USA military developments

[A.V.]

New US Bases on the Black Sea

New US Bases on the Black Sea




The United States government is forking over $100 million to build new military bases in Bulgaria and Romania even as the Obama Administration recently scrapped plans for a missile-defense shield in other parts of Eastern Europe.

According to the US Army weekly Stars and Stripes, this latest commitment by the Pentagon consists of a $50 million military base in Romania, which will house 1,600 American troops and a $60 million base in Bulgaria to house 2,500 soldiers.

Construction on the Romanian base is expected to be completed in the next two months, while the Bulgarian base is slated to open in 2011 or 2012.

The bases, funded by the United States, but owned by the Romanian and Bulgarian governments, will be shared between US and host-nation forces, the weekly reports.

More than 2,000 soldiers are now taking part in exercises near the two Eastern European nations.

During a recent visit to Romania US Vice President Joe Biden said Bucharest backed a new US missile shield configuration Washington announced after scrapping earlier planned missile defense deployments in Poland and the Czech Republic.

This means that elements of the US missile shield complex may eventually appear in Romania.

Moreover, American experts say that the construction of two new bases in Romania and Bulgaria is fully in line with the US troop redeployments former President George W. Bush announced as early as in 2004. Many analysts believe that US efforts in Romania and Bulgaria are part of a global redeployment strategy started in the early years of the Bush Administration to shift US forces out of Germany and move them eastward.

The Pentagon explains all this by the need to move its forces closer to the volatile Middle East.

Russia sees this as a direct threat to its interests fearing that what starts with a relatively small US military presence in Romania and Bulgaria could eventually increase and by a very wide margin to boot.

Moreover, the emergence of NATO bases on the Black Sea comes in addition to the military installations the West already has on the Baltic Sea and which effectively puts Russia in a bind.

In another alarming sign, cadets at the West Point military academy are now undergoing a crash course of Russian language and culture. Just like they started learning Arabic three years prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Preparing to grab the Caspian oil wealth, Washington will do this leaning on its bases in Romania and Bulgaria and by stoking up instability in the Caucasus. Why? To be able send its peacekeepers there to ensure the safe transportation of Caspian oil and gas. And here the American contingent in Romania and Bulgaria may come in very handy indeed.

 

[RAM]

Adding Afghanistan troops could cost $500,000 per person

Washington (CNN) -- If President Obama decides to send the 40,000 additional forces to Afghanistan as requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a rough estimate by the Pentagon projects the cost could be an additional $20 billion a year, according to a senior Pentagon official.

The official said the Defense Department comptrollers office has told Congress that based on rough estimates, the total cost of keeping an individual service member in the war zone is now about $500,000 a year.

That includes the costs of personnel operations and maintenance costs, some equipment and hazardous duty pay.

The actual costs could be higher, because the estimate does not include the cost of constructing additional facilities, providing support forces such as military intelligence assets that may be based outside Afghanistan or replacing damaged weapons or equipment. The official emphasized that until there is a formal troop plan, the costs are just estimated.

The official would not be identified because the estimates are not official.

The ongoing review of the strategy for Afghanistan continued Friday, with Obama meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the heads of the four military services.

The heads of the Army and Marines, who provide the bulk of troops for the war, have expressed concern that if they send a large number of additional troops, they will have to cut down on the time troops spend in between deployments, known as "dwell time."

Marines have only about 8,000 troops they can add without impinging on dwell time. The Army has about 12 brigades, or approximately 48,000 soldiers, that are not deployed or committed to deploy.

Regardless of the number of troops being sent, a deployment will be phased over time because of the lack of facilities in the country to house and support a large deployment, the official said.

McChrystal's plan calls for sending a majority of the forces he is requesting to the south, especially to reinforce Kandahar and Helmand provinces, and the region around Kabul, several military and Pentagon sources said. McChrystal also intends to reserve a number of forces for training Afghan forces, officials said.

But one official noted that if that plan is put into effect, additional forces would be needed to be sent to areas that the Taliban might then flee, such as the northern region.

Adding Afghanistan troops could cost $500,000 per person - CNN.com

 

[RAM]

Reserve Command general delivers latest C-17

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, SC: The commander of the Air Force Reserve Command flew and delivered here Oct. 28 the newest C-17 Globemaster III to come off the production line at Boeing's Long Beach, Calif., plant.

Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr. accompanied by an all-Reserve crew from the 317th Airlift Squadron from Charleston Air Force Base presented a ceremonial key to Col. Steven Chapman, 315th Airlift Wing commander, on the flightline here, commemorating the Air Force's 190th C-17 and the 58th cargo aircraft to be stationed at Charleston AFB.

"It is a brand new, off-the-line airplane," General Stenner said. "It flies great."

The jet, which is the 209th C-17 built to date, had just under six hours flight time before it began its first Air Force flight, which nearly doubled it's flying hours; Hours, however, soon will grow as this jet becomes operational.

"Every 90 seconds there is a mobility plane taking off," General Stenner told Boeing employees before leaving Long Beach. "We do this 365 days a year."

Boeing officials invited nearly two dozen of its employees to witness the C-17 transfer to Air Force hands. All of the employees were reservists or retired reservists.

Before passing the general the ceremonial key and an American flag, Jean Chamberlin, the Boeing vice president and general manager for Global Mobility Systems, told General Stenner how important the C-17 and her company's relationship with the Air Force is.

"We are very proud that no matter what mission you're on, you are on the world's best airlifter, the C-17 Globemaster III," Mrs. Chamberlin said. "C-17s are making a difference, saving lives every day. We are proud to be a part of this team with you."

The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations when required.

"Since the inception of the C-17, we've continued to develop. This represents what we've learned over the last 15 years," said Lt. Col. Jeff Meyers, the 315th Operations Group chief of standarization and evaluation.

Colonel Meyers said that the new plane has added an additional lighting system, safety modifications, avionic upgrades that meet all current and future requirements for increased military capabilities, and overall, uses some valued civilian technology.

This $205 million jet is part of Block 17. Each block signifies software upgrades performed on the aircraft. It takes approximately 140,000 unit man-hours across 194 days to build one, said Joseph Brown, a Boeing administrator.

Master Sgt. Michael Lang, a 317th AS loadmaster who was aboard the new jet for its welcome to Charleston AFB, spent eight years as a maintainer and the last seven years as a loadmaster. He and the rest of the crew received a tour of Boeing's 1.1 million square foot facility where C-17s are built.

"It was really neat to see where they've been building the C-17 the last 15 years," Sergeant Lang said. "When I arrived at Charleston, there were six C-17s on the line. I've seen jets from blocks 6 to 17, which is 11 different software upgrades."

When asked what he thought about the jet, he simply said, "It's clean."

As the last 15 years have shown, it won't be clean for long.

Reserve Command general delivers latest C-17 | Air Force News at DefenceTalk

 

[IBRIS]

Northrop Offers New Intel Radar

During the days of the Cold War, intelligence analysts tracked Soviet missile deployments and launches, as well as mass maneuvers, using the technological wonders of change detection, the arcane art of looking at satellite and U-2 photos to see what had moved where and how fast they were moving.

Analysts watched shadows, pondered piles of earth and eyed gantries and missiles as the Cold War waxed and waned. While resolutions improved and the US launched bus-sized radar satellites to better track what was happening, some goals remained unattainable. One of those was near real-time analysis of ground forces in almost any kind weather. Clouds render most electro-optical satellites largely useless and radar satellites are so rare that much of the earth goes unseen by them most of the time.

Northrop Grumman has worked on an a promising approach, using L-band synthetic aperture radar and a great deal of software to come up with a radar system that could offer analysts more detailed and up-to-date information. It was displayed at the Geoint conference in San Antonio.

It can cover an enormous 6,000 square miles an hour and provide impressive detail, presented in an easily interpreted form.

YouTube - New Northrop Grumman SAR for intelligence

 

[RAM]

Program Executive Office Soldier Unveils New Equipment

WASHINGTON: Two new lightweight machine guns, the Land Warrior System and an improved oxygen device for aviators were among new equipment displayed Tuesday at the Pentagon.

Officials from Program Executive Office Soldier met with members of the media at the Pentagon to discuss the latest equipment fielded to Soldiers. Four program managers from PEO Soldier talked about advances in weapons, personal gear, and lasers and sights that Soldiers use on the battlefield.

"We act as quickly as we can and get equipment to Soldiers and commanders in the field that have the operational need," said Col. Doug Tamilio, program manager for Soldier weapons.

One major improvement, according to Tamilio, is the development of lighter weapon systems such as the MK-48, which weighs 18.6 pounds and the M-240L, which weighs 22.3 pounds and is made out of titanium. These weapons are lighter than the M-240B machine gun which weighs 27.3 pounds and they have similar capabilities to their heavier counterpart.

A Soldier that is fully equipped with the M-240B carrying the equivalent of about four gallons of milk, Tamillo said. But giving him the M-240L instead is like taking one of the gallons away, and he added the weapon is the number-one rated system by Soldiers who recently deployed.

In addition to weapon systems, PEO Soldier is working to improve other equipment used by Soldiers on the battlefield. Col. Will Riggins is program manager for Soldier Warrior and says he tries to find ways to allow Soldiers to gather real-time information that increases situational awareness on the battlefield.

"We try to integrate Soldiers into the warfighting environment and one of the ways we do that is to begin looking at the Soldier as a system," he said. "We don't just give the Soldier a piece of equipment and just add and add and add to them. We try to give them integrated capabilities and we try to make sure that capability is wider, is more effective, more efficient and works together so we can do multiple things with the same piece of equipment."

Soldier Warrior works with three different kinds of Soldiers, the air soldier, the mounted soldier and the ground soldier, Riggins said.

One piece of equipment that Riggins said is particularly useful to aviation Soldiers is the Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System. The PHODS is a lightweight, wearable product that provides oxygen to Soldiers without restricting their movements in and around their aircraft. The system allows aircrew members to operate at high altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet, which is common in Afghanistan.

The PHODS weight about five pounds and replaces the 100-pound Helicopter Oxygen System. The system uses a regulation that meters oxygen flow based on respiration rate and altitude and can provide oxygen to a Soldier for two to three hours.

"You turn it on before you take off, it knows what altitude you're at and it automatically senses when you get to an altitude where you need oxygen and then it senses for your breathing rhythm," Riggins said. "Based on that breathing rhythm, instead of a continuous flow of oxygen, it releases a puff of air timed with the intake of your respiration. So that enables for more efficient operations and a more efficient use of oxygen."

The Land Warrior System, which will later be called the Ground Soldier System, is of particular use to ground soldiers, Riggins said.

There is a brigade-sized element of Land Warrior Systems currently fielded and there are plans for a battalion-sized element of Special Forces Soldiers with this capability, he said.

The Ground Soldier System will be one of the first systems to go through the new OSD process of competition in prototype. Unlike the past, instead of awarding one contract to develop the system, three contracts were awarded. Limited-user tests are planned for the systems in fall 2010.

"One of the things we want to be able to do is not necessarily compare the systems against each other but measure each individual system on its own merits," Riggins said.

After the limited-user tests are complete, one or two developers will be chosen and the system will go into low rate initial production and then do another operational test. The system is planned for fielding in 2012 to infantry brigade combat teams, he said.

Col. Bill Cole, program manager for Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment, works with developers to improve personal protective equipment that Soldiers wear on the battlefield including the Improved Outer Tactical Vest.

The IOTV has undergone significant improvements because it was not as comfortable to smaller stature soldiers as it should be, said Cole.

Refinements were made to the design and the shoulders were made more comfortable, particularly for Soldiers wearing rucksacks because the quick release dug into shoulders of Soldiers. That has now been corrected," he said.

The biggest improvement was on the side plates which are now more easily adjusted to fit slimmer Soldiers more comfortably, he said.

Two new patterns of camouflage are being fielded to Soldiers in Afghanistan, the multi-cam pattern and the universal camouflage pattern. Each pattern has been fielded to a battalion and feedback will be collected in January and given to Army leadership, Cole said.

Col. Stephanie Foster, program manager for Soldier Sensors and Lasers, stressed the key concept of see, acquire and target and the ability for sensors and lasers to be integrated into other systems.

"We want to see always, acquire first and target once," she said. "That means I have the responsibility for providing products that will give our warfighters increased survivability, mobility and lethality as we look at the integration into the rest of our portfolio."

Sensors and lasers can be integrated into personal equipment, land warrior equipment and weapon systems providing the Soldier as a system the tools needed on the battlefield, she said.

Separate capabilities such as thermal weapons systems and enhanced night vision are being developed as integrated systems, she said.

"The fusion of our thermal imagery and also the image intensification that we get with our night vision devices so that our warfighters have even heightened situational awareness," Foster said. "My work is just a reflection of what the PEO does as a whole: integrated support and delivery of products to the warfighter so that they have increased situational awareness, mobility and lethality."

PEO Soldier Unveils New Equipment | Army News at DefenceTalk

 

[Quickgun Murugan]

Successful first flight for Lockheed's new Hellfire II missile

domain-b.com : Successful first flight for Lockheed's new Hellfire II missile

Orlando, USA: Lockheed Martin's new multi-functional AGM-114R Hellfire II missile scored a direct hit during its first proof-of-principle (PoP) flight test recently. The Hellfire II design features a new multi-purpose warhead that enables a single missile to cover all of the current laser-guided Hellfire II variants.

"The multi-functional Hellfire II missile is one missile for many missions," said Ken Musculus, director of Air-to-Ground Missile Systems Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Its multi-functional warhead enables the AGM-114R to neutralize a broad set of targets previously covered by four different warhead models - everything from armor and air defense systems to patrol boats and enemy combatants in SUVs or caves. Warfighters won't have to decide ahead of time what they might encounter and load the appropriate combination of missiles; with the multi-functional Hellfire II, they can meet many contingencies with a single missile."

"This new Hellfire II can be fired from both rotary-wing and unmanned platforms," Musculus said. "A new inertial measurement unit enables properly equipped platforms to launch missiles at targets behind them without first having to turn the aircraft around. Getting the missile on target that much quicker gives the enemy less time to react or escape."

Musculus said many of the new improvements are software-driven. "We've replaced a host of circuit boards, transistors and other hardware components with software," he added. "Turning hardware into software contributes to the modular design of the missile and offers an efficient path to future upgrades."

With more than 25,000 rounds produced for the US and 14 international customers, Hellfire II has been successfully integrated with attack helicopters in the US and many Allied fleets. It is also capable of surface launch from ground vehicles, tripods and small vessels.

More than 10,000 Hellfire missiles have been fired in combat.

Headquartered in Bethesda, USA, Lockheed Martin has reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

 

[RPK]

GE, Rolls to redesign part of F-35 engine

Link

General Electric Co and Rolls-Royce Group PLC said on Monday they will redesign a small part of the alternate F-35 fighter engine they are developing, after a nut came loose during testing.

Rick Kennedy, a GE spokesman, told Reuters the companies expected to have the reworked F136 engine “up and running before the end of the year.”

He said the redesign involves a diffuser that directs air into the combustor for the engine, and the combustor was performing as expected.
President Barack Obama last week signed the fiscal 2010 defense authorization law, which authorizes funding for the second engine despite the administration’s drive to eliminate it in the current fiscal year.

But funding for the program could still be curtailed by House and Senate appropriators who plan to wrap up their work on the fiscal 2010 defense appropriations bill this month, which means any problems with the two F-35 engines are being closely watched.

Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell last week said the Pentagon remained unhappy about congressional efforts to continue funding the alternate engine.

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 any potential design or mechanical flaw.

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), builds the primary engine for the F-35 fighter jet being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). Its engine has also encountered problems during testing, necessitating some changes.

Defense analyst Loren Thompson, in a blog on the website of his Lexington Institute, said on Monday that the GE-Rolls engine had “run into problems” and “repeated failures,” incurring four failures during just 52 hours of testing after nine months of development.

At the same stage, the Pratt & Whitney engine had undergone 700 hours of system design and development (SDD) testing with no failures, Thompson said.

GE’s Kennedy confirmed there had been four issues during 52 hours of testing, but said the GE-Rolls team had done engine tests for two years and accumulated 800 hours on actual hardware before the current SDD phase began.

“Thompson is comparing apples to oranges on the SDD test hours,” he said, noting that the two teams’ system design and development phases were “different because of different funding levels.”

Kennedy said the Pratt engine also continued to experience problems after 10,000 hours of testing. “I raise this not to challenge Pratt & Whitney’s ability, but to underscore how difficult developing these engines truly is,” he said.

He also denied that rising costs on the F-35 program were due to the alternate engine.

Thompson said continued funding for the second engine was problematic, since it also raised the prospect for more design issues. “With several billion dollars remaining to be spent before the alternate engine joins the fleet, there is still time to rethink whether a second engine is really needed,” Thompson said.

 

[RAM]

HIMARS flies in new direction with 'Hot Panel' program

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, Nov. 2, 2009) - Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery (HIMARS) drove their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System out the rear of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 22, with a new advancement that will get them into the fight faster.

The Hot Panel program allows the HIMARS to link into an aircraft's GPS and track itself in the air, anywhere in the world. The advancement will allow Soldiers to switch between a land mode and an air mode so the vehicle tracking system can find its location and its targets rapidly when it exits an airplane.

"It allows you to start up the launcher in flight and roll off the airplane ready to shoot," said Steve Coventry, system and test engineer with Lockheed Martin.

Engineers from Lockheed Martin and Redstone Arsenal, Ala., who are working together on the project, came to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base to gather data through flight tests using the HIMARS vehicles and a C-17.

Scott Kalfus, Lockheed Martin, missiles and fire control, system and test engineer said all the vibrations from the flight will be recorded on specialized equipment and used to develop the right programming for the HIMARS.

"The tests will allow us to correlate the maneuvers to the data the machines are collecting," Kalfus said.

The flight plan included take off, ground fire avoidance measures, approach and landing. They engineers working on the project also implemented a program that will sense movement and switch the navigational unit between air mode and land mode.

The flights were used to verify the data from previous flights and to confirm the changes already implemented were working correctly.

"We had to make changes in the position navigation unit," Coventry said. "It's designed for ground vehicles. We had to make several changes to the software to handle the greatly increased speeds of a C-17 and make allowances for avoidance maneuvers. It's very stressful on the navigation unit to maintain accuracy during flight.

"We did flight tests before and collected data," he continued. "We made changes to the software. Now we're going to test those changes. The fire control system had to tell the navigation unit to go into air mode. The computer had to tell it there are no odometer inputs. It has to go strictly off the inertial movement unit and the GPS."

According to James Cyr, precision fires project office at Redstone Arsenal, the data collected from this round of test flights will be computed and used to develop the final version of the software due out in 2011.

The plan is to make the system as simple as possible for Soldiers to allow them to get into the fight quicker.

"We want this to be as user friendly as possible, so we want to make it as automatic as we can," Coventry added. "We have to provide a link between the GPS in the aircraft and the launcher. Right now it is a physical connection. In the future it will be a wireless connection. GPS will broadcast inside the aircraft. "

HIMARS flies in new direction with 'Hot Panel' program

 

[bengalraider]

Chilton: U.S. Needs More Ready-to-Launch Satellites

THE U.S MILITARY space community has become focused on managing programs and budgets rather than ensuring there are ample space systems ready to be placed on orbit, Strategic Command chief Gen. Kevin Chilton says. (Duncan Wood / U.S. Air Force)

source:
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4356890&c=AME&s=AIR
OMAHA, Neb. - U.S. Strategic Command chief Gen. Kevin Chilton said Nov. 3 he would give up new, state-of-the-art space systems to swell the number of satellites the military could launch as needs arise.



THE U.S MILITARY space community has become focused on managing programs and budgets rather than ensuring there are ample space systems ready to be placed on orbit, Strategic Command chief Gen. Kevin Chilton says. (Duncan Wood / U.S. Air Force)
The U.S military's space community has become focused on managing programs and budgets "to capability gaps" rather than ensuring there are ample space systems "in the barn" ready to be placed on orbit, Chilton said in a speech that at moments was critical of the military's space community's recent performance
"Space capabilities are more important" to the U.S. military and "our everyday way of life than they were 10 years ago, but we have fallen into a mind-set of gap management," Chilton said during a Space Foundation-sponsored conference.

That means the military is focused on developing next-generation systems but has no bullpen stocked with GPS, advanced communications, missile early warning satellites, and others that are ready to be put in orbit should the need arise. And if it did, Chilton said, getting an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle to take one into space would take "up to two years."

During a later roundtable with reporters, Chilton stressed "we do not face any immediate capability gaps." But he wants to fix things so his space lieutenants "don't have to squeeze every ounce of juice out of every turnip."

To be able to afford more models of existing satellites, Chilton said he is willing to free up the cash, in part, by shedding costly capabilities from next-generation platforms. When pressed later by Defense News during the roundtable, Chilton pointed to satellite-based laser communications that were planned for the Transformational Satellite program.

That capability would have greatly enhanced battlefield communications, but it proved a bridge too far in terms of cost and time, which played a role in Pentagon leaders' April decision to terminate TSAT.

How did the U.S. military get here? According to Chilton, "we got out of match appetite-wise with what the war fighters and combatant commanders" wanted and needed. Meantime, space program managers and acquirers - as well as defense senior officials - pushed technology further than what was realistic, he told reporters.

The Pentagon for years developed, bought and fielded new space systems in time to have them ready to launch before their predecessors were set to expire. Then, those older satellites began lasting longer, which caused space and other military officials to decide they could push the envelope on new development efforts. Essentially, there was a collective feeling that if a new effort took longer, so what, because the older satellites would last years past expectations.

Hours earlier, as a tense silence gripped the ballroom where he spoke to the entire gathering, the StratCom chief said he wants 2010 "to be a turning point in our business."

Meantime, Chilton went through his StratCom Christmas wish list, saying U.S. combatant commanders are like kids at the holiday because they get to tell others what new toys they want. The service chiefs and Pentagon brass have to worry about budgets and "spreadsheets that balance," but not combatant commanders.

Chilton wants to field more tools that will give U.S. officials and war fighters a better idea of what systems are orbiting Earth. Defense officials and analysts are becoming increasingly concerned that too little is known about what potential foes have placed into space - as well as how much "space debris" is threatening to damage American orbiters.

To build that better picture, Chilton wants more sensors. He said Pentagon officials this year have realized the importance of greater space situational awareness, and have put more funds for this domain into the Pentagon's long-term spending plan.

SPACE DEBRIS
U.S. officials know of 20,000 pieces of space debris, he said, adding models show there are likely "orders of magnitude" more.

In his call for more sensors, he said the Pentagon needs to add more circling the Earth's southern hemisphere, for a variety of reasons related to space situational awareness and mission requirements.

The Cold War required most U.S. orbits to be over the northern part of the planet, but things have changed, he said.

To add sensing systems, "this will take keeping some existing programs going" while also collaborating more with allies who have sensors gathering data that would help the U.S. military," Chilton said.

He also said that as the military designs and fields more sensors for missile defense missions, "we should write requirements to support space situational awareness" and the development of systems for that mission.

Chilton also wants to beef up the number of intelligence analysts examining potential foes' space development efforts. The intel community slashed the number of analysts tracking enemies' work on things like satellites and rockets.

He wants that to change, "so we know all about these systems before they are launched."

In the 1980s, the U.S. Air Force's tactical fighter community learned a great deal about what kinds of next-generation jets it needed - and the technical hurdles that had to be cleared to get them - from simulation. Chilton wants the space community to use the same approach to drive work on next-generation space platforms.

 

[bengalraider]

Pentagon Touts New, Lighter Vehicle for Afghanistan

THE M-ATV IS designed to replace Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan. (TIM SLOAN / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)

story from http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4355830&c=LAN&s=AME




AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 2 Nov 2009 18:30 PRINT | EMAIL
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Monday showed off a new, lighter armored vehicle built for the rugged roads of Afghanistan, saying it was rushing to ship the "life-savers" to U.S. troops.



THE M-ATV IS designed to replace Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan. (TIM SLOAN / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)
The all-terrain vehicles were commissioned after U.S. military commanders found that mine-resistant M-RAPs designed for Iraq were too big and cumbersome for Afghanistan.


"The terrain in Afghanistan is different from Iraq. It's more uneven, the roads are difficult to traverse. That's why we've had to create an all-terrain version," Ashton Carter, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters.

Standing next to one of the new M-ATVs in front of the Pentagon building, Carter said flying the vehicles to Afghanistan was an urgent priority to help troops facing the lethal threat of homemade bombs.

"It will be a life-saver in Afghanistan," Carter said.

The effort to produce the new vehicles had moved with unusual speed compared to previous defense programs that have often been plagued by delays, he said.

U.S. commanders in the region issued an urgent request less than a year ago, the contract was awarded to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corporation in June, and the first vehicles were delivered to Afghanistan in September.

"This vehicle was built on a very fast track," Carter said.

Officials said 41 of the new vehicles had arrived in Afghanistan so far, and the Pentagon planned to have about 5,000 in place by March 2010.

While the standard armored M-RAP for Iraq weighed in at 40,000 pounds (18,143 kilograms), the new M-ATV is about 25,000 pounds and has an independent suspension that makes it more agile on unpaved dirt tracks, said Dave Hansen, deputy program manager.

The vehicle, which costs about 1.4 million dollars each and can carry a five-member team including a gunner, handles better than the heavier M-RAP and "drives like an SUV," he said.

The M-ATV is not exactly fuel efficient, getting about four to seven miles a gallon (1.7 kilometers per liter) with a tank that holds more than 40 gallons.

Although lighter, the new vehicle provides the same protection against homemade bombs as the standard M-RAP in Iraq, officials said.

Homemade bombs are the number one cause of casualties in Afghanistan, claiming the lives of 236 soldiers in the NATO-led mission between January and September, according to the Pentagon.

Until the M-RAPs were produced, former president George W. Bush's administration was accused of failing to sufficiently equip troops in Iraq against roadside bombs.

 

[jakojako777]

Skinning the F-35 fighter

Skinning the F-35 fighter



Skinning the F-35 fighter: COMPOSITESWORLD.COM

 

[Quickgun Murugan]

USAF to explore using cheaper jet fuel

The US Air Force (USAF) Petroleum Agency (AFPA) says it will conduct tests over the next 12 months to explore the viability of using commercially available jet fuel as a cheaper alternative to military-standard JP-8 fuel.

The tests will take place using Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules airlifters based at Dover Air Force Base (AFB), Delaware; Little Rock AFB, Arkansas; McChord AFB, Washington, DC; and Minneapolis-Saint Paul Air Reserve Station, Minnesota.

AFPA officials estimate that the use of Jet A commercial fuel at these bases could save USD40 million a year and the savings could increase as the conversion expands across US military installations in the country.

The US military would save money by using Jet A because it is more widely available than JP-8, according to Master Sergeant Danny Walker, AFPA Jet A initiative programme manager.

Furthermore, the use of Jet A would reduce infrastructure costs since the military would be able to run the fuel through pipelines without being concerned over it intermingling with JP-8, he said.

Another part of the demonstration will involve attempts to reduce or eliminate certain military additives present in JP-8. Reducing the number of additives would shrink the US military's logistics footprint in combat operations, according to Sgt Walker.

Researchers will attempt to inject the additives - such as fuel system icing inhibitor - into the Jet A earlier in the supply chain so that the amount of additive required can be reduced by as much as 60 per cent.

 

[IBRIS]

USAF JASSM-ER Missile Completes Flight Test

A USAF joint air-to-surface standoff missile-extended range (JASSM-ER) has successfully completed a sixth flight demonstration test.

During the flight test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the missile was released from a B-1B aircraft.

The missile flew a pre-planned course to collect data, before destroying the designated target.

The Lockheed JASSM-ER has similar capabilities as the baseline JASSM, with only the exception of additional range of greater than 500nm.

The additional range keeps the JASSM-ER clear of highly defended airspace and beyond the range of long-range, surface-to-air missiles while providing responsive, precision-engagement capability.

Like the baseline, the JASSM-ER also maintains the outer mould line, survivability and lethality.

The initial operational capability of the missile integrated on the B-1B is planned for early 2013.

The JASSM-ER design is compatible with the B-2, B-52, and F-16 aircraft that deploy JASSM.

The JASSM-ER will continue integrated flight testing through to mid-2010 in preparation for operational test and evaluation, which will begin in 2011.

Air Force Technology - USAF JASSM-ER Missile Completes Flight Test

YouTube - Next Gen Cruise Missile

 

[enlightened1]

Trials Successful for LCS Ship​

The U.S. Navy's second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) successfully completed its acceptance trials Nov. 19, paving the way for the ship to be transferred from its shipbuilder and enter naval service.

The littoral combat ship Pre-Commissioning Unit Independence pulls away from the pier Nov. 16 for its acceptance trials at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. (MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS ELIZABETH VLAHOS / NAVY)​

"Independence performed extremely well during trials," Rear Adm. James Murdoch, LCS program manager, said in a Navy statement released late Thursday. "LCS 2 conducted two outstanding days at sea. We look forward to delivering this critical asset to the fleet."
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The Independence left its builder's yard at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., on Nov. 16, running at speeds up to 45 knots and demonstrating its systems to a team from the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). Like most new ships on sea trials, the ship was crewed by workers from the builder, along with test-and-evaluation teams from prime contractor General Dynamics and several subcontractors. Sailors from the ship's future Navy crew were also on board as observers and to operate weapons.

According to the statement released by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Independence "was presented to INSURV with high levels of completion in production and test. The official results of the trials, including the type and number of trial cards, are currently being reviewed by the Navy."

Construction of the Independence began in November 2005. The ship, like the Freedom from LCS competitor Lockheed Martin, was originally programmed to take two years to build at a cost of $223 million. But a series of miscalculations by the Navy and its contractors, design adjustments and other technical issues doubled the construction time, and the cost for the first-of-class ship has gone over the $700 million mark.

Delivery of the Independence is expected in mid-December, with a formal commissioning ceremony scheduled for Jan. 16 at Mobile.

Lockheed's Freedom, commissioned a year ago, is now conducting warfare tests, and is expected to carry out its first operational missions next year.

In addition to the first two ships, Lockheed and General Dynamics each are working on their second ship. The Navy plans to pick one design in mid-2010 on which to base another 51 LCS ships.

 

[RPK]

Boeing Laser Systems Destroy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Tests

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] in May demonstrated the ability of mobile laser weapon systems to perform a unique mission: track and destroy small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

During the U.S. Air Force-sponsored tests at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., the Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments (MATRIX), which was developed by Boeing under contract to the Air Force Research Laboratory, used a single, high-brightness laser beam to shoot down five UAVs at various ranges. Laser Avenger, a Boeing-funded initiative, also shot down a UAV. Representatives of the Air Force and Army observed the tests.
“The Air Force and Boeing achieved a directed-energy breakthrough with these tests,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems’ Directed Energy Systems unit. “MATRIX’s performance is especially noteworthy because it demonstrated unprecedented, ultra-precise and lethal acquisition, pointing and tracking at long ranges using relatively low laser power.”

Bill Baker, chief scientist of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate, praised his team and Boeing for these successful UAV shootdowns.

“These tests validate the use of directed energy to negate potential hostile threats against the homeland,” Baker said. “The team effort of Boeing and the Air Force in developing MATRIX will pay major dividends for the warfighter now and in the years ahead.”

As part of the overall counter-UAV demonstration, Boeing also successfully test-fired a lightweight 25mm machine gun from the Laser Avenger platform to potentially further the hybrid directed energy/kinetic energy capability against UAV threats.

Boeing Directed Energy Systems, based in Albuquerque, developed MATRIX, a mobile, trailer-mounted test bed that integrates with existing test-range radar. Directed Energy Systems and Boeing Combat Systems in St. Louis cooperatively developed Laser Avenger, which integrates a directed-energy weapon together with the existing kinetic weapons on the proven Avenger air defense system developed by Combat Systems.

Boeing leads the way in developing laser weapon systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy applications. These systems include the Airborne Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser, Free Electron Laser, High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator and Tactical Relay Mirror System.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

 

[RAM]

Lockheed Martin Super Hercules Deliveries Strengthen USAF and USMC Fleets

MARIETTA, Ga., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Demonstrating the increase in the C-130J build and delivery rate, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) simultaneously delivered two C-130Js on Nov. 19 to two different customers - a C-130J to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and a KC-130J to the U.S. Marine Corps.

The USAFE C-130J was accepted by Brig. Gen. Mark C. "Marshal" Dillon, commander of the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, and commander, Kaiserslautern Military Community, Germany. The KC-130J Tanker was accepted by a Marine Corps flight crew and will be based at VMGR-152, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan.


"Adding another C-130J is not a linear addition; it's geometric in terms of the capability of the airplane," Dillon said. "One plus one doesn't always equal two, sometimes it equals three or four because of the great capability of the C-130J. After spending the last two weeks at Little Rock Air Force Base and seeing the tremendous capability of the C-130J, it's just going to add capability to Ramstein, Europe and that part of the world - which our country needs and our European partners need."


"Delivery of two aircraft to two customers in one day is a clear indication of the accelerating pace of the C-130J program," said Ross Reynolds, Lockheed Martin vice-president, C-130 programs. "The worldwide demand for this proven airlifter continues to grow and we are steadily increasing production to meet the demand."


The Ramstein delivery represents the eighth C-130J for the base, which will receive 10 C-130Js by the end of 2009. Four more will be delivered in 2010. The KC-130J is the 36th of 46 aircraft on order to be delivered to the USMC.


Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

Your Defence News - Lockheed Martin Super Hercules Deliveries Strengthen USAF and USMC Fleets

 

[enlightened1]

Carter: DoD May Buy More F-35s To Speed Tests​

​

U.S. defense officials might swell the F-35 fighter test fleet to avoid schedule slips forecast by DoD analysts, Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter said.

Buying additional F-35s for testing is one option Pentagon brass are mulling as part of a months-long effort to fashion a management plan for the Lightning II fighter program, Carter told a group of reporters today at the Pentagon.

Whatever the revised plan looks like, Carter said, he expects prime contractor Lockheed Martin to help DoD pay any additional costs that might be spawned.

Pentagon officials "don't want to be in a situation where the government bears the cost of schedule slips in a program all by itself," Carter said. "It's reasonable that risk in a program ... be shared equitably."

A Pentagon joint estimate team's annual review of the tri-service, international fighter program forecast cost growth and delays. Carter has been meeting with Pentagon and industry officials involved in the program, as well as those reviewing its performance and likely cost and schedule paths, for several weeks. He chaired a weekend meeting Nov. 21-22.

Buying more planes for flight tests means "one can conduct the necessary string of tests in a more compressed time," Carter said.

Under current program plans, "we have a certain number of aircraft that we have allocated to the flight test program, and then there is a certain amount of testing that needs to get done," the acquisition, technology and logistics chief said. "So, it's how much testing can each aircraft do times the number of aircraft, and that determines the duration of the flight test program."

Carter said he has made "no final decisions yet" about how Pentagon officials will tinker with the program to avoid the estimating team's downbeat forecasts. He anticipates the new F-35 strategy will be in put in place over the next few weeks as Pentagon officials finalize the 2011 defense budget plan.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the Joint Strike Fighter the centerpiece of the future U.S. tactical fighter fleet about seven months ago when he halted F-22 production and ordered more F-35s.

In consecutive annual program assessments, the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) office estimate team has found the program needs billions more in funding and could face up to two years in additional delays. One estimate said $16 billion more is needed to avoid major trouble and predicted two years of possible delays.

Pentagon officials have declined to discuss those figures, but they have said any F-35 cost increases would not be enough to trigger federal provisions requiring Pentagon officials to end or significantly revamp programs that exceed specific cost caps.

The CAPE team's cost and schedule forecasts - based in part on historical examples of how DoD fared on similar efforts - differ vastly from that foreseen by F-35 military and industry program managers. Carter called the CAPE estimates "very credible," even noting its 2008 program assessment predicted things for 2009 that would later transpire.

Carter said he is "trying to dig down and understand" the list of factors that contribute to the different views of the effort's future performance. Ultimately, he said, he would like to "end up somewhere in between" the two projections.

While the new strategy is not yet complete, the one thing this Pentagon leadership team will not do, Carter said, is "just lay in more money." Officials instead are "trying to get the best management" plan, he said.

Simply throwing money at the program without implementing new "management tools," he said, "is not responsible management."

Carter said he is emphasizing the need to build into the Pentagon's 2011 budget plan "realistic" F-35 cost and schedule projections for the next few years.

During the weekend meeting, which he called "constructive," Carter said he discussed with top Lockheed executives the need for a "realistic plan" and that he wants to see them show "a commitment to that plan." He also told them "that we need to address affordability," noting that "is the No. 1 thing Secretary Gates has stressed about JSF."

He said he also told Lockheed officials to show how recent productivity enhancements in the Fort Worth, Texas, plant where the F-35 is built could be reflected in the fighter jet's price.

Carter said that despite a recent spate of troubling developments, he sees "a lot of good things going on with the [F-35] program."

The bottom line, he said, is "we need to know where we're headed, and we need to be disciplined."

Meantime, Carter said, Air Force and DoD officials continue fielding and assessing questions, comments and concerns from the industry teams - Boeing and a Northrop Grumman-EADS partnership - expected to compete for a $35 billion aerial tanker contract.

A draft request for proposals was released for that competition in September, and the department had set a late-November goal for getting out a final request for proposals (RfP).

Carter said he cannot predict whether the final solicitation will be out by month's end or whether it will slip into December. He said Air Force and Pentagon officials are moving very carefully to address the questions and comments from the likely competitors.

He said they will release the RfP "as soon as we can."

Additionally, the weapons-buying chief touched on the size of future U.S. defense budgets, saying "we are entering a period of no double-digit [annual] growth." That places even greater importance on "managing programs," Carter said. "We just can't watch or oversee them."

 

[bhramos]

Weapons School Marks First UAV Pilot Training Graduate

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev: An Air National Guard MQ-1 Predator pilot marked the beginning of a new era Dec. 12 as the first unmanned aircraft pilot from a reserve component to graduate from the Air Force Weapons Instructor Course at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School here.
Maj. Tammy Barlette, from the Arizona Air National Guard's 214th Reconnaissance Group based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completed the five-and-a-half month course along with three active duty UA pilots. They were the first to attend the school in its 60-year history.
The school, regarded as having the U.S. Air Force's premier weapons and tactics training program, provides graduate-level instructor academic and flying courses. Its graduates are regarded as top authorities in their respective fields.
"I've been through a lot of training but nothing as difficult as this," said Major Barlette, a former A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot who left active duty to fly Predators over Iraq and Afghanistan full time with the Air Guard.
"The course is intended to make you the best instructor you can be for your squadron, weapon system and the Air Force," she said. "They teach you how to get to the root of a problem and find solutions. It's constant studying, briefing and flying."
Within the first month she had to get qualified to fly the MQ-9 Reaper. The course requires UA pilots to have dual qualification in both the Predator and Reaper so that they can routinely fly training missions with various platforms to include A-10s, F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The school, initially created for fighter pilots, now integrates Airmen from 22 different aircraft and specialties. The addition of UAs is an indication of their value in current conflicts and the need for their inclusion in the broader Air Force mission.
"Our training was focused on preparation for the next conflict," said the major. "The course taught us to keep a focus on the future so that, when required, a vast array of weapon systems can integrate in any number of situations. I feel like I have a better grasp of how all of these capabilities compliment each other, and I think officers from other Air Force communities got a better understanding of what (UAs) bring to the fight."
Back at her unit, Major Barlette will be her commander's resident expert and will be relied upon to teach fellow Predator pilots how to improve operations.
"Everyone else in the unit will be marching behind her so we can learn how to better serve our customers: the troops on the ground," said Lt. Col. Randy Inman, 214th RG commander.
"We're very proud to have Major Barlette represent our unit, the state and the Air National Guard," Colonel Inman said. "We recognize the historic significance of her accomplishment and I know it was one that did not come without personal sacrifice."
One year ago Major Barlette was five-months pregnant with her second child when she learned of her selection to attend the school. Accepting the appointment meant she would have to leave her 1-year-old daughter and new-born son the following July.
"I talked it over with my husband and he said, 'You have to go. We'll figure out the rest.' He was very supportive, and my parents, who live in Tucson, helped us out tremendously," said Major Barlette.
Though Major Barlette admits the family separation was difficult, she says her new qualification as a weapons instructor will serve her and the UA community well.
"I just wanted to go to the school to get answers. I wanted to get better and I wanted to help my squadron get better," she said.
According to the major, weapon school patch-wearers from UA units across the country will enjoy the added benefit of being able to cross check ideas with each other.
"It's starting to connect us all," she said.

Weapons School Marks First UAV Pilot Training Graduate | Air Force News at Defense Talk

 

[bhramos]

National Security Risk? Study Finds Too Few Young Americans Fit for Military Duty

A new report out by a group of retired U.S. military leaders warns that the U.S. potentially faces a long-term challenge to national security because most potential applicants would not pass qualifying tests.
Mission Readiness, an organization comprised of retired US military generals and admirals, released a report last month stating that, overall 75 percent of Americans between the ages 17 and 24 would be disqaulifed from serving in the military, because they failed to graduate from high school, they have criminal backgrounds, or they are overweight.
Although Mission Readiness states that the U.S. military currently has no shortfall in meeting recruitment goals, the organization adds that this is a short-term phenomenon due largely to the economic downturn. Once the economy improves, the retired generals are concerned about the risks of shortages in qualified recruits.

To avoid such risk, the retired admirals and generals called greater educational spending on early learning, citing evidence from several research studies showing that children who have early childhood education are significantly more likely to graduate high school and avoid criminal behavior as adults.
Research from at least one study comparing children who participaed in an early learning program versus children who did not found significant behavioral results across the groups. The study showed that, by the age of 18, children not participating in the program were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime than those who attended. While by age 20, participants in the early education program were 29 percent more likely to have achieved high school graduation.
"Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent on what's happening in pre-kindergarten today," Retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett said in a press release issued by the group.
"These are the same young people we depend on to serve in times of need and ultimately protect this nation," Gen. Clark added in the release. "Support for high-quality early education will help ensure that more young people are on track for successful careers, including military service. Congress is currently considering the Early Learning Challenge Fund and must pass it so states can provide more children with this essential opportunity for learning."

 

[bhramos]

2nd U.S. Navy LCS Delivered

The U. S. Navy accepted its second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Dec. 18 during a short ceremony at Mobile, Ala., marking the point where the ship is formally transferred from its builders to become Navy property.

The Independence (LCS 2) is the first ship built at Austal USA's shipyard to an aluminum, trimaran hull design by a team led by General Dynamics. The 418-foot-long, 2,784-ton ship ran acceptance trials in mid-November in the Gulf of Mexico, during which the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) found the ships' propulsion plant, sea-keeping and self-defense performance to be "commendable." Speeds of 46 knots were reached during the trials.

Construction on the Independence began in November 2005, and the ship was launched in April 2008.

A commissioning ceremony for the Independence is scheduled for Jan. 16 at Mobile, and the ship is scheduled to leave Alabama in late February or early March to head for the fleet concentration area at Norfolk, Va., and a further series of systems trials. After post-delivery work, the LCS eventually will head west to its future homeport of San Diego, Calif.

General Dynamics is competing with a Lockheed Martin team to build as many as 51 more LCS ships. Each team is building a second ship, and the Navy is to make a winner-take-all decision in the spring or summer as to which design will form the basis of the remaining ships.

Lockheed's Freedom (LCS 1), built by Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis., was commissioned just over a year ago, and in early December the ship completed a Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT) and Developmental Testing program where for the first time an LCS launched a Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM). Early next year the Freedom is to deploy to the Fourth Fleet in Latin America and then to the Pacific.

'IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME'
Two 40-sailor crews are assigned to each LCS. Cmdr. Curt Renshaw, commanding officer of the Independence's Blue Crew, noted that delivery of the ship has "been a long time" coming, but added that his crew now is looking to what happens next.

"We're preparing to sail away," he said during a Dec. 18 interview. "And if the call comes like it did for Freedom, we're prepared to deploy."

Renshaw's Blue Crew will be the first to man the Independence, but about two-thirds of the Gold Crew also will be aboard next year for the transit to Norfolk.

"That will facilitate the ability to train both crews at the same time," Renshaw said. "It's a complex relationship we've worked hard to establish - two crews, one mission."

Despite delivery, much remains to be done on the Independence.

"It's going to take both crews to fit this ship out properly," said Gold Crew commanding officer Cmdr. Michael Riley. "Both crews will decide where things will be stowed, and how certain arrangements are made."

Acceptance of the ship also means each crew will begin to build up experience with this new type of warship.

"Right now, 90 percent of the experience is concentrated in us, the COs," said Riley. "Each of us has spent over 200 hours on the bridge," he said. "Now we need to get the crew up to those levels."

The LCS is designed to be operated by a very small crew and embark up to 35 more sailors to run the aviation department and man mission modules that are adapted for specific warfare roles. Riley and Renshaw have experience operating small ships, having each commanded a mine countermeasures ship with a crew of about 80 sailors.

"On an MCM ship minesweeping is an all-hands evolution, it can go on for days," said Riley. "We see a lot of that here on the LCS. There will be times when we do an all-hands experience for days. That mine experience will be invaluable."

Renshaw agreed.

"The LCS takes what we learned on the minesweeper to the extreme," he noted. "This ship is much bigger, much more complex, and has half the crew. With the all-hands attack, everybody's got to pull their weight."

And although the Independence is built to a completely different design than the Freedom, the new ship's crews will benefit from some of the lessons-learned from the earlier ship's delivery voyage from the Great Lakes to Norfolk.

"We've stayed very closely in touch with Freedom," said Renshaw. "Some of the lessons learned apply directly to us, some are lessons more unique to Freedom. There were lots of lessons [to improve] communications connectivity. Having the ability to get what we need from the shore side is vital - everything from administration needs to supply orders. If you can't communicate you've got a problem.

"Distance support has improved," he said.

The delivery of the Independence follows the keel authentication ceremony Thursday of the Coronado (LCS 4), second ship of the Austal LCS design, also under construction in Mobile. Delivery of the Coronado is scheduled for June 2012.

2nd U.S. Navy LCS Delivered - Defense News