Current Events in the Americas

Find Navy Times article here Navy orders 8 new Virginia-class subs By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Dec 23, 2008 7:03:14 EST As expected, the Navy announced on Monday a $14 billion contract to buy eight new Virginia-class submarines. The fixed-price incentive, multiyear procurement contract was awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat, lead shipyard for the Virginia-class submarines. Electric Boat’s facilities at Quonset Point, R.I., and Groton, Conn., share equally in building the submarines with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s Newport News shipyard in Virginia. In making the announcement, Rear Adm. William Hilarides, program execut…

From Navy Times Navy requests more Littoral Combat Ships By David Sharp - The Associated Press Posted : Wednesday Apr 2, 2008 18:33:47 EDT PORTLAND, Maine — The Navy is moving forward with construction of a new type of smaller, speedy warships, putting the project back on track after the cancellation of two ships last year, officials said Wednesday. The Navy’s formal request for proposals issued on Tuesday to General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works and Lockheed Martin calls for construction of three Littoral Combat Ships to be carried out over the next several years. The Navy envisions a competition in which the winning bidder is awarded contracts for two of t…

Navy Seeks Next Generation Tomahawk (DOD Buzz)

Navy ship to be sunk during target practice exercise Last Updated: Thursday, November 16, 2006 | 11:16 AM PT CBC News A Canadian warship that has been tied up at the dock at CFB Esquimalt since 2001 will be towed out to sea off the west coast of Vancouver Island next year and used for target practice. HMCS Huron was commissioned in 1972 and saw service in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War. If it gets environmental approval, the navy will tow the decommissioned destroyer to a firing range 100 kilometres out in the Pacific Ocean next May. There the Canadian and U.S. navies will open fire and send the 34-year-old ship to the bottom, Cmdr. Stan Bates sa…

Navy shows little interest in armed drones By Sebastian Abbot - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Jun 3, 2008 6:01:44 EDT ABOARD THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN — The Navy lags well behind the Air Force in the development of armed drones — the unmanned aircraft now used increasingly in Iraq and Afghanistan — insisting that its “Top Gun” fighter pilots are still smarter, better and more flexible in combat. But the contrasting visions for the next generation of America’s air arsenal point to wider debates within the military about the pace of incorporating remote-control technology into future battle strategies. It also touches on differences in military cultur…

Navy Sinks Former Frigate USS Reuben James in Test of New Supersonic Anti-Surface Missile (USNI News)

From NavyTimes The first of two new prototype railguns is now firing bullets, moving the Navy’s long-held dream of fielding an electromagnetic weapon a step closer to reality.

article Navy to Base First Four Littoral Combat Ships in San Diego (Source: US Department of Defense; issued April 27, 2006) The Navy announced today that the first four Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will be homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif. Key in the success of implementing these new concepts is the ability to collocate these ships to achieve readiness alignment and economy of scale. This collocation is especially important for the first ships in the class as waterfront facilities, infrastructure, training and maintenance efficiencies are developed. San Diego was chosen as the initial homeport because of the Navy’s increased emphasis …

Navy to name aircraft carrier after Ford From: The Associated Press http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_...pe/ford_carrier WASHINGTON - The Navy will name its next aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in honor of the president who was buried Wednesday in his home town of Grand Rapids, Mich., officials said. The Navy had not planned to make the announcement yet, but Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary who served in the Ford administration, divulged the news during his eulogy at the funeral. "How fitting it would be that the name Gerald R. Ford will patrol the high seas for decades to come in defense of the nation he loved so much," he sai…

Navy Wants 28 More Tomahawks on Virginia-Class Submarines

After Deadly Collisions Navy will Broadcast Warship Locations in High Traffic Areas (USNI News)

From National Defense September 2007 Navy still Years Away From Deploying Attack Drones Aboard Aircraft Carriers By Grace Jean Given the Navy’s checkered history of flying drones aboard ships, it’s not surprising that its first pursuit of an unmanned aircraft geared for carrier operations has progressed cautiously and even with a hint of trepidation. While the sea service remains tight-lipped about how such an autonomous system might be employed in the future, analysts say it has the potential to alter naval warfare and are calling for an accelerated demonstration of its capabilities. “The sooner you can demonstrate this and convince the carrier aviation com…

Navy, General Dynamics to discuss LCS next week Staff writer - Staff writer Posted : Friday Sep 21, 2007 9:19:13 EDT The Navy and General Dynamics are expected to meet next week to discuss the Littoral Combat Ship program. GD spokesman Kendall Pease confirmed the Navy had asked for the meeting but provided no further details, other than to say a specific date had not been set. Other sources, however, said the meeting was to discuss slowing construction on LCS 4, the second ship GD is building at its Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. A construction contract for the yet-to-be named ship was awarded in December, before cost growth on the first ship being b…

From Marine Corps Times Navy: Super Hornet rep for problems untrue Corps may be responsible for bad rap By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Jun 17, 2007 9:09:10 EDT NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Inside Naval Air Systems Command headquarters at this southern Maryland base, Navy program officials for the F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter program have heard the stories circulating in the Pentagon. Their aircraft, the stories go, can’t carry certain weapons, can’t fly high enough, can’t go fast enough. Design problems such as wing flutter plague the plane and — perhaps worst of all — parts that will wear out fast enough to severely…

Newport News Daily Press December 13, 2005 Pg. 1 Changing Course Navy's plans for fighting terror call for smaller ships By David Lerman WASHINGTON -- Newport News and other shipyards that build big ships, such as aircraft carriers and subs, could be hurt. A new Navy shipbuilding plan envisions a future fleet with one fewer aircraft carrier and six fewer attack submarines than exist today, posing a threat to jobs at Northrop Grumman Newport News in the next decade. The draft plan, which was obtained by the Daily Press but won't be released until February, calls for a total combat force of 313 ships, a significant increase from today's fleet of a…

From Globe and Mail Navy's support ship replacement program scuttled The Canadian Press August 22, 2008 at 11:53 PM EDT OTTAWA — The Conservative government has quietly scuttled the navy's $2.9-billion project to replace its aging supply ships, saying bids from the shipbuilding industry were “significantly” higher than the money set aside for the program. It has also cancelled a tender call for the purchase of 12 mid-shore patrol ships for the Coast Guard. The decisions were announced in a statement issued at 8:30 Friday night by Public Works Minister Christian Paradis. “These vessels are a key priority of the Government of Canada,” Mr. Paradis said …

Honolulu Star-Bulletin February 8, 2006 Navy's Top Admiral Endorses Strategic Shift To The Pacific By Gregg K. Kakesako The Navy's top admiral said yesterday that the majority of the Navy's 12 carriers will be based in the Pacific, reflecting the shifting security demands on the military and his plans to expand the fleet to 313 warships. Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the chief of naval operations, said at a Pentagon news conference that he endorsed the Pentagon's recently unveiled strategic analysis, which calls for six carriers and 60 percent of its submarine fleet to be stationed in the Pacific. He did not comment on a nearly 3-year-old proposal to base …

Navy’s EA-6B Prowler Takes Last Active Duty Flight Before Sunset Ceremony (USNI News)

Navy’s First Operational MQ-4C Triton Squadron Stands Up This Week (USNI News)

New Acoustic Quieting to be Tested on Submarine South Dakota (Seapower) In other news, the cable ship USNS Zeus is in port here today.