Current Events in the Americas

Navy To Begin Arming Subs With Ship-Killer Missile (Breaking Defense)

U.S. House Panel: Cap DD(X) Buy at 2 DefenseNews At about $4 billion per ship, the U.S. Navy’s DD(X)/DG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer is just too expensive, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett said. So on April 2, the House subcommittee that Bartlett heads passed legislation to limit the program to just two ships. That means $2.6 billion for the 2007 defense budget to buy one ship and begin detailed designs for a second. But after that, no more. “That is my wish,” Bartlett explained after the unanimous vote by the House Armed Services projection forces subcommittee. [ MORE ]

Some 30 will be carried by a single F-16, with propeller and electric batteries: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/08/inside-the-secretive-pentagon-office-planning-skyborg-fighters-and-drone-swarms/ http://warisboring.com/articles/imagine-f-16s-deploying-swarms-of-tiny-drones/

From DefenseNews Canadian Government Hears Airlift Procurement Plan By DAVID PUGLIESE, VICTORIA, British Columbia Canada’s Defence Staff chief is hoping to convince the government to approve an airlift procurement plan that would see the purchase of new helicopters, tactical transport aircraft and search-and-rescue planes in one overall package. Gen. Rick Hillier briefed senior government ministers on the plan Nov. 14. The proposal would see the purchase of at least 50 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Defence Minister Bill Graham has confirmed he supports the plan. Graham hopes that getting government approval for three different aircraft programs all…

From a NavWarGames post : If you live close enough, I'm sure all the Pooners would love some ceremony pictures More info on the Virginia class SSN (aka NSSN-Centurion) : http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/nssn.htm http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/docs/990100-nssn.htm Image courtesy of Wikipedia :

Pre-Commissioned ??? 10 January 2009 (nice photos): http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=109216 Also: http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=109171 But I only see an usual octuple Mk 29 (ssb) mount in the first place photos and not VLS, and I guess the "24 missiles ESSM" is the total, with reloads, in each mount. And the launching of ESSM from Mk 29 mount from CVN 74: http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=40222 I've replaced an Mk 29 mount with ESSM in my personal database in the entry 2367 Theodore Roosevelt And the doubts about her "pre-commission": http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aia/storyDe...33-B731892E1489 htt…

A couple of interesting articles about CBO reported lifecycle/fuel costs for the LCS ... First, from DefenseNews Report: Fuel Factors Less Than Price For LCS By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS Published: 28 Apr 2010 18:45 Fuel costs for the U.S. Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) are calculated by a new Congressional report to be about 11 percent of total life-cycle costs - far less than the 64 percent figure represented by the price to buy the ship. The relative insignificance of the fuel figure to the purchase price is at odds with claims by Alabama's Senate delegation that the Navy should give more weight to fuel efficiency in its pending choice of which LCS …

From Air Force Times Subsonic bomber wanted by 2018 By Gayle S. Putrich - Staff writer Posted : Monday May 21, 2007 6:50:45 EDT The Air Force may trade building a faster bomber in favor of building a bomber faster — even if it means lowering technological expectations for now. Expectations seem to have been dialed down from a supersonic, super-stealthy long-range bomber to a manned, subsonic aircraft with a range of 2,500 nautical miles. Sources say the service plans to buy only about 100 of the stop-gap planes while exploring other options for future bombers. As recently as last year, the Air Force planned a new bomber program between 2025 and 2037. But…

Team the P-8 and Sea Hunter for ASW (Proceedings, September 2018)

From Defense Aerospace Northrop Grumman-Built Mesa Verde (LPD 19) Successfully Completes Builder's Trials (Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.; issued Aug. 20, 2007) PASCAGOULA, Miss. --- The Northrop Grumman-built amphibious transport dock ship Mesa Verde (LPD 19) successfully completed builder's trials last week, in a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman. “We had a very successful trial,'' said Philip Teel, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems sector. “The ship is in great shape, and this team performed incredibly well. This ship is ready to serve the Navy.'' Shipbuilders worked on sea trial…

A three part series from Time magazine's Battleland blog If more money buys a smaller fleet what will less money buy? More than the Navy's numbers could be sinking Is the fleet steaming forward or backward?

Venezuelan President warns against US Navy in Caribbean 2006-05-08 21:23:08 CRIENGLISH.com President Hugo Chavez is accusing the US military of trying to threaten Venezuela with naval exercises it is holding in the Caribbean this month. He said that the presence of a US aircraft carrier in the Caribbean Sea, the USS George Washington, wouldn't scare Venezuelans, who are preparing to repel a possible US invasion by training guerrilla-style resistance fighters. "They can sail the Caribbean with their fleet as much as they like. They are not going to threaten us, they are not going to frighten us, we are not frightened of this paper empire. We are free!…

From Navy Times Stennis group returning from deployment By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Aug 21, 2007 18:09:34 EDT SAN DIEGO — More than 5,500 sailors and Marines are heading home after a nearly eight-month deployment to the Persian Gulf. The aircraft carrier John C. Stennis and several ships of its strike group are scheduled to arrive in San Diego on Monday, Aug. 27, where the massive flattop will unload part of its carrier air wing, Navy officials said Tuesday. The Stennis, a Bremerton, Wash.-based carrier, spent most of the spring and summer operating in the Gulf region, supporting combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and maritime …

From Aviation Week LCS-1 On Course, Lockheed And Navy Say Jan 15, 2009 By Michael Fabey The U.S. Navy’s first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1), USS Freedom, has been performing up to specifications in sea trails, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin, and the Navy says the program is back on course following its restructuring. “We were out on Lake Michigan for 10 days in all kinds of water,” said Joe North, Lockheed vice president and LCS program manager. “The more she rises [off the surface at speed], the more stable she is. But there was nothing that surprised us. We had been doing this on paper for so many years.” Commissioned in November, the shi…

From Defense Aerospace Air Force Selects Developer for Combat Search And Rescue Replacement Vehicle (Source: US Air Force; issued Nov. 9, 2006) WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Honorable Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force, announced today the selection of Boeing Co., Boeing Helicopter, Ridley Park, Pa. to provide the new Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle, also known as CSAR-X. The announcement comes at the end of a fair and open competition, and thorough evaluation of multiple proposals allowing the Air Force to fulfill its number two acquisition priority. "The Air Force is the only service with forces dedicated to the critical mission of…

Just like the Air Force, the Army and the CIA, the Navy soon could be deploying its own armed drones. To that end, the Navy will request funds in fiscal year 2010 to begin outfitting its new surveillance drone with kinetic weapons. The drone, which is scheduled to enter service next year, is the vertical-takeoff and landing tactical unmanned air vehicle, or VTUAV, which is also known as Fire Scout. The aircraft is a modified Schweizer 333 helicopter that the Navy wants to fly off the decks of its littoral combat ships. During the next several months, the Naval Air Systems Command will be examining various weapons that are considered viable candidates for t…

From Flight International DATE: 11/07/08 SOURCE: Flight International Indian Su-30 fighters depart for Red Flag exercise By Radhakrishna Rao An Indian air force contingent with eight Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft, two Ilyushin Il-78 air-to-air refuellers and one Il-76 transport has left India to participate in the 9-23 August multinational exercise Red Flag '08 at the US Air Force's Nellis AFB in Nevada. It will be the first time that the Russian-made Su-30MKI will participate in multinational manoeuvres involving US and other NATO fighters. India expects to spend around Rp1 billion ($23 million) on its participation in the air combat exercise. Sou…

GAO: Air Force Needs More Information Before Divesting A-10 (DefenseNews) Link to GAO report (pdf)

Liberals to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets to fill 'capability gap' (CBC)

From Air Force Times Design flaw puts F-22s in shop for repairs The Associated Press Posted : Monday Oct 22, 2007 8:15:34 EDT SALT LAKE CITY — The Air Force is speeding up its timeline for bringing the F-22 Raptor to Hill Air Force Base for repairs after a design flaw that military officials have known about for years has reappeared. The problem with the Air Force’s newest fighter jet is that the composition of some mechanical access panels makes the Raptor susceptible to corrosion. Military officials changed the design to fix the problem, but it is back and about two-thirds of the military’s fleet of the planes is suffering from corrosion. “So the world…