US Navy News and updates

[ngatimozart]

USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) has arrived at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula MS 19 for a major 2-year modernization that will see large launch tubes for hypersonic Conventional Prompt Strike missiles replacing the two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems.

With this modification the most expensive destroyer/cruiser class ever built, will become much more usefull than today, and a more on the level of a modernized Project 1144 Orlan battlecruiser.

USS Zumwalt Arrives in Mississippi for Hypersonic Weapon Upgrade - Naval News

Guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt arrived in Mississippi on August 19 to begin a two-year process to install hypersonic missile tubes.

www.navalnews.com

Sub Brief update on it, as well as other USN news.

 

[John Fedup]

A depressing read about the LCS. What a huge loss of money. Numerous careers ruined by floating excrement. Lobbying, stupidity, and pollies, what could possibly go wrong?

A Deep Dive Into US Navy's Epic Shipbuilding Failure

Deep dive into the U.S. Navy's costly and failing Littoral Combat Ship LCS shipbuilding program. Uncover the decisions, challenges, and billions spent on a fleet with persistent issues and understand why naval shipyard efforts are failing.

gcaptain.com

 

[ngatimozart]

A depressing read about the LCS. What a huge loss of money. Numerous careers ruined by floating excrement. Lobbying, stupidity, and pollies, what could possibly go wrong?

A Deep Dive Into US Navy's Epic Shipbuilding Failure

Deep dive into the U.S. Navy's costly and failing Littoral Combat Ship LCS shipbuilding program. Uncover the decisions, challenges, and billions spent on a fleet with persistent issues and understand why naval shipyard efforts are failing.

gcaptain.com

What do you expect? Their whole political system is corrupted, especially where congress critters are involved. They love pork barrelling. I am very pleased that despite all its faults, I live in a Westminster style of govt.

That'll teach the yanks for rebelling against their lawful sovereign

 

[FormerDirtDart]

US Navy has awarded Austal USA a contract as a second source to build three LCU-1700 class landing craft, and a option for nine additional craft.
Four of the option craft are reported to have previously been awarded in a 2021 five craft build order issued to Swiftships LLC, an additional four of the option craft were planned FY2022 orders.
Swiftships was awarded the initial LCU-1700 contract in 2018. Not sure how many of the proposed 30 (or so) craft fleet have been completed to date. Naval News is reporting USN documents show that Swiftships has been struggling with production due to a number if issues.
So, yet another 'steel build' added to Austal USA's portfolio

Navy Sets Up Second LCU-1700 Shipyard with $92M Award to Austal - USNI News

An Alabama shipyard won a $91.54 million contract to build three next-generation landing craft for the Navy, according to a Wednesday contract announcement. The contract for Austal opens a second source for the LCU-1700s following an initial $18 million 2018 contract award to the Swiftship...

news.usni.org

Austal USA to Build LCU 1700 Vessels for US Navy - Naval News

Austal USA will build three landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700 class vessels for the United States Navy.

www.navalnews.com

 

[FormerDirtDart]

Debated which service to post this under. As possession is (reportedly) 9/10ths of the law folks with the boats won out.
USS Savannah (LCS 28) (Independence-class) spotted sporting an US Army Mk 70 launcher on her helo deck
Navy acknowledged the photos, stating ship is scheduled to participate 4th Qtr 2023 live fire demo including containerized weapon systems, and little more.
The article is IDing the other item further aft on the helo deck as possibly an Army AN/TPQ-53 counterfire radar

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1702091734757634551

image linked from article (credit Lockheed Martin)

Some background on the launcher

Army Fires Tomahawk Missile From Its New Typhon Battery In Major Milestone

The U.S. Army says it has now successfully fired Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles from its new ground-based launchers.

www.thedrive.com

image linked from article (credit US Army)

 

[ngatimozart]

Debated which service to post this under. As possession is (reportedly) 9/10ths of the law folks with the boats won out.
USS Savannah (LCS 28) (Independence-class) spotted sporting an US Army Mk 70 launcher on her helo deck
Navy acknowledged the photos, stating ship is scheduled to participate 4th Qtr 2023 live fire demo including containerized weapon systems, and little more.
The article is IDing the other item further aft on the helo deck as possibly an Army AN/TPQ-53 counterfire radar

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1702091734757634551

image linked from article (credit Lockheed Martin)

Some background on the launcher

Army Fires Tomahawk Missile From Its New Typhon Battery In Major Milestone

The U.S. Army says it has now successfully fired Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles from its new ground-based launchers.

www.thedrive.com

image linked from article (credit US Army)

40ft container. Be so easy to camouflage and hide. Paint it in the colours and markings of some container company and it wouldn't look any different to any other 40ft box being shipped around a country or on any ship.

 

[John Fedup]

A Congressional committee has recommended a third shipyard for nuclear vessels. A very reasonable recommendation and would be a boost for AUKUS. Would a west coast location be practical? Can the dysfunctional US Congress ever get behind this?

Congressional Commission Calls for Third Nuclear Shipyard to Bolster U.S. Strategic Forces - USNI News

The Pentagon needs a third shipyard that can build nuclear-powered ships so the U.S. can keep pace with China and Russia’s nuclear modernization, a congressional commission said in a new report published Thursday. A third private shipyard would expand industry’s capacity to build nuclear-powered...

news.usni.org

 

[seaspear]

Building a shipyard would be much easier than providing trained specialists to man it ,has Congress considered this?

 

[John Fedup]

Building a shipyard would be much easier than providing trained specialists to man it ,has Congress considered this?

Likely a few have. Basically government and the private sector have to do this together along with support from the USN if this is going to be successful.

 

[John Fedup]

The third America class amphibious ship has been launched. This launch is the first well-deck version.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Launches America-class Amphibious Assault Ship Bougainville (LHA 8) - MilitaryLeak.COM

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced the successful launch of the Navy’s third America-class amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8) from its

militaryleak.com

 

[Ananda]

US Navy LCS Successfully Fires SM-6 from MK 70 Payload Delivery System - Naval News

US Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) successfully launched an SM-6 missile from a MK 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System.

www.navalnews.com

USN successfully launch SM-6 from Mk-70 PDS. System that basically modular conteneraized missile launch system. Each container consists of 4 Mk-41 VLS.

This basically make most LCS able to deploy with more lethal missile system. Thus enlarge their weapons portfolio. Sometimes that seems USN aim to make those LCS relevant for more peer to peer confrontation.

 

[OldTex]

US Navy LCS Successfully Fires SM-6 from MK 70 Payload Delivery System - Naval News

US Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) successfully launched an SM-6 missile from a MK 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System.

www.navalnews.com

USN successfully launch SM-6 from Mk-70 PDS. System that basically modular conteneraized missile launch system. Each container consists of 4 Mk-41 VLS.

This basically make most LCS able to deploy with more lethal missile system. Thus enlarge their weapons portfolio. Sometimes that seems USN aim to make those LCS relevant for more peer to peer confrontation.

The nature of the MK 70 PDS would make them more useful on MUSV and LUSV, rather than the LCS. I base that on the fact that the MK 70 would preclude the use of the helicopter deck. It may be that an LCS with 2 LUSV shadowing it would present a reasonable ASuW or Strike package. The only thing missing would be an adequate AAW capability from the LCS to protect it and the attendant LUSVs.

 

[FormerDirtDart]

US Navy LCS Successfully Fires SM-6 from MK 70 Payload Delivery System - Naval News

US Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) successfully launched an SM-6 missile from a MK 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System.

www.navalnews.com

USN successfully launch SM-6 from Mk-70 PDS. System that basically modular conteneraized missile launch system. Each container consists of 4 Mk-41 VLS.

This basically make most LCS able to deploy with more lethal missile system. Thus enlarge their weapons portfolio. Sometimes that seems USN aim to make those LCS relevant for more peer to peer confrontation.

No LCS will ever deploy operationally with it's helo deck fouled by parking one or more (Army) shipping containers and an Army towed radar system lashed to it, As was demonstrated in this test

 

[StobieWan]

US Navy LCS Successfully Fires SM-6 from MK 70 Payload Delivery System - Naval News

US Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) successfully launched an SM-6 missile from a MK 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System.

www.navalnews.com

USN successfully launch SM-6 from Mk-70 PDS. System that basically modular conteneraized missile launch system. Each container consists of 4 Mk-41 VLS.

This basically make most LCS able to deploy with more lethal missile system. Thus enlarge their weapons portfolio. Sometimes that seems USN aim to make those LCS relevant for more peer to peer confrontation.

LCS is on the way out - they're commissioning ships knowing they're scheduled to decommission a year or so later. I don't think the USN cares about their capabilities, they just want to divest themselves of an expensive fleet of ships. Allegedly they cost about 2/3 the maintenance costs of a Burke, which is largely driven by their complex and unreliable machinery.

 

[John Fedup]

This article discusses the USN Columbia program. Interesting is the post Columbia plan to procure additional large submarines for special missions and perhaps hopefully a SSGN version of Columbia. These post Columbia builds will provide additional capabilities but just as importantly it keeps the large sub production line skills in place for the future. There is a brief mention about SSN(X). As something nearer to the Seawolf in size is desired then it would seem a derivative of Columbia would make sense.

Navy Mulling Large Diameter Sub Hulls After 12 Columbias, SSN(X) Requirements Due Next Year - USNI News

This post has been updated to correct the anticipated delivery of the first SSN(X). ARLINGTON, Va. – After delivering the dozen nuclear ballistic missile submarines to meet the U.S. nuclear deterrent, the Navy could keep large diameter hull submarines in production, the service’s director of...

news.usni.org

 

[Meriv90]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1722488446990573661

Mods in a news case like this should I have also to comment or the tweet is enough?

 

[FormerDirtDart]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1722488446990573661

Mods in a news case like this should I have also to comment or the tweet is enough?

Not sure if the tweet showed up when you posted, but not visible now, at least to me (Twitter/X may have altered their code)
Not a Mod, but I would say that since the tweet doesn't appear to have embedded, yeah you might need mention something about the content.

 

[FormerDirtDart]

Not sure if the tweet showed up when you posted, but not visible now, at least to me (Twitter/X may have altered their code)
Not a Mod, but I would say that since the tweet doesn't appear to have embedded, yeah you might need mention something about the content.

OK, some 30 minutes later I can now see the tweet.
Starting to think my browser is acting wonky

 

[Ananda]

Navy P-8A Poseidon Runs Off Runway Into The Water In Hawaii (Updated)

The aircraft skidded into Kaneohe Bay while attempting to land at the Marine Corps Air Station by the same name.

www.thedrive.com

USN P-8A Poisedon off shoot the Runway in Hawai and ditch in the water off the ramp. All 9 passanger safely make to shore.

Add: Video on Navy's try to salvage the P-8A.

 

[John Fedup]

A delay in the MQ-25 refuelling jet for the USN. Boeing sure seems to struggle with fuel delivery. Unlike the USAF and LM which decided on low rate initial production for the F-35, the USN is following IG advice and waiting for testing to be completed on th MQ-25.

Navy delays unmanned MQ-25A Stingray timeline after IG warnings - Breaking Defense

The Navy views MQ-25A Stingray as urgently needed by the fleet, but the DoD Inspector General warned the service was moving too fast.

breakingdefense.com