Joint Venture (HSV-X1) 315-foot catamaran ferry to deliver troops and equipment. Joint Venture is capable of carrying 363 persons, military vehicles and equipment more than 1,110 nautical miles at a speed greater than 35 knots. Without a heavy load, the ferry reaches 50 miles per hour. Draft is 12-foot.
Oct 2001 - Joint Venture leased from an Australian company for four years to the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive and Armament Command, it has been modified with a landing pad for large helicopters ; vehicle ramp for rapid loading and discharging of vehicles from the stern or alongside. The Navy operated Joint Venture with mixed army and navy crew. New vessels will be configured to meet the specifications required by each of the services.
4Feb03 Experimental One (HSV-X1) made a brief stop in Rota, Spain, while underway in support of the global war on terrorism. Mar'03 Naval special warfare forces are using the high-speed catamaran Joint Venture (HSV-X1).
Army has TSV (Theater Support Vessel)-1X Spearhead. accepted Jan'03. The Army sees the ship as able to carry four M1 Abrams tanks, 200-300 troops, 600 tons of cargo and helicopter -- is expected to order a dozen in March'04 to supplement the LSV. (The Army operates 300 watercraft.) Specifications include:
- Average speed: 40+ knots
- Self-deployment range: 4726+ NM
- Troops plus gear: 350+
- Cargo space: 25-30,000 sq. ft/ISO container capable
- Helicopter flight deck
- Load/discharge in less than 20 minutes
May 19 . Spearhead will head back to the Persian Gulf soon. Tests have worked well and the Army gave notice it wants one TSV built to its specifications, with the possibility of 15 more to follow. First due 2011. This is not an assault ship.
2 May 2011 -- All Army TSV were transferred to the Navy's Military Sealift Command. JHSV 1 is expected to be launched in June 2011 (17Sep'11)and delivered in Dec'11
Swift (HSV-2) is a wave piercing, aluminum-hulled, commercial catamaran vessel with military enhancements, such as a helicopter flight deck, a small boat or unmanned vehicle launch and recovery capability, modifiable berthing compartments, enhanced ramps for military vehicles and a robust communications suite. On trials in Australia made a sustained 40 knots. Draft is 12-foot. Crew of 40. Length 320 feet, 28,000 sf of deck space.
Mission configurations include maritime interdiction, mine warfare, littoral access, homeland security, expeditious troop and equipment transport and a host of other possibilities. Some see the ship as a stepping-stone to the littoral combat ship. (close to shore, Fletcher class DD sized ships)
June2003 - delivered to Naval Shipyard Ingleside . 10Oct03 - Northern Arabian Gulf . 6Nov03 - arrived South Africa to participate with local military units in West African Training Cruise 2004 (WATC 04) . 20Dec03 . Swift (HSV 2) to stop at Little Creek and Washington before going to its home port at Ingleside, TX. Apr'04, joint exercises off Norway. July'04, exercises in Hawaii.
The fourth catamaran will serve with Mine Warfare as command ship.
Sept '05. Ran relief supplies from Pensacola to New Orleans to resupply Iwo Jima (LHD 7) in shallow water where navigation aids were disrupted by hurricane.
JHSV Nov 19, 2005 . All four military services concurred with the decision to procurement of the lead ship for Fy08. Army and Marine Corps will be capable of transporting company-sized units with their vehicles, or reconfigure to become a troop transport for an infantry battalion. The 338 foot JHSV will not be a combatant vessel but will be similar to high-speed commercial ferries.
2009 . Contract let for twelve with Austal USA . First ship of contract to be for Army, due 2012
June'10. Keel lain.
| JHSV-1 | USNS Spearhead | Army | keel 22Jul'10 | to comm Dec 2011 |
| JHSV-2 | Vigilant | Navy | to comm 2013 | |
| JHSV-3 | Fortitude | Army | to comm 2014 | |
| JHSV-4 | Fall River | Navy | to comm 2015 | |
| JHSV-5 | Resolute | to comm 201_ |
HSV Sea Slice is characterized by four teardrop-shaped submerged hulls. A 2002 experimental design that seems to have disappeared.
Osprey V-22.
Twin-engine, tilt wing aircraft. Twelve were initially ordered for evaluation in 1998. It has gone through a very public evaluation period after a training
accident which lost both crew and onboard marines. The USMC wants
348 units to replace aging helicopters and the Navy and Army want
50 each. The Osprey is faster, longer range, quieter, and carries a larger payload than helicopters.
Range 500 miles ; speed 275 mph ; 24 passengers ; external payload 5 tons. Aerial refueling. In an assault configuration - over 200 miles with 18 troops.
Applications: Marine MV-22 for all uses. Navy HV-22 for search and rescue. Air Force CV-22 for special operations.
7March03. All Ospreys received a priority hydraulic system change; to be back in service by March 21.
23Nov03. The Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft completed its latest series of sea trials using USS Bataan (LHD 5) “This was the final flight deck stability test before the V-22 goes into production” .
25 March'09. Bataan (LHD 5) to deploy with ten Osprey.
Now deployed with Air Force and Marines. Navy considering for COD use.
Nov 2011. Boeing pushing for replacement of Army helicopters. Model would be able to have longer propellers and not require folding wing to fit aboard ships, hence be simpler and lighter.
New Generation Destroyer - DDX - Zumwalt Class (DDG-1000)
Mar. 2003 . USS Radford * to become prototype of new DDX equipment . Fall 2004-Fall 05.
Dec. 2003 . Popular Mechanics reports the DD(X) requirements have been released to contractors and calls for 14,000 ton displacement, 600 foot waterline, 79 ft beam, stealthy design, manned by a crew of 125, and conventionally armed.
These specifications will make the DDX half again as large as current destroyers (Spruance and Burke classes [which are the size of pre-WW2 cruisers: New Orleans, Brooklyn classes]) and equal to the size of late-WW2 heavy cruisers (Baltimore class). Status : preliminary design. Planned delivery 2011, service 2013. New date 2015
Aug'05 . The first DDX will carry two 155-millimeter guns (5.9") that fire rocket-propelled rounds. Current test versions of the gun have hit targets 68 miles away. The Navy hopes to reach 96 miles. The ships will be built of special materials in a design that will make it stealthy. It will have a variety of automated systems that call for a crew of 150, one-third of the sailors needed on today's destroyers. Northrop Grumman Corp. is the lead contractor.
The Navy wants to begin detailed design and construction on the initial DDX. But the GAO said "engineering development models" for 10 major new systems slated will not be fully tested until much later and fears the need for redesigns.
Sep'05. Navy says 10 new systems satisfactory and ends Phase III. Plans to begin final design and construction with two shipyards - Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works to simultaneously build lead ships beginning in fiscal year 2007.
Nov'05. DoD authorizes Phase IV, detail design and construction of the two lead ships.
Apr'06. USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) named. Zumwalt is to be delivered in 2012 and will have 2% of the radar cross section of current destroyers. Displacement of around 12,000 tons with a crew of 140. Two planned operational in 2013.
21July'08. The $3B DDX will probably to be replaced with a $200M upgrade of existing Burke class destroyers (DDG) [52/61 ships, 1991-2011] and $250M for existing Ticonderoga class cruisers (CG) [22 ships, 1988-1994]. These upgrades will add ten years to their life and install some of the DDX technology including crew automation and electronics.
Feb. 14, 2008, The Navy exercised contract modifications for the construction of DDG 1000 Zumwalt and DDG 1001 to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding
31Oct'08. DDG 1001 named Michael Monsoor -- 16,000 tons; 600 feet, 148 crew, 30+ knots..
These ships will be the same weight, but longer than the three WWI battleships, New Hampshire class scrapped by treaty 1923 ; larger than any WW2 heavy cruiser (13,000 tons).
Jan'09. 81% cost over run, requires rejustification of program.
Concern about the stability of the tumblehome design and water jet propulsion was tested in a quarter scale model were found satisfactory. Sea Jet (AESD) was tested on a lake in Idaho, not in a storm at sea. Without flair there is no force for a ship to right itself in heavy seas.
June'10. The DDG 1000 Program was truncated to three ships in August of 2008. Ship fabrication commenced in February 2009 for delivery in 2013 with an initial operating capability scheduled for FY 2015.
Mar'11. DDG-1000 37% complete.
# The DDG-51 production lines were reopened in FY'11 and long lead time items placed on order for the first three new ships. An enhanced flight III design will start with DDG-123 in 2016 budget
Nov'11. Zumwalt (DDG-1000) keel laid, 60% complete.
Next Generation Cruiser -- CGX is the discussed replacement for Ticonderoga class cruisers for fleet defense and surface bombardment. These would be based on the (untested) Zumwalt destroyer hull. High estimated costs have caused consideration of alternatives -- upgrades to increase the life of later Ticonderoga (CG-52+) ; a special class of Zumwalts (much as Ticonderogas were renamed from a class of Spruance destroyer) ; and single purpose ballistic missile ships.
Feb'10. The program was canceled in the 2011 budget. Oldest existing cruisers have reached their 25-year design life. Bunker Hill (CG-52) 1986.
June'10. Modernization will be completed by 2018.
Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) . The definition of littoral is "region along a shore". Now that threats against the deep water navy are reduced , the new "buzz" is for naval capability in shallower coastal regions. The new design ship [in 2004 was] of 1,000 tons [it doubled, then tripled], about the size of a WWI-era destroyer or gunboat, perhaps more reminiscent of LSM(R) equipped for shore attack with guns, mortars and rockets.
The new ship is likely to be a catamaran [not] to operate as a floating truck, relatively small and able to run at high speeds in shallow water. It would carry one or more "mission modules" designed for jobs ranging from mine-clearing to cargo-hauling. The modules are to be quickly interchangeable, so that an anti-mine module can be lifted off the deck and replaced in a few days with one equipped with anti-submarine weapons or provisions that could be ferried to Marines operating ashore. The Navy expects to run each ship with a core crew of perhaps 20 sailors. Specialists would come aboard with each module.
Competing for the ship production are General Dynamics, which is offering a three-hulled trimaran based on an Australian design ; Lockheed Martin, which is proposing a more conventional monohull design ; and Raytheon, which is suggesting a "surface effects ship" that rides on a cushion of air, like the Landing Craft Air Cushion. The Navy hopes to choose from among the three designs in May. The five-year shipbuilding plan calls for 13 ships with a goal to buy 56.
28May'04. Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics awarded LCS final design contracts . pics
15Dec'04. Lockheed Martin awarded contract for detail design and construction of the first Flight 0 LCS with target launch 2006. The Navy plans to build a total of four Flight 0 LCS. [This is the conventional hull version. We are led to think of the original design as a super PT-boat, but the ship built is the weight and length of -- and is easy to think of -- as a late WW2-era destroyer. Compare the advancement in 64 years.
- Sumner DD , 1944 : 3,200 tons, 376 ft, 41' beam, 14' draft, 35 knots.,
Freedom LCS , 2008 : 3,239 tons, 378 ft, 57' beam, 13' draft, 47 knots. ]
Freedom (LCS-1) 2 June'05. keel laid by Marietta Marine, Marietta, WI.
Specifications:
Displacement: 2135 tons (light), 2862 tons (full) ; As delivered, overweight, 3,089 tons, full 3,139,
Length: 378' (oa), 324' (wl) ;
Beam: 57' (extreme), 43' (wl) ;
Draft: 13' (navigational draft), 14' draft limit ;
Propulsion: Two gas turbine engines, two propulsion diesels, two (4?) waterjets ; Hull: steel ; Superstructure: aluminum ;
Speed: max 59 kts. ; [ builder's trials only say greater than 40 kt.]
Range: 1500 nm at 50 knots, 4300 nm at 20 knots
Complement: 26 + mission crew ;
Crew arrived for cross training 30Oct'05.
9Jan'06. A contract for Mission Packages has been awarded. There will be three modules for plug-and-fight capability that will go to sea aboard LCS. Mine Warfare (MIW) module will provide remote minehunting and airborne mine neutralization. Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) module provides high-quality acoustic surveillance and weapons aboard unmanned surface vessels. 18Sept'08 rolled out. Surface Warfare (SUW) includes a 30mm cannon and non-line of sight missiles.
Launched 23Sept'06. To commission and arrive at homeport San Diego, early '07. Doesn't seem to have happened.
25April'07, a fire at Marinette Marine, damaged LCS-1 during outfitting of the vessel. Freedom, only 80% completed, sustained significant damage.
28July'08 builder's trial [pic] 18Sep'08 accepted by Navy, to christen soon then deep sea trials off Norfolk. Commissioned 8Nov'08. Home port San Diego.
8Sept'09. LCS-1 completed 2nd post commissioning refit. Begins firing exercises.
13Oct'09. Freedom (LCS 1) to be deployed in early 2010 for anti-pirate operations, two years ahead of her originally scheduled 2012 maiden deployment.
31Jan'10. Arrives Mayport to ready for Caribbean drug interdictions. 22Feb-11Mar'10 makes three drug captures on maiden deployment. April arrives SanDiego. June'10 deploys in fleet programs.
March'11 Continuous maintenance at SanDiego. July - Sept'11 in yard to repair crack in hull.
Independence (LCS-2) 19Jan'06 keel was laid. Designed by General Dynamics. Specifications: trimaran ;
Displacement: 2176 tons (light), 2784 tons (full) ;
Length: 416' (oa) ; Beam: 104' ; Draft: 13' ;
Hull and superstructure: aluminum .
Speed: 44 knots ; Range: 4,500 NM ;
Core Crew 40 (8 officers, 32 enlisted) .
Expected Completion, October 2007. Doesn't seem to have happened. Now expected for July 2009. pic7 pic8 pic9
28April'08 launched. July'09, Builder's trials. Two years late and over budget by 300%, $220M went to $704M. Nov'09 Acceptance trials. Dec'09 Navy acceptance. Commissioned 16Jan'10. Sail away date 26Mar'10 to Norfolk for tests. 6May new equipment fitting at Norfolk. Aug it fuels up. Then homeport San Diego. Video 2:15, Flash, high speed connection required.
March'11 undergoing test and trials in Mayport, Fla.
13March'09 . LCS-3 Fort Worth and LCS-4 Coronado have been named with construction planned to start in the next year.
June'10 said to be at halfway point. Waterline length increased, greater fuel capacity. Christen 7Dec'10, 80%. Builder's trials Oct'11.
Delivery planned 2012. To commission 22Sep2012.
03Mar'11. LCS-4 is 50% complete. Oct'11- to comm Oct 2012.
14Jan'12. Coronado (LCS-4) christened. Sea trials later this year.
4Nov'10. Navy seeks Congressional approval of contracting for ten ships from each vendor for delivery of 20 ships in 2010 to 2015. Funding approved Mar'11.
21Mar'11. Ships named for Lockheed Martin design. LCS-5 Milwaukee. LCS -7 Detroit. 378', 3,000 tons, 40+ knots. 27Oct'11 keel laid.
25Mar'11. Ships named for General Dynamics design. LCS-6 Jackson. LCS -8 Montgomery. 419', 2,200 tons, 40+ knots.
15July'11. Named LCS-9 Little Rock.
Surface Combat Ship
Apr'11. Lockheed Martin has offered an Aegis Combat System equipped LCS variant - as a missile defense radar picket - to a number of Gulf states including Saudi Arabia.
July'11. LSC-2 has suffered from galvanic corrosion caused by an aluminum hull in contact with stainless steel propulsion system housing in the presence of sea water. Corrosion resistance had been deleted; required extensive replacment and fitting with sacrificial cathodic protection. Fixed in LSC-6 design. LSC-1 also had a waterjet replaced and welding failures repaired.
Competition will award ten-ship block to one vendor and 5-ship block to the other.
Multi-Role Corvette. Austal has proposed a much smaller and slower trimaran, called the 'Multi-Role Vessel'. Though it is only half the size of their LCS design, it would still be useful for border protection and counter-piracy operations. See Austal MRV
Unmanned Surface Vessel, USV, Spartan Scout is an unmanned, rigid hull inflatable boat with an enhanced engine and hi-tech camera and sensor gear .
Dec. 1, 2003. Gettysburg (CG 64) of the Enterprise (CVN 65) Carrier Strike Group, successfully launched Spartan Scout and completed an unmanned, three-hour mission that was driven remotely from three laptop computers in the Combat Direction Center (CDC) aboard Gettysburg.
Two years ago, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, R.I., started development on the first remote-controlled surface vehicle. This test was the first unmanned operation of the Spartan Scout from a U.S. warship at sea and required manpower only for launch and recovery. The unmanned surface vessel (USV) expands your sensor range and situational awareness without exposing boat crews to rough seas or weather. The crew operates the USV from the comfort and safety of the control module in CDC, its sensors feeding information directly the operators.
The trial variant of Spartan is designed primarily for surface surveillance and force protection. Using a forward-looking infrared/CCD camera, Spartan Scout can provide surveillance in a harbor, not only for Navy ships but for U.S. Coast Guard units responsible for port security, and it could provide reconnaissance for ships passing through maritime chokepoints. Spartan Scout can be modified for mine detection or anti-submarine warfare. When equipped with a Hellfire or Javelin missile, it could attack other surface vehicles or conduct precision strikes ashore.
Gettysburg completed its operational testing with Spartan Scout Dec'03 and sent the results for further evaluation.
Sea Shadow (IX 529) built by DARPA in 1985 and served for two decades as a test platform for ship stealth and experimental technologies of advanced hull forms and structures, automation for reduced manning, sea keeping and signature control.
The vessel was built modularly under tight secrecy in the early 1980s by different manufacturers and assembled inside the Hughes Mining Barge (HMB). The HMB would be moved out to sea in the dead of night and halfway submerged, to let Sea Shadow out to be tested without being overly exposed to public observation.
Sea Shadow doesn't have traditional rudders --aft stabilizers and forward canards on the inboard side of its submerged twin hulls control steering. Combined with the angled sides,our new oceanographic ships have inherited the stabilizer and canard method to help perform their stability-sensitive surveillance missions. The angled sides also helps the ship remain stable even in very rough water with waves of up to 18-feet and shows the origin of similarly sloped superstructures of the Arleigh Burke-class and the proposed DD-X class destroyers.
Sea Shadow is 160-feet-long with a small water-plane area twin hull. She has bunks for 12 and a microwave for galley. Not intended to be mission-capable, never designated as "USS," rather is a miscellaneous craft. Navy offered it as a museum, but will likely have to scrape it. - June'11.
Fuel Cells at Sea The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is developing innovative propulsion systems based on new fuel-cell technology for efficient generation of electrical power and greater design flexibility for future ships. Fuel cells do not require combustion and are far more efficient than gas turbines and diesel engines. Fuel cells will permit design of a “distributed” power system that can be dispersed throughout the ship instead of being co-located with the ship's shaft. This added flexibility will improve ship survivability. The Navy's DD(X) land-attack destroyer program will test fuel cell technology as a supplemental power source.
[Think of early factories where all power came from on central shaft with belts running to each machine. Now we have an electric motor on each machine. So too Fuel Cells can be located where needed and not depend on a central engine room.]
Robotic Mine Hunter An 11-foot mini-sub, Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, is pre-programmed to do independent search for mines and to destroy them. This device came to light when one launched from minesweeper Swift (HSV-2) was lost during joint exercises off southern Norway . It was later found 125 miles away.
Advanced SEAL Delivery System, ASDS, is a 65 foot mini-submarine, which rides attached to the top of a Los Angeles Class submarine. It has increased range, speed, and capacity over the current SEAL Delivery Vehicle which is an open, wet submersible, that transports SEALs in scuba gear, exposing them longer to the elements. The four Trident-class submarines being converted to cruise missile and special forces carriers (SSGN) will be capable of carrying ASDS, as will Virginia-class attack submarines and the Jimmy Carter (SSN 23).
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Predator (Air Force) is an endurance-type UAV that operates at medium altitude, 15,000 to 20,000 feet and can stay airborne for more than 24 hours. Shadow (Army, Marine) is a tactical UAV that operates below 10,000 feet and in the neighborhood of five to six hours in the air. Scan Eagle operates in the 2,000-foot regime or lower ; it is such a small UAV that one person can pick it up and carry it around. Coast Guard is developing Eagle Eye VUAV tilt rotor for shipboard surveillance -- think mini-Osprey. Fire Scout MQ-8 autonomous helicopter is intended for LCS. see Fire Scout below.
"Sea Flyer," advanced ship hull system, equipped the Navy's SES-200, ship with a 170-ton Navatek underwater lifting body that enables the hull to be fully out of the water at higher speeds. Navatek’s patented technology is similar to that which NASA uses with spacecraft. The new hull has seen a significant increase in stability over comparable vessels at all speeds from stopped to high speed. 9July04
1Oct04. Computers constantly monitored acceleration, pitch, yaw and roll, adjusting airplane-like flaps to lift up and steer the 167-foot Sea Flyer.
CVN 21 Project the next generation of aircraft carrier [ 21st Century, but CVN-78] began 2 years of advanced construction Aug 11,'05.
Besides being larger than today’s Nimitz-class carriers, the new generation will be similar in appearance with improvements including more compact reactor, electromagnetic catapults, simplified island, faster launch cycle, smaller crew, more accepting of unmanned and vertical takeoff vehicles.
Aug'04. Delayed by budget to begin construction in 2008, launch 2015. Intended to replace Enterprise who's 50-year life reactor will be reached in 2011.
Sept'08. Detailed design contract of $5.1B was awarded for USS Gerald R Ford (CVN-78). Expected completion Sept 2015. Eleven Ford class carriers are planned through 2058, one every five years..
Silver Fox , Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. "An overgrown model airplane," used in battles in Iraq to provide Marines with live views of the battlefield.
Silver Fox was developed in 2002 for tracking whales and built from off-the-shelf model airplane parts, imaging equipment and Global Positioning Satellite technology. It can be launched by hand by throwing it into the wind and has a flight time of about 5 hours. 2010 - now weighs 50 pounds, 8 hours, carry 8 pound load. Use on Riverine boats. The UAV is controlled through a laptop computer that can fly several of the aircraft at the same time. It has cameras that provide a real time downlink in color, monochrome and infrared. “Rather than a high value piece of equipment, it gives us the freedom to be use, abuse and lose.”
March'03 . Six aircraft rushed to Iraq provided protection to American troops by flying convoy escort and reconnaissance and surveillance missions for Special Forces and Marine units.
2011 - now weighs 50 pounds, 8 hour endurance, carry 8 pound load. Use on Riverine boats.
Georgia class, SSGN . Four converted "boomers" modified to carry 154 cruise missiles or 60 SEALS. Two missile silos are converted as an air lock and an ASDS mini-sub docking hatch. These boats will replace five PCs that were SEAL carriers and recently transferred to the US Coast Guard.
The MK-6 Marine Mammal System has been deployed to Bahrain. This anti-swimmer unit of dolphins protects warships 24/7.
SeaArk Dauntless 34-foot craft used by Inshore Boat Unit of Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron are deploying to Kuwait. These patrol boats mount four guns of various types.
Sea Fighter (FSF 1) The Littoral Surface X- Craft --Experimental will be used to evaluate the hydrodynamic performance, structural behavior, mission flexibility, and propulsion system of high-speed vessels. The X-Craft is a 262-foot, high-speed aluminum catamaran,
beam 72-feet,draft 11.5 feet. capable of speed in excess of 50 knots,
crew of 26, that will test a variety of technologies, which will allow the Navy to operate more effectively in littoral or near-shore waters. Sea trials begin in San Diego in April'05.
22July05 Everett, Wash.
01Aug'05. Arrived homeport San Diego, Contrast with LSC that went into production.
Sea-Based X-Band Radar Station. Photo of SBX being transported on MV Blue Marlin
The SBX is a combination of the world’s largest phased-array X-band radar carried aboard a mobile, ocean-going semi-submersible oil platform. It will provide the nation with highly advanced ballistic missile detection and will be able to discriminate a hostile warhead from decoys or countermeasures. The SBX spans 240 feet in width and 390 feet in length. It towers more than 280 feet from its keel to the top of the radar dome and displaces nearly 50,000 tons. The platform is twin-hulled, self-propelled and stable in high winds and turbulent sea conditions. The SBX is scheduled to arrive in Adak, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, later this year. Although homeported in Adak, it will be capable of moving throughout the Pacific Ocean to support both advanced missile defense testing as well as defensive operations.
USMC Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.
EFV, holds 17 people, a reinforced rifle squad, and a crew of three. The EFV, however, is designed more as a combat vehicle than a troop transport. It has a 30 mm chain gun coaxed with a 7.62 mm machine gun. It follows in the line of development from the Alligator, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and Advanced Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The 35-ton EFV can do 20 knots in water and keep up with the M1A1 tank on land. EFV is to start reaching the field in 2008. Full-rate production of the EFV is scheduled for no later than 2020. ?!
06Jan'11. Canceled after spending $3B of projected $15B.
Fire Scout - Jan'06, unmanned RQ-8A helicopter underwent design test flights, leaving Patuxent River, MD. and landing on LPD-13 Nashville and return. The programs improved MQ-8B is expected to arrive in Fy'08.
Jan'07. Upgraded from R-reconn to M-multipurpose test with 8- 2.75" rockets. Capable of operations of five hours with 130lbs at 110 nautical miles from the launch site. Plan introduction in 2008, with full production in 2009. Program began before May 2002 -- 7-years seems long in wartime. Teens fly radio controlled helicopters in their back yard for under $300.
Sept'08. Designed for the delayed LCS, the Fire Scout is being assigned to other ships for real-world experience and armed with Hellfire missiles. Three delivered, a few on order, Speed 140 mph, controller range 140 miles with 5 hours airtime.
Apr2010 completed first 6-month mission at sea. Caught a drug runner while operating from McInerney (FFG-8.)
21June'11 - a MQ-8 was lost during a mission over Libya, downed by suspected enemy fire.
10July'11 - The Navy plans to buy up to 168 Fire Scouts.
Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) system
Underwater launch, homing, and docking of an Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) system from the torpedo tube of a submerged submarine. Called an anti-mine system, it will enable reconnaissance in littoral operations.
Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) system involves a large unmanned aircraft capable of flying 2,000 nautical miles each way and remaining in service for at least 24 hours, while surveying large areas of open ocean or coastal areas with state-of-the-art sensors. Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk UAV (left) in use by the Air Force, and a larger version of General Atomics' Predator UAS, (right) called Mariner, are expected to be leading candidates. The Navy will require dozens of aircraft and associated systems that could cost more than $50 million each. A contract is to be awarded by September 2007 with the first of the aircraft and sensors to be ready for testing in 2011 and the system ready for operational use in 2013. Nope, now 2016.
Sept'10, MQ-4C Global Hawk awarded contract, service date 2020. To operate from five land-based sites - Florida, Hawaii, Japan, Diego Garcia, and Italy. Crew: Unmanned ; Length 47.6 ft ; Wingspan 130.9 ft ; Gross weight 32,250 lb ; Powerplant 1 turbofan ; Maximum speed 357 mph ; Endurance 30 hours ; Service ceiling 60,000 ft
P-8 Poseidon, a modified Boeing 737 jetliner, Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), a long-range anti-submarine and reconnaissance plane due in 2013 that will replace Vietnam-vintage P-3 Orions.
Although the 737 is a two engine jet, to replace Vietnam-vintage P-3 Orions. four engine turboprop P-3, it is a more capable plane and will get to target areas more quickly.
Sep'08. The U.S. Navy has ordered the first two P-8A to enter service in 2010. How many P-8s will be produced is uncertain, as UAVs are looking preferable to manned maritime reconnaissance and ASW aircraft.
Feb'11. Two aircraft are testing at Patuxent River NAS. Six aircraft are expected to be operational by 2013 with plans for 117 P-8A to replace the P-3 Orion by 2017.
MQ-9, Reaper. The Air Force version of MQ-9, called Reaper, is fitted as an attack aircraft with expected deployment on combat trials fall'07 in Afghanistan and in Iraq by spring'08. Larger, second generation Predator, about the size of an A-10 WartHog, MQ-9 can carry 14 HellFire missiles (the MQ-1 Predator can carry two; 300 mph vs. 120mph) and will be able to stay aloft for 14 hours fully armed. The pilot of the unmanned hunter-killer will be in Nevada. The Navy's MQ-9 Mariner is intended to operate from a carrier on surveillance flights of 24-hours. See BAMS above.
SEA SENTOR and TRAPR DCL are U.K and U.S. systems being tested that can detect torpedoes, fire anti-torpedoes and decoys, and make evasive maneuvers.
Airborne Laser Mine Detection System. First test unit of ALMDS delivered 30Jan'07. Mounted on Littoral Combat Ship MH-60S helicopter, it has no water components for rapid detection of near surface mines over a broad area.
Stiletto . The 88-foot long, 60-ton Stiletto is the first and largest carbon fiber ship built in the United States. It's m-shaped, light-weight hull lets the boat travel at speeds of more than 50 knots. The boat will be used to transport special operations forces to their mission quickly and is ideal for navigating shallow waters to detect mines and support special operations missions. Since launch in January 2005, Stiletto has participated in joint military training. Summer 2009 joint team assigned to illicit trafficking in Caribbean. at speed
- Late WW2 Patrol/Motor Torpedo Boat (PT) was 80 feet x 21 x 5 feet, 45 tons, 41 knots.
Remote Minehunting System
The RMS components include a remote minehunting vehicle, a semi-submersible, diesel-powered vehicle that tows the AN/AQS-20A minehunting sonar ; a mission control and display which integrates RMS into the undersea warfare system of a late model destroyer or littoral combat ship, and a launch and recovery system. The 23-feet, 7-ton vehicle provides real-time sensing. A mine that costs only a couple thousand dollars can cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to Navy ships and put the affected ships out of action for months. Sea Talon is an anti-submarine version.
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected ,
MRAP, vehicle contract was let to 9 vendors in January'07, each to provide four prototypes to Aberdeen Proving Grounds by 31December'07.
June'07 -- Marine Corps test 200 Cougar/Jerry in Anbar Province. Four times heavier than Hummer.
July'07 -- With no Marine Corps fatalities, goal is to replace all armored HMMWVs (4,100) USMC). 10July -- 5,000 on order from Stewart and Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems LP of Armor Holdings, for delivery before March'08.
19July'07 -- Congress steps in giving high priority for 3,900 by year-end '07.. Taking money from other programs! Oshgosh has stopped work on driverless supply trucks to shift to a 1 billion dollar contract for MRAP personnel carriers.
M-ATV or MRAP II , all terrain vehicle is a highly survivable, off-road capable vehicle. 10June'09 contract for 6,600 to Oshkosh. First shipments being tested in US and Afghanistan. All should be delivered by March 2010. Crew 4 + 1 gunner. It looks more the size of a hummer with the same survivability as the truck sized MRAP.
Joint Precision Approach and Landing System -- JPALS
This is a GPS based system so that aircraft can land at night or in bad weather using local equipment with an encrypted signal, low radiated power, accurate to within 1 foot. 28Sep'08 Navy gave Raytheon $233 million to complete work on an aircraft carrier version.
SRDRS - Submarine Rescue Diving and Re-compression System, is an air deployable rescue asset that can be delivered and installed on pre-screened military or commercial vessels and mated to a distressed submarine within a 72-hours of first rescue notice.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter . "The F-35C is on schedule to meet the Navy's initial operational capability in 2015, and combines stealth with supersonic speed and high agility. The Lightning II employs the most powerful and comprehensive sensor package ever incorporated into a fighter."
Possibly the last manned fighter plane, It tries to be everything to everybody -- "A" model for Air Force, 2012 ; 'B' model for USMC, 2013 ; 'C' model for Navy, 2015 -- is two years behind schedule, over budget, and is too complicated for combat. IMHO- War is a come-as-you-are party and we won't have time to fix it when the shooting starts. A and B models in flight test early 2009. Navy version F-35C to replace F/A-18A, B, C, and D Hornets. The first test F-35C was rolled out on 29 July 2009 made its first flight 7 June 2010; plan operational 2015. 480 Navy models on order. These are 19% heavier and have 45% larger wing area. Last Hornet was a F/A-18D made in 2000.
May'10 - Now forecast operational 2017. The Navy signed to buy 66 F/A-18E/Fs and 58 EA-18G Super Hornets to join 500 existing, as older planes wear out starting 2012. The F-35 is proving to be a high maintenance aircraft, so numbers ordered are being reduced to pay for increased development expense. When even greater numbers will be needed because of downtime ! Yet, better to fix'em now that put bad planes in the air.
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Navalized Sukhoi T-50 PAK FAs will be deployed on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and future Russian aircraft carriers. The T-50 is the equivalent of the F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter. The Russians have added multi-role capabilites to the top fighter ; whereas the US has designed a cheaper, multi-role aircraft, the F-35, that is not superior. First flights of the T-50 were Jan 2010. [pic]
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Jan 2011. F-35 program has about 50% overrun and 2-years behind schedule. F-35B, the vertical takeoff version for Marine Corps, has been separated from the program schedule for redesign because of serious troubles; the plan had been to purchase 340 F-35Bs to replace Marine F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8 Harriers ; there is no alternative aircraft. Redesigns of F-35B has caused redesign delays in the other two versions and may be canceled. The U.K. has changed its F-35B order to the F-35C. Marine Corps will purchase 80 F-35Cs. The USN is to receive 7 F-35C in F'2012 ramping up to 20 aircraft by F'2016. Air Force is to receive 11 'A' models in F'2011 with about 1,700 planned and is said to be only 13 months behind schedule.
3Feb'11. First flight of an F-35B STOVL variant JSF by a U.S. Navy test pilot. Down blast is said to destroy asphalt and carrier decks.
18May'11. The first F-35C, with larger wing control surfaces (wing area of 668 ft² vs. 460 ft² of A model) and reinforced landing gear, is undergoing test and evaluation to evaluate flutter, loads and mission systems at NAS Patuxent River. A second test aircraft arrived this month. Catapult launches to begin. Scheduled for shipboard testing in 2013. In two years?! The prototype of the F6F Hellcat was ordered June 1941, flew June'42, and was in combat Oct'43.
04Oct'11. F-35B (Marine version) makes first vertical landing on Wasp (LHD-1). Troubled program is seeking public relations support. We need the airplane, hope it works (in both senses). (pic)
&Nbsp; 11Jan'12. First two F-35B delivered to Marine Corps. Instructor training to start in August.
Ion Tiger . Fuel cell for prolonged (24-hour) flight of micro UAV. Weights 37 pounds, generates 3/4 HP and carries a 4 or 5 pound payload. Seven times more efficient than batteries for silent, high endurance surveillance and communications..
16-17Nov'09. Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle (UAV), flew 26 hours carrying a 5-pound payload, setting another unofficial flight endurance record for a fuel-cell powered flight.
Navy Cyber Forces (CYBERFOR) established 26Jan'10 at Little Creek-Fort Story as type commander for cryptology, signals intelligence, cyber, electronic warfare, information operations, intelligence, networks and space disciplines. About time.
Laser Weapon System (LaWS). Laser defensive raygun successfully destroyed aircraft over water.
3Jun'10. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/20/raygun-breakthrough-revolutionize-naval-power/#ixzz1BgKCHkDf
Jan '11. Laser anti-aircraft gun. Prototype of FEL laser (free electron laser) successfully tested. Navy hopes to have a full-power, megawatt, prototype by 2018. Will they be able to hit multiple missiles?
Project terminated in FY 2012 Congressional budget. - 21June'11
Cruiser Modification Program. Conversion from steam-driven auxiliary equipment to electric, installation of an integrated ship's control system and fuel oil tank top stiffening. To add life to existing cruisers, rather than build a new design.
Rolling Airframe Missile, RAM. Eleven Sidewinder missile launcher intented to provide greater range than Phalanx.
Mines. The navy currently has [only] three types of mines, all aircraft delivered, bottom layers converted from bombs. Mk 65-thinwall, 2,300 pounds ; Mk 63- 1,000-pound ; and Mk 62- 500-pound mines. No development. Mines ended both the Pacific War and Vietnam War.
Vulcan Engine. DARPA is working on Vulcan, power generation turbine engine, to reduce turbine fuel consumption by 20 percent compared to existing DDG-51 Class gas turbine generator sets.
Rail Gun. A railgun uses electricity to propel a projectile instead of an explosive charge or rocket. Office of Naval Research made a 33-megajoule shot, the equivalent energy of a 33 ton truck at 100 miles per hour, firing to a range of 110 nautical miles. 10Dec'10 Development tied to the DDX project. Some estimate deployment date as 2035.
Project terminated in FY 2012 Congressional budget. - 21June'11
31Oct2011. Testing continues this year with a gun able to launch a projectile at mach 7. Deployment date reduced to 2025, still too long to garner budget conscious support.
31Jan'12. Raytheon awarded $10MM to build power supply. Humm.
CV vulnerability. The Navy has raised its assessment of carrier at sea vulnerability to above "poor" because of new capabilities of potential adversaries to launch multiple missile salvos. Jan'11.
Ohio Class Replacement. DOD endorsed replacing the current 14 Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines as they reach the end of their service life with 12 Ohio replacement submarines, each comprising 16, 87-inch missile tubes. This allows start of design for a lead ship procurement in 2019. 3Feb11
X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System. Intended for carrier operations and to replace F/A-18 E/F force circa 2025. First flight at Edwards AFB of 50 planned before transfer to Patuxent River NAS in 2012. 5Feb11 Air Force already has more drone pilots in service than manned aircraft pilots. X-47A Pegasus 2001-2006 when joint program ended. Navy's X-47B demonstrater prototype Dec 2008 ; flew Sept 2011 at Edwards AFB. Second model Nov 2011 for three year test program. Sea trials 2013.
The Navy has 33 ships assigned to Drug Interdiction and to Maritime Counter Terrorism.
HEL, High Energy Laser. Tested 06Apr'11 at sea to disable a small boat. MLD. See LaWS above. Terminated?
MLP, Mobile Landing Platform.
Planned three ships to aid unloading Maritime Prepositioning Ships under many contingencies. Based on a tanker design is to support a brigade unloading vehicles from deep-draft ships to MLP to LCAC while underway. L 837 feet , S 15 knots. Expected delivery 2013 thru 2015. USNS Montford Point ; USNS John Glenn ; USNS Lewis B. Puller.
Ballistic Missile Defense. Currently 5 cruisers and 16 destroyers have anti-missile capability. To expand to 41 ships by 2016. Eventually all destroyers and surviving cruisers.
A second part is a land-based version of a mobile Aegis Weapons System for foreign deployment in 2015.
Green Fuel. A 50-50% blend of algae oil and petroleum tested in retired DD-964 to and from San Diego in Nov 2011.
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Testimony March 2011
USN Program Status 2010 180 page PDF.
2009