Current Events in the Americas

Since the question of US Navy carrier air wing composition comes up again and again, and it has been suggested numerous times that some kind of guide would be helpful to scenario writers, and we're all about aiming to please, here's my contribution to the effort. Posted here as an FAQ so its easy for all of you prospective scenario writers (c'mon, you gotta be out there somewhere): Its an excellent resource, so I would look here first: Go Navy USN CARRIER AIR WINGS circa 2001 US Navy Aircraft Carriers and Assigned Carrier Air Wings – US Atlantic Fleet Enterprise (CVN 65) CVW-8 Tailcode AJ Type Serial VF-41 Black Aces F-14A AJ1XX VF-14 Top…

From Flight Global [excerpt] CV32: We have an election looming here in Canada in less than a week, and the planned purchase of 65x F-35A is one of the more controversial issues dogging the campaign. And while I am Conservative to my very bone marrow, I will say that the Conservatives are wrong on this issue in that: (1) the requirement was written for the F-35, rather than a requirement being written and then candidates sought to meet it; (2) that the only 'competition' was undertaken in the USA, between LM and Boeing over who would build JSF, and had nothing to do with what platform would replace the CF-18; (3) the F-35 is not the only aircraft that mi…

From Air Force Times Tanker decision made By Kent Miller, Gayle S. Putrich and Pierre Tran - Staff writers Posted : Friday Feb 29, 2008 19:35:04 EST After months of deliberations — and more than one delay — the Air Force has finally decided who will build the service’s new refueling tankers. Northrop Grumman and European partner EADS beat out presumptive favorite Boeing for the Air Force’s $35-40 billion, 179-plane tanker deal, Air Force officials said. The bigger size of the plane was the crucial factor, they said. It represents the first of three deals that could eventually be worth as much as $100 billion over 30 years to replace almost 600 tankers. Comp…

Newsday.com Navy gets first "Growler" with Northrop Grumman radar jammer BY JAMES BERNSTEIN james.bernstein@newsday.com 3:09 PM EDT, June 2, 2008 The Growlers are coming. The EA-18G Growler, that is. The EA-18G is a new electronic attack airplane, and the first of them is to be delivered to the Navy Tuesday at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington state. Northrop Grumman's facility in Bethpage is a major contributor to the Growler, whose airframe is made by Boeing Co. Northrop Grumman engineers and technicians in Bethpage designed an advanced system -- called ICAP III, for improved capability -- that will aid the EA-18G in jammi…

Pics of the F-22 Raptor and F-15 Eagle taken at the recent Skyfest 2008 air show at Fairchild AFB, near Spokane, WA. Check out the weapons bay shots.

Four JASSM Test Failures Cast Doubt On Program's Future The U.S. Air Force's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) proved ineffective during four recent flight tests, which were conducted as the Pentagon weighs whether to terminate the new stealthy cruise missile program due to cost increases. During the tests, which took place Apr. 30 - May 1, three of the cruise missiles impacted "well outside the target area," at distances greater than 100-200 feet, according to a preliminary Air Force report on the mishaps. These missiles failed to cause damage to the intended targets. Developers attribute the misses to a GPS "dropout problem" that affected the missile…

From Defense Aerospace USS Freedom Commissioned in Milwaukee (Source: US Navy; issued Nov. 8, 2008) MILWAUKEE, Wisc. --- The crew of USS Freedom (LCS 1) ushered in a new era in naval warfare on Nov. 8 as the ship was brought to life at Milwaukee's Veterans Park before a crowd of nearly 10,000. The ship was officially placed in commission by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, who remarked the Navy was commissioning not just Freedom but a new class of naval war ships. "In this platform we are making the right investments in our future security and in our prosperity," Winter said. "For those of you who will have the privilege of serving in Freedom you w…

From Navy Times Analyst: DDGs without CIWS vulnerable By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Sep 16, 2008 5:55:34 EDT For all the modifications and improvements that have come with each new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the 20 most recent ships have arrived from the shipyard missing something — the distinctive white domes of the Phalanx Close In Weapons System. The first 34 Burkes carry two of the 20mm, six-barrel Gatling guns, known as CIWS, which can find and shoot down air targets that slip through the outer defenses of a ship or task group. But since 2002, destroyers have come from the builders without the guns, as plans called for a new mi…

Latest Hueys, Cobras make huge strides Find Marine Corps Times article here. Helos offer more power, technology upgrades By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Jan 4, 2009 8:37:58 EST CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — At a distance, the new UH-1Y helicopters look similar to those born during the Vietnam era, but the four-blade Huey, which Marines call the “Yankee” model, is a different bird entirely. It has greater range, speed and lift than the old UN-1N — with less vibration. It carries 2,700 pounds of fuel, nearly double the capacity of the “November” model, and its integrated avionics, navigation and communications system give the aircrew access to …

5 disciplined in Arleigh Burke grounding By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Monday Jul 9, 2007 5:53:51 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — Cmdr. E.J. McClure, former captain of the destroyer Arleigh Burke, was administratively disciplined July 3 along with her executive officer and two other officers in a nonjudicial hearing convened in response to the ship running aground May 15. “Appropriate administrative actions” were taken against the four Arleigh Burke officers, said Lt. Cmdr. Herb Josey, public affairs officer for Naval Surface Force Atlantic. He did not disclose the nature of the actions due to privacy considerations. The commodore of Destroyer Squadron 2, C…

From Aviation Week U.S. Considering Shooting Down Satellite Feb 12, 2008 By David A. Fulghum U.S. officials are studying the possibility of shooting down the errant Lockheed Martin intelligence satellite that was launched into space for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The concern is that the spacecraft carries a full tank of hydrazine - a toxic propellant - that would have been used to reposition the satellite in orbit. Government analysts say the odds are that the tank will crack open during re-entry or than it will land in the ocean, which makes up 70% of the area where the breaking up satellite might land. There also is concern in some quarters …

Apparantly the Port Royal is stuck on a reef. Story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,489590,00.html

Britain a "crude colonial power in decline" says Argentine President Tension brewing in the South Atlantic?

From EIN Presswire [excerpt] For gemerson:

From Flight International DATE: 26/06/08 SOURCE: Flight International USAF formally revives B-52 jammer with five-year study By Stephen Trimble The US Air Force has revived a plan to transform a portion of the Boeing B-52 bomber fleet into long-range, radar-jamming platforms, formally launching a five-year study phase on 23 June. The revival comes nearly three years after the USAF was forced to cancel the B-52 stand-off jammer system (SOJS) programme after cost estimates ballooned sevenfold to $7 billion. The delay has shifted the operational debut of the new jammer fleet at least four years to 2018. The new programme seeks to hold overall costs to a…

From Jane's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers 'buckling' under stress, admits USN By Tara Copp 11 October 2007 Serious structural defects have been identified throughout the United States Navy's fleet of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Jane's can reveal. The navy (USN) has admitted that many of the 51 ships currently in service are buckling under the stress of higher-than-anticipated loads at sea. The impact of rough-sea slamming on the bow has led to warping of main transverse bulkhead beams and some of the cribbing, a source said. Repairs and strengthening work is already being carried out on the latest Flight IIA ships as well as vessels from the ear…

From Navy Times May 09, 2005 Official report: Leadership, navigation errors led to San Francisco accident By William H. McMichael Times Staff Writer Failures of command leadership and the sub’s navigation team were the sole cause of the attack submarine San Francisco’s Jan. 8 collision with an undersea mountain, the Navy has concluded in its official investigative report. The sub struck the sea mount while traveling full speed near the Pacific Ocean’s Caroline Islands at a depth of 525 feet, killing one sailor, injuring dozens of others and crushing the sub’s bow, causing more than $88 million in damage and leaving the 24-year-old sub’s future in doubt. …

Two opposing points of view: US Navy Needs Diesel Submarines and Old Tech Isn't the Answer

From DefenseNews 'We Thought We Had It Licked' LPD-17 Woes Vex U.S. Navy, Northrop By christopher p. cavas Published: 25 January 2010 A fresh set of problems with the long-troubled LPD 17 San Antonio-class amphibious ships has sidelined two of the vessels, led the U.S. Navy and its largest shipbuilder into a passionate game of finger-pointing, and raised questions about Northrop Grumman's ability to deliver quality work and the Navy's ability to carry out proper shipyard oversight. The larger issues are coming from two core problems discovered aboard the LPD 17s, five of which are in service with four still to come. Of more immediate importance is a pro…

CNN WASHINGTON (AP) -- A mechanical monster grabs the F-14 fighter jet and chews through one wing and then another, ripping off the Tomcat's appendages before moving on to its guts. Finally, all that's left is a pile of shredded rubble -- like scraps from a Thanksgiving turkey. Rows of retired F-14 jets await demolition Monday at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. The Pentagon is paying a contractor at least $900,000 to destroy old F-14s, a jet affectionately nicknamed "the turkey," rather than sell the spares. The Pentagon fears that if the surplus jets aren't destroyed, they could fall into the wrong hands, including Iran's. Within a workda…