Australia Fielding Net-Centric Military

Australia is integrating three new operational elements into its advanced, network-centric military — a squadron of Wedgetail command and control aircraft, the first two squadrons of F/A-18F Super Hornets and the Vigilare theater surveillance integration system — all designed as the backbone of a small, highly responsive force.

However, this cutting-edge force was envisioned somewhat differently only five years ago.

The Wedgetail had a 2006 delivery date and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters were slated to replace the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) classic F-18 Hornets as soon as they were available.

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Chinese bid for UK carrier fails

Britain has rejected a 5 million pound (US$8 million) bid for a junked aircraft carrier from a UK-based Chinese businessman.

The offer was more than double the expected price but Lam Kin-bong, from south China's Guangdong Province, said yesterday he was told he had "failed to provide all the necessary information."

The light aircraft carrier HMS Invincible was decommissioned in 2005 and stripped of engines and weapons.

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New Hawkeye has its first launch from carrier Truman

The Navy’s newest airborne early-warning and control aircraft made its first launch this week from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman as part of a six-day testing period.

During the testing period, an aircrew and representatives from Air Test Evaluation Squadron 20 out of Patuxent River, Md., will test the new E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and determine whether it is effective aboard a ship.

The new aircraft will be able to scan a larger area, detect smaller objects and process information quickly than its predecessor, a Navy news release said. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye also features all-glass cockpits and tactical operator stations.

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France Adds New Torpedo To Submarine Arsenal

Torpedoes are potent weapons, if rarely used. Excluding the sinking of a South Korean ship last March by North Korea, the last torpedo used in combat was by the Royal Navy in the Falklands War, “and they used a torpedo from World War II,” says Marc Le Roy, director of BU ASM (Business Unit Armes Sous Marines), the underwater weapons business of French naval systems developer DCNS.

Nevertheless, France is investing in the development of a new generation of heavyweight torpedo, the F21, which will be the weapon of choice for its nuclear submarines over the next 30-40 years.

“France is the latest country to develop a new heavyweight torpedo,” says Le Roy. Germany and the U.S., he adds, “have made incremental improvements to existing torpedoes, whereas with the F21 we are developing a completely up-to-date product.”

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Astute plea to MPs

MPs have been urged to back an order for eight Astute-class submarines, and not the seven now planned by the government.

The appeal was made to around 20 MPs at a Westminster meeting organised by shipyard lobby group, the Keep Our Future Afloat Campaign.

The MPs, mainly from North West constituencies, were told how important Barrow’s submarine work was to constituencies all over Britain when it comes to contracts for work.

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EADS North America’s TRS-3D Radar selected again for U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship

EADS North America has received a contract from Lockheed Martin to supply its TRS-3D radar for the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship.

As part of a recent Department of Defense award, Lockheed Martin will construct up to 10 Littoral Combat Ships through 2015.

Under the terms of its contract, EADS North America will deliver the first radar unit to Lockheed Martin for installation in 2012.

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Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship makes last Plymouth call

A Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship has sailed into Plymouth for the last time to unload its cargo and equipment.

Fleet replenishment ship RFA Fort George is being taken out of service as part of Ministry of Defence cuts.

The vessel, which was launched in 1991 and entered service in 1994, was given a refit costing £18m two years ago.

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Russia loses new military satellite

Russia has most likely lost a new dual-purpose geodesic satellite after it failed to reach a designated circular orbit 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) above Earth.

The GEO-IK-2 satellite, designed to create a detailed three-dimensional map of the Earth and help the Russian military to locate the precise positions of various targets, was launched Tuesday on board a Rockot carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia.

The spacecraft failed to communicate with Russia's Ground Control at a designated time but was reportedly "discovered" by U.S. space monitoring services, moving along an elliptical orbit whose lowest point brought it to within 330 kilometers (205 miles) of Earth.

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Northrop Grumman's LEMV Program Completes Critical Design Review

Six months after signing the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) agreement with the U.S. Army to build three airships with 21-day persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability, Northrop Grumman's LEMV program team has completed its Critical Design Review (CDR).

This is the fourth major milestone achieved by the program since contract award.

"The entire U.S. Army/Northrop Grumman LEMV industry team has done an outstanding job working through a very aggressive development schedule to achieve all of these important milestones.

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Measures to protect troops in Afghanistan

Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that a new Counter Rocket Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) Sense and Warn system has been delivered and is currently in operation at the multi national base Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the new system provides early detection of attacks from enemy rockets, artillery and mortars and replaces the previous capability provided by the Singaporean Armed Forces.

Delivery of the C-RAM follows on from Australia assuming responsibility for early detection against rocket, artillery and mortar attacks at the base from 28 December 2010.

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USMC Ravens get upgrade

US Marines will get upgraded digital module kits for their hand-launched RQ-11B Raven unmanned air vehicles under a new $7.8 million order, says California-based AeroVironment, the UAV's manufacturer.

The 919 kits will allow the aircraft to operate on a different frequency band than the one provided by the factory configuration, the company says.

The increased flexibility offered with varied frequencies means the UAV can be used by more diverse operators, from other militaries to law enforcement and civil groups.

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Remote Controlled (Ops Diaries - SAF in Afghanistan Episode 2)

A sudden gust of wind pushes the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) off course, but the pilot skilfully manoeuvres the aircraft back in place. Our UAV guys face more than just the harsh weather in Afghanistan. The high tempo of operations coupled with the tough operating conditions post a big challenge for the SAF UAV team operating in Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan.

Catch Mano as he goes solo in Afghanistan to film this six-part series on SAF operations there.

Russia Fields Ballistic Missiles in South Ossetia, Report Says

Russia has moved Tochka ballistic missiles to the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia, Interfax reported last week (see GSN, Aug. 26, 2010).

"The Georgian special services have been informed about the presence of the rockets in South Ossetia, which are capable to effectively repel any aggression from Tbilisi," Georgia, an insider from Russia's Southern Military District told the news agency.

Also called the SS-21 Scarab, the short-range, single-warhead missile can hit targets within 75 miles, according to Interfax (Interfax, Jan. 24).

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Russia's 2nd Graney class nuclear sub to enter service in 2015

The Russian Navy will receive a second Graney class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine in 2015, a spokesman for the Malakhit design bureau said.

The construction of the Kazan submarine at the Sevmash Shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk began in 2010.

The first vessel of the Graney class, the Severodvinsk submarine, will enter service by the end of 2011.

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SA responds to piracy threat

The South African Navy is planning to send a force to patrol the Mozambican Channel to counter the threat of attack on ships by east African pirates.

The force is to comprise at least one of South Africa’s frigates, believed to be the SAS Mendi, and a logistical support ship, which could see the force patrolling the channel for more than a month at a time.

On board the frigate will be members of the navy’s elite Maritime Reaction Force as well as helicopter aircrews who will act as eyes and ears.

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JSF Costs Key To 2011 Global Fighter Market

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program took up a lot of real estate in the national and international press and trade media in 2010, and the critical attention will continue into 2011.

The sheer size of the program to supply the U.S. military and partner nations with a stealthy and relatively affordable strike fighter, coupled with questions about prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s ability to stick to the schedule and meet cost targets, makes it the No. 1 target of industry speculation.

The JSF program, currently in its system development and demonstration (SDD) phase, includes three different variants: the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A to replace U.S. Air Force F-16s and A-10s; the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) F-35B to replace the U.S. Marine Corps’ AV-8Bs and F/A-18s; and the F-35C carrier variant for the U.S. Navy.

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LCS Purchasing Plan Could Hurt Downselects

While the U.S. Navy’s dual-block-buy plan for its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet may have been the service’s best move for the program in the near term, the decision could make it difficult for the Pentagon to make downselect purchases, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says.

Last year, the Navy decided to award the two LCS shipbuilding teams contracts to construct the two different versions of the ship instead of picking only one contract through a downselect, as the service originally had planned to do (Aerospace DAILY, Dec. 15, 2010).

The Navy said recent cost-saving measures and updated bids by the teams — one lead by Lockheed Martin and the other by Austal USA and General Dynamics — showed it would be better to award both teams the work through dual-block-buy deals.

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Global Reach

As the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III lifted off from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, early in the morning on Dec. 10, 2010, the mission appeared routine to its crew: airdrop 74,000 pounds of aviation fuel to coalition troops south of Kabul, and then return to base. But this C-17 made history.

The representative flight for the worldwide fleet of Boeing-built C-17s, achieved a remarkable milestone: 2 million flight hours, which equates to 1.13 billion nautical miles, or the equivalent of a C-17 flying to the moon and back 2,360 times.

The mission call sign “Moose 75” was flown by the Air Force’s 190th C-17, delivered in 2009 and assigned to Joint Base Charleston, S.C. It’s one of a global fleet of 226 C-17s that provide air-transport support worldwide.

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Russia may extend service life of Topol-M missile

Russia may extend the service life guarantee for its Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) to at least 20 years.

The silo-based Topol-M missiles entered into service in 1997, with an original guaranteed service life of 15 years.

The Moscow Institute of Thermotechnics' chief designer of the missile Yuri Solomonov said the Russian Defence Ministry would now conduct service life extension research.

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New tests for the Cyclone

The new CH-148 Cyclone, which arrived at Shearwater January 6, will be undergoing further testing on board HMCS Montréal.

The tests will last several weeks, under the direction of Sikorsky International Operations Inc., prime contractor on the Maritime Helicopter Project.

The CH-148 Cyclone will provide anti-submarine surveillance, and will have enhanced search and rescue and tactical transport capabilities.

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MEADS Radar Completes Rotation Tests, Prepares to Move to Test Range

The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program has successfully completed milestone tests as the first Multifunction Fire Control Radar (MFCR) advances toward system tests this year at Pratica di Mare air force base in Italy.

The advanced MEADS X-band MFCR employs active phased array technology using transmit/receive modules developed in Germany.

The radar provides precision tracking and wideband discrimination and classification.

It also incorporates advanced identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) sensors with improved capabilities to identify and type threats.

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Australia Cancels A$40 Million Defense Sea Craft Project

Australia's government on Tuesday canceled a A$40 million defense contract to build six sea craft since deemed unsuitable for their intended purpose of ferrying troops and supplies from ship to shore, with Defense Minister Stephen Smith calling for greater scrutiny of defense projects to prevent future costly bungles.

Australian defense firm ADI Ltd., now known as Thales Australia, was awarded a contract to build the LCM2000 watercraft, designed for use with landing platform ships Kanimbla and Manoora, in 2001.

But the weight and dimensions of the craft meant they were too heavy and too big to ever be launched from these ships, or for any other defense force use, Smith said.

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Indian Naval ship INS Vindhyagiri on fire

Indian Navy ‘s INS Vindhyagiri after a collision is sinking with a huge load of oil on board.

All Navy personnel have been evacuated. INS Vindhyagiri had collided with a Norwegian container vessel M V Nordlake in the Mumbai harbour yesterday and was brought to the navy dockyard.

An official said there was a dent in the warship due to the impact of the collision through which water had gushed into the vessel causing it to tilt to one side.

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Aircraft Carriers Face Growing Threats

On the American ballistic submarine USS Maine in waters off the Florida coast not too long ago, two submariners eyed a U.S. aircraft carrier through their periscope in the roiling sea.

“I think it’s the Washington,” one submariner said. “It doesn’t matter — it doesn’t know we’re here,” the other replied, eyeing the carrier through the scope. “Bang,” he said. “You’re dead.”

In the submarine world, carriers, like other surface ships, represent targets. But lately U.S. aircraft carriers have appeared to be growing more vulnerable to threats deployed from under the sea and in the air.

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Russia's first Graney-class nuke attack sub to begin sea trials in May

Russia's first Graney class nuclear attack submarine, Severodvinsk, is set to begin sea trials in May following which it will be inducted in the Russian Navy by 2011-end.

The submarine, which was floated out in June 2010 after over a decade-long delay in its construction, is presently undergoing harbour trials at the Sevmash Shipyard, an official said.

"The submarine is undergoing harbour trials at the Sevmash Shipyard and is getting ready for sea trials in May," a spokesman for the Malakhit design bureau said.

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