Current Events in the Americas

From DefenseNews U.S. Navy's ERGM May Face Cancellation By william matthews Published: 20 Mar 15:55 EDT (11:55 GMT) For more than a dozen years the U.S. Navy has waited as Raytheon struggled to build a reliable rocket-powered munition to be fired from 5-inch guns on ships. After repeated test failures, years of delays and rising costs, the Navy may be ready to cancel the program. A Raytheon official acknowledged March 20 there were "many rumors swirling around" the fate of its Extended Range Guided Munition (ERGM) program, including the possibility that it will be canceled. A Navy official would not comment on the program's fate. The end for ERGM, if…

To be deployed in October 2013 in USS Ponce, operational from 2014. Other candidate to employ it: LCS, now it's clear why ... Laser range: 1 or 2 nm , perhaps up to 10 nm in years to come .... After the range data, I think we don't need more comments ... http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/R41526.pdf

Navy Decides to Buy V-22 Ospreys for Carrier Delivery (Breaking Defense)

From Air Force Times [The beginning of the end for the "Wobbly Goblin" ... ] October 25, 2006 F-117 pilot school closes Staff report The F-117 Nighthawk pilot school has closed its canopy. The last class of F-117 pilots graduated from the school on Oct. 13, according to 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The closure of the formal training unit was the latest sign that the F-117 is being phased out at Holloman and will eventually be replaced by the F-22A Raptor. The school was overseen by the 7th Fighter Squadron, which will be deactivated in December. Once the 7th closes, a sister unit, the 8th Fighter Squadron, will handle many of remain…

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…

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

From Aviation Week Pentagon Eyes New Tanker RFP By August Jul 9, 2008 By Michael Bruno Boeing and a Northrop Grumman-EADS team will be able to re-bid wholly new proposals for the U.S. Air Force KC-X refueling tanker program, and the Pentagon's acquisition chief expects to choose a winner by the end of the year, officials said today. The defense secretary, Air Force secretary and Defense Department acquisition chief John Young told Pentagon reporters that the move is an attempt to provide a valid acquisition decision as quickly as possible while speeding toward delivery of the new aerial refuelers. Nevertheless, Young said the program's cost and initial opera…

15 May 2013

From Defense Aerospace [excerpt]

Expert: Navy Should Revise Outer Air Battle Concept (USNI News) I think I agree with him. As Harpoon will show you, if you're having to use your SM-2/-3/-6 to defend the battle group, you're already backpedaling. And you can't carry enough of them (or afford them).

At last some of punch, USS Coronado fires NSM: http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140724/DEFREG02/307240028/LCS-Conduct-Test-Norwegian-Missile

From Aviation Week USAF Pilot Critiques Red Flag Action Nov 5, 2008 David A. Fulghum and Graham Warwick Indian pilots flying Su-30MKIs are extremely professional, but they're still learning how to best fight with their new aircraft. That opinion comes from an unidentified, senior F-15 pilot taped while briefing senior retired U.S. Air Force officers about the most recent Red Flag exercise. The video was made available online at YouTube.com. The French pilots flying the new Dassault Rafale appeared to be there to collect electronic intelligence on the Indian aircraft, contends the USAF pilot, who wears an Air Force Weapons School graduate patch. The F…

Navy Axes Griffin Missile In Favor of Longbow Hellfire for LCS (USNI News)

From Flight Global DATE: 12/04/10 SOURCE: Flight International USAF may convert some F-15Cs to radar jammers By Stephen Trimble The US Air National Guard may convert some Boeing F-15C Eagles into electronic warfare platforms, possibly adding an entirely new role for the classic air superiority fighter. Adding a jamming pod on the F-15C's currently empty centreline weapon station becomes possible after a subset of the fleet is upgraded with the Raytheon APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, says Maj Todd Giggy, chief of weapons and tactics for the 159th Fighter Sqd. "We're actively looking right now at an electronic warfare capa…

From Aviation Week F-35A Makes First Flight By Ed Phillips/Aviation Week & Space Technology 12/15/2006 05:40:41 PM The first production Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II flew Dec. 15, initiating a six-year, 12,000-hour flight test program involving 15-20 airplanes. Company officials say the 32-min. flight, which originated and terminated at Lockheed Martin facilities at NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, went as planned. "The Lightning II performed beautifully," said Jon Beesley, F-35 chief test pilot. After takeoff Beesley flew the airplane to an altitude of 15,000 ft. and performed a series of maneuvers to check handling qualities and throttle respons…

Australian warships in NY to mark alliance at sea THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 5:54 PM EDT, July 19, 2009 Read AP Article here. NEW YORK - The United States and Australia are celebrating a friendship at sea that has lasted more than 100 years. On Sunday, two Australian warships arrived in New York to commemorate the relationship between the two nations -- naval allies in every major conflict since World War I. The HMAS Sydney and HMAS Ballarat docked at Pier 88 on Manhattan's West Side, where encounters of a very personal kind also were celebrated. "We met on a tour of Europe last month, and we hit it off big time!" said American college student Masha …

The Navy’s stealth destroyers to get new weapons and a new mission: killing ships (DefenseNews)

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

USS Russell DDG-59

The Pentagon unveiled names of 4 new LCS-class ships: LCS-5 USS Milwaukee, LCS-6 USS Jakcson, LCS-7 USS Detroit and LCS-8 USS Montgomery. LCS-5 and LCS-7 will be trimarans, LCS-6 and LCS-8 will be monohulls.