US Navy News and updates

John Fedup

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
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colay1

Member
John Fedup said:
Defence Daily says NG won't bid on the Navy's MQ-25 project. Strange considering all the effort that went into their X-47B. Perhaps the USN decision not to proceed with the X-47B was a factor as opposed to their stated reason. The B-21 is likely their main focus now.

Home Page - Defense Daily Network

Here is another link from USNI.

https://news.usni.org/2017/10/25/northrop-grumman-drops-mq-25a-stingray-competition#more-28983
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They seem to be choosing their battles carefully. First the T-X now the robot tanker. I suspect that they would have been forcing the issue going up against likely cheaper competitors eg. LM for T-X and GA for the MQ-25. I think they may be keeping their powder dry for the 6Gen fighter competition.
 
John Fedup

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
Yes, the less expensive alternatives from their competitors made a X-47B derived tanker a bridge too far. Also, an all hands on deck effort for the B-21 in order to get it right will be real plus for a future 6th Gen fighter bid.
 
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colay1

Member
The big question for the new frigate is it's anti-air warfare capability. Will the Navy expand it's ability to fend off aerial threats to other ships aside from itself, to make it more capable in the escort role?

https://scout.com/military/warrior/...gate-Designs-Senors-Drones-Weapons--109503535


Navy Asks Industry for "Concept Designs" of New Combat Frigate

The US Navy is asking industry to prepare "concept design" proposals to build a new combat-capable Frigate able to destroy swarming small boat attacks, operate undersea and aerial drones, support carrier strike groups, conduct dis-aggregated operations, attack enemies with an over-the-horizon missile and engage in advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare, according to an announcement from Naval Sea Systems Command.

This new Guided Missile Frigate platform will "employ unmanned systems to penetrate and dwell in contested environments, operating at greater risk to gain sensor and weapons advantages over the adversary," the Navy announcement states.

more at the link.
 
Blackshoe

Blackshoe

Defense Professional
Verified Defense Pro
The Navy has released its report on the collision of USS FITZGERALD and USS JOHN S. MCCAIN. The report concludes that the crew were at fault for both collisions, and especially the CO.

Note: the report is not actually "the report" that anyone in the Navy would be used to; it's a summation of those reports with lots of pictures thrown in, and seems to be distilled down for public release and digestion. Chewing through it, it is unsatisfactory to me and seems to raise more questions than it answers.
 
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colay1

Member
So what missile was actually tested?


https://news.usni.org/2017/11/03/na...conventional-prompt-strike-ohio-class-boomers

The Navy Strategic Systems Program and the Department of Defense this week tested a conventional prompt strike capability that could one day be fielded from guided-missile submarines...

Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Patrick Evans told USNI News today that “the Navy Strategic Systems Program (SSP), on behalf of the Department of Defense, conducted an Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike Flight Experiment-1 (CPS FE-1) test on Oct. 30, 2017, from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. The test collected data on hypersonic boost-glide technologies and test-range performance for long-range atmospheric flight. This data will be used by the Department of Defense to anchor ground testing, modeling, and simulation of hypersonic flight vehicle performance and is applicable to a range of possible Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) concepts.”
 
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barney41

Member
An update on the new Frigate. AAW is now confirmed to be a mission requirement along with ASuw, ASW and EMW with MCM presumably left to the LCS. To meet the aggressive delivery schedule only tech already fielded or already in development will be utilized.


https://news.usni.org/2017/11/22/report-congress-u-s-navy-frigate-ffgx-program

As part of its FY2018 budget submission, the Navy has initiated a new program, called the FFG(X) program, to build a new class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). The Navy wants to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020, the second in FY2021, and the remaining 18 at a rate of two per year in FY2022-FY2030. Given current Navy force-structure goals, the Navy wants to procure a notional total of 20 FFG(X)s. The Navy’s proposed FY2018 budget requests $143.5 million in research and development funding for the program...

The Navy envisages the FFG(X) as a multimission ship capable of conducting anti-air warfare (aka air defense) operations, anti-surface warfare operations (meaning operations against enemy surface ships and craft), antisubmarine warfare operations, and electromagnetic maneuver warfare (EMW) operations. (EMW is a new term for electronic warfare.)
 
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barney41

Member
LM's FFG(X) proposal should benefit from some of the development work on the Multi Mission Surface Combatant for the Saudis.

https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/multi-mission-combat-ship-3000x2000.jpg

Lockheed Martin has been awarded the first contract for a quartet of frigates the company is building as part of a $20 billion foreign military sales package to Saudi Arabia, USNI News has learned.

Last week, the company was awarded a $22.74 million Pentagon contract to modify the design of the existing Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship class for a more heavily armed, “Multi-mission Surface Combatant.”
 
FormerDirtDart

FormerDirtDart

Well-Known Member
ngatimozart said:
Northrop Grumman are working on a cannister launched UAV that can be launched from and utilised by the E/A-18 Growler. Looks like quite an interesting development.
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Yeah, read about that in a different article. The systems main feature would be that it's smaller size, and slow speed would cause radar systems to likely register it a a bird, ignoring it. It mentioned being employed from a F/A-18, but, I would assume the system could eventually be utilized by any aircraft capable of carrying and dropping a CBU.
I couldn't help but think about the advantage of packing such a drone in a JSOW unit, allowing the carrier a/c to deploy the unit even further from the target area, further avoiding surveillance radar and such
Northrop Tests Spy Drones That Deploy in a Fake Bomb - Defense One
Grabbed an image from their twitter feed
View attachment 6924
 
John Fedup

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
Apparently the powder based HVP is threatening the railgun's chances of ever being bought by the USN. The former is cheaper and less risky albeit not as powerful. The other obstacle is the large infrastructure requirements to existing naval vessels with regards to power management. Only the Zumwalts have most of the necessary electrical kit for railgun operation. Too bad about the trillions wasted in the ME. Some of that money could have been used to make the third Zumwalt a testbed for a railgun. Better still, a dozen or more Zumwalts could also have been built.

RIP Railgun: Why the U.S. Navy's Super Weapon Might Be Dead | The National Interest Blog
 
Blackshoe

Blackshoe

Defense Professional
Verified Defense Pro
John Fedup said:
Apparently the powder based HVP is threatening the railgun's chances of ever being bought by the USN. The former is cheaper and less risky albeit not as powerful. The other obstacle is the large infrastructure requirements to existing naval vessels with regards to power management. Only the Zumwalts have most of the necessary electrical kit for railgun operation. Too bad about the trillions wasted in the ME. Some of that money could have been used to make the third Zumwalt a testbed for a railgun. Better still, a dozen or more Zumwalts could also have been built.

RIP Railgun: Why the U.S. Navy's Super Weapon Might Be Dead | The National Interest Blog
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Or we could have spent the money to maintain/train/equip the fleet we have, or buy enough ships to meet the 355 "requirement", instead of chasing 17,000 ton white elephants.
 
John Fedup

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
When your are talking trillions, the 355 ship navy, 10-15 Zumwalts, and another 187 F-22s would be possible with lots of change to spare. Will the US have the same regrets about building more Zumwalts 5-10 years down the road after the production run has ended? I think it is fair to say the USAF wishes it had double the number of F-22s. I agree the cost overruns were ugly for both items but lets face it, cancellation just made the numbers look really ugly. When cost overruns happen at the same time tons of money is being consumed in ME adventures, it doesn't allow some of these programs to be successful, probably even with minimal overruns.
 
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barney41

Member
I think the lessons learned developing,building and operating Zumwalts as operational test beds in the coming years will inform the design of the next generation Large Surface Combatant.

As for the EMRG, it may be delayed but yet make it's way into the fleet, perhaps in the aforementioned LSC. In the meantime it makes sense to prioritize HVP for deck guns.
 
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