Current Events in the Americas

Admiral: Diesel Subs OK for Others, Not U.S. Military.com Christopher J. Castelli | April 25, 2006 Diesel submarines have near-shore and stealth capabilities that may make them suitable for other countries but they do not meet U.S. requirements to project and sustain forces far beyond coastal waters, according to the Navy's submarine director, Rear Adm. William Hilarides. The Navy has long opposed acquiring diesel subs, arguing nuclear-powered subs are superior. The subject came up again when Hilarides briefed reporters about submarines at the Washington Navy Yard April 17. “If we were defending our coast from high-end ships, then a diesel submarine might m…

Marine Corps TV - JSF Update Bah, link apparently crapped out. If you want to view, go to usmc.mil, then "News", then "MarinesTV"

From Flight Global [excerpt]

This thread idea is initially to compare the both controversial LCS designs with other alternative designs, in service, future or projected. Basically the parameters of comparation are those of cost, size, weapons (also in relation to size), crew size (and consequent fatigue levels), speeds and ranges, but extensive to all the other parameters, as sensors. The thread is also extensive to other conceptual alternatives, as replacement for another type of conventional warships, as FFG or FFL, or ever the replacement by another tactical or strategical concept, as UAV, manned air power, swarms of low technollogy boats or hired pirates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IuQDqM2M_k&feature=plcp

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-raytheon-takes-aim-at-lockheeds-lrasm-387510/ (Flight Global) So, what should replace Harpoon? LRASM (aka JASSM-ER) or JSOW-ER? Or something else? Or is a replacement even necessary?

From Navy Times April 29, 2005 Time is up for Grim Reapers By William H. McMichael Times staff writer OCEANA NAVAL AIR STATION, Va. — The F-14 Tomcat is fading into the sunset. And so are the Grim Reapers. The Navy’s only Tomcat training squadron will be gone for good by mid-September. The squadron has trained its last new Tomcat pilot. Training continues but only for a few veteran, senior fliers going through post-shore duty refresher training before returning to the fleet. From a late-1990s high of more than 60 jets and a personnel roster that topped 1,000, the squadron is down to nine jets, 70 enlisted sailors, 25 officers and about 100 civilian cont…

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 …

From Defense Aerospace U.S. Government Report Shows Decreased Costs for F-35 Program (Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company; issued April 8, 2008) FORT WORTH, Texas --- A newly released report from the U.S. Department of Defense shows that estimated acquisition costs dropped by nearly $1 billion from 2006 to 2007 for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program. The Selected Acquisition Reports estimate that F-35 program costs over the aircraft's three-decade production run decreased by $981 million (-0.3 percent), from $299.8 billion to $298.8 billion. The F-35 cost reduction was attributed in part to lower material costs related to agreements made …

From Flight International DATE: 08/07/08 SOURCE: Flight International EA-18G “Growler”: New platform and capabilities set to un-level the SEAD playing field By John Croft If the battlefield were an American football field, the US Navy's venerable but well-worn Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler might be thought of as an offensive lineman clearing the path for a running back carrying the ball. In this case, the Prowler's goal would be the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) from a stand-off position using on-board electronic jammers to disrupt radar and communications, clearing the way for the navy, marines or air force strike forces to do their jobs. Th…

LCS-4 Trials Halted After Engine Fires (Aviation Week) Newest LCS Suffers Fire at Sea, Damage ‘Minor’ (DefenseNews)

From Air Force Link Langley officials fight to keep F-22s from being damaged by Tech. Sgt. Russell Wicke Air Combat Command Public Affairs 4/9/2008 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- The Air Force's newest and most technologically advanced fighter, the F-22 Raptor, is under attack here. Free-falling clams dropped by in-flight birds are regular air threats to the F-22 as gulls drop fist-sized mollusks on the Langley Air Force Base runway to break open the shell-fish appetizer. The birds' shelling device just happens to be a convenient launch pad for the F-22. Although the gulls remove half their mess -- slurping up tender meat from the runway -- they…

From Code One, Third Quarter 2008 Vikings Ashore The very last at-sea deployment for the S-3 Viking ended on 29 May as crews from Sea Control Squadron 22 (VS-22), known as the Checkmates, returned home to NAS Jacksonville, Florida. VS-22 crews completed more than 300 flight hours during their two-month deployment on board the USS George Washington (CVN-73) as the ship sailed around South America en route to its new home port of Yokosuka, Japan. The VS-22 flyoff as the Washington neared San Diego marked the last planned S-3 catapult shot. The Checkmates and Sea Control Wing Atlantic Fleet are both scheduled to disestablish in January 2009, closing out the Viking's …

Come aboard USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), the newest aircraft carrier (DefenseNews, Intercepts blog) Lots of pics.

You might have heard about this on AvWeek or elsewhere: Mystery aircraft photographed over Texas (Deep Blue Horizon blog)

State of Defense (Defense One)

DND Defers HMCS Chicoutimi Repair article (Source: Canadian Department of National Defence; issued April 27, 2006) OTTAWA --- The Department of National Defence today announced that repairs to Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Chicoutimi, damaged by fire in 2004, will be deferred until 2010 when a two-year refit on the submarine is conducted. This decision means that repairs caused by the 2004 fire incident will be conducted at the same time as the two-year refit process known as the Extended Dock Work Period, which is scheduled for 2010. If the repair process had begun immediately, HMCS Chicoutimi would have been back in service for less than two …

From Air Force Times Tanker contract to be awarded in December By Donna Borak - The Associated Press Posted : Monday Aug 20, 2007 6:56:27 EDT WASHINGTON — The Air Force will award a much-anticipated multibillion-dollar tanker refueling contract at the end of the year, extending talks with bidders beyond the October deadline Wall Street anticipated. Either Boeing Co. or Northrop Grumman Corp. will emerge as the winner of the $40 billion Air Force deal to replace 179 aerial refueling tankers. One industry analyst said the extension of talks signals extra caution by the service because of a controversy that engulfed the tanker program several years ago. The…

Lockheed working on new air-to-air hit-to-kill missile (Flight Global)

From Defense Aerospace Canada Awards Contract for Strategic Airlift (Source: Government of Canada; issued Feb. 2, 2007) OTTAWA — The Honourable Gordon O'Connor, Minister of National Defence, together with the Honourable Michael M. Fortier, Minister of Public Works, and the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry today announced The Boeing Company has been awarded the contract to supply strategic airlift aircraft to the Canadian Forces. The agreement fulfills a commitment by Canada's New Government to pursue defence procurement initiatives that equip and strengthen our military and provide economic benefits across the country. “Canada's New Gov…