New Navy missile ready for operational testing:
The final developmental free flight test of Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon C-1 has been conducted in California by the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command said the test involved the missile being launched from an F/A-18 at a moving maritime target. The missile destroyed the target, it said, and met all primary test objectives.The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon is medium-range precision-guided missile system and is in use with the Navy to destroy land targets. The new C-1 variant incorporates a two-way strike common weapon datalink to enable the striking of a moving maritime target.
The Navy said the JSOW C-1 will now enter operational testing before delivery to the fleet in 2016.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
U.S. Consolidates Forces in Europe to Save Money - NYTimes.com
U.S. Consolidates Forces in Europe to Save Money - NYTimes.com
The Defense Department is consolidating American forces in Europe to save what Pentagon officials say will be about $500 million a year while not reducing the number of American military personnel — some 67,000 — who are currently there.
The Defense Department is consolidating American forces in Europe to save what Pentagon officials say will be about $500 million a year while not reducing the number of American military personnel — some 67,000 — who are currently there.
Defense officials said they are ending longstanding operations at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, a British air base northeast of London in Suffolk where spy planes and other aircraft have been based. But that move, which withdraws some 3,200 military personnel and their families from the base, will be partially offset by the selection of another British installation, Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, also in Suffolk, as home to the first F-35 squadron in Europe.
The moves will occur over the next several years.
The F-35, the Pentagon’s fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, “gives teeth to our ability to support collective defense of Europe and its partners,” Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of United States Air Forces in Europe and of Air Forces Africa, said in a statement.
The first F-35s will arrive in Britain in 2020, replacing F-15 fighter jets.
Some 14 other European sites will be handed back to their home governments as well, defense officials said, including several facilities in Germany and Portugal, where 500 American military personnel will be withdrawn from Lajes Field in the Azores.
“These decisions will produce savings that will enable us to maintain a robust force presence in Europe,” Derek Chollet, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told reporters during a Pentagon news briefing on Thursday.
Defense officials said more American troops would be stationed in Germany and Italy as the United States sought to counter a more aggressive Russia. “This transformation of our infrastructure will help maximize our military capabilities in Europe and help strengthen our important European partnerships, so that we can best support our NATO allies and partners in the region,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement.
Even as the American military is cutting the number of its forces at permanent bases in Europe, it is rotating more forces in and out of the region, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Baltics.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Stackley: Navy Needs to Develop Weapons Faster, Congress Should Rollback Restrictive Legislation - USNI News
Stackley: Navy Needs to Develop Weapons Faster, Congress Should Rollback Restrictive Legislation - USNI News: The Navy’s chief weapons buyer called on Congress to rollback restrictive legislation that creates unnecessary bureaucracy and slows the development of next-generation military capabilities during a Wednesday appearance at the Atlantic Council.
Sean Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition (RDA), said legislation —like the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) — makes it difficult to plan effectively for future programs by denying the military clear funding paths forward.
“We really don’t need more legislation, we don’t,” he said.
“I know any legislation we get is going to beget more bureaucracy which will have the exact opposite affect from what was desired.”
Stackley only mentioned the BCA specifically, but hinted other legislative restrictions on military acquisition slowed the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) development of new capabilities to counter the rapid technological development of potential adversaries.
“It’s unacceptable that the development cycle of our major programs has evolved into a long drawn out series of development, design, build, test and deliver phases that left of its own accord is unable to keep pace with the threat that has demonstrated our vulnerabilities and [continue] to do so in rapid fashion,” he said.
“Other navies are making significant investment in their warfighting capabilities such that the maritime superiority that the U.S. has long maintained can not be assumed in the decades ahead.”
Sean Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition (RDA), said legislation —like the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) — makes it difficult to plan effectively for future programs by denying the military clear funding paths forward.
“We really don’t need more legislation, we don’t,” he said.
“I know any legislation we get is going to beget more bureaucracy which will have the exact opposite affect from what was desired.”
Stackley only mentioned the BCA specifically, but hinted other legislative restrictions on military acquisition slowed the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) development of new capabilities to counter the rapid technological development of potential adversaries.
“It’s unacceptable that the development cycle of our major programs has evolved into a long drawn out series of development, design, build, test and deliver phases that left of its own accord is unable to keep pace with the threat that has demonstrated our vulnerabilities and [continue] to do so in rapid fashion,” he said.
“Other navies are making significant investment in their warfighting capabilities such that the maritime superiority that the U.S. has long maintained can not be assumed in the decades ahead.”
The Pentagon Wants To Extend the Range of One of Its Missile Interceptors - Defense One
The Pentagon Wants To Extend the Range of One of Its Missile Interceptors - Defense One
U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin has been quietly working on modifications to its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors, know as THAAD, that would allow the system to protect a wider areas, company officials revealed Wednesday. The upgrade would allow the interceptor to launch earlier giving it more time to take out an enemy missile.
“We see a growing interest from the [Missile Defense Agency] in this capability,” said Doug Graham, vice president of advanced programs for Lockheed’s strategic and missile defense systems. “We’re working them to try to define what specifically that system would look like.”
Unlike the current THAAD interceptor, which uses a single-stage rocket, the longer-range version would have two stages, similar to rockets that launch satellites into orbit. The first rocket would launch the interceptor to a high altitude in or above the Earth’s atmosphere while a second “kick stage” would propel the rocket toward the enemy missile.
“The first stage gets you out longer and higher against modern threats and the kick stage is responsible for narrowing the distance between the target and the interceptor so you could turn over to the kill vehicle,” Mike Trotsky, vice president of Lockheed’s air and missile defense business development, said.
U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin has been quietly working on modifications to its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors, know as THAAD, that would allow the system to protect a wider areas, company officials revealed Wednesday. The upgrade would allow the interceptor to launch earlier giving it more time to take out an enemy missile.
“We see a growing interest from the [Missile Defense Agency] in this capability,” said Doug Graham, vice president of advanced programs for Lockheed’s strategic and missile defense systems. “We’re working them to try to define what specifically that system would look like.”
Unlike the current THAAD interceptor, which uses a single-stage rocket, the longer-range version would have two stages, similar to rockets that launch satellites into orbit. The first rocket would launch the interceptor to a high altitude in or above the Earth’s atmosphere while a second “kick stage” would propel the rocket toward the enemy missile.
“The first stage gets you out longer and higher against modern threats and the kick stage is responsible for narrowing the distance between the target and the interceptor so you could turn over to the kill vehicle,” Mike Trotsky, vice president of Lockheed’s air and missile defense business development, said.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
JBLM helicopter unit will shift to operations at sea | Military News | The News Tribune
JBLM helicopter unit will shift to operations at sea | Military News | The News Tribune: Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s combat aviation brigade is about to turn its attention from the imposing peaks of Afghanistan to the vastness of the Pacific.
Its helicopter battalions held a ceremony Tuesday marking the official close of an eight-month mission in Afghanistan that ended in early December.
The event signaled that its 1,700 soldiers are home from war and ready to train for new assignments.
They have a busy year ahead, their commander said, as they prepare for the addition of an Apache helicopter unit and a slate of assignments that should have them flying over the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
The biggest change for the brigade will be its new role in the Army’s shift of resources to operations along the Pacific Rim. Traditionally, Army helicopter crews focus on missions over land while Marine helicopter crews take on challenges at sea.
That means Army helicopter crews will have to learn how to fly over large bodies of water, land on aircraft carriers and survive ocean crashes. They will conduct training exercises at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The new assignment is similar to those given to JBLM’s ground-based units in the 7th Infantry Division and I Corps. They’ve been training with Pacific allies in stateside exercises and overseas for the past two years.
Its helicopter battalions held a ceremony Tuesday marking the official close of an eight-month mission in Afghanistan that ended in early December.
The event signaled that its 1,700 soldiers are home from war and ready to train for new assignments.
They have a busy year ahead, their commander said, as they prepare for the addition of an Apache helicopter unit and a slate of assignments that should have them flying over the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
The biggest change for the brigade will be its new role in the Army’s shift of resources to operations along the Pacific Rim. Traditionally, Army helicopter crews focus on missions over land while Marine helicopter crews take on challenges at sea.
That means Army helicopter crews will have to learn how to fly over large bodies of water, land on aircraft carriers and survive ocean crashes. They will conduct training exercises at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The new assignment is similar to those given to JBLM’s ground-based units in the 7th Infantry Division and I Corps. They’ve been training with Pacific allies in stateside exercises and overseas for the past two years.
Navy orders rail gun battery system fron K2 Energy Solutions
Navy orders rail gun battery system fron K2 Energy Solutions: An intermediate energy storage battery system for the U.S. Navy's electromagnetic rail gun is to be designed and engineered by K2 Energy Solutions Inc.
The energy storage system is a major component in the electromagnetic rail gun system, powering capacitor bank modules that are used to launch a projectile at a very high rate of speed.
The order for the battery system comes under an $81.4 million contract that was awarded to the company last summer by the Naval Sea Systems Command.
The energy storage system is a major component in the electromagnetic rail gun system, powering capacitor bank modules that are used to launch a projectile at a very high rate of speed.
The order for the battery system comes under an $81.4 million contract that was awarded to the company last summer by the Naval Sea Systems Command.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Army wants self-loading unmanned vehicles
Army wants self-loading unmanned vehicles: The Army wants unmanned ground vehicles that can be loaded and unloaded by other unmanned vehicles.
"My vision is for Army vehicles to have scalable autonomous capabilities," said Matt Donohue, the Army's science and technology ground maneuver technology portfolio director for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.
"For Army tactical vehicles, this means scalable autonomy from leader-follower to fully autonomous capable, including the ability to be loaded and unloaded by autonomous material handling equipment," Donohue said
"My vision is for Army vehicles to have scalable autonomous capabilities," said Matt Donohue, the Army's science and technology ground maneuver technology portfolio director for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.
"For Army tactical vehicles, this means scalable autonomy from leader-follower to fully autonomous capable, including the ability to be loaded and unloaded by autonomous material handling equipment," Donohue said
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