208.5 m
Beam 105 feet/32 m
Displacement Approximately 24,900 long tons/25,300 metric tons full load
Draft 23 feet/7 m
Speed In excess of 22 knots/24.2 mph/38.7 km/h
Crew Ship’s Company: 380 Sailors (29 officers, 351 enlisted) and 3 Marines. Embarked Landing Force: 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge capacity to 800
Armament Two Mk-46 30-mm close in Guns, fore and aft; two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers, fore and aft: ten .50 caliber/12.7-mm machine guns
Aircraft Launch or land two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft or up to four AH-1 Cobra or UH-1Y Venom helicopters
Landing/Attack Craft Two Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCACs) or one Landing Craft Utility (LCU); and 14 Amphibious Assault Vehicles

 

San Antonio-class

 

Flight I

Ship Builder Launched Commissioned Homeport
USS San Antonio (LPD-17) Avondale 07-12-2003 01-14-2006 Norfolk, Virginia
USS New Orleans (LPD-18) Avondale 12-11-2004 03-10-2007 San Diego, California
USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) Ingalls 11-19-2004 12-15-2007 Norfolk, Virginia
USS Green Bay (LPD-20) Avondale 08-11-2006 01-24-2009 San Diego, California
USS New York (LPD-21) Avondale 12-19-2007 11-07-2009 Norfolk, Virginia
USS San Diego (LPD-22) Ingalls 05-07-2010 05-19-2012 San Diego, California
USS Anchorage (LPD-23) Avondale 02-12-2011 05-04-2013 San Diego, California
USS Arlington (LPD-24) Ingalls 11-23-2010 02-08-2013 Norfolk, Virginia
USS Somerset (LPD-25) Avondale 04-14-2012 05-01-2014 San Diego, California
USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) Ingalls 11-02-2014 10-08-2016 San Diego, California
USS Portland (LPD-27) Ingalls 02-13-2016 12-14-2017 San Diego, California
USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) Ingalls 03-28-2020
USS Richard M. McCool (LPD-29) Ingalls

 

Flight II

Ship Builder Launched Commissioned Homeport
USS Harrisburg (LPD-30) Ingalls
USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) Ingalls

 

Navy

The Mk110 gun system

BAE Systems has received a $26 million contract to equip the U.S. Navy’s Constellation class frigates with the fully-automatic 57-mm Mk110 naval gun.

USS Constellation (FFG-62)
57-mm Mk110 selected for U.S. Navy’s new Constellation-class frigates

The contract, awarded earlier this month, includes engineering support and calls for two Mk110s for the USS Constellation (FFG-62) and USS Congress (FFG-63). The new Constellation class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates is designed to operate in blue water and in the littorals, for an increased forward naval presence.

The Mk110 gun system, known internationally as the Bofors 57 Mk3, is the deck gun of choice for the Constellation class. It is a multi-mission, medium-caliber shipboard weapon, effective against air, surface, or ground threats without requiring multiple round types. The system is capable of firing up to 220 rounds per minute at an effective range of more than nine nautical miles using BAE Systems’ six-mode Programmable, Pre-fragmented, and Proximity-fused (3P) ammunition.

«The selection of the Mk110 for the U.S. Navy’s Constellation class frigates signifies confidence in the gun system and its ability to meet current and future needs in shipboard defense», said Brent Butcher, vice president of the weapon systems product line at BAE Systems «The Mk110 gun system provides this next-generation frigate with the continued performance that our surface fleet has come to expect from its intermediate caliber guns».

This contract also includes providing a Mk110 system to the U.S. Coast Guard’s third Argus Class Offshore Patrol Cutter, USCGC Ingham. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2023 under the contract with Naval Sea Systems Command Integrated Warfare Systems 3C (NAVSEA IWS).

The 57-mm Mk110 is currently in service on the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship and the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter. To date, BAE Systems is providing 39 Mk110 guns to the Navy and 15 to the Coast Guard. Worldwide, 103 Mk110/57 Mk3 naval gun systems are under contract with nine nations.

 

Specifications

Rate of fire 220 rounds/min
Maximum range >9 NM/10.36 miles/16.67 km
Ammunition capacity in gun 120 rounds
Time for loading rounds 3-5 minutes
Firing dispersion in remote control
Training (sigma-value) 0.4 mrad
Elevation (sigma-value) 0.4 mrad
Elevation −10° to +77°
Train Unlimited
Maximum elevating speed 44°/sec
Maximum elevating acceleration 115°/sec2
Maximum train speed 57°/sec
Maximum train acceleration 115°/sec2
Power supply 440-VAC
60-Hz 3-phase
Weight, complete without ammunition 14,960 lbs./6,800 kg
Life of air-cooled barrel >4,000 rounds