USA military developments

[123Sunny]

GBU-40 Small Diameter Bomb II Successfully Engages Target in Flight Test
United States of America, 12 October 2009

The Boeing [NYSE: BA] GBU-40 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II team successfully concluded a 42-month risk reduction program on Sept. 29 with a flight test in which the weapon impacted its target.

"Our design, development and testing have resulted in a highly capable, robust system that not only meets the needs of today's warfighters, but also has the capacity to adapt to the unknowns of tomorrow's threats and operational conditions," said Debra Rub, Weapons Programs vice president. "Bottom line, our weapon system has proven itself, and when this capability is available to the warfighter it will help transform the battlefield."

In the latest test, the Guided Test Vehicle (GTV), dropped from an F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was equipped with form-factored (production-ready) components, including a Harris data link, Lockheed Martin tri-mode seeker, and modified SDB Increment I (GBU-39) assemblies. The weapon received in-flight target updates using a tactical radio communications system, which were processed by the seeker. Using the updates, the seeker successfully performed all objective functions, including search, detect, track and classify. The weapon fuze detonated upon impact with the intended target.

The weapon performed as planned and achieved all test goals. The team collected full telemetry data on the weapon's subsystems, providing confirmation of system performance and validation of the weapon's design and producibility.

"This successful test caps a stellar risk reduction phase for the program," said Dan Jaspering, director of Direct Attack Programs for Boeing. "It's exciting to have a proven, mature system as the U.S. Air Force moves toward awarding an Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract next year.

"Boeing's successful track record with SDB I and the risk reduction program for SDB II pave the way for a truly low-risk path through validation, operational testing and scheduled fielding," Jaspering added.

Previous flight tests were conducted in May and August 2007. Boeing also conducted an extensive captive-carry flight test program for the SDB II seeker, data link and guidance subsystems aboard its King Air test bed aircraft. The tests exercised weapon components and software under a variety of tactically relevant conditions. In June, the program completed a Boeing internal Critical Design Review with Air Force participation.

Boeing is teamed with Lockheed Martin in the SDB II program competition, and as the prime contractor will provide the air vehicle and system integration. Lockheed Martin will supply the sensor/seeker.


Source: The Boeing Company

 

[123Sunny]

Optex Systems Receives General Dynamics Purchase Order for Additional ICWS Periscopes
United States of America, 13 October 2009

RICHARDSON, Texas | Optex Systems Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:OPXS), a leading manufacturer of optical sighting systems and assemblies primarily for Department of Defense applications, today announced that General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), awarded Optex a $1.9 million purchase order for additional ICWS (Improved Commander's Weapon Station) Periscopes. The ICWS Periscopes are a critical component of the M1A2 Abrams Tank; and additionally, Optex is currently manufacturing other plastic periscopes for General Dynamics Land Systems for the M1A2 Abrams Tank.

Delivery of the ICWS Periscopes is scheduled to begin in January 2011 and continue through February 2013.

Danny Schoening, COO of Optex Systems, commented, "We are pleased to have been awarded this latest purchase order with General Dynamics Land Systems. This is the latest step in our ongoing relationship with General Dynamics Land Systems and demonstrates our ongoing track record of delivery of quality products and great customer service. We are proud to be able to continue to provide technology to support the efforts of our troops around the world."


Source: Optex

 

[123Sunny]

Amphib New York set to leave for namesake city
United States of America, 13 October 2009

AVONDALE, La. — The amphibious transport dock New York, built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center site, is heading to its namesake city.

The warship built in south Louisiana, is to leave Tuesday. The Navy will officially commissioned it in New York in early November.

Organizers of a “line the levees” event in the New Orleans area hope several thousand people turn out Tuesday morning for the send-off.

One organizer, Lola Lass, says she expects a festive, patriotic scene. Flags were to be handed out to people gathering at a riverfront park.

Thousands of workers helped build the ship at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s yard in Avondale.

A company spokesman says two ships under construction — Arlington and Somerset — will join the New York as 9-11 “tribute” ships.


Source: The Associated Press

Class and type: San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (U.S. Navy)

Length: 684 feet (208.5 meters)

Beam: 105 feet (31.9 meters)

Displacement: Approximately 24,900 tons full load

Aircraft: Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously. The ship’s hangar can store 1-2 aircraft.

Armament: Two 30 mm Close-in-Guns, for surface threat defense; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for air defense

Landing Craft: Two LCACs (air cushion) or one LCU (conventional)

EFVs: 14 Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles

Power plant: Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 41,600 shp
Crew 360 Sailors (28 officers, 332 enlisted) and 3 Marines

Troops: 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.

[mod]Sunny can you please paste the links to your sources instead of just citing the source. Thanks[/mod]

 

[123Sunny]

Blue Ridge Arrives in Cairns
United States of America, 12 October 2009

CAIRNS, Australia -- USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and the embarked U.S. 7th Fleet staff arrived in Cairns, Australia for a scheduled port visit as part of the ship's fall deployment to further positive relations with regional partners Oct. 12.

The amphibious command ship crew and embarked staff will have the opportunity to enjoy an area of Australia known for its beautiful landscapes and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.

"The crew is full of anticipation about the Cairns visit," said Capt. Thom W. Burke, Blue Ridge commanding officer. "We just finished a week-long visit to Sydney, which was a sensational port visit. Now we are anxious to get out and see more of Australia, especially this beautiful city and its surroundings."

While in Cairns, the 7th Fleet flagship will take in the sights during the numerous scheduled tours, participate in community outreach projects, and welcome local Cairns residents for guided tours of the ship, all in the spirit of friendship and camaraderie.

"The U.S. and Australia have a proud, longstanding history of working together," Burke said. "Visiting Cairns is an outstanding opportunity for Blue Ridge to experience this breathtaking place."

Blue Ridge departed its forward-deployed home of Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 2 and visited Guam Sept. 12-14, New Caledonia Sept. 23-26, and Sydney Sept. 29 to Oct. 6.

Blue Ridge serves under commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7/Task Force 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force. Blue Ridge is the flagship for commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.

 

[youngindian]

Japan Minister: U.S. Troop Agreement 'Humiliating'

15 Oct 2009

TOKYO - Japan's new defense minister said October 15 that rules governing the U.S. troop presence on Okinawa island were "humiliating" while conceding that a major American base would likely have to stay there.

Toshimi Kitazawa, whose center-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took power last month, was speaking ahead of a visit next week by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a month before a trip by President Barack Obama.
The minister stressed his party's message that, while Tokyo values the traditionally strong relationship with the United States, it is also seeking less subservient U.S. ties than those under its conservative predecessors.

Japan wants "to build a new relationship that meets the requirements of the new era instead of getting mired in fears of offending them," the minister said, stressing however that the alliance remains "extremely important."

Next week, the 71-year-old minister said, he wants to have "candid talks" with Gates about the American military presence on southern Okinawa, which is home to more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan.

A flashpoint has long been the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Base, located in a crowded urban area on the island, where residents have been angered by aircraft noise while community frictions with U.S. service personnel have grown.

Anger rose especially after the 1995 gang-rape of a 12-year-old girl and the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by U.S. military servicemen.

Under the 1960 Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, the troops fall under American, not Japanese, criminal jurisdiction - although more recently indicted suspects in serious cases have been handed to Japanese authorities.

Despite this, the "people in Okinawa as a whole feel that the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement is humiliating," Kitazawa said. "We will propose to review the agreement when Mr. Gates comes here.

"People living close to U.S. bases say 'please close the U.S. bases, eliminate the noise,'" he said. "We want to end the suffering and the burden endured by the Okinawan people who have long hosted the U.S. bases."

He added: "Okinawan people have high hopes that change will come to their lives after the change of government."

Under a 2006 agreement struck under a conservative Japanese government and the U.S. administration of George W. Bush, the air base is to be closed and relocated to a coastal area of Okinawa by 2014.

But new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said he wants the base to be moved off Okinawa, even out of Japan altogether, although this week he appeared to soften his stance.

Kitazawa said Tokyo wants to renegotiate the agreement on realigning U.S. forces, which also includes a plan to move 8,000 U.S. troops to Guam - although Washington has already indicated it expects the deal to stand.

But Kitazawa also said that Japan had few other options than to relocate the Futenma base somewhere within Okinawa.

"Regarding a relocation outside Okinawa, where else do we have?" he said.

"It's extremely difficult to find an alternative place in the current situation.

"In reality we can only slightly change the current plan," because of the geographical features of the Okinawan coast, Kitazawa said.

Hours earlier in Washington Japan informed White House and Pentagon officials that it would end an Indian Ocean naval refueling mission backing the war in Afghanistan when its mandate expires in January.

The minister said that "the most feasible support Japan can offer in terms of Afghanistan is civilian support," adding that one option would be for Japanese air force planes to transport aid to Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Other issues to be discussed with Gates would include Japan's choice of next-generation fighter jets.

Although the U.S.-made Lockheed Martin F-35 is one option, the minister said that "our choice is wide open to other options, of non-American-made jets."

Japan Minister: U.S. Troop Agreement 'Humiliating' - Defense News

 

[youngindian]

INTERVIEW - Japan-US ties more important with China rise - minister

Thu Oct 15, 2009

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's alliance with the United States will become more important with China's rise as a military power, Japanese Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said on Thursday, dismissing concerns that ties could weaken.

The new Democratic Party government's pledge to take a more independent diplomatic stance from the United States has caused uncertainty among investors, given the pivotal role of the alliance in a region also home to an unpredictable North Korea.

U.S. efforts to improve relations with Beijing have also sparked concerns about whether its alliance with Japan, whose own ties with Beijing have often been fraught, could be undermined.

Kitazawa reaffirmed the importance of the relationship with Washington a week ahead of a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and less than a month before U.S. President Barack Obama visits both Japan and China.

"It is true that China is building up its navy and air force. But their intentions are not clear to us," Kitazawa said.

"As China increases its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, there may be countries that feel threatened. In that sense, the value of the Japan-U.S. alliance will actually increase."

A range of security issues, from U.S. bases on the island of Okinawa, to Japan's likely withdrawal from a naval refuelling mission backing U.S. forces in Afghanistan, have caused disquiet ahead of the alliance's 50th anniversary next year.

Kitazawa said changes would be minor.

"Some details may have changed, but for the most part we want to improve what we already have," he said of the alliance. The U.S.-Japan joint ballistic missile defence programme will, for example, be largely unchanged, he said.

U.S. officials have also maintained an upbeat tone on ties since the Democrats won their landslide election victory in August.

"Overall, we are very confident that our relationship between the United States and Japan will continue to be a cornerstone of our engagement in the Asia-Pacific region," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. "I see a really healthy revitalisation."

Kitazawa said this week that Japan would withdraw its ships from an Indian Ocean refuelling mission when its legal mandate expires, although no final decision has been made.

He said on Thursday the mission was highly unlikely to re-start, but denied Japan was returning to what critics call "cheque-book diplomacy", or providing cash rather than personnel to back U.S. military activities.

"It's a mistake to call it 'chequebook diplomacy' -- it is the diplomacy of the heart," he said.

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has raised the possibility of expanding civilian contributions to Afghanistan, possibly by providing job training to help former Taliban fighters make a living, but noted the danger of dispatching civilians. On the question of U.S. bases, Kitazawa said Japan's pacifist constitution obliged it to accept the presence of the forces, but that it was important to relieve the disproportionate burden on the southern island of Okinawa. Almost half U.S. forces in Asia are based in Japan.

Despite its concerns over China's military rise, Japan wants to improve its own ties with Beijing, which have grown warmer in recent years, though ill feeling remains over Tokyo's military aggression before and during World War Two.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama often speaks of his ambitions to secure stability by creating an East Asian community inspired by the European Union, although he admits that differing levels of development within the region make this a long-term aim.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43173820091015

 

[youngindian]

Serbia not interested becoming part of NATO

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac assessed that Serbia was not currently interested in submitting an application to join NATO. Nor did Serbia ever asked the organization as a condition for further promotion of cooperation, he stressed in an interview for news agency Tanjug.

- Rather, the national assembly adopted a resolution on military neutrality of the country in relation to existing military alliances, said the Minister. Remember that these days the National Assembly, despite the laws set by the MoD, looked into adoption of the strategy for national security and defense, concluded Sutanovac.

Serbia is not set to forget any time soon the NATO bombing campaign in which many of its army barracks, companies, factories, hospitals, as well as the RTS TV building were destroyed.


MINA - Serbia not interested becoming part of NATO

 

[bengalraider]

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Oct. 14, 2009) The battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) arrives at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard to begin a three-month, $18 million effort of extensive maintenance and preservation work. Missouri is the last battleship made by the U.S., and was the site of Japan's unconditional surrender ending World War II. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Mark Logico/Released)

That is one beautiful ship!

 

[RPK]

Bell Helicopter sued in $3.6M dispute by Lockheed Martin

Link

Lockheed Martin Corp. is taking Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. to court in a contract dispute valued at about $3.6 million, according to court documents.

The suit, filed last week in federal district court in Fort Worth, alleges that Hurst-based Bell failed to pay Maryland’s Lockheed for changes that Lockheed made to a system that tracks targets for precision weapons in AH-1Z Cobra helicopters.
A Bell spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment Monday.

“It is Lockheed Martin’s policy not to comment on pending litigation, but we do plan to pursue this action vigorously in court,” said Heather Kelly, a company spokeswoman, in a statement e-mailed to the Dallas Business Journal.

Lockheed was a Bell subcontractor on a Bell contract with the U.S. Marine Corps., with Lockheed’s duties including making the weapons-tracking system for the AH-1Z helicopters, court records say.

After Lockheed produced the target-tracking technology in June 2002, Marine Corps pilots requested unspecified changes to the system, court records say. “These requests were communicated to Lockheed Martin with no reference to any specific failure of (the weapons-tracking system) to meet performance requirements,” Lockheed’s suit says.

Bell told Lockheed to make the changes that the Marine Corps pilots had requested, and “threatened to terminate” the contract between the two companies if Lockheed failed to do so, court records say.

Lockheed made the changes “with the understanding” that it would be paid for doing so, Lockheed’s suit says. But Lockheed has not been paid, court records allege.

Lockheed is claiming that Bell breached the contract and, among other things, is seeking payment of the $3.6 million it claims it is owed, along with attorneys’ fees.

 

[youngindian]

US DOD has awarded $1 billion ballistic missile defense system contract to Lockheed M

Thu, Oct 22, 2009

ockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors is being awarded a $1,034,550,502 contract by US Department of Defense.

The contract is for Lockheed Martin to serve as the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Combat System engineering agent and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System design, development and computer program source for Aegis cruisers and destroyers.

Work is to be performed in Moorestown, N.J. The period of performance is from Oct. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2014. FY 09 Research, development, test and evaluation funding will be used to incrementally fund this effort for $15,207,030.

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?id=3739&h=US%20DOD%20has%20awarded%20$1%20billion%20ballistic%20missile%20defense%20system%20contract%20to%20Lockheed%20Martin

 

[bengalraider]

Navy's newest warships top out at more than 50 mph

By DAVID SHARP, Associated Press Writer
2 hrs 54 mins ago

BATH, Maine – The Navy's need for speed is being answered by a pair of warships that have reached freeway speeds during testing at sea.
Independence, a 418-foot warship built in Alabama, boasts a top speed in excess of 45 knots, or about 52 mph, and sustained 44 knots for four hours during builder trials that wrapped up this month off the Gulf Coast. The 378-foot Freedom, a ship built in Wisconsin by a competing defense contractor, has put up similar numbers.
Both versions of the Littoral Combat Ship use powerful diesel engines, as well as gas turbines for extra speed. They use steerable waterjets instead of propellers and rudders and have shallower drafts than conventional warships, letting them zoom close to shore.
The ships, better able to chase down pirates, have been fast-tracked because the Navy wants vessels that can operate in coastal, or littoral, waters. Freedom is due to be deployed next year, two years ahead of schedule.
Independence is an aluminum, tri-hulled warship built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The lead contractor is Maine's Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics.
Lockheed Martin Corp. is leading the team that built Freedom in Marinette, Wis. It looks more like a conventional warship, with a single hull made of steel.
The stakes are high for both teams. The Navy plans to select Lockheed Martin or General Dynamics, but not both, as the builder. The Navy has ordered one more ship from each of the teams before it chooses the final design. Eventually, the Navy wants to build up to 55 of them.
Speed has long been relished by Navy skippers. Capt. John Paul Jones, sometimes described as father of the U.S. Navy, summed it up this way in 1778: "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
Eric Wertheim, author and editor of the U.S. Naval Institute's "Guide to Combat Fleets of the World," said speed is a good thing, but it comes at a cost.
"This is really something revolutionary," Wertheim said. "The question is how important and how expensive is this burst of speed?"
Early cost estimates for Littoral Combat Ships were about $220 million apiece, but costs spiraled because of the Navy's requirements and its desire to expedite construction. The cost of the ships is capped at $460 million apiece, starting in the new fiscal year.
Both ships are built to accommodate helicopters and mission "modules" for either anti-submarine missions, mine removal or traditional surface warfare. The modules are designed to be swapped out within 24 hours, allowing the ships to adapt quickly to new missions.
While they're fast, they aren't necessarily the fastest military ships afloat. The Navy used to have missile-equipped hydrofoils and the Marines' air-cushioned landing craft is capable of similar speeds, Wertheim said. And smaller ships are capable of higher speeds.
Nonetheless, the speed is impressive, especially considering that other large naval vessels have been cruising along at a relatively pokey 30 to 35 knots for decades.
Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, noted that Independence sustained 44 knots despite a 30-knot headwind and 6- to 8-foot seas in Alabama's Mobile Bay. "For a ship of this size, it's simply unheard of to sustain that rate of speed for four hours," he said.
___
On the Net:
Bath Iron Works General Dynamics Bath Iron Works
Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin - We never forget who we're working for

 

[RPK]

Link

Ospreys will head to Afghanistan in coming weeks


Defense Secretary Robert Gates has approved the first deployment to Afghanistan of a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft squadron, according to a Pentagon announcement.The deployment comes on the heels of a request from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The squadron will begin deployment in November. It would be the first time the tilt-rotor aircraft would deploy to Afghanistan. The Osprey, built by Bell Helicopter and Boeing, takes off and lands like a helicopter, but flies like a turbo-prop airplane capable of high speeds and long distances.Three Marine MV-22 squadrons have been deployed to Iraq since 2007. The squadrons have deployed one at a time.
About 200 Marines will deploy to Afghanistan as part of the MV-22 Osprey squadron. The squadron to deploy will be from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron-261 in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected support the needs of U.S. forces on the ground in southern Afghanistan.
“They just received their deployment orders,” said Lt. Col. Matt Morgan, spokesman for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command. Morgan said that the MV-22 will add to the capability of Marines already in Afghanistan.
The White House is still weighing whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, above the authorized level of 68,000. McChrystal has reportedly requested an additional 40,000 troops.
In a report issued in May, the Government Accountability Office said that the MV-22 experience in Iraq demonstrated that the Osprey can complete missions assigned in low-threat environments because its speed and range were enhancements. However, GAO said that challenges may limit its ability to accomplish the “full repertoire of missions” of the legacy helicopters it is supposed to replace. Since the 1980s, the MV-22 has experienced several fatal crashes, demonstrated various deficiencies and faced virtual cancellation — much of which it has overcome, the GAO said.

 

[RPK]

Lockheed Dangles F-35 Work For S. Korea

Link

South Korean companies could bid for work on the Lockheed Martin F-35 if the country orders the stealth fighter, even though suppliers for the airframe were chosen years ago, the U.S. manufacturer says.

As production builds up turning out one fighter a day, second-source suppliers will be needed for parts that Lockheed Martin itself is responsible for supplying, says Steve O’Bryan, vice president for F-35 business development.
Building F-35 parts to Lockheed Martin’s blueprints would give Korea Aerospace Industries manufacturing work but no opportunity to advance its fighter-design skills, which it might get from participation in Boeing’s proposed program to develop the F-15SE, an Eagle with less radar reflectivity.

Korean Air Aerospace, the manufacturing division of airline Korean Air, would presumably also be interested in helping to make the F-35.

Software work will be available for block 2 and 3 F-35s, says O’Bryan says. Those two upgrades to the aircraft will be based on software improvements, not physical changes.

South Korea is looking for 60 fighters to fill its F-X Phase III requirement. Separately, the indigenous KF-X fighter is proposed for a more distant requirement for fighters that would be fielded in the 2020s. That program, whose future is expected to be decided next month, would greatly advance Korea Aerospace’s skills, but it is being criticized as poor value for money compared to the F-35. Moreover, the KF-X specification has been downgraded to only semi-stealthy performance.

 

[RPK]

U.S. Senate votes to fund F-35 alternate engine

Link

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved $560 million to continue work on an alternate F-35 engine built by General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce Group Plc. , defying a White House veto threat.

The legislation now heads to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law.

Administration officials have said the president would consider a veto if the funding for the engine threatens the overall F-35 program, but the bill fully funds the Pentagon’s $6 billion request to buy 30 F-35 fighters, built by the Lockheed Martin Corp .

The bill’s backers hope that inclusion of full funding for the versatile aircraft will be enough to stave off a veto.

A White House spokesman earlier in the day declined to say whether Obama would veto the bill.

The bill also extends hate-crime legislation to cover ***s and lesbians, a measure that drew the objection of Republicans who said Democrats were exploiting the military to advance liberal social positions.

Backers of the alternate engine program say the competition will cut engine costs in the long run and reduce the risk of a fleet-wide grounding because of an engine flaw.

The Pentagon has said the alternate engine is a waste of money, and could reduce the number of F-35s it can ultimately afford to purchase.

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp , is already building an F-35 engine.

The alternate engine could still be discontinued even without a presidential veto, as it could be cut from separate legislation that actually provides the funding for Pentagon operations.

The bill does end two other programs that the Pentagon has sought to discontinue over the objections of some in Congress: the F-22 fighter plane, and the VH-71 presidential helicopter, both made by Lockheed, as well as the ground vehicle portion of the Army’s modernization drive.

The bill also ends the C-17 cargo plane program, but that Boeing Co program is likely to be kept alive in the spending bill still pending in Congress.

The bill also authorizes a multiyear purchase of Boeing’s F/A-18 fighters.

 

[RAM]

Navy to Commission Energy-Efficient Amphibious Assault Ship Makin Island
Navy NewsStand


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will commission the amphibious assault ship Makin Island Oct. 24, during a 10 a.m. PDT ceremony at North Island Naval Air Station, Coronado, Calif.

Makin Island is named for the daring raid carried out by Marine Corps Companies Alpha and Bravo, Second Raider Battalion, on the Japanese-held Makin Island, in the Gilbert Islands, on Aug. 17-18, 1942. The raid was launched from the submarines USS Nautilus and USS Argonaut and succeeded in routing the enemy forces based there, gaining valuable intelligence. Twenty-three Navy Crosses were awarded for actions during the raid, including to the raid's leader, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, and executive officer, Marine Corps Maj. James Roosevelt (son of President Franklin Roosevelt). Marine Corps Sgt. Clyde Thomason was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroism during the raid and was the first enlisted Marine to be so honored during World War II. One previous ship, a Casablanca-class escort aircraft carrier (1944-1946), has borne the name Makin Island, and received five battle stars for World War II service.

Adm. Patrick Walsh, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Silke Hagee, wife of former commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Michael Hagee, will serve as ship's sponsor. In the time honored Navy tradition, she will give the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

Makin Island is the eighth Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. Second only to an aircraft carrier in size, LHDs embark, transport, deploy, command and fully support an expeditionary unit of 2,000 Marines. Makin Island can accommodate three landing craft air cushion, a squadron of AV-8B Harrier II aircraft, and a full range of Navy/Marine Corps helicopters and amphibious vehicles to perform sea control and limited power projection missions.

Makin Island is the first Navy amphibious assault ship to replace steam boilers with gas turbines, and the first Navy surface ship to be equipped with both gas turbines and an auxiliary propulsion system. By using this unique propulsion system, the Navy expects over the course of the ship's lifecycle to see fuel savings of more than $250 million, further demonstrating the Navy's commitment to energy awareness and conservation.

Makin Island is fully equipped with command, control, communication, computers and intelligence systems for flagship command duty. The afloat capability of Makin Island's medical facility is second only to the Navy's hospital ships. The ship is armed with two NATO Sea Sparrow surface missile systems for anti-air warfare protection, two rolling airframe missile systems and two Phalanx close-in-weapons systems mounts to counter threats from low flying aircraft. Six missile decoy launchers augment the anti-ship missile defenses.

Capt. Robert Kopas, born in Cleveland and raised in Phoenix, is the ship's commanding officer. Built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss., the ship is 844 feet in length with a 106-foot beam, and has living areas for nearly 3,200 crewmembers and embarked forces.

Upon commissioning, the ship becomes a member of U.S. Pacific Fleet as part of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 and will be homeported in San Diego.


courtesy-
Navy to Commission Energy-Efficient Amphibious Assault Ship Makin Island

 

[RAM]

Pentagon study shows F-35 jet to cost more--report

A new Pentagon study has affirmed previous findings that Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, the costliest U.S. arms purchase program, will require billions of dollars more than planned, and more time, an online news service said on Friday.

A military "joint estimate team" tasked in July to examine the program has found the F-35 program's performance "is not markedly improving," InsideDefense.com said, citing an unidentified source.
Lockheed is developing three radar-evading F-35 models to replace at least 13 types of aircraft, initially for 11 nations.

The United States plans to buy 2,443 F-35s. Purchases by partner nations Britain, Canada, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and Australia and others could raise production to 3,000 or more.
Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) and BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L) are Lockheed's chief F-35 sub-contractors.
"A new assessment of the Joint Strike Fighter program affirms earlier findings that substantially more money and time are required for the Pentagon's largest acquisition effort, a conclusion that could pose a formidable test of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' recent support for the F-35 program and President Barack Obama's pledge to terminate weapons with bloated price tags," InsideDefense.com reported.

Its headline said the program would need "billions" more.
Obama vowed in March to reform the Pentagon's procurement practices and to crack down on programs that run over budget.
Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates decided to cap production of the Lockheed F-22 fighter at 187 planes, citing his support for the $300 billion F-35 program.

The study was undertaken to update one last year that found the program would need at least two more years and nearly $15 billion more.
"The initial results are as bad as last year's," InsideDefense.com quoted its source as saying. "In other words, things have not improved. And their cost estimate will be at least where they were last year."
In response, Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales, said it disagreed with the joint estimate team conclusions
.
"Lockheed Martin acknowledges that modest risks to our cost and schedule baselines exist," said John Kent, a company spokesman, "but we envision no scenario that would justify a substantial delay to completion of development or transition to production milestones Engineering development is 85 percent complete and yielding outstanding results in early ground and flight tests, Kent said. "Our test plans are based on detailed test requirements and build on the extensive investments in F-35 design architecture, systems engineering, risk reduction, and simulation facilities, as well as a rigorous disciplined verification plan, compared to legacy programs."

"The program is early in the flight test phase, so it is much too soon conclude that the expected payoffs will not be realized," he added.
Asked about the InsideDefense.com report, a Defense Department spokeswoman, Cheryl Irwin, said she believed the joint estimate team was still carrying out its review. A spokeswoman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office did not return a call seeking comment.

Air Force Major General C.D. Moore, the F-35 program's deputy executive officer, said last month he was confident the program could meet its cost and schedule targets.
The Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act that became law in May requires the Pentagon to presume termination of any program that breaches certain cost targets. Should the Pentagon want to retain the F-35, as it no doubt would, it would have to be restructured and recertified

courtesy-reuters news

 

[RAM]

Joint US-Georgia military exercises to begin on Monday

TBILISI, October 24 (RIA Novosti) - The United States and Georgia will begin military exercises on October 26 in preparation for sending troops to Afghanistan, a foreign liaison officer in the US embassy in Tbilisi said on Saturday.

The US embassy on Friday said the exercises would begin on October 24.

"The program is specifically designed to enhance Georgia's ability to conduct joint counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan together with US forces," the embassy statement said on Friday.

The two-week joint military exercise, code-named Immediate Response, will be held in Georgia and will include training in counterterrorist operations. US military instructors have already arrived at the Krtsanisi training center.

"We commend Georgia for its voluntary contribution of forces to the critical mission in Afghanistan," the US embassy said.

The Georgian Parliament in August approved President Mikheil Saakashvili's initiative to deploy one marine company and one marine battalion to Afghanistan to help in the peacekeeping mission. According to Georgia's Defense Ministry, the company will be commanded by US forces and the battalion by French forces in Afghanistan.

Georgia with US support has requested to become a NATO member, but at the NATO summit in April 2008, members refused to admit the post-Soviet country into the Membership Action Plan (MAP), a key step for membership.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Nalbandov said on Thursday that the country's Annual National Program is a copy of MAP, and may suffice for membership.

Georgian state minister on reintegration, Temur Yakobashvili, told reporters that the "instrument we have is a mirror copy of MAP, so if we are discussing implementing criteria, we have the opportunity, in the framework of this document, to fulfill all commitments, which will make us closer to NATO."
"The rest is just a political decision to be made by NATO member countries," he said.


Joint US-Georgia military exercises to begin on Monday

 

[IBRIS]

Sikh doctor gets Army OK to serve with turban

The U.S. Army will make an exception to a decades-old rule and allow a Sikh doctor to serve without removing his turban and cutting his hair, an advocacy group said Friday.

Capt. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi is the first Sikh to be allowed to go on active duty with a turban, beard and unshorn hair in more than 20 years, according to the New York-based Sikh Coalition.

The decision does not overturn an Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items, Acting Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gina Farrisee wrote in a letter to Kalsi dated Thursday and posted online by the Sikh Coalition.

Instead, the Army's decision follows a long-standing practice of deciding such requests on a case-by-case basis, the letter said. Farrisee said the Army had weighed Kalsi's request against factors such as "unit cohesion, morale, discipline, safety and/or health."

There's no indication that the overall policy is being reconsidered, said Army spokeswoman Jill Mueller, adding that she could not confirm that the Army had reached a decision in the case until she received word from her superiors that Kalsi himself had been notified.

But Sikh Coalition director Amardeep Singh said he was hopeful the Army would announce a full policy shift.

"This bodes well for the future," he said. "My guess is the Army's going to be seeing a lot more Sikhs requesting to be a part of the Army. ... This issue is not going away."

The 32-year-old Kalsi, of Riverdale, N.J., is an emergency room doctor. He promised to serve in the Army in exchange for help paying for his medical training. A second, similar case — that of Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan — will be decided after he receives the results of his dental board exams, Amardeep Singh said.

A number of members of Congress wrote to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in August asking him to allow the men to serve while wearing the turban, beard and unshorn hair required by their faith.

"We do not believe that any American should have to choose between his religion and service to our country," the letter said.
Sikh doctor gets Army OK to serve with turban

 

[RAM]

Where The Flying Death Squad Gets Its Information

October 25, 2009: The American flying death squad of Predator and Reaper UAVs over Pakistan and Afghanistan have a target list of about 420 Taliban and drug gang leaders. The CIA handles most of the data collection, and actual hits on the targets. Finding these targets is a much larger operation than the effort to keep twenty or so armed UAVs in the air.
The CIA and Department of Defense have enormous databases of people, including basic information like names, physical descriptions, family connections and so. But there is much more, like video and still images of the subjects, their vehicles, hideouts and work places.
The proliferation of video cameras on the battlefield (in UAVs, ground robots, for base security and in the hands of the troops) has provided a huge library of images that show bad guys doing what bad guys do and what they look like while doing it. This can range from moving around carrying weapons, to using those weapons, to the particular driving patterns of people up to no good. This is a unique resource, and the U.S. is putting together a library of these images. This is similar to older still pictures libraries, which were eventually used by pattern recognition software to let machines examine the millions of images digital photo satellites began producing decades ago. The basic problem was that there were quickly too many pictures for human analysts to examine. Computers had to do much of the work, or else most of the images would go unexamined. This technology was quickly adapted to the kind of combat encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan, and terrorist operations in general.
Research has shown that people staring at live video feeds start losing their ability to concentrate on the images after about twenty minutes. This problem has been known for some time, and the military (not to mention civilian security firms) have been seeking a technological solution. It's actually not as bad with UAVs, because the picture constantly changes, but cameras that are fixed can wear operators out real quick.
The basic tech solution is pattern analysis. Since the most common video is digital, it's possible to translate the video into numbers, and then analyze those numbers. Government security organizations have been doing this for some time, but after the fact. It's one thing to have a bunch of computers analyze satellite photos for a week, to see if there was anything useful there. It's quite another matter to do it in real time. But computers have gotten faster, cheaper and smaller in the last few years, and programmers have kept coming up with more efficient routines for analyzing the digital images. Commercial firms already have software on the market that will analyze, in real time, video, and alert a human operator if someone, or something (you are looking for) appears to be there.
While some military analysis does not have to be real time (like the system used in Iraq and Afghanistan to compare today's and yesterdays photos of a road to see if a bomb may have been planted), the most common need is for real time analysis. Several times a year now, a new software package shows up that does that, or tries to. These systems are getting better. Many can definitely beat your average human observer over time (several hours of viewing video). The real time analysis software is rapidly evolving. You don't hear much about it, because if the enemy knows the details of how it works, they can develop moves that will deceive it (or, to be more accurate, make the pattern analysis less accurate.) Already, this software is being used as an adjunct to human observers, and gradually taking over. There will always be a human in the loop, to confirm what the software believes it has found.
But the big breakthrough, which may already have been achieved, is a predictive analysis system that can quickly examine thousands of hours of video from a specific area, and calculate the probability that certain vehicles, or individuals, down there, are up to no good, or will simply be travelling down a certain road. This works if you have lots of examples of people you know, and are trying to find. The predictive analysis looks for enough indicators to make it likely that something specific is going to happen. When done in real time, the analysis software can instantly alert that something specific is about to happen at a specific location. If nothing does happen, that is saved and added to the library of experience the analysis software uses to make predictions. In effect, the predictive analysis software gets smarter the more often it is used. And the library of combat zone video images grows larger as well, making it possible for the analysis software to sniff more behavior patterns that predict bad actions.
The CIA also uses informants on the ground, and interrogations of prisoners, or of people who have been to a certain place. Every little bit of information can be valuable, when viewed as part of a mosaic of activity. Tracking people, who do not want to be tracked, requires all this data in order to find them, and do so in a timely enough fashion to fire a missile at them.
courtesy

Intelligence: Where The Flying Death Squad Gets Its Information

 

[RAM]

Raven's new digital datalink promises major advance in data transfer

AeroVironment's (AV's) RQ-11B Raven, a hand-launched aerial drone that is widely deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, is about to become the first Class I unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to use a digital datalink for communications and image-sharing.

The US Army has signed a USD16.8 million contract with AV to build 50 new Ravens with a digital datalink and to retrofit the new datalink on 206 existing systems.

At present all Class I UAVs in service with US forces use an analogue datalink, which requires large amounts of bandwidth and radio frequency spectrum to transmit real-time intelligence.

The Raven's new digital datalink will dramatically reduce the amount of bandwidth required for information sharing, including bandwidth-saturating activities such as sending full motion video, according to AV's Raven programme manager, Scott Newbern.

He said the new datalink compresses bandwidth so that fewer radio frequency channels are needed to transmit the same amount of information.

courtesy
Raven's new digital datalink promises major advance in data transfer - Jane's Defence Systems News