Monthly Archives: August 2022

Navy

Sixth and Final AOPS

Irving Shipbuilding Inc. has cut first steel for the future HMCS Robert Hampton Gray (AOPV 435) to officially begin production of Canada’s sixth and Final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) for the Royal Canadian Navy built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

HMCS Robert Hampton Gray (AOPV 435)
Production of Canada’s sixth and Final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship for the Royal Canadian Navy Underway with Cutting of First Steel for the Future HMCS Robert Hampton Gray (AOPV 435)

Construction of Canada’s future combat fleet begins at Irving Shipbuilding’s Marine Fabricators facility in Dartmouth, where 32 people are involved in the computerized plasma cutting and delivery of 4,000 tonnes of steel each year in support of the AOPS program. The resulting 70,000 pieces are fabricated in a strategic sequence to meet the production schedule at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard, the most modern and largest indoor shipbuilding facility in North America.

The steel weighs 3734 kilograms (3.7 tonnes)/8232 lbs. and will be used in a combination of locations on the ship, including the initial pieces that will begin development of the keel. Upon completion, the future HMCS Robert Hampton Gray (AOPV 435) will be 103.6 metres/340 feet in length, have a 19-metre/62-foot beam, displace 6,615 tonnes and be comprised of 440,000 parts. Each AOPS vessel has over 300 kms/186.4 miles of cable and more than 36 kms/22.4 miles of pipe.

To date, two AOPS have been delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy – HMCS Harry DeWolf (AOPV 430) and HMCS Margaret Brooke (AOPV 431). The future HMCS Max Bernays (AOPV 432) is due for delivery next month. The future HMCS William Hall (AOPV 433) recently moved all Mega Blocks to land level and is undergoing final assembly in preparation for launch later this year. The future HMCS Frédérick Rolette (AOPV 434) officially laid the keel in June of this year and construction of the bow, mid-ship and stern Mega Blocks are underway.

Halifax Shipyard will also construct two AOPS variants for the Canadian Coast Guard, followed by 15 Canadian Surface Combatants for the Navy that are due to commence construction in 2024.

The Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) is named in honour of Lieutenant (Lt) Robert Hampton Gray, a Canadian naval hero of the Second World War.

Lt Gray joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1940 and served as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. He embarked in His Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Formidable with 1841 Squadron, joining the war in the Pacific as part of Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa, Japan, in April 1945.

Lt Gray was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for courage and determination in carrying out daring air strikes on the Japanese destroyer His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Ship (HIJMS) Amakusa.

On August 9, 1945, he led two flights of Corsair aircraft to attack naval vessels in Onagawa Bay, Japan. He opened the attack run flying straight into concentrated anti-aircraft fire and was hit almost immediately.

With his aircraft on fire and one bomb lost, he continued the attack and released his remaining bomb on the escort vessel HIJMS Amakusa, causing the ship to capsize and sink. His aircraft then crashed into the sea and his body was never recovered.

Lt Gray was known to his fellow military members as a courageous leader with a brilliant flying spirit, who continued to inspire and motivate his crew after his unfortunate passing.

Lt Gray was the only member of the RCN to be awarded the Canadian naval Victoria Cross from the Second World War.

Over the years, Lt Gray’s courage, service and sacrifice continue to be recognized in many ways. In 1946, the Geographic Board of Canada named Gray’s Peak, a mountain in British Columbia’s Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, in honour of Lt Gray and his brother John, also killed during the war.

In 1989, a memorial was erected to him at Onagawa Bay, the only memorial dedicated to a foreign service member on Japanese soil.

Radars

G/ATOR

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) multifunction sensor successfully detected and tracked multiple cruise missile threats simultaneously during a recent live-fire test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. G/ATOR successfully tracked each target immediately after launch and passed relevant information in real time to intercept numerous cruise missile targets from multiple angles.

AN/TPS-80
G/ATOR supporting a series of live-fire tests in White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

The tests were part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ mid-tier acquisition rapid prototyping effort, known as the Ground Based Air Defense Medium-Range Intercept Capability (GBAD MRIC), a developmental program established to protect high-value areas and assets from airborne threats such as cruise missiles and aircraft.

«During this test event, the AN/TPS-80 demonstrated a combination of performance capabilities during a realistic representation of an adversary attack», said Michael Hahn, director, advanced land radar solutions, Northrop Grumman. «G/ATOR is an expeditionary radar and is unrivaled in its ability to simultaneously provide weapons quality tracks on numerous, concurrent airborne targets while maintaining 360-degree surveillance coverage. The software-defined nature of the AN/TPS-80 was critical in rapidly developing and demonstrating this advanced capability in support of challenging threat scenarios to support the Marine Corps».

The rapid emplacement and displacement of the AN/TPS-80 means troops can quickly stand up this mission capability in the field, perform the mission, and rapidly move assets to avoid vulnerability of enemy targeting. Unlike traditional sensors, multifunction systems like G/ATOR consolidate multiple capabilities into a single sensor, decreasing the size, weight and power requirements. G/ATOR is one piece of the solution providing the joint forces with an operational picture and deep breadth of data to operate in today’s contested environment, in support of the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 strategy.

The GBAD MRIC program, led by the USMC, integrates existing systems – specifically, G/ATOR and the Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) – with components of the Israeli Iron Dome System including the Tamir interceptor to provide integrated surveillance and coverage.

Ground Forces

The first Stryker

Oshkosh Defense, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation, delivered the first Stryker Double-V Hull Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICVVA1) upgraded with the 30-mm Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS) to the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) in Aberdeen, Maryland, where the system will undergo Production Verification Testing (PVT).

Stryker ICVVA1
Oshkosh Defense delivers the first Stryker upgraded with 30-mm Medium Caliber Weapon System

The contract awarded to Oshkosh in June 2021 requires Oshkosh Defense to deliver a total of seven systems by September 2022 for PVT that will be conducted through June 2023. Fielding of the MCWS is scheduled to begin in July 2023 with the I-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington State, receiving the first upgraded Strykers.

«Our team leveraged our engineering and manufacturing prowess and deep commitment to customer satisfaction to deliver our first MCWS test vehicle on time, despite the dynamic market forces we have all experienced over the last year», said Pat Williams, Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps Programs, Oshkosh Defense. «Since the initial contract award, the close collaboration with the U.S. Army has been paramount to achieving this important milestone».

The U.S. Army selected Oshkosh Defense and partners Pratt Miller Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to integrate the 30-mm MCWS onto the Stryker ICVVA1 in June 2021. Since then, Oshkosh Defense has completed Risk Management Testing (RMT) and received orders for a total of 269 upgraded Strykers valued at $356 Million.

«We’re incredibly proud to deliver this transformative solution and look forward to equipping our Soldiers with the precision lethality capability they need», Williams concluded.

Space

Landsat 9

NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) officially marked the handover and commencement of operations of the Landsat 9 Earth observation satellite. Landsat 9 was designed, built and tested by Northrop Grumman Corporation at its Gilbert, Arizona satellite facility and was launched into orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket in September 2021. The satellite completed its systems verification and commissioning in late July 2022.

Landsat 9
The Landsat 9 (background) and the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellites in Northrop Grumman’s Gilbert, Arizona satellite manufacturing facility

«Northrop Grumman-built satellites like Landsat 9 are vital to tracking the state of our planet», said Mike Witt, chief sustainability officer, Northrop Grumman. «The data they collect is vital to analyzing, predicting and addressing changes to ecosystems, helping us to better understand the role sustainability plays in securing a safer world».

Landsat 9 will collect space-based images and data that will aid researchers in areas including agriculture, geology, land use mapping, forestry, global change research and water resource management. The Landsat images further support international emergency and disaster relief to save lives of those in areas most affected by natural disasters. Landsat 9 is based on Northrop Grumman’s flight proven LEOStar-3 platform and extensively leverages the design of the Landsat 8 spacecraft, which has been in service since 2013.

«Landsat 9 continues the uninterrupted monitoring of our Earth by building on the 50-year legacy of the NASA and USGS Landsat system», said Steve Krein, vice president, commercial and civil satellites, Northrop Grumman. «This is the fourth Landsat satellite built by Northrop Grumman that plays a critical role of global observation for monitoring, understanding and managing Earth’s natural resources».

Navy

Snakehead

A U.S. Navy team led by NUWC Division Newport staff demonstrated an end-to-end Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE) mission with the Snakehead Large Displacement Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (LDUUV) prototype at the Narragansett Bay Test Facility on July 21.

Snakehead LDUUV
Deployable from the dry deck shelter of a submarine, Snakehead provides guidance and control, navigation, situational awareness, propulsion, maneuvering and sensors in support of the intelligence preparation of the operational environment mission. The large displacement unmanned undersea vehicle has undergone tests recently at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s Narragansett Bay Test Facility in Rhode Island

The Snakehead LDUUV conducted a long distance ingress, performed a sonar survey box, and then egressed back to the test facility, demonstrating a new milestone in total sortie endurance. The sortie, conducted with the Draper Laboratory-developed Maritime Open Architecture Autonomy, successfully collected sonar data utilizing technology from the Pennsylvania State University Applied Research Laboratory.

Snakehead, a modular, reconfigurable, multi-mission LDUUV deployable from submarines and surface ships, provides guidance and control, navigation, situational awareness, propulsion, maneuvering, and sensors in support of the IPOE mission. Snakehead is innovative in the areas of hull materials, lithium-ion battery certification, advanced sensors, and launch and recovery from both submarines and surface vessels.

The accomplishment of this mission in the system’s intended operational environment was a big step for the program to gain confidence in the vehicle software and hardware systems, as the team pushes toward extended endurance operations and layering additional system capability, said Chris DelMastro, head of the Undersea Warfare Platforms and Payload Integration Department.

The IPOE mission is a critical step toward understanding an area of interest and feeds into planning a relevant course of action to support the warfighter.

To date, Snakehead has conducted 155 in-water sorties and more than 78 hours of runtime utilizing a government-owned and controlled modular open system architecture to include vehicle controller software; autonomy software; and command, control, and communications software – TopsideC3 – for mission planning, operations and analysis.

Since last year, the team conducted up to 190 hours of simulations using full-up vehicle hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop simulation tools. These simulated missions ensure the software operates as intended and that mission parameters are set correctly and confirmed by the vehicle.

«The success of Snakehead testing is a direct result of the time and energy spent designing the vehicle. In-lab hardware and software simulations are major contributors to the success in water», said Allison Philips, Division Newport’s test and evaluation lead for Snakehead.

«The testing to date has demonstrated a baseline capability», said Cheryl Mierzwa, Division Newport’s technical program manager for Snakehead. «Future testing will provide additional capability, autonomy, and endurance to discover the system utility».

Navy

Pressure hull complete

All-domain defense and technologies partner Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shared on August 10, 2022 that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has achieved a significant milestone in construction of Virginia-class submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN-798).

USS Massachusetts (SSN-798)
USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) pressure hull complete

Shipbuilders working on Massachusetts recently reached pressure hull complete, meaning that all of the hull sections were joined to form a single, watertight unit. This is the last major construction milestone before the submarine is launched.

«Our highly skilled shipbuilders are driven to serve the nation by delivering great submarines that help ensure America’s undersea superiority», said Jason Ward, Newport News Shipbuilding vice president of Virginia-class submarine construction. «Reaching this point in construction demonstrates our commitment to getting Massachusetts ready as soon as possible to become part of the U.S. Navy fleet».

Newport News Shipbuilding is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. The advanced capabilities of Virginia-class submarines increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth.

This milestone on Massachusetts comes following the delivery of USS Montana (SSN-794) and launch of USS New Jersey (SSN-796) at Newport News Shipbuilding earlier in 2022, as the shipyard continues to invest in its workforce and facilities to make steady progress on delivering these important assets to the U.S. Navy.

Massachusetts is the 25th Virginia-class fast attack submarine.

 

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/10.0584 m
Hull Diameter 34 feet/10.3632 m
Displacement Approximately 7,800 tons/7,925 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 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 IV

Ship Yard Christening Commissioned Homeport
SSN-792 Vermont EB 10-20-18 04-18-20 Groton, Connecticut
SSN-793 Oregon EB 10-05-19 05-28-22 Groton, Connecticut
SSN-794 Montana NNS 09-12-20 06-25-22 Norfolk, Virginia
SSN-795 Hyman G. Rickover EB 07-31-21
SSN-796 New Jersey NNS 11-13-21
SSN-797 Iowa EB Under Construction
SSN-798 Massachusetts NNS Under Construction
SSN-799 Idaho EB Under Construction
SSN-800 Arkansas NNS Under Construction
SSN-801 Utah EB Under Construction

 

Air

The world’s first ACH160

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the world’s first ACH160 to a customer in Brazil on the eve of the 17th edition of the Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE) at Congonhas airport, São Paulo. The rotorcraft will notably be the first H160 to fly in Latin America.

ACH160
Airbus Helicopters delivers the world’s first ACH160 to a Brazilian customer

«We are very proud that the world’s first ACH160 has been delivered here in Brazil, and look forward to seeing its distinctive and elegant silhouette flying through the skies of São Paulo», stated Jean-Luc Alfonsi, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters’ Brazilian customer centre, Helibras. «Helibras is the leader in the Brazilian turbine helicopter executive aviation segment and we are confident the ACH160 will set new standards for customers and operators wanting to make a distinctive choice in terms of safety, comfort and performance».

According to data from the Brazilian General Aviation Association (ABAG), more than 2,500 airports and 1,300 heliports in Brazil use corporate aviation services via jets, turboprops, piston aircraft and helicopters. «The growing general aviation market in Brazil is crucial for increasing economic and social productivity, as well for maintaining the country’s air connectivity», emphasises Alfonsi.

The ACH160 is the latest member of the ACH family and the most technologically advanced helicopter in its class. It provides 20% greater volume per passenger compared to previous generation medium twin helicopters, 35% larger windows than its competitors, resulting in the brightest cabin in its category and 15% lower fuel burn than its nearest competitor.

The ACH160 family is designed in three versions – Line, Line with Lounge package, and Exclusive – to meet the different needs of this demanding market, with different levels of customization and unrivalled sophistication to better fit the lifestyle of each customer. The ACH160’s design, laying claim to sixty-eight new patents, sounds the clarion call for innovation outperforming expectations. This rotorcraft comes with enhanced safety features and sets a new standard for passenger comfort. Innovations include the canted Fenestron for greater useful load and a flat attitude in flight, and sound-reducing Blue Edge rotor blades for quieter operations.

Missile Defense, Missiles & Guided Weapons, Rocket

Next Generation Interceptor

Lockheed Martin recently validated prototype communications radio technology for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) during a recent test milestone. The NGI’s mission is to protect the U.S. homeland from increasing and evolving intercontinental ballistic missile threats. Critically, the interceptor and its components must be able to receive and share data from the ground and throughout the mission across vast distances, at tremendous speed through harsh environments.

Next Generation Interceptor (NGI)
This image is an artist rendering of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) in flight (Credit: Lockheed Martin)

Through early prototype testing at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Sunnyvale, California, the company demonstrated that the interceptor’s communications system can operate through harsh and adversarial environments it may encounter during flight. This communication technology is important because it provides in-flight situational awareness enabling elements of the interceptor to effectively respond to complex threats.

«Early demonstrations like this allow us to learn as we go and manage risk», said Sarah Reeves, vice president and program manager of the Next Generation Interceptor program at Lockheed Martin. «This milestone continues the NGI team’s successful early and often testing cadence of critical technologies within our digital system design as it matures in alignment with our Developmental Evaluation Framework».

Lockheed Martin’s NGI program was born digital, using all-digital tools prior to contract award through the design and development phase. Through Agile development, the NGI team was able to rapidly create and prototype the communications capability through a focused approach on development, security, and operations (DevSecOps), reducing risk early.

The NGI team incorporated rapid prototyping, in connection with Austin, Texas, small business X-Microwave, a Quantic Company, delivering hardware platforms for software-defined radio development in weeks, rather than months, allowing for faster design evolution.

Lockheed Martin is moving with a sense of urgency, focused on continually maturing, testing and demonstrating the NGI system’s components to validate system performance. The first Lockheed Martin NGI is forecast for delivery in FY2027.

Ground Forces

Small Unit Maneuver

The Department of Defense (DOD) Close Combat Lethality Task Force (CCLTF) hosted the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Small-Unit Maneuver working group July 27-28 at Fort Benning.

Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET)
Autonomous Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) with small, unmanned aircraft system landing pad (Photo Credit: Alexander Gago)

The purpose of the working group was to establish a joint artificial intelligence community of interest to identify capability gaps, review existing AI initiatives and synchronize AI focus areas to improve lethality across DOD, and specifically, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and special operations close combat small-unit formations.

Participants included academic experts, representatives from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office and operational end-users from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command communities, each possessing a unique skill set on how to leverage AI for their specific missions.

«We are transforming the joint force by integrating next-generation technologies and war-fighting concepts», said U.S. Army Colonel Shannon Nielsen, director of the Close Combat Lethality Task Force. «[This] enhances our ability to compete globally, deter adversaries, and win on all-domain battlefields at the small-unit level».

During the working group, participants discussed current and future AI initiatives and opportunities to synchronize Artificial Intelligence for Small-Unit Maneuver efforts to gain technological and resourcing efficiencies.

The Artificial Intelligence for Small-Unit Maneuver working group will continue to meet monthly with members of the joint AI community of interest to identify, prioritize, and advocate AI programs and DOD investment strategies to improve close-combat lethality.

Artillery, Ground, Ground Forces

Long-Range Ramjet

Boeing and Norwegian defense and aerospace company Nammo have successfully test-fired a ramjet-powered artillery projectile, further demonstrating the viability of one of the U.S. Army’s modernization priorities – long-range precision fires.

Boeing Ramjet 155
Boeing, Nammo Complete Long-Range Ramjet Artillery Test

During the June 28 test at the Andøya Test Center in Norway, a Boeing Ramjet 155 projectile was fired out of a cannon and its ramjet engine ignited successfully. It demonstrated flight stability with a well-controlled engine combustion process.

«We believe the Boeing Ramjet 155, with continued technology maturation and testing, can help the U.S. Army meet its long-range precision fires modernization priorities», said Steve Nordlund, Boeing Phantom Works vice president and general manager. «This successful test is evidence that we are making great progress».

«This is a historic moment for Nammo», said Nammo Chief Executive Officer Morten Brandtzæg. «The test results demonstrate that ramjets are viable and can fundamentally change the future of artillery».

«We have great confidence in the ramjet concept», Brandtzæg added. «The test – with all aspects from cannon firing, to the projectile body, fins, and trajectory all functioning perfectly – represents a real technological breakthrough in artillery, and a major success for Boeing, Nammo, and the U.S. Army».

The long-range test at Andøya follows years of research, development and testing by Boeing and Nammo of ramjet technology, including more than 450 static or short-range tests.

Boeing Phantom Works and Nammo have been working together under a strategic partnership to jointly develop and produce the next generation of boosted artillery projectiles. In July 2019, the Boeing-Nammo team was awarded a contract under the U.S. Army’s XM1155 program to develop and mature the Ramjet 155 projectile. In May 2021, the team was awarded a Phase II technology development contract.

Ramjet 155 uses an engine in which the air drawn in for combustion is compressed solely by the forward motion of the projectile at supersonic speeds. Considered a hybrid between guided artillery and missiles, the program has an objective of a common round design that can be used in L39 and L58 cannons.

The team continues to develop and mature the technology, with further testing and demonstrations planned in the coming months.