CV32

From Defense Aerospace Typhoon Launches Operationally for the First Time (Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued Aug. 21, 2007) Typhoon F2s took on their first operational duties on 29 June 2007, when they assumed responsibility for the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) element of UK and NATO air defence in the southern part of the country at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Typhoons, the RAF’s newest fast jet aircraft, currently cover the UK Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) commitment together with Tornado F3 aircraft (which are based at RAF Leeming and RAF Leuchars). Over the next nine months, the Typhoons will progressively replace Tornado F3s, the aircraft which have performed this duty for many years. The first operational unit is Number 3 (Fighter) Squadron, which received its first Typhoon in March 2006, and is the lead squadron for developing RAF Typhoon air defence operations. 3(F) Squadron cover the QRA commitment with Typhoons from Number XI Squadron, which are also based at RAF Coningsby. QRA procedures entail aircraft being held at continuous ground readiness, so that they can take off within minutes - without pre-warning - to provide air defence.

From Air Force Times British jets follow Russian bomber near U.K. By Thomas Wagner - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Aug 21, 2007 16:32:31 EDT LONDON — Two Royal Air Force jets shadowed a Russian strategic bomber that approached British airspace, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday. The incident occurred Friday, the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin flexed his military’s muscle by placing strategic bombers back on long-range patrol for the first time since the Soviet breakup. Britain’s defense ministry issued two photographs on its Web site showing one of the two RAF Typhoon F2s flying near the Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber, nicknamed the Bear, over the North Atlantic Ocean. The ministry provided few details about where and why this happened, but the Russian warplane apparently was in international airspace and approaching Britain’s skies when it was shadowed. Last month, two Russian bombers briefly entered British airspace but turned back after British fighter jets intercepted them. Typhoon F2s are responsible for carrying out the quick-reaction alert policies of British and NATO air defense in Britain, the ministry said. In Russia on Friday, Putin announced that 20 strategic bombers had been sent far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans — showing off Moscow’s muscular new posture. “Starting today, such tours of duty will be conducted regularly and on the strategic scale,” Putin said at the time. “Our pilots have been grounded for too long. They are happy to start a new life.” Putin said halting long-range bombers after the Soviet collapse had hurt Russia’s security because other nations — an oblique reference to the U.S. — had continued such missions. Soviet bombers routinely flew missions to areas where nuclear-tipped cruise missiles could be launched at the U.S. They stopped in the post-Soviet economic meltdown. Booming oil prices have allowed Russia to sharply increase its military spending. Eleven Russian military planes — including strategic bombers and fighter jets — carried out maneuvers west of NATO member Norway on Friday, a military official said. Norway sent F-16 fighter jets to observe and photograph the Russian planes, which rounded the northern tip of Norway and flew south over the Norwegian Sea toward the Faeroe Islands before turning back, said Brig. Gen. Ole Asak, chief of the Norwegian Joint Air Operations Center. A pair of Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers approached the Pacific Island of Guam — home to a major U.S. military base — this month for the first time since the Cold War. Last month, Norwegian F-16s were also scrambled when Tu-95s headed south along the Norwegian coast in international airspace.

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 security missions in the region and most recently training with other naval forces near Guam for Exercise Valiant Shield 2007. The carrier is spending a few days at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on its way to Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Calif., carrying hundreds of family members for a traditional “Tiger Cruise.” Two ships in the strike group, the destroyers O’Kane and Paul Hamilton, returned this week to their Pearl Harbor homeports. The crew of the guided-missile cruiser Antietam will be returning to San Diego on Monday. Stennis’ arrival home will mark the return of its Carrier Air Wing 9’s squadrons, including: * Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 8 and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 of NAS North Island. * Strike Fighter Squadrons 154, VFA-146 and VFA-147 from NAS Lemoore, Calif. * Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 112 of NAS Point Mugu, Calif. * Electronic Attack Squadron 138 of NAS Whidbey Island, Wash. * Sea Control Squadron 31 of Jacksonville, Fla. * Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 43, HSL-45 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, based at North Island. * Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, which will return to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The Stennis, flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, deployed from Naval Base Kitsap on Jan. 16, stopping in San Diego to load up its air wing before heading across the Pacific. While in the Persian Gulf, the carrier operated with the East Coast-based Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. En route home, the carrier tallied its 10,000th trap, landing an F/A-18F from VFA-154 on Aug. 13 at the tail end of Valiant Shield exercises.

The MAKS 2007 air show in Moscow opens today, and for the event KNAAPO has prepared an attractive brochure for the Sukhoi Su-35 (of much feared FA fame ). It is in a zipped PDF file found here.

From RIA Novosti Georgia and Russia - doomed to conflict 21:06 | 20/ 08/ 2007 MOSCOW. (Yelena Imedashvili for RIA Novosti) - It would be naive to assume that a joint Russian-Georgian expert inquiry would produce a unanimous opinion on what aircraft became a catalyst for another aggravation of bilateral relations. It is hard to say why Tbilisi and Moscow went into this joint inquiry, considering that it was clear from the very beginning that neither side would give radar evidence against itself. This is exactly what happened and both Georgia and Russia hastened to accuse each other of concealing information and forging evidence, although both understood what was going on. This is the case when the absence of a result is a result. Spokesman for the Georgian Defense Ministry Batu Kutelia said on this score: "We did not expect any 'confessions' from Russia. We have got convinced that the Russian side has no technical evidence to justify itself." Head of the Russian delegation, Ambassador at Large Valery Kenyaikin was just as explicit: "There is no reason to discuss anymore Russia's alleged involvement in the incident. But we are ready to help Georgia figure out what has happened on its territory." Neither Tbilisi, nor Moscow is trying to tone down their accusations of each other. At the same time, they kindly prompt each other a way out. Tbilisi is hinting that a "Russian pilot could fly to the foreign air space by mistake." In turn, Kenyaikin warned Tbilisi that "some forces could act contrary to the position of the Georgian central leaders, and could organize such a provocation." But nobody is going to use face-saving hints. It is clear that Georgia has used the incident and all available instruments of a diplomatic war in order to force the Russian side into the defensive position. This has evoked a response in Europe, which has been alarmed by Moscow's latest steps in defense and security. The Georgian diplomatic offensive was a success. Most probably, we will never find out what really happened on August 6. Nor will we ever know the circumstances of the shooting in the Kodor Gorge on March 11. The sides are continuously replenishing their bilateral calendar of memorable dates by creating new problems for each other, and each time they miss a chance for settlement. Emotions are running so high that the August 6 incident may soon match the spy scandal of September 27, which launched a downward spiral in bilateral relations. The list of mutual grievances may be endless. Georgia is accusing Russian of pursuing an imperial policy and supporting separatist regimes. Russia is angry at Georgia for its NATO bid, aggressive rhetoric and intention to achieve settlement in Abkhazia and South Ossetia without its participation. This is just the beginning of the list. At the same time both Tbilisi and Moscow keep talking about "centuries-long friendship" and the importance of good relations, but the centrifugal force is moving them further and further apart. Yelena Imedashvili works for the Novosti-Gruzia news agency. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

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 preparations weeks before the ship sailed the Gulf of Mexico from Aug. 13 to 16. The ship's compartments were 100 percent complete, and all systems and certifications were completed and tested 100 percent to pre-trial requirements. Rigorous testing was performed on the ship's main propulsion, communications, steering, navigational, radar and other systems. Other exercises included anchor handling, flight operations, compartment air balancing and ballasting/de-ballasting of the well deck, where amphibious landing craft will be launched. Navy representatives onboard during builder's trials praised the effort and teamwork displayed by Northrop Grumman shipbuilders and Navy personnel. “Mesa Verde performed wonderfully during builder's sea trials,'' said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Shawn Lobree, LPD 19's prospective commanding officer. “Due to the tremendous teamwork by Northrop Grumman and the Navy, she was fully completed before going to sea, and all major testing was complete. Northrop Grumman is poised to deliver a top-rate warship to the Navy, one which shows pride in workmanship everywhere you look. Mesa Verde is a stout ship with a hearty crew. She will not disappoint!'' Capt. Beth Dexter, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast, remarked, “It was an excellent trial, and I think both the Navy and Northrop Grumman teams can be very proud of LPD 19. It's a good product that we can give to the fleet.'' “The Navy and Northrop Grumman team executed a tremendous ship-completion plan that led to a successful builder's trial,'' said Capt. Bill Galinis, U.S. Navy LPD 17 program manager. “It was an excellent sea trial. This team set the standard for how LPDs will be delivered to the Navy in the future.'' Next month, the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey team will conduct acceptance trials aboard LPD 19, which will involve more rounds of extensive testing of the ship's major systems. Mesa Verde's mission is to embark, transport and land elements of a landing force in a variety of expeditionary and special operations missions. Mesa Verde is an LPD 17-class ship. The ship is 208.4 meters (684 feet) long, 31.9 meters (105 feet) wide, and will replace the functions of the LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships. This new ship class affords the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group with the technology and flexibility to launch and recover amphibious landing craft such as the Landing Craft Air Cushion, operate an array of rotary-wing aircraft, as well as carry and launch the U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide. [so, is this a signal that the LPD 17 program is back on track ?]

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 program has been on hold for three years after Boeing lost the contract to lease 100 aerial refueling planes amid an ethics scandal that resulted in prison terms for a former Boeing official and a former high-ranking Air Force official. There has been a “cloud of scandal hanging over the Air Force’s acquisition community,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, based in Virginia. “They obviously need to do something with the tanker competition that will vindicate their skills as a weapons buyer.” An Air Force spokesman said the decision will not be made until December in order to allow more time to review the strengths and weaknesses of each bidder’s proposal. “The timeliness of the industry responses will directly influence how quickly we reach a contract award,” the spokesman said. A three-month delay should have little adverse effect for either Northrop or Boeing, said Richard Aboulafia, a defense analyst for Teal Group Corp. Both competitors could actually benefit from the additional time to make their cases, he said. The new tankers, considered to be one of the Air Force’s highest priority programs, will replace the service’s aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, which has been in service for more than 50 years. Senior Air Force officials say the program is critical for U.S. military and coalition fighters to enable forces to go anywhere, anytime without having to rely on refueling bases. “The Air Force is being very good at following the process, and they want it to get it right,” Boeing spokesman William Barksdale said. But defense analysts suggest the Air Force is spending more time sifting through contract terms and cost estimates to avoid potential disputes once the deal has been inked. For the past year, the Air Force has been caught in the middle of a $15 billion dispute with Lockheed Martin Corp. and Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp., over the department’s decision to award a helicopter deal to Boeing Co. Both losing bidders initially argued that the Air Force was not clear on the requirements it was seeking, or how it evaluated the competitors’ proposals. Wall Street analysts are predicting a slew of additional protests this fall related to high-stakes Pentagon contracts, including a $4.5 billion satellite competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

This squabble is of particular interest, to me at least. I've been observing the Russia-Georgia tensions for a while now, and its always been intriguing. The missile in question appears to have been identified as a Kh-58 (NATO AS-11 Kilter) anti-radar missile. IIRC, it is only carried by the Russian Su-24M Fencer D or MiG-25BM Foxbat F, or maybe the Czech/Slovak Su-22M4 Fitter K. Georgia has none of these aircraft, lending credence to the allegation that it was Russia that fired the missile. The target is claimed to have been a radio station. (Can the AS-11 Kilter (or for that matter, any anti-radar missile) home on the emissions from a radio station ?) If so, why attack the radio station ? Damaging propaganda ? And why such an overtly obvious and presumably traceable method of trying to destroy it ? Curious stuff, this Russia-Georgia issue.

From Defense Aerospace Raytheon's Laser-Guided Maverick Missile Meets Urgent Air Force Need (Source: Raytheon Co.; issued Aug. 16, 2007) TUCSON, Ariz. --- Having published an urgent operational need for a close air support weapon to defeat high-speed moving targets with minimal collateral damage, the U.S. Air Force has expressed interest in re-establishing production of Raytheon Company's laser-guided Maverick. The laser-guided AGM-65E Maverick missile is an air-to-ground weapon that can meet the service's needs in the near-term. The Air Force currently operates with television- and infrared-guided versions of Maverick. Until now, only the Navy and Marine Corps have employed the laser-guided version. The laser-guided Maverick has a combat-proven record of effectiveness and reliability against armored and moving surface targets in scenarios involving urban environments and during close air support missions. "Maverick missiles constitute a key capability required for use in the modern battlespace," said Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of the Strike product line. "Maverick has proved itself over many years of service to be a very versatile weapon system, and the newest laser version will significantly enhance the Air Force's precision capability required to save lives in close combat and quick-reaction situations. "To get that capability on Air Force aircraft in short order, the Navy has agreed to transfer some of its inventory of laser-guided Mavericks to the Air Force." Maverick is a precision air-to-ground missile that has multiple warhead and seeker variants and is used against moving or stationary small or hard targets; armored vehicles; surface-to-air missile sites; and high-value targets such as ships, port facilities and communications centers. The missile has launch-and-leave capability that enables a pilot to fire it and immediately take evasive action or attack another target as the missile guides to the target. First employed in Southeast Asia more than 30 years ago, Maverick is the most widely used precision-guided missile in the world. Maverick has been upgraded to meet evolving threats, playing a key role in recent conflicts. The weapon's seeker technology has improved significantly since the initial television-guided version was delivered to the Air Force in 1972. Increased capabilities were added with the introduction of scene magnification optics; modern charge-coupled-device television technology; and improved software, infrared and laser seekers. Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of $20.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide. [With the loss of the Joint Common Missile program, it seems we're going back in time to try and find a suitable weapon to meet the requirement. To refresh our memories, here are the H4.1 specs for the laser guided AGM-65E Maverick: AGM-65E Maverick Guidance SALH Gen 2 Min range 1.1 nm Max range 10.8 nm Speed 791 kt Trajectory Ballistic Flight altitude Low Hang weight 293 kg Warhead 136 kg Damage points 27 RCS VSmall IOC 1985 Notes Uses Pave Spike or Pave Tack designator]

That's good news, Pete. Anxiously awaiting yours and Brains' joining the HarpGamer Squadron.

Thanks Pete ! A Dragunov would make for a very nice addition to the collection, but unfortunately they're prohibited here in Canuckistan. Only probable reason being that they "look like" the AK series, but in fact are not the same at all. Furthermore, you can buy a "poor man's" Dragunov called the Berkut which is of the same caliber (7.62x54R), also semi-auto, and also looks like an AK, but is neither prohibited or even restricted. Go figure. Doing a good job of trying to explain the rationale behind Canuckistani gun laws would probably take more than I can muster.

Like this ? (albeit Ukrainian) and not like this ? (sorry, that was mean ... )

I think perhaps you'll have more luck if you search under the class name "Uribe" rather than Halcyon. Here's what I have found: Class names (all appear to have entered service during 1981-82): Cadate Virgilo Uribe Robales, C-11 Teniente Jose Azueta Abad, C-12 Capitan de Fragata Pedro Sainz de Baranda Borreyro, C-13 Comodoro Carlos Castillo Breton Borreyro, C-14 Vice almirante Othon P. Blanco Nunez De Caceres, C-15 Contralmirante Angel Ortiz Monasterio, C-16 Displacement 910 t full load Length: 103.8 m Beam: 16.22 m Draft: 4.8 m Propulsion: 2 x MTU-Bazan diesels, 2 shafts Speed: 22 kt max Complement: 46 Aviation: 1 x MBB Bo-105CB helo Guns: 1 x Bofors 40mm fwd Sensors: Decca 1226 (I) nav radar, Naja optronic sensor The Holzinger 2000 class is a larger and more modern variant of the Halcyon with aviation facilities and better armament. Hope this helps.

From DefenseNews Posted 08/14/07 16:14 Iran President Denies Arming Taliban in Afghanistan By REUTERS, KABUL Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied on August 14 U.S. accusations his country was arming Taliban insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan. U.S. officials say Iranian weapons are entering Afghanistan on such a scale it is hard to believe Tehran is not aware of the shipments. High-powered roadside bombs, which Washington says Iran sends to Iraq, have also begun to appear in Afghanistan. Asked about the accusations, Ahmadinejad told a news conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul: “I strongly doubt that, there is no truth in it... even in Iraq such claims are made.” Ahmadinejad was in Afghanistan just a week after Afghan President Hamid Karzai returned from a visit to Iran’s arch foe, the United States, where President George W. Bush warned his guest that Iran was “not a force for good.” The United States accuses Iran of arming militant groups throughout the Middle East, attempting to destabilize its neighbors Iraq and Afghanistan and seeking to develop a nuclear arsenal, all charges Tehran denies. Karzai’s pro-Western government has rarely criticized Iran, with which it shares a long and porous border and enjoys strong trading ties. “We strongly support the political process of Afghanistan,” Ahmadinejad said. “The security of Afghanistan has a primary impact on Iran because we have long borders. For us, a strong and stable Afghanistan is the best option.” AFGHAN BRIDGE The Iranian president blamed the West for terrorism. “The Afghan and Iranian governments are both victims of terrorism. Terrorism is supported by super-powers,” he said. Shi’ite Iran almost went to war with the staunchly Sunni Taliban movement when it controlled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, but Western analysts say Tehran has an interest in making life uncomfortable for U.S. troops by arming its former foe. [Emphasis mine] Karzai said his country might be able to bridge the divide between the United States and Iran, at odds since the Iranian revolution deposed the U.S.-backed shah in 1979. “Afghanistan has strong ties with Iran, we share the same religion and language. Also, we are a strategic partner of the United States,” Karzai told the news conference. “If Afghanistan can bring these countries closer together, it will be a great happiness for Afghanistan ... but it all depends on what those two nations think,” he said. Iran is host to some 1 million Afghan refugees and migrant workers, but has angered Afghan leaders by deporting some 160,000 Afghans since April, often without allowing them to take any of their belongings or savings with them. Afghan authorities and international agencies are struggling to cope with the influx and many returnees are living in temporary accommodation while others were deported by Iran into areas of conflict with Taliban insurgents. “There are 2.5 million Afghans living in Iran right now, they have (the) same rights, we have no problems. We have problems with those who enter Iran illegally through our borders, naturally they create problems,” Ahmadinejad said.

From DefenseNews Posted 08/14/07 20:17 U.S. Sees Looming China Threat to Satellites By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE China may be just three years away from being able to disrupt U.S. military satellites in a regional conflict, a senior U.S. military leader said Aug. 14, citing a recent antisatellite test and other advances. The warning came amid calls at a conference in Alabama for intensified efforts to ensure U.S. “space superiority” in the wake of China’s shootdown Jan. 11 of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile. “It is not inconceivable that within about three years we can be challenged at a near peer level in a region,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin Campbell, head of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command. “That means taking out a number of communications capabilities over a theater of war,” he added in a speech to an audience of defense contractors in Huntsville, Ala. Campbell later told reporters that while a number of countries have some capabilities to interfere with satellite communications, China is the country he is most worried about. Its antisatellite test in January was a clear demonstration of its ability to destroy an orbiting satellite, he said. But its development of jamming capabilities and advances in computer network attack point to a comprehensive approach to denying the U.S. military access to space in a conflict, he said. “It starts to add up that they’ll have multidimensional capabilities to attack various systems that are in orbit today,” he said. “A lot of countries have pieces of what I’ve described, but I would say I’m more concerned about China than any of them,” he said. Satellites are vital to U.S. military operations, enabling the flow of torrents of communications, imagery and navigational data for the kind of high-tech precision warfare the U.S. excels at. But U.S. reliance on satellites also has created vulnerabilities that, though long understood, had not taken concrete form until the Chinese test. Campbell said it has spurred the military to think about how to counter the threat, including ways to track and surveil objects in space to know what they are up to. He said his command has devised a “space alert” system patterned on “air alerts” that would key the military’s responses to a threat to a friendly satellite. The military also is thinking about offensive countermeasures, he said. “I’m not free to talk about specifics, but the bottom line is we’re thinking about and taking steps to ensure we have a capability... that shows we have freedom of action in space,” he said.

Don, Basically we're awaiting the preparation of the manual that will accompany the game. We've now seen the initial draft of that manual and made our suggestions for changes. Also, we're going to start our own efforts working on the HCE source code before the game is actually released, which should be a positive indicator of where this game is going and what kind of support it will be receiving. I suggest you keep an eye on the Matrix forum and this one for upcoming news. P.S. No need to use upper case letters to emphasize your frustrations. I'm as anxious to see HCE released as anybody else.

From Navy Times Analysts: CNO choice shows priority shift By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer Posted : Monday Aug 13, 2007 5:40:05 EDT Adm. Gary Roughead’s recent nomination to become the next chief of naval operations is a prominent example of a shift in the Navy’s focus from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and Indian oceans [Emphasis mine], according to naval observers. Over the past few years, the sea service has dedicated more attention to the western Pacific and Indian oceans. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review called for the Navy to move more assets to the Pacific in light of the potential future threats of China and North Korea. Roughead, a former commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii, has experience in Asia meeting with foreign navy counterparts, fostering ties with China and organizing relief efforts in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. With a large portion of the world’s natural resources and good and services coming out of China and India, the Navy must engage more in Asia, retired Adm. Bob Natter told Navy Times. Roughead’s familiarity with the region will be a plus for the Navy, Natter said, adding, “His civilian bosses will encourage his perspective.” Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, said Roughead’s career is “emblematic of how the United States is migrating maritime assets from the Atlantic to Pacific.” “Roughead is an impressive fellow,” Thompson said. “He is competent in the world of politics, ideas and operations.” Thompson cited the admiral’s experience as chief of legislative affairs for the Navy, head of the U.S. Naval Academy and Pacific Fleet commander. Roughead will be able to understand the “threats and distances” of the Pacific region, said Robert Work, an analyst for the Center for Budgetary and Strategic Assessments. The admiral’s experience in Asia will be “fortuitous” to making decisions about requirements, basing and positioning of forces in the region, Work said. The key to the Navy’s engagement in the Pacific is “engaging and hedging,” Work said. With no imminent threat in the region, U.S. naval forces must engage with Asian countries, while simultaneously hedging against potential future foes by bolstering capabilities such as anti-submarine warfare. In interviews before his CNO nomination, Roughead discussed both the benefit of building partnerships and the need for increasing anti-submarine warfare assets. [Emphasis mine] The Pacific is not the only region where Roughead, pending Senate confirmation this fall, will be required to watch as CNO. Norman Polmar, a naval scholar and author, said the newly formed U.S. Africa Command and South America will require increased naval forces in the next decade. “In Roughead’s time as CNO, I think we’ll see an increased need for naval forces along with special operations troops and Air Force reconnaissance and logistics in all of those places [around the globe] where we’re not going to want to put troops on the ground,” he said. The Navy will play a key role in AfriCom due to the limited number of airfields on the expansive continent, Polmar argued, adding, “We won’t be shooting at many people in the next decade,” he said.

I think you could probably manage to meet these ... Minimum System Requirements: Win 95 or 98 90 MHz or faster 16 MB RAM 4x CD-ROM Drive SVGA capable 1MB PCI or AGP video card with Direct Draw Recommended System Requirements: 166 MHz or faster 32 MB RAM 6x CD-ROM Drive

From Navy Times WWII mine discovered in port as Navy visits The Associated Press Posted : Friday Aug 10, 2007 6:04:31 EDT KIEV, Ukraine — A World War II mine was discovered Thursday in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Sevastopol as a U.S. Navy ship called for a visit, and efforts were underway to safely dispose of it, officials said. The mine, weighing up to 1,100 pounds and containing up to 110 pounds of TNT, was found drifting in the water Wednesday near a local navy hospital on the shore, said Valery Strelets, spokesman for the local branch of Ukraine’s Emergencies Ministry. The report came as the guided-missile destroyer Forrest Sherman arrived at the port to conduct drills with the Ukrainian navy. The ship was about 500 yards away from the mine when it was discovered, Strelets said. He said the mine has been secured to prevent it from floating freely and will be destroyed about a mile out at sea. Ukraine was the site of heavy fighting during World War II and numerous unexploded shells, grenades and mines are discovered each year. [interesting scenario fodder here. A WWII era mine accidentally hits a US Navy ship while she is in port in the Ukraine, causing severe damage. Russia is already strongly protesting the US presence when the incident occurs, and no one knows it was a WWII mine or an accident. What happens next ?]

From Navy Times National security cutter fires up engines By Patricia Kime - Staff writer Posted : Friday Aug 10, 2007 5:31:15 EDT The Coast Guard fired up the engines of the national security cutter Bertholf for the first time Wednesday. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Walt Probst pressed the switch to start the ship’s gas turbine engines, the power source for high speed operations. The ship is under construction at Northrop Grumman Ship System’s Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The engine light-off marks another step in the vessel’s march toward sea trials, expected this fall. A Coast Guard spokesman said Wednesday the ship’s diesel engines, which round out the propulsion plant system also will be started sometime this week. “This is a significant day for Bertholf, bringing it one step closer to self sufficiency,” said Kevin Amis, Northrop’s national security cutter program manager, in a press release. The Bertholf is the first of eight planned Legend-class ships to be produced under the Coast Guard’s Deepwater modernization program. The 418-foot vessels will replace the current fleet of 12 378-foot Hamilton-class high endurance ships. The Bertholf and the second ship in the class, named Waesche, have come under intense scrutiny in the past year from Congress and public watchdog groups since concerns were exposed over possible design flaws in the vessels. The Coast Guard did not disclose to Congress that its engineers had raised concerns over the ships’ design and plan to retro-fit the Bertholf and Waesche to avoid any premature hull fatigue. Also on Wednesday, the Coast Guard announced it had awarded a $377 million contract for the third national security cutter to Integrated Coast Guard Systems, the Northrop Grumman-Lockheed Martin joint venture that has served as Deepwater’s prime contractor since 2002. The contract includes an agreement to resolve the contractual and technical issues on the Bertholf and Waesche. The agreement added $255 million to resolve issues for Bertholf and Waesche, bringing the total cost of first two ships to $1.1 billion. According to the Coast Guard, the total cost, including acquisition costs, for Bertholf stands at $641 million, for Waesche, $496 million and for NSC 3, $505 million. In 2002, the initial contract for Bertholf was $322 million. The ship was redesigned partway through construction to meet post-Sept. 11, 2001 homeland security requirements, driving up costs. Hurricane Katrina, as well as contractor overruns and a shipyard strike, have also affected pricing. According to the Coast Guard, Bertholf is 83 percent complete.

From Navy Times 3 Virginia-class subs to be based at Pearl By Jaymes Song - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Aug 10, 2007 8:11:44 EDT HONOLULU — Two of the newest attack submarines will join the USS Hawaii in being home-ported at Pearl Harbor as the Navy shifts its focus to the Pacific, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said Thursday. Inouye said the relocation of the USS North Carolina and the USS Texas from the East Coast was a policy decision made several months ago in recognition of the “strategic nature of the Pacific as compared to the Atlantic.” “I think it’s obvious the next area of concern is the Pacific region,” he said. The vessels are now part of sub squadrons in Groton, Conn. and represent three of the first four Virginia-class subs. The Navy plans to replace its aging Los Angeles-class submarines with the new ships. The Hawaii was commissioned in May and the Texas was commissioned last year. They will arrive in the islands sometime in 2009, followed by North Carolina, which is currently undergoing sea trials. The Virginia, commissioned in 2004 as the first in a group of 10 subs being built jointly by Electric Boat and the Northrop Grumman shipyard, will remain on the East Coast, Inouye said. Navy officials couldn’t confirm the basing but said they would welcome the new-generation submarines. Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said the Navy secretary has not made an announcement on where the subs are going to be berthed, but he feels they should be in Hawaii. “We’re excited about the shift of submarines to the Pacific because we feel it’s a much broader body of water, time distance factors, all things considered: this is where the Pacific Fleet commander wants them,” he said Thursday. The Navy is shifting a total of six submarines from Connecticut and Virginia to the Pacific by 2010. The shift will put 60 percent of the Navy’s submarine fleet in the Pacific and 40 percent in the Atlantic. Currently, the submarines are evenly divided between the two oceans. The boost is in line with a gradual increase in U.S. ships and planes in the Pacific region, home to some of the more troublesome potential conflict zones for the U.S. — the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan. Cmdr. Mike Brown, spokesman for Pacific Fleet Submarine Forces, said he also has not received official word of the relocation but added that the senator would have the information before his office would. With the Pentagon shifting its attention to the Pacific and as the aging Los Angeles-class submarines are being replaced, it would be “logical” that the first new subs would be based at Pearl Harbor, Brown said. Pearl Harbor is currently home to 16 Los Angeles-class attack submarines, after last year’s decommissioning of the USS Honolulu. Navy officials have said that Pearl Harbor would eventually have 18 submarines by 2010. Inouye said it will be up to policy-makers to decide how many of the Virginia-class subs will be based at Pearl Harbor. “Out of the first four, we’re going to have three, so that’s not bad,” he said. The new breed of submarines can attack targets onshore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct long-term surveillance. The subs can travel at speeds greater than 25 knots, or 28.8 miles per hour. It can reach depths greater than 800 feet and will carry 134 officers and crew members. The nuclear attack submarines are one of the Navy’s best tools to track the undersea vessels of other nations. This makes them especially vital as China and others in the region acquire sophisticated diesel submarines that are quieter and harder to detect than the diesel subs of the past. “It’s state-of-the-art,” Inouye said. “No one can come close to what we have.”

From Navy Times Admiral disputes Russian claim of Guam flyover By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Aug 10, 2007 6:36:39 EDT PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Russian bombers never got within 300 miles of Guam this week and did not fly over the U.S. territory as a Russian air force general claimed. Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard disputed that U.S. fighters intercepted the bombers. The admiral said the Russian aircraft never got close enough to the Pacific island or the massive U.S. military exercises being held nearby, to warrant such action. “U.S. planes went to an orbit point in preparation for an intercept that never occurred because the Bears didn’t get close enough,” Willard said Thursday using a slang term for the Russian planes. Earlier, a Russian air force general said a pair of Tu-95 bombers reached Guam as part of an exercise intended to demonstrate the Kremlin’s resurgent military power. The general said the bomber’s crews smiled at the pilots of the U.S. fighter jets scrambled to intercept them. The U.S. military is currently holding large-scale war games in waters and air space near Guam. The “Valiant Shield” drills are among the largest U.S. military exercises held anywhere in the world, involving over 22,000 troops, more than 30 ships and some 275 planes. Willard, a former Navy fighter pilot and aircraft carrier commander, said Russian air forces have not tried to push their way in to watch U.S. carrier training much recently. But he said it was something that happened often in the days of the Soviet Union. “We’re very accustomed to this and it wasn’t a particular surprise to us,” Willard said. “It was standard operating procedure for those of us that have that experience.” In Soviet days, U.S. fighter jets would fly out to “escort” the planes, he said. The U.S. and Russia still have procedures they follow in such circumstances to ensure the safety of their forces, he added. The Russian planes flew to the Pacific as part of its own exercise that saw strategic bombers flying 40 sorties and launching eight cruise missiles, said Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov, who commands Russia’s long-range bomber force. During the Cold War, Soviet bombers routinely flew far over the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The maneuvers came to a halt after the post-Soviet economic meltdown, but booming oil prices have allowed Russia to pour money into military budgets. Willard said the appearance of the bombers did not affect the Valiant Shield exercises, aside from the brief diversion of the fighter jets that were put on standby. The admiral, who assumed command of the Pacific Fleet in May, said Guam’s military training ranges offered a perfect location for a large-scale training exercises. He said holding the war games showed the importance of Asia-Pacific security to the U.S. “It’s a demonstration of the U.S. military’s commitment to the region and to the high level of readiness of our forces, even in very busy operational times,” Willard said. U.S. military leaders said the drills were teaching sailors, airmen and Marines to understand each other’s signals and terminology so they will work together seamlessly in an emergency.

LOL.

From Aviation Week Details About Northrop UCAS Operations Emerge Aug 9, 2007 David A Fulghum, Amy Butler, and Bettina H Chavanne/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Details about stealth, unmanned concepts of operation and new missions like air-to-air refueling are emerging following the award of the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) contract to Northrop Grumman. Building off the company's X-47B prototype, the $635.8-million, six-year contract includes landing an unmanned combat aircraft on a carrier deck by late 2011 (DAILY, Aug. 2). According to company officials, the X-47B flying wing design will offer stealth protection against both high frequency (anti-aircraft radars and ground-to-air or air-to-air missiles) and low frequency (long-range search radars) emitters, a capability that earlier stealth designs didn't have. The unmanned aircraft also will offer the ability to takeoff and land on aircraft carriers and operate in weather too poor for manned flight. Because there is no pilot in the cockpit, mission endurance is expected to reach 50-100 hours. Since the UCAS is going to be aloft for so long, the company is adapting the two weapons bays to carry 12 precision-guided, 250-pound small diameter bombs instead of two 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) [Emphasis mine]. That way the aircraft can strike more targets during a mission and take advantage of its long-loiter capability. As to new missions, company planners are looking at installing a 600-gallon fuel tank in each weapons bay so that it can serve as a tanker [Emphasis mine]. That option has brought cheers from the F/A-18 Hornet community, which since the retirement of the Navy's S-3s has had to perform aerial refueling for the carrier-based community. A rough schedule for the UCAS program is taking shape. The post-award conference will be held in three-four weeks, says Navy Capt. Richard Brasel, program manager for the demonstration. Air vehicle one is 50 percent complete at Northrop Grumman's facility in Palmdale, Calif., with rollout slated for next year. Air vehicle two is expected to enter the manufacturing process next year. Both demonstrators will be designed for a life of 400 flight hours. First flight in late 2009 or early 2010 will be on the West Coast, likely at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Flight envelope expansion will be conducted with air vehicle one, then testing will shift to Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md. The first land-based, aircraft carrier-type, arrested landing is to be conducted at NAS Lakehurst, N.J., in early 2011. Sea trials are to begin that summer. Depending on carrier availability, the first trap on an aircraft carrier is planned for summer 2012.

I doubt it, at least in the case of some warning from the attacking missile, as ARM's generally employ passive seekers. I'd say in most cases, the first warning that a SAM system crew has about an incoming ARM is when they actually detect the attacking aircraft or its anti-radar missile with their own radar, or alternatively, when a neighboring radar or SAM site suddenly and unexpectedly goes off the air. It seems the method of turning SAM radars on and off in an attempt to avoid coming under attack has generally been rather haphazard.