Zumwalt-class Destroyer Updates and Dicussion

[Kunal Biswas]

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Lays Keel of DDG 1000, First Zumwalt-class Destroyer


November 18, 2011

BATH, Maine – On Thursday, November 17, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the keel laying of Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the first ship in the planned three-ship Zumwalt class of guided-missile destroyers.

The keel unit is the 4,000-ton, heavily outfitted mid-forebody section of the ship, which was moved from the shipyard's Ultra Hall construction facility onto the building ways in late October

The ship is named for ADM Elmo Zumwalt (1920-2000), regarded as the father of the modern Navy. He served with distinction on destroyers during WWII in the Pacific and later oversaw littoral operations during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he was named the youngest-ever chief of naval operations. He applied his vast knowledge of sailors and ships to modernize the U.S. Navy, introducing major policy changes to boost morale and create greater efficiency while also conducting a campaign against racism and sexism throughout the fleet.

A special steel plate containing the initials of ADM Zumwalt's four children, daughters and ship co-sponsors Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, LtCol James G. Zumwalt, USMC (Ret.), and Elmo Zumwalt III, now deceased, was prepared for the ceremony. The co-sponsors authenticated the laying of the keel by striking welding arcs onto the steel plate, assisted by Carl Pepin, a 33-year BIW welder.

The principal speaker was RDML Ann C. Phillips, USN, Director Surface Warfare Division, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Jeff Geiger, Bath Iron Works president, said, "We were pleased to have members of the Zumwalt family and distinguished Navy representatives with us to commemorate this important milestone in the construction of this ship."

The DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer is the U.S. Navy's next-generation, guided-missile naval destroyer, leading the way for a new generation of advanced multi-mission surface combat ships.


The ships will feature a low radar profile, an integrated power system and a total ship computing environment infrastructure.

Armed with an array of weapons, the Zumwalt-class destroyers will provide offensive, distributed and precision fires in support of forces ashore.

Bath Iron Works is the lead designer and builder for the program which employs approximately 5,500 people.

Page Unavailable

 

[Kunal Biswas]

photos of DDG-1000 construction. Starting at the top, the incomplete Ultra 1400 unit is rolled out onto Bath Iron Work's Shipway #1, then Unit 2160 is swung in, put into place and welded, and finally a shot of the complete Ultra 1400 sitting there showing off her 4000+ tons.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Page 28 of this month's DTI has an article on Zumwalt's current standing within the Navy's higher echelons. Adding to what that article discusses, the Flight III Arleigh Burke currently being studied internally is said to essentially be a Zumwalt with AMDR and a Burke's hull. So if both alternatives are sporting roughly the same senor, weapon, propulsion/power, and computing systems it likely comes down to what is preferrable: the cost of continuing production of Zumwalt with its tumblehome (unproven, more expensive) hull form, or the cost of re-designing Burke and those systems to bit the more conventional (proven, cheaper) hull form of that class.

Defense Technology International | Dec-11 | Express 3 | Zinio Digital Magazines


Here's a little (slightly out of date) intro video.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

This was the first gunboat built at Bath Iron Works.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

BAE's Advanced Gun System contract for the third Zumwalt's guns has been picked up. So despite still having no name, DDG-1002 definitely looks like its going to be built. In honor of that good news, here's a BAE video from when they shipped the first AGS unit out for testing a couple years ago:


Second, Burke Flight III costs are apparently soaring as the design is being developed and NAVSEA is increasingly pessimistic that the old DDG-51can accommodate the new Air & Missile Defense Radar, let alone future systems like Railgun or Directed Energy Weapons. If next budget is presented with hard numbers on Flight III showing it costsmore than Zumwalt, and if someone in Congress pays attention, there could be hell to pay.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

The USS Georgia was the only battleship built in Bath.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Since imagry is still pretty hard to come by as progress continues, here's a vid discussing pVLS

 

[Kunal Biswas]

DDG 1000 Program Successfully Demonstrates Next Stage of Integrated IPS Testing

3/22/2012
from: PEO Ships Public Affairs

WASHINGTON - The future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) completed a major developmental test, March 20, demonstrating the integration of the Engineering Control System (ECS) software and the ship's Integrated Power System (IPS) at the Land Based Test Site at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, Ship Systems Engineering Station.

The test verified the software and hardware compatibility and interoperability between the ECS hardware and the IPS.

Conducted by a joint Navy and industry team, this occasion marks the successful completion of the second of two developmental test events, and focused on demonstrating the dynamic control and monitoring features of the IPS using actual DDG 1000 class control system interfaces and tactical hardware.

"This is an extremely significant test milestone for the DDG 1000 program," said Capt. James Downey, DDG 1000 program manager from Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "This test demonstrates that the DDG 1000 program's incremental development of technologies and robust testing plan are on track to deliver unprecedented capability to the Fleet."

DDG 1000 is the first surface combatant to be built with an IPS, which will use electric power for propulsion and ship services.

The IPS generates the total ship electric power requirements, then distributes and converts it for all ship loads, including propulsion, combat systems and ship services.

The test demonstrated IPS control at various levels of intelligence, including manual, man-in-the-loop and automated scenarios under normal and fault conditions.

Among the functions tested were operating mode transitions, control of the IPS under full propulsion motor power demand, and automated control under various fault scenarios.

Completion of this testing marks a significant milestone in a planned three-year integration and risk reduction test effort where the IPS has been demonstrated at full power - now integrated with major portions of its shipboard control system. Thoroughly testing the units at the land- based test facility greatly reduces construction risk at Bath Iron Works. Additional risk reduction testing will continue to support ship activation into 2013.

The lead ship of the DDG 1000 class, USS Zumwalt, is currently 67 percent complete and scheduled to deliver in fiscal year 2014, with an initial operating capability in fiscal year 2016.

The second ship, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), is over 26 percent complete. DDG 1002 is scheduled to start fabrication in April 2012.

As one of the Defense Department's largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships, an affiliated PEO of NAVSEA, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, special warfare craft, and foreign military sales.

http://www.navsea.navy.mil/NewsView....ewsWires&id=27

 

[Kunal Biswas]

USS Zumwalt, March 2012


Ultra 2200, the second of 4 Ultra units for the future USS Zumwalt, rolls out of the Ultra Hall at Bath Iron Works and gains two smaller units before being joined to Ultra 1400 (rolled out last fall). At 4500 tons, this is the largest ship module ever moved by BIW. Two thirds of the hull are now on the ways, with another hull module and the composite deckhouse still to come.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[Kunal Biswas]

The USS Georgia was the only battleship built in Bath.

We may see big guns again, Sir..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 6, 2012
By Grace Jean, Office of Naval Research

ARLINGTON, Va.—The Office of Naval Research (ONR)'s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility in Dahlgren, Va., officials said Feb. 6.

"This is the next step toward a future tactical system that will be placed on board a ship some day," said Roger Ellis, program manager of EM Railgun.

The EM Railgun launcher is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants. Magnetic fields created by high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor, or armature, between two rails to launch projectiles at 4,500 mph to 5,600 mph.

With its increased velocity and extended range, the EM Railgun will give Sailors a multi-mission capability, allowing them to conduct precise naval surface fire support, or land strikes; cruise missile and ballistic missile defense; and surface warfare to deter enemy vessels. Navy planners are targeting a 50- to 100-nautical mile initial capability with expansion up to 220 nautical miles.

The EM Railgun program, part of ONR's Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department, previously relied upon government laboratory-based launchers for testing and advancing railgun technology. The first industry-built launcher, a 32-megajoule prototype demonstrator made by BAE Systems, arrived at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Jan. 30. One megajoule of energy is equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 miles per hour.

"This industry prototype represents a step beyond our previous successful demonstrations of the laboratory launcher," Ellis said.

The prototype demonstrator incorporates advanced composites and improved barrel life performance resulting from development efforts on the laboratory systems located at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NSWC-Dahlgren. The EM Railgun laboratory demonstrator based at NSWC-Dahlgren fired a world record setting 33-megajoule shot in December 2010.

The industry demonstrator will begin test firing this month as the EM Railgun program prepares for delivery of a second prototype launcher built by General Atomics.

In the meantime, the Navy is pushing ahead with the next phase of the EM Railgun program to develop automatic projectile loading systems and thermal management systems to facilitate increased firing rates of the weapon.

"The next phase of the development effort is to demonstrate the ability to operate at a firing rate of significant military utility," Ellis said.

ONR recently awarded $10 million contracts through Naval Sea Systems Command to Raytheon Corp., BAE Systems and General Atomics to develop a pulsed power system for launching projectiles in rapid succession. These new contracts kick off a five-year effort to achieve a firing rate of six to 10 rounds per minute.

BAE Systems and General Atomics also are commencing concept development work on the next-generation prototype EM Railgun capable of the desired firing rate.

News: Navy to Begin Tests on Electromagentic Railgun Prototype Launcher - Office of Naval Research

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Here's a trio of pictures of BAE's Railgun prototype being delivered to NSWC Dahlgren:

Those are capacitor banks in the background.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Look Out, Pyongyang? Rail Gun in the Works

One of the big selling points of the Navy's new destroyer is that it can rain a whole lot of hell — 20 rocket-propelled artillery shells, in less than a minute — on targets up to 63 nautical miles away. Fully armed, two DDG1000s should have the firepower of an entire, 640-man artillery battalion, the Navy promises.

But really, that's the start. The ship's real power will come when it moves away from chemical powders to shoot its projectiles — and starts relying on electromagnetic fields to shoot projectiles almost six kilometers/second, instead. With an electromagnetic rail gun pushing the rounds out so quickly, the number of rounds fired per ship would jump from 232 to 5000, Navy planners believe. (Military"‹.com has a great primer on how it works.) Because they travel so fast — nearly Mach 7 — the destructive force those rounds deliver would more than double, from 6.6 megajoules to 17. And they would fly almost five times farther — up to 300 nautical miles. That's enough to put 100% of targets in North Korea "at Risk" from a single battleship, a Navy briefing notes (right, sorry for the crappy scan).
No wonder the Office of Naval Research just handed General Atomics Aeronautical Systems a $9.6-million, 30-month contract for the preliminary design of an electromagnetic launcher, Defense Daily reports.
But don't expect to see a rail gun around North Korea any time soon. The destroyer program is in flux. And the Navy isn't looking for a "full-scale demonstration" of the rail gun until "around 2014," DD notes. "If the acquisition community decides to place it on a ship it could be done around the 2019 time frame."

Read more: http://defensetech.org/2006/06/20/look-out-pyongyang-rail-gun-in-the-works/#ixzz1s6alMyt8
Defense.org

 

[H.A.]

This is not your father's Navy warship. Well it's not my father's either – since he's never owned one – but you get my point. Check out the new digs on the Navy's wave of the future. Isn't she a beauty? I'd like to introduce you to (the rendered conception of) the DDG 1002 Zumwalt Class Warship. It's the latest thing in intimidating, high tech maritime awesomeness.

Or it will be, once construction is completed.

The Zumwalt, taking shape at Bath Iron Works, is the biggest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy. DDG 1000 is the first of a new class of warships in the US Navy's revolutionary vision for 21st Century surface combatant designs. What does that mean?

So glad you asked"¦

The ship is designed as a multi-mission destroyer able to provide independent forward presence and deterrence. It's also designed to operate as an integral part of a joint or multi-national naval task force. The primary mission emphasis is on land attack, maritime dominance and joint interoperability. This will enable the DDG 1000 to control the littoral battlespace and deliver more ordnance on target over a broader range of military objectives than any surface combatant ever put to sea.

Basically, it's a multi-purpose, water-treading, techno-ship capable of handling multiple situations with equal levels of stealth, firepower and let's face it, finesse. No other ship balances power and class on the high seas quite like this baby.

The Zumwalt's new technology will allow the warship to deter and defeat aggression and to maintain operations in areas where an enemy seeks to deny access, both on the open ocean and in operations closer to shore, the Navy says. The warship is looking to get some pretty sweet features, too. We're talking a wave-piercing hull, electric drive propulsion, and advanced sonar.

Oh, and let's not forget the rocket-propelled warheads that can shoot as far as 100 miles.

This thing is longer and heavier than its predecessors, by the way, but only needs half the crew size. Why? Well a lot of this ship will rely on automated systems.

This warship integrates numerous critical technologies, systems, and principles into a complete warfighting system. These include employment of optimal manning through human systems integration, improved quality of life, low operations and support costs, multi-spectral signature reduction, balanced warfighting design, survivability, and adaptability.

Talk about swift, silent and deadly.

"DDG 1000 is a vessel that fits within our Defense Strategic Guidance. With its stealth, incredibly capable sonar system, strike capability, and lower manning requirements – this is our future," said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations. The Zumwalt-class ships are being built with modern, modular shipbuilding methods, allowing for construction of much larger units with greater degrees of outfitting achieved prior to ship assembly.

So when does this behemoth hit the international waves?

DDG 1002 is expected to deliver to the Navy in fiscal year 2018. It might be a few years away, but we're already seeing a trend toward technology-driven visions for the future of the military. What's next? Bullet proof armor suits? Robots integrated into the ranks? Illogical-but-still-awesome jet packs become standard GI issue?

Okay, maybe not the last one, but I believe that the future of the force is going to utilize the best and brightest in technology and people.

I gotta say, with this warship on the future maritime playing field, Battleship is never going to be the same.

Information for this article provided by the Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications

The Newest Thing in Navy Warships�|�Armed with Science

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[W.G.Ewald]

US Navy hopes stealth ship answers a rising China - WTOP.com