Current Events in the Americas

From DefenseNews Posted 12/21/06 15:10 New Submarine To Be Delivered to U.S. Navy Early By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS General Dynamics Electric Boat is expected to deliver the new submarine Hawaii to the U.S. Navy on Dec. 22, several weeks ahead of schedule. The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine earlier had been scheduled for a March 31, 2007 delivery, but shipbuilders Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Newport News worked to speed up delivery in order to hold down construction costs, shipyard officials have said. Capt. Dave Johnson, the Navy’s Virginia-class program manager, confirmed the expected new delivery date. The Hawaii ran a series of builder…

From Defense Aerospace BAE Systems Delivers First Piece of Production Hardware for U.S. Navy's Advanced Gun System (Source: BAE Systems; issued May 25, 2010) ARLINGTON, Va. --- BAE Systems, along with partner General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, delivered to the U.S. Navy the first automated magazine for the 155-mm Advanced Gun System (AGS) being developed for the DDG 1000 (Zumwalt) Destroyer Program. The magazine is the first major production component to be delivered under the AGS program. It is one of a total of four magazines that will be built under a Navy contract to produce four AGS weapon systems for the Navy’s first two Zumwalt class des…

Briefing slides for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (PDF)

Just as AIM-9X-II: http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsus-navy-achieves-ioc-on-raytheons-aim-120d-amraam-missile-4551297

The Antiship Mine Gets New Wings (The Diplomat)

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26347/the-navy-is-ripping-out-underperforming-anti-torpedo-torpedoes-from-its-supercarriers

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…

USS Gary Returns From Final Deployment; Also Last for SH-60B Seahawks (USNI News)

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

From Defence Talk Southern Partnership Station Begins Aboard Swift US Navy | Dec 1, 2008 MORGAN CITY: Military Sealift Command-chartered high speed vessel HSV-2 Swift (HSV 2) along with various embarked Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force units departed Louisiana Nov. 25 for a five-month deployment in support of Southern Partnership Station (SPS). Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command area of focus in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission's primary goal is information sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region. "Southern Partnership Station pr…

Senate panel cuts 1 of 3 LCS ships, backs FCS By William Matthews - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Sep 11, 2007 17:59:18 EDT The Senate subcommittee that oversees the U.S. military budget eliminated one of the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships Sept. 11, leaving the program with just two ships. Each remaining vessel is a different design, and the subcommittee said it expects the Navy to pick one as the winner in a contest between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics to build as many as 55 ships for the Navy. In documents prepared by the subcommittee, senators said the two ships should be delivered to the Navy by next summer and the Navy should evaluate them…

From Marine Corps Times Tarawa to decommission Thursday By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Dec 2, 2008 16:37:20 EST SAN DIEGO — After 32 years, Tarawa is going to bid farewell to its sailors. Navy officials on Thursday will retire the amphibious assault ship, which in June returned to its pier at San Diego Naval Base after wrapping up its final operational deployment to the Persian Gulf and Northern Arabian Sea. One of Tarawa’s former skippers, Rear Adm. Garry Hall, will speak during the formal decommissioning ceremony that afternoon. Hall commanded the ship during a 2000 deployment that included assisting with efforts to recover victims o…

From Aviation Week's ARES Blog: A Real Win For Rafale Posted by Robert Wall at 9/8/2009 1:57 AM CDT There will be some that say Brazil only is buying the 36 Dassault Rafale strike fighters because of France’s agreement to help develop and maybe buy ten KC-390 airlifters, or transfer extensive nuclear submarine technology, or whatever other reasons, but reality is that, for once, the French sales team orchestrated the campaign rather flawlessly. It is, without doubt, a huge win for Rafale. Not only is Brazil the first export customer for Rafale, it is a sizeable order and it came in a real competition. Libya and the United Arab Emirates – other countries that …

Hagel OKs Navy plan to modify troubled littoral combat ship fleet (Stars and Stripes) Depictions of the planned upgrades (from War is Boring)

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 President Publicly Reconsiders Marine One Feb 24, 2009 By Bettina H. Chavanne and Michael Bruno The high-profile VH-71 presidential replacement helicopter program came under the highest profile possible Monday when President Barack Obama and his former Republican rival for the White House lamented the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps project while discussing economic crises. “The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me,” Obama noted. The comment sent both the Navy, which runs the program, and manufacturer Lockheed Martin scurrying. “We are committed to the program’s success and are confident we can deliver the required number of…

Australia agrees to sell Canada $6.5b military radar system By Melissa Clarke, ABC News (Australia) It seemed like a pretty standard phone call between Anthony Albanese and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney overnight. The official record of the call noted congratulations to Carney and discussion of "current pressures on the global trading system" (ie US tariffs), as well as cooperation on the defence of Ukraine. But there was at least one extra topic that wasn't mentioned in the read-out: the small matter of Canada purchasing a $6.5 billion Australian military radar system. Shortly after the call, Carney headed to Iqalui…

Bataan preps for Osprey shipboard deployment By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Feb 26, 2009 12:24:47 EST ABOARD THE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP BATAAN — At sea, amid icy winds several miles off the coast of North Carolina, David Kouskouris is among the first sailors to lay hands on the Corps’ MV-22 Osprey. “We, as deck handlers, have to understand how this aircraft moves around the deck,” said Kouskouris, a senior chief aviation boatswain’s mate (aircraft handling) (AW/SW) and the flight deck chief for the Bataan. “Before, we only had computer-generated models. Now, we’re taking into account things like human error and wind conditions,” he e…

From DEW Line [excerpt]

From Defense Aerospace Op-Ed: Fate of Surface Navy Rides on Littoral Combat Ship (Source: The Lexington Institute; issued March 20, 2007) By Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. When the cold war ended, the U.S. Navy faced a crisis of relevance. For the first time in living memory, no Red Navy or Imperial Fleet challenged America's control of the high seas. Having spent the entire 20th Century preparing for such an enemy, the Navy was poorly postured for conducting combat operations closer to shore. Fearing that the Marine Corps would become the tail wagging the Navy Department bulldog, senior admirals began formulating plans for making their warships more useful in fight…