CV32

From Flight International DATE:30/04/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com Northrop Grumman rolls out E2-D Advanced Hawkeye By Graham Warwick Northrop Grumman has rolled out the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the latest version of the US Navy’s carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft. The first of two test aircraft was revealed at Northrop’s St Augustine, Florida plant. While externally similar to today’s E-2C, the E-2D has a new Lockheed Martin APY-9 radar with an L-3 Randtron rotodome antenna that combines mechanical rotation with electronic scanning. This provides 360º coverage while allowing operators to focus the radar on areas of interest. The E-2D also features new operator workstations, mission data processors, electronic support measures and satellite communications. Electrical and cooling systems are improved. The airframe is strengthened for a higher carrier landing weight and a new glass cockpit is installed. The E-2D is powered by Rolls-Royce T56-427A turboprops driving eight-blade Hamilton Sundstrand NP2000 propellers. Northrop is working under a $2 billion system development and demonstration contract. Flight testing will begin late this year and the Advanced Hawkeye is scheduled to enter service with the US Navy in 2011.

From Aviation Week Secret Surveillance Satellites To Launch In June Craig Covault/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report A secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) dual-satellite ocean surveillance mission to track potential terrorist movements at sea and monitor Chinese and Iranian ship tactics is being readied for liftoff June 14 from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V, intelligence sources tell Aviation Week. The National Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) flight is designated NRO L-30. The importance of NRO's space ocean surveillance role in connection with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard has been elevated since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The need to track thousands of civilian ships worldwide has intensified given the potential for seemingly harmless shipping to be involved in nuclear, chemical or biological terrorist operations. And nations like China and Iran also are demonstrating new sea-based tactics and capabilities that must be monitored. The two satellites on the Atlas V mission have a combined mass of about 6.5 tons and primarily will use electronic intelligence (elint) techniques combined with interferometry. The spacecraft and launcher combined have a total cost of roughly $600 million - $800 million. The satellites will fly in a formation that is precisely controlled to obtain data at different times when they overfly ships as they move or remain stationary between the satellites' passes Those data then will be combined with information from about 18 other NRO ocean surveillance satellites spaced in 6-7 separate formations orbiting the globe. At the same time the NRO is readying the ocean surveillance mission, the agency also is initiating a major new procurement for a new stopgap optical imaging system. The new system is aimed at allowing the intelligence community to recover from delays in the Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) program, which has yet to launch an operational spacecraft. The delays have occurred because of poor performance by Boeing in the optical program that has now been given to Lockheed Martin. Boeing has retained the imaging radar half of the program. The new spacecraft are especially needed to obtain imaging intelligence of China, Iran, and North Korea as older imaging reconnaissance satellites expire. The competitors are likely to be DigitalGlobe and GeoEye. The twin-satellite ocean surveillance mission is part of a major military space push to launch eight additional DOD payloads through year's end. Five of them will be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Many of the missions involve research and development on new technologies important for growing U.S. military space operations such as ballistic missile defense and space surveillance. The Atlas V ocean surveillance mission will be NRO's first launch since the agency was stunned by the failure of a $300 million class research and development spacecraft affiliated with the FIA program shortly after its Dec. 14 Delta II launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

3 July 1942: Departed Pearl Harbor, enroute to a patrol in the East China Sea. 17 July 1942: We were attacked by a lone H8K aircraft today, but its bombs dropped well behind us. 18 July 1942: Shortly before midnight, we received word of a large convoy heading south in our direction. 19 July 1942: When we located the convoy, it looked to be escorted by five Mutsuki class destroyers. We engaged anyway, sinking a large composite freighter and one of the Mutsuki warships, and crippling three other merchants. We stayed submerged until the remainder of the convoy had moved off. Three hours later, we surfaced and engaged the remaining ships with the 4 inch gun, sinking a medium composite freighter, a large composite freighter and a medium split freighter. We sustained some minor damage as one of the merchants was armed, and returned fire, but this was quickly repaired. 20 July 1942: In the afternoon, we were attacked by a G4M Betty aircraft. We damaged it, but then another appeared. We crash dived to avoid its attack. Map of activity in the Western Pacific. 21 July 1942: Before dawn, we spotted a medium split freighter and a large composite freighter. We torpedoed both of them, and then finished them with gunfire. Late in the afternoon, we encountered a convoy moving northeast, about 115 nm east of Manya (Okinawa). During the engagement, we sank a Mutsuki destroyer, two medium split freighters and a medium composite freighter. That night, while running on the surface in the midst of thick fog and rain, we were surprised by an Akizuki destroyer. Well aimed shots from our stern gun inflicted serious damage before the enemy ship could respond, and we sunk her. 22 July 1942: During the night we passed through the Okinawa archipelago and reached our patrol area in the evening. We soon received a report of a nearby convoy. Though we had very few torpedoes remaining, we approached. It appeared that there was only a sole escort in close proximity to the merchants, with maybe two others considerably distant on the flanks. We sank the leading Mutsuki destroyer with our last torpedo at about 1,500 yd. We then surfaced and engaged the merchants with our gun, sinking a small composite, a large split freighter, two small split freighters, a medium split freighter. We also sank both of the remaining Mutsuki destroyers before finally running out of ammunition for the 4 inch gun. 24 July 1942: With very little other activity in this area, we turned for home by mid afternoon. 28 July 1942: We passed safely out of Japanese controlled waters before dawn. 1 August 1942: In the evening we were advised by COMSUBPAC that Operation Watchtower would kick off in six days in the Solomon Islands. 7 August 1942: During the night, we arrived at Midway for refit. Before morning, we received word of the start of Operation Watchtower.

14 May 1942: We departed from Midway late in the evening to begin a long transit westward. 26 May 1942: Early in the morning we received orders to proceed to a patrol area off Honshu (Japan), near Tokyo. In mid morning, we saw a pair of enemy merchants. However, they spotted us before we could dive, and took evasive maneuvers in an effort to escape. We managed to put two torpedoes into each of them, a large modern tanker and a large composite freighters. A pair of H8K aircraft soon arrived, and quickly dumped their bombs off to the west, more or less where we had been spotted earlier. We surfaced and sank both damaged ships with the 4 inch gun. 27 May 1942: Midway through the morning, we were attacked by a pair of H8K aircraft. Their bombs missed us, and one aircraft immediately broke off its attack and continued southward. The other made a couple of more passes before also breaking off to the south. Aircraft sightings became more numerous as the day went on. We were now within 250 nm of Tokyo. Late in the afternoon, we came under attack from three G4M Betty aircraft. We crash dived to avoid this threat. 28 May 1942: Before dawn, we were about 116 nm south of Yokosuka. We came upon a small enemy convoy, but they were too far away and moving too fast. Later in the morning, we encountered three Fubuki class destroyers escorting what looked to be two large merchants. These were soon identified as a large old passenger carrier and a huge European liner under Japanese flag. We approached and struck both merchants with two torpedoes each from about 1,100 yd. The torpedoes impacted broadside. The passenger carrier went down quickly. We put a third torpedo into the liner from about 600 yd, whereupon she was wracked by a huge explosion and rapidly sank. No lifeboats were observed, and we escaped to the north. The destruction of a passenger liner carrying Japanese troops. Later in the afternoon, a pair of H8K aircraft attacked us. We killed one of them with the twin 20mm, and damaged the other. In the evening, we finally reached our patrol area, less than 60 nm south of Tokyo. There was continued heavy air activity. 29 May 1942: In the afternoon, we spotted a large composite freighter traveling alone. After an immobilizing shot with a torpedo, we sank the target with gunfire. An hour later, we spotted another large composite freighter. This target appeared to be armed, and we hit it with two torpedoes. Enemy aircraft soon arrived on the scene, dropping bombs and hindering us from completing the engagement. Later, with the target listing heavily to starboard but still afloat, we surfaced and engaged with gunfire. We expended nearly all of our high explosive ammunition, but destroyed the target. Immediately afterward, we received a report from COMSUBPAC that Japanese naval forces were heading toward Midway. Late in the evening, after dark, we spotted a small composite freighter and a medium composite freighter traveling together, and torpedoed both. The smaller ship was in obvious distress, and sinking, but we surfaced to use the 4 inch gun to finish the larger vessel. A gun engagement in the moonlight. 30 May 1942: During the night, we received a report of a large convoy departing from the Tokyo area, but we had no hope of catching up. We did, however, locate a small composite freighter, and sank it with gunfire without expending any torpedoes. Later we saw a large composite freighter, which we torpedoed from about 1,000 yd. There was a huge explosion and resulting serious fire, and the target sank quickly. We then received a radio report of a new convoy, this time heading north. We made contact with this group about two hours later. The convoy was being escorted by three Mutsuki class destroyers. During the engagement, we sank six ships: two large composite freighters, two medium composite freighters, a small split freighter and one of the Mutsuki tin cans. We stayed submerged until dawn when the remaining ships and warships had moved off. In the afternoon, we spotted a medium composite freighter but we had no torpedoes remaining and only a little high explosive ammunition. Nevertheless, a few well placed 4 inch rounds along the waterline and she succumbed. Our assigned patrol now complete, we turned for home. 31 May 1942: Heavy enemy air activity continued as we headed east away from Japanese territorial waters. We spent most of this day dodging and diving to escape air attacks. 1 June 1942: Beautiful weather today, with calm seas. Little air activity and no ships sighted. 4 June 1942: In the evening we received news from COMSUBPAC that a major naval engagement was ongoing in the vicinity of Midway, now about 1,450 nm to the east. 7 June 1942: Before dawn broke we encountered a Japanese task force group heading west, away from Midway. With no torpedoes remaining, we avoided engagement and passed within 4,000 yd of two Maya heavy cruisers, a Takao heavy cruiser and a Minekaze destroyer. An hour later, we were attacked by a D3A1 Val dive bomber, suggesting the presence of a Japanese carrier in the area. We suffered no damage, however, and never saw a carrier. In the evening, CINCPAC advised that Japanese forces had landed in the Aleutians. 14 June 1942: We returned safely to Pearl Harbor before dawn.

From Defence Talk Iran can make 'nowhere safe' for US Agence France-Presse | Apr 27, 2007 TEHRAN: Iran has the capacity to fire tens of thousands of missiles at American targets and make "nowhere safe" for the United States, a top security official said on Wednesday. "Iran has long-range missiles that can make nowhere safe for America," said Mohammad Baqer Zolqader, deputy interior minister for security affairs and former deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards, according to the official IRNA news agency. "Iran is able to fire tens of thousands of missiles per day at American targets on a daily basis and, with its long-range missiles, can threaten Israel which is acting as America's logistician," he added. The United States has never ruled out the option of military action to secure Iranian compliance with UN Security Council resolutions on its nuclear programme. Iran has repeatedly said it would strike back hard if it ever came under attack. Zolqader said that America currently "is unashamedly confronting Iran and wants to take military action but due to the technical and strategic reasons cannot realise its bad intentions." He said that the United States was now looking instead to "create instability and crisis inside the country and also stir up ethnic and religious differences." Iran's missile arsenal includes its longer-range Shahab-3 missile, which has a range of up to 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) -- sufficient to threaten US bases in the Gulf as well as Israel. It also has several types of shorter-range weaponry, including the Zelzal-2 (Quake) missiles which are said to have a range of 100 to 400 kilometres (60 to 250 miles).

From Defence Talk Missile shield tensions build in Europe as Russia freezes treaty Agence France-Presse | Apr 27, 2007 A dispute over US plans to station anti-missile bases in eastern Europe escalated Thursday as Russia froze a key defence treaty in a move that raised "grave concern" among NATO allies. In heated NATO talks in Oslo, Norway, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Russia was to halt its application of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty and could even pull out if the allies did not endorse it. "It means that we will halt the compliance of our obligations under the treaty," he told reporters, after launching what was described by a US official as a 20-minute "diatribe" against NATO. His remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a state of the nation address, called for the freeze in response to the US missile shield plans. The CFE treaty was signed in 1990 in Paris by the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the former Warsaw Pact to limit troop and hardware deployments in Europe. It was adapted in Istanbul in 1999 following the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, in order to limit deployments on a country-by-country basis. NATO states have refused to ratify the new pact on the grounds that Moscow has failed to honour commitments made in Istanbul to withdraw Russian forces from the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Moldova. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Russia's involvement in the CFE was a treaty obligation "and everyone is expected to live up to treaty obligations." She had earlier complained that Russia was applying Cold War logic to the missile defence issue, and said any suggestion the system was directed at Moscow was "ludicrous". In Washington, a White House official who refused to be named said: "We regret President Putin's comments today on the CFE Treaty which inaccurately portray US and NATO adherence to the treaty." Lavrov insisted that "the balance has been impaired for a long time and seriously in favour of NATO. The CFE was a very valuable treaty and that has been made valueless". He expressed hope that the allies would eventually ratify the adapted pact, but said: "I didn't hear today any kind of desire for the urgency of that." "All I heard today was the same old tune about the Istanbul commitments, about the situation of Moldova and Georgia." Lavrov said that Russia, one of only four countries to have ratified the adapted CFE, found itself "in a position where we don't want to be the only actors in a theatre of the absurd." NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who described the two-hour session of the informal NATO Russia Council as lively, said the allies were deeply concerned by Moscow's move to place a "defacto moratorium" on the treaty. "That message was met by concern, grave concern, disappointment and deep regret because the allies are of the opinion that the CFE treaty is one of the cornerstones of European security," he said. US officials said Lavrov had railed against NATO over issues ranging from enlargement to the planned missile shield extension, which will see 10 interceptors based in Poland and a radar tracker in the Czech Republic. "He listed a litany of complaints about NATO," a senior official said, but added that the remarks may have backfired on Russia by consolidating support among the allies for the shield, meant to counter "rogue states" like Iran. Lavrov noted that the shield leaves gaps in its coverage of Europe, with Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Turkey undefended. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lavrov tried to use this gap as proof that Washington was not interested in defending Europe but he was met with "universal" opposition from NATO representatives. Earlier Thursday Rice urged Moscow to "be real" about the system and reiterated that it posed no threat to Russia. "Let's be real about this," she said. "The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in eastern Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic return is purely ludicrous and everybody knows it," she said.

From Defence Talk France in talks to sell Rafale jets to Morocco Reuters | Apr 26, 2007 PARIS: France is negotiating to sell Rafale combat aircraft to Morocco, constructor Dassault Aviation said on Wednesday. The planemaker, which has until now declined to confirm the talks, is seeking the first export customer for the multi-role aircraft, which made its combat debut in Afghanistan this month. "I can't answer your question because the matter is being discussed the governments of (France and Morocco)," Edelstenne told LCI television, asked whether a sale could happen after the next round of French presidential elections on May 6. France was reported last June to be negotiating the sale of 12 to 18 Rafales to Morocco but a Dassault family member said the reports were premature.

From Defence Talk US eyes advanced fighters for Japan Reuters | Apr 26, 2007 WASHINGTON: The United States would welcome talks on supplying next-generation fighter aircraft to Japan, a U.S. official said Wednesday, before a meeting this week between President Bush and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "China is modernizing at a rapid pace, its air force," said Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asian Affairs on the White House National Security Council staff, replying to a question about Japan's reported interest in Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22 "Raptor" fighter jet. "The Japanese obviously feel some threat in relation to North Korea and its development of missile and nuclear capabilities," Wilder added at a briefing on Abe's visit. "And so we are very positively disposed to talking to the Japanese about future-generation fighter aircraft," he said. "Whether it's going to be one model or another of aircraft is an open question at this point." Japan's defense ministry is mulling radar-evading F-22s and F-15FX fighters built by Boeing Co. as replacements for its aging inventory, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday quoting sources close to the matter. Israel also has shown interest in acquiring the F-22, which entered the U.S. combat fleet in December 2005, 20 years after it was conceived to battle Soviet MiG fighters over Europe. As a prelude, the U.S. Congress would have to lift a decade-old ban on overseas sale of the F-22, the most advanced U.S. air-superiority fighter. The ban was enacted to make sure the United States kept its technological edge. Exports would help keep the F-22 production line running until Lockheed enters full-rate production of its next- generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter later this decade, securing U.S. jobs. "Obviously the Air Force and the U.S. aerospace industry are in favor of lifting the ban on F-22 exports," said Christopher Bolkcom, the top warplane expert at the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Loren Thompson of the Arlington, Virginia-based Lexington Institute, said before Wilder spoke: "There is growing sentiment in the Air Force for allowing exports of the F-22 to trusted allies, because we need allies that have our capabilities, and those allies might be willing to pick up part of the bill." But a senior Japanese official who briefed reporters here on condition he not be named did not expect Abe to raise the F-22 issue with Bush. The official said cooperation on ballistic missile defense would be "high up on the agenda" for Abe, who is due to arrive on Thursday for his first U.S. visit since becoming prime minister in September. On Friday, Bush and Abe will hold talks and appear at a joint news conference at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. (Additional reporting by Paul Eckert)

Just when things couldn't get worse for the LCS program ... From DefenseNews Posted 04/25/07 22:34 Fire Strikes New U.S. Navy Ship By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS A fire broke out on board the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Freedom early April 25, damaging a ship that already has had more than its share of problems. The Freedom is under construction at Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis., under a program managed by Lockheed Martin. The ship, launched in September, is about 80 percent complete, said Diana Massing, a spokesperson for Lockheed. The fire, which burned for nearly an hour, broke out about 5:30 a.m. in a starboard-side berthing compartment in an area where workers were using welding and grinding equipment, Marinette Fire Department Lt. Bill Becker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It was a good size fire,” Becker told the Journal Sentinel. “I went through six teams of firefighters putting it out.” Massing said that “multiple spaces” on the starboard side were affected by the fire, but added that neither the extent nor cause of the fire were yet known. “We are going to do a cause analysis and are working with the Navy on that,” she said. Two shipyard workers were treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and released, Massing said. “There were no other injuries and everyone else was accounted for,” she added. Lockheed’s LCS program has been under scrutiny since the beginning of the year for severe cost overruns on the Freedom, which is intended to be the first of 55 similar ships the Navy wants to buy. The ship, originally priced at $220 million, has seen its cost rise to between $350 million and $375 million due to a variety of factors, and on April 12 the Navy cancelled construction by Lockheed of a similar ship to have been built in Louisiana. The Freedom was to have been delivered to the Navy this summer, but delays even before the fire pushed the completion date to late this winter or early next year.

The formula for determining the RCS of a target is: σ = Geometric cross section x Reflectivity x Directivity Where geometric cross section is the size of the target as viewed from the aspect of the radar; reflectivity is the ratio of the power leaving the target versus the radar power which illuminates the target (the rest of the power is absorbed by the target); and directivity is the ratio of the power scattered back in the direction of the radar versus the amount of power that would have been reflected to the radar if the total reflected power were scattered in all directions There is also an effective “gain” in the radar-signal transmission path that is a function of the RCS. The equation for this “gain” is the following: G = -39 + 20 log(F) + 10 log(σ) Where G = the ratio of the signal leaving the target to the signal arriving at the target (with isotropic antennas) (in dB) F = the transmitted frequency (in MHz) σ = the RCS of the target (in sq.m) Now, if you can take that kind of "serious math" and translate it effectively into HCE database values, I'd love to hear about it.

From Flight International DATE:25/04/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com UK Royal Air Force to end Sepecat Jaguar use next week By Craig Hoyle UK operations of the Sepecat Jaguar are to end far sooner than expected, with the Royal Air Force revealing that training activities with the type are to stop on 30 April. The Jaguar will be formally retired from service on 25 May, several months earlier than previously expected, and all flying will cease by the end of next month. In an unusually public act, the boss of the RAF’s last frontline unit to fly the type announced the news yesterday on the pprune.org website frequented by military pilots. “I have announced to the members of 6 Sqn that the Jaguar out-of service date is to be brought forward to 30 April,” said officer commanding Wg Cdr John Sullivan. “All operationally oriented training will cease on this date and the Jaguar will no longer be a deployable force element". A series of retirement events are planned to take place at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire from 29 June-1 July, as Sullivan says: “I do not consider it feasible to organise an event to celebrate 33 years of stalwart service with only five weeks notice.” Uncertainty surrounds the immediate future for personnel now assigned to the Jaguar force, with 6 Sqn activities to lapse until the unit re-equips with the Eurofighter Typhoon at a yet-to-be determined date. The RAF’s last Jaguar GR3s and T4 trainers have played a vital role in preparing air defence pilots for operations with the Typhoon, which will achieve multi-role status in mid-2008.

Compared to SH3 and the Atlantic, the hunting grounds in SH4 are a real treat. The Western Pacific is literally crawling with convoys and task forces. I should take a screen shot of that. You have to cover much longer distances to get anywhere, but they've increased the available time compression and the USN fleet boats have a lot more speed and fuel.

From Defense Aerospace Want Real Missile Defense Soon? Put KEI to Sea (Source: The Lexington Institute; issued April 23, 2007) By Daniel Goure, Ph.D. More than six years into the Bush Administration and what do we have to show for its investment of billions of dollars in missile defense? Precious little is the answer. To defend the nation we are relying on a waterlogged Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) site at Fort Greeley, Alaska with about a dozen interceptors. A few more missiles have been deployed at Vandenburg AFB in California. There are a small number of Navy cruisers equipped with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system and a number of Army PAC-3 missile batteries, neither of which can protect the homeland. That is all there is. The Bush Administration withdrew from the ABM Treaty on the grounds that this agreement was no longer relevant or enforceable, and that it was unduly restricting the Department of Defense’s ability to develop and deploy effective missile defenses. Having taken this monumental step over vociferous objections, particularly from U.S. allies in Europe, the Administration then went on to squander the opportunity. It spent most of its time and money pursuing systems that had their origins in the Cold War, when the design parameters for missile defenses were extremely restrictive. That is one reason that there is a plethora of defensive systems in development to deal with shorter-range threats but only one, the GMD, to address long-range ballistic missiles. To date, the Missile Defense Agency has in development only one system designed from the start free of all ABM Treaty constraints. That is the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI). The KEI is an extremely powerful missile that is intended to provide an option for boost phase defense, intercepting long-range ballistic missiles in the earliest part of their flights. With U.S. departure from the ABM Treaty, KEI was able, uniquely, to capitalize on and incorporate previously prohibited design features: mobility, deployability and sensor cueing from space. Moreover, KEI could be both land and sea-based. In the latter configuration it could operate up close to many potential threats even in peacetime, ready to respond in seconds to a hostile launch. All the other mobile or sea-based missile defense systems are short-range and therefore unsuitable for intercepting long-range offensive missiles. Some have suggested that KEI could serve as the follow-on booster for the ground-based missile defense of the homeland. Because of its throw-weight, KEI could also carry advanced warheads including large sensor packages or multiple kill vehicles to deal with future offensive threats such as advanced penetration aids or fractionated warheads. Rather than putting its weight behind the KEI program, the missile agency has progressively cut back the program, delaying first deployment until well into the next decade. Since 2005, it has taken nearly $800 million from the program while racking up a series of failed GMD tests. One idea has been to deploy the KEI on the Navy’s new class of cruisers, the CG(X). Because the Missile Defense Agency cannot make up its mind about KEI, it is contributing to delays in defining the characteristics of the CG(X). Equally maddening, the Bush Administration has set itself up for failure by trying to deploy a third GMD site in Eastern Europe. Because it employs the relatively slow GMD interceptor, such a site would have only limited utility in defending either Western Europe or the United States. At the same time it alarms rather than reassures our allies and irritates the Russians. Finally, as with all U.S. bases on foreign soil, it is subject to the whims of the local government. You would think the Administration has learned nothing from its experience with Turkey, a member of NATO, in the run-up to the Iraq War. No fixed, land-based missile defense site on foreign soil can be considered safe or reliable. Let me offer a modest proposal that takes advantage of what the Administration has been able to achieve in missile defense while recognizing simultaneously the realities of the 21st Century. Deploy KEI on large naval vessels. Not on the CG(X), which should be designed to meet the Navy’s enduring missions, but on a variant of the Navy’s new class of amphibious ships, the LPD-17. More than 680 feet long, with a loaded weight of 25,000 tons, the LPD-17 could easily carry a large number of KEIs, as well as other air and missile defenses including the Navy’s Aegis system. Moreover, the LPD-17 comes equipped with one of the most modern command, control and communications suites in the Navy and therefore would be able to integrate seamlessly with the rest of the Fleet. Deploying KEI at sea recognizes one eternal truth. Sovereignty over U.S. military forces exists only at home and on the seas. Everywhere else we seek to operate our forces it is at the sufferance of allies and coalition partners. Moreover, once a ground-based GMD site is built it is there forever. The threat may change but you cannot move in-ground concrete silos to meet it. Only missile defenses on ships can respond to changes in the threat. KEI-equipped LPD-17s deployed in the Black and Aegean Seas would negate any long-range missile threat from Iran whether directed at the United States or Europe. The same capability in the Sea of Japan could defend not only that country but the western U.S. too. If shorter-range defensive missiles such as the Aegis BMDS or the Army’s theater missile defense system, THAAD, were deployed on the LPD-17, such a vessel could also be deployed to defend our friends in the Persian Gulf from short-range Iranian ballistic missiles.

8 April 1942: We departed Pearl Harbor after a refit. 18 April 1942: In the evening, CINCPAC passed along word of the Doolittle raids. 20 April 1942: We were attacked by a G4M Betty aircraft in the early evening. We crash dived, and sustained no damage. 24 April 1942: Today we passed north of the Marianas Islands. 25 April 1942: Late in the afternoon, we intercepted a Japanese convoy west of the Marianas. The attack was very successful. We sank two small split freighters, a medium composite freighter, a large split freighter, a small composite freighter, and a Fubuki class destroyer. 26 April 1942: In the morning we sank a small split freighter with gunfire. Shortly afterward, we received new orders to proceed to a new patrol area near Honshu (Japan), some 900 nm to the northwest. 27 April 1942: In the evening, we received word from COMSUBPAC that major Japanese naval contingents were gathering in the Coral Sea area. It seemed a major battle was brewing there. 28 April 1942: In mid morning we saw a D3A1 Val dive bomber to the southwest, and then a pair of B5N2 Kates. There was probably a Japanese carrier in the area, but we never saw it. In fact, the continued heavy air activity forced us to dive to avoid being spotted. 29 April 1942: We came under attack from a G4M Betty today, but sustained no damage. 30 April 1942: We reached our patrol area this date. Late in the evening, we encountered a medium composite freighter southeast of Kyushu (Japan). This target was torpedoed and then finished off with gunfire. During the night, there was a radio report of a convoy moving southwest toward us. We moved to ambush this new target, and during the battle, we sank a large composite freighter and a medium composite freighter, using two torpedoes on each. 2 May 1942: Our patrol of the assigned sector complete, we began moving to the east. 4 May 1942: Late in the afternoon, about 400 nm south of Tokyo, we were attacked by a pair of H8K aircraft. We damaged one of them before they broke off their attack. 5 May 1942: Late in the evening, we came under attack from another H8K. It made several ineffectual passes before we eventually brought it down. Less than an hour later, we spotted a large composite freighter on the northern horizon. We were out of torpedoes by now, and so we closed the distance intended to use the 4 inch gun. But suddenly the enemy merchant opened fire on us. This was the first time a merchant had returned fire, and it was a rude surprise. We went to flank speed and took evasive maneuvers during the gun duel that followed. We were ultimately victorious, but did sustain some damage. Another hour later, we were attacked by a G4M Betty aircraft. Its bombs fell close by but did no damage. We crash dived after this first pass and decided to stay submerged until night fell. The killing blow from the 4 inch gun. A smoking Japanese freighter sinks as the sun drops below the horizon. 6 May 1942: During the afternoon, we were attacked by an H8K aircraft. It made several ineffectual passes before we ran out of 20mm ammunition, and dived to avoid further attacks. In the evening we received the sad news that our brave American forces in Corregidor had been forced to surrender. 8 May 1942: In the evening, news came that the battle in the Coral Sea had ended. No word on the outcome. 12 May 1942: We arrived in Midway for a refit and a much needed rest.

I think I'm inclined to agree with the author of the Taipei Times article in the sense that China is still some way from launching an aircraft carrier and learning how to operate it. That's not to say that Taiwan (and others) should not keep China's aspirations under the microscope.

Maybe, mind you its just low rate initial production, which means there will be plenty of testing yet. As a comparison, though, the F-22 first went supersonic in October 1998. LRIP was approved in August 2001.

ROFL. Right you are, sir, right you are.

Isn't that what I said ?

From Defense Aerospace Growler Zaps Through Initial Testing (Source: US Naval Air Systems Command; issued April 20, 2007) The Navy’s next-generation electronic warfare aircraft has completed the first phase of test and evaluation, and is set to receive hardware and a final build of software that will make it the world’s most capable aircraft of its kind. The EA-18G Growler has finished an ambitious regimen of flight tests since the arrival of Growler test prototype aircraft EA-2 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. in late November. The team has implemented a new concept of Integrated Test and Evaluation, concurrently completing both system developmental testing and an independent fleet operational assessment within the first 90 days of flight test. Feedback from operational testers is being immediately incorporated into development of the platform and its systems, which will provide a more capable system to the fleet and, in this case, is shortening the development time needed to deliver the aircraft to the fleet. The EA-18G mission systems test team and aircrew from Flight Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX-23 at Pax River, VX-31 and VX-9 at NAWS China Lake, Calif., and Boeing contractor crews have had a single Growler flying up to four times a week to complete the rigorous test schedule. “As of late March, the Growler mission systems team had completed over 100 hours of flight test. We have done more in the first 80 days than I could ever have imagined. In this case we were able to simultaneously complete both a developmental and operational assessment of the system on the East and West coast using the same aircraft, ranges, flight test data, and team of expertly qualified aircrew.” said Cmdr. Jaime Engdahl,EA-18G test and evaluation lead. “We have accomplished everything that needed to be done and more, and what we’ve learned about the aircraft is simply great.” As one example of its success, the program schedule required the Growler to radiate ALQ-99 pods in a Pax River chamber by the end of February. As a result of early software delivery and solid system performance, the EA-18G test team was able to demonstrate this jamming capability in December, radiate jammers in-flight by the end of January, and had ensured jamming functions did not interfere with safe operation of any on-board systems across the entire ALQ-99 radiation spectrum in the process. Testers are using the first two Growler prototype aircraft. EA-1, which Boeing delivered to the Navy on Sept. 22, 2006, is at Pax River and recently completed five months of chamber testing. EA-2, which arrived in late November, is currently undergoing range testing at China Lake. Even before the first Growlers arrived, VX-23 aviators had completed five months of aeromechanical flight tests on three Super Hornets configured as Growlers. The Growlers are set to receive their final software and hardware build in July, which Engdahl calls the last major challenge through the end of test and evaluation. Software build 2.0 will fix deficiencies discovered in the first software tape, which also includes 36 percent more software functionality as well as rolling in capabilities for Communications Countermeasures and Multi-mission Advanced Tactical Terminal systems hardware. The pace of testing since December has provided the team an extra two months to incorporate fixes into the upcoming software push. Engdahl says the success of testing is a result of what Naval Air Systems Command’s Super Hornet program (PMA 265) has been declaring all along – the Growler is a low-risk development program that combines two proven systems into one capable design: EA-18G matches a Super Hornet Block II aircraft with the ALQ-218(v)2, a modified version of Improved Capabilities III systems currently being used in combat operations by EA-6B Prowler aircraft and which will be integrated on the Growler. Crews deploying the ICAP III suite have lauded it as a vast leap forward in electronic warfare capabilities. “We’ve been able to borrow a lot of the expertise we already had in the Super Hornet, EA-6B and ICAP III programs. This gives us a huge advantage over starting from scratch,” Engdahl said. “When we climbed into the Growler’s cockpit and turned the system on, or selected ‘Master Radiate’ for the first time, everything worked. It is rare to find a complex airborne system that works the first time.” The program has sought to maximize commonality across the F/A-18E, F, and EA-18G aircraft. This is intended to ease carrier maintenance and reduce total life-cycle costs for the aircraft. The Growler cockpit shares almost complete commonality with the Super Hornet. The program will reach the important Milestone C decision in April, where the procurement decision will be made for eight additional low –rate production airborne electronic attack (AEA) systems. The Navy currently plans to purchase a total of 84 Growlers. Four EA-18Gs are currently in production and will be used for operational evaluation in the fall of 2008. Initial Operational Capability for the EA-18G is expected a year later at Whidbey Island, Wash, where the Navy’s current EA-6B squadrons are based. “The way things have gone so far, we are looking at being able to provide a very capable electronic warfare platform to the fleet on an unbelievably fast schedule and, of course, that makes us very proud.” said Engdahl. “With our number one goal in mind - delivering the right capabilities on time and on cost - I've given our tactical aircraft programs a mandate to use best-business practices to develop the force needed to ensure Navy and Marine Corps air dominance. The Growler example represents one more success in our effort to provide the warfighter with the most advanced capabilities,” said Rear Adm. Pete Williams, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft, who oversees the work of PMA 265.

From Defense Aerospace Another Significant Milestone For Joint Strike Fighter Program (Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued April 23, 2007) The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program has achieved another significant milestone with the approval of funding for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP). As of 23 April 2007, the first JSF test aircraft has completed 14 test flights. Test pilots have been impressed by the aircraft’s maturity so early in the test program and its excellent handling qualities. The aircraft has already been flown to 30,000 feet, 0.8 Mach, and 16 degrees Angle of Attack with all systems working as designed, including: - the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine (in full afterburner) - the world’s most powerful fighter engine, generating 40,000 pounds of thrust; - the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) System - a major contributor to the JSF’s advanced situational awareness capabilities; and - the most comprehensive instrumentation package for any combat aircraft. For a first test aircraft it has also shown a very high level of reliability and maintainability having conducted two back-to-back sortie events and landed “Code 1” (i.e. ready to fly again) on 13 of 14 flights. This success, and progress in the broader JSF Program, has led to US Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) approving the release of full funding for two Conventional Take-Off and Landing Variant (CTOL) aircraft in LRIP Lot 1, and long lead funding for the six CTOL and six Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing variants in Lot 2. This significant milestone was achieved on 19 April 2007. As well as the first two LRIP aircraft in production, the end of 2007 will see another 20 test aircraft in production/assembly. The head of the JSF Program, BRIGGEN C.R. Davis said “While the LRIP 1 jets do not constitute a huge leap in production, they signify the start of many deliveries to our war fighting customer." Deliveries of JSF aircraft are expected to extend beyond 2030 and could comprise more than 4500 aircraft. Australia’s first JSF deliveries are expected in 2013.

From Defence Talk Momentum seen for allowing some exports of F-22s Reuters | Apr 24, 2007 WASHINGTON: Japan is interested in buying Lockheed Martin Corp.'s radar-evading F-22 fighter at a time when sentiment is growing in the Air Force and among lawmakers in favor of allowing selected exports, defense analysts and congressional aides said on Monday. Any move to sell the F-22 or "Raptor" abroad would require a change in federal law and probably some changes in the software currently used by the F-22, they said. But exports would help keep the F-22 production line running until Lockheed is due to ramp up production of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter later this decade, securing and possibly creating more U.S. jobs. "There is growing sentiment in the Air Force for allowing exports of the F-22 to trusted allies, because we need allies that have our capabilities, and those allies might be willing to pick up part of the bill," said Loren Thompson of the Virginia-based Lexington Institute. He said it would lower F-22 unit costs and could help Washington foot the bill for developing a long-range fighter-bomber version of the F-22 to replace the F-15E Strike Eagle, built by Boeing Co. <BA.N>. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may raise the issue when he meets President George W. Bush in Washington next week, and his defense minister is widely expected to discuss the matter with U.S. defense officials. On Sunday, the Kyodo news agency reported that Japan's defense ministry was considering buying F-22s and Boeing F-15FX fighters to replace its aging fighter jets. JOINT EXERCISES Japan and the United States want to step up cooperation between their armed forces in the face of rising regional tensions after North Korean nuclear and missile tests. This week, the U.S. and Japanese air forces will hold their first joint exercises with a squadron of F-22s that are temporarily based at the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. One U.S. Air Force official, who asked not to be named, said Japan's strong interest in the F-22 underscored the continued need for advanced air superiority fighters, even though recent wars have not involved air-to-air combat. Israel also recently expressed interest in the Raptor. Some critics argue that the F-22, which was first conceived during the Cold War, is not needed for the type of fighting in which the United States has been engaged in recent conflicts. Air Force officials insist that the Raptor, which is equipped for ground attack, electronic attack and signals intelligence roles, is a critical part of U.S. military strength. "Until the law is changed, we aren't even looking at it," said Air Force spokesman Don Manuszewski. Lockheed would say only that current law bans exports. Thompson said that technology transfer issues, mostly linked to the airplane's software, still need to be resolved. The Air Force has long insisted it really needs 381 F-22s but only has enough money to afford 183 of the planes. Given tightening budgets, anything that could lower U.S. Air Force costs and secure U.S. jobs sounds "very tempting," said one congressional aide, who asked not to be named. Analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Virginia-based Teal Group said he considers the amendment banning foreign sales of the F-22, which was attached to the defense appropriations law in fiscal year 1998, "political theater from the start. "I always expected that the minute there was a serious buyer out there, it would be dropped," Aboulafia said. The law is known as the Obey Amendment since it was introduced by Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat and the current chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Obey's spokeswoman had no immediate comment on Monday.

Preview for the PC sim "PT Boats: Knights of the Sea" ... link Official website ... link

From Navy Times Russia launches first of 8 new nuclear subs By Nabi Abdullaev - Staff writer Posted : Monday Apr 23, 2007 11:35:50 EDT Russia launched its long-awaited new-generation Borei-class submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, on April 15. It is the first new nuclear sub produced in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Military officials said seven additional Borei-class submarines are expected to be built in the next decade. The subs will be the core of Russia’s naval strategic missile forces, yet the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles they are supposed to carry are nowhere near ready for production, let alone deployment. “For the first time in 17 years, we are launching such a vessel,” Sergei Ivanov, first deputy prime minister in charge of technology, said during a ceremony at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk. “In essence, this is the first Russian nuclear submarine.” The Yuri Dolgoruky was moved April 15 from the Sevmash building berth to a dock at the Severodvinsk submarine base, where construction and testing will continue until it is commissioned in 2008, Adm. Vladimir Masorin, Navy commander, told journalists. “The process of building eight Borei-class submarines, expected to be commissioned by 2017, is designed in such a way that beginning from 2008, they should be commissioned by the Navy with minimal intervals,” he said. The Dolgoruky’s crew, under the command of Capt. First Rank Konstantin Mitkin, already has undergone training at the Obninsk center outside Moscow. It took 11 years to build the first submarine due to funding problems. High oil prices that helped to boost the Russian economy in the past several years finally allowed work to accelerate on the Dolgoruky and two other Borei subs under construction. According to the Kremlin’s Web site, Ivanov on April 16 told President Vladimir Putin that the Dolgoruky is 85 percent completed, and that the second Borei, the Alexander Nevsky, is 50 percent built. The Nevsky is to be commissioned in 2009. Last spring, a keel was laid for the third vessel, the Vladimir Monomakh. All the submarines are named after ancient Russian princes. Putin called the Dolgoruky’s launch “an important ... event for our armed forces and the entire nation.” Putin often stresses in his speeches that Russia’s nuclear arsenals protect the country’s sovereignty and deter foreign meddling in Russian affairs. The Dolgoruky, 170 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, will be capable of descending to a depth of 450 meters and carrying 107 sailors for 100 days without surfacing. The Interfax news agency, citing unnamed defense officials, reported April 15 that it cost $900 million to build it. ICBM woes Each Borei submarine is designed to carry 12 Bulava ICBMs, a naval analog of the Topol land-based missile used by the Russian strategic missile forces. Bulava missiles are expected to have an 8,000-kilometer range and carry up to 10 nuclear warheads with individual targeting. But in four of five test launches since September 2005, the Bulavas veered off their trajectories and exploded shortly after takeoff. Masorin told journalists in Severodvinsk the next test launch will be in June. After the latest failed test in December, Anatoly Perminov, head of the Federal Space Agency that oversees work on the missile, told journalists that 12 to 14 test launches will be required before the Bulava is commissioned by the military. This may take three years, given that only two or three missiles are produced each year. The military’s launch of the Dolgoruky will put more pressure on the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technologies, which designed the Bulava and Topol, to accelerate work on the ICBM to get it ready for deployment, said Ivan Safranchuk, an analyst at the Moscow branch of the Center for Defense Information, a U.S. think tank. “The military just will have no choice, no one will refit the submarine’s launch shafts when it is on the water,” he said, referring to the fact that the Dolgoruky already has been refitted once to carry Bulavas. It was initially designed to carry R-39 Bark missiles. Safranchuk and Mikhail Barabanov, a naval analyst with the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a think tank here, agreed that it will be years before the Dolgoruky’s systems are fully operational and fine-tuned. The reason, Safranchuk said, is that production cycles were hectic over the years as the submarine was built, with teams of technicians and engineers changing and working on and off because of the unsteady financing. Russia’s nuclear sub fleet is second only to the U.S. fleet in size. According to the Center for Arms Control Studies, another think tank here, the Russian navy included 12 strategic nuclear subs as of July 2006. They carried 180 sea-launched ballistic missiles that can deliver 636 warheads. The vessels are deployed only with the Northern Fleet in the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Fleet.

The general craziness continues. We're going to barricade and ban and legislate ourselves into the ground eventually, and then someday we're gonna realize that the wackos are inside - right beside us - instead of "out there".

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