Naval and Defense News

[Eggstor]

I do note that the B-52 wasn't mentioned yet as a potential platform for the Libyan mission. If memory serves, it can carry (give or take a couple) as many GBU-38s as the B-2, and though it is less fuel-efficient, it actually has a longer range. Further, I don't believe any side in Libya has the weaponry to take down a B-52.

The specificity of the details given about the operation immediately after it happened is surprising, and frankly alarming on more than one level. We didn't need to know the type and number of aircraft, much less the exact number of munitions dropped by said aircraft, essentially at the same time those aircraft were touching back down.

I've never watched "Homeland", but I seem to have the same general confusion of who is pulling for who. That the mission happened makes sense; everything else, from the choice of platform to the immediate near-full disclosure, doesn't.

As for Taiwan, unless the US is going to abandon the "One China" policy, as the current leaders of Taiwan seem to be heading toward, putting US forces there is a non-starter. The bad news is that major policy change won't matter one bit in Beijing.

[xavierv]

Thanks for the nice comments on the videos.

Recap: Contenders for the LCS Frigate over the horizon (OTH) weapon RFP


Video: Kongsberg Ready to Operationalize Distributed Lethality with NSM for LCS, DDG & LPD

At the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium recently held near Washington DC, Norwegian company Kongsberg was showcasing the Freedom and Independence variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), an Arleigh Burke class Destroyer (DDG 51) and a San Antonio class Landing Platform Dock (LPD 17) each fitted with eight Naval Strike Missiles (NSM).

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... g-lpd.html

Video: Lockheed Martin Building LRASM Top Side Launcher Prototype for LCS OTH Requirement

At the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium recently held near Washington DC, Lockheed Martin was showcasing its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) in three configurations: Air launched (as part of OASUW Increment 1 for B-1B and F/A-18), VLS launched (from Mk41) as well as top side launchers fitted on a LCS Frigate based on the Freedom-class LCS.

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... ement.html

Video: Boeing Harpoon ER Could "Dominate the Battlespace" Thanks to its Net-Enabled Capability

At the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium recently held near Washington DC, Boeing was showcasing its Harpoon ER. This latest variant of the iconic AGM-84 anti-ship missile comes with a more lethal (and lighter) warhead, more fuel and improved turbojet engine to double the missile range.

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... ility.html

Regarding Harpoon ER:
The RGM-84N Harpoon ER (for extended range) comes with a more lethal (and lighter) warhead, more fuel and improved turbojet engine to double the missile range (from 67nm to 167.5 nm approx. compared to the Block 1C variant) while retaining the same firepower. The missile also comes with a datalink allowing for in-flight retargeting. A datalink antenna is fitted close to the nose cone of the missile (the only visual difference between a Harpoon Block 1C and the ER variant).

Other than that, I guess its main strength is that it is "a lot more affordable" compared to the other two solutions...

[Cik]

quantity is a quality all it's own

[Dysta]

If newer LCS got MK41 or better VLS, I'd think LRASM is better for loadout flexibility.

https://youtu.be/pP8pOtuo4Bo

[redcoat]

Vietnam has received its sixth and final Kilo-class submarine from Russia

http://navaltoday.com/2017/01/20/vietnam-receives-sixth-and-final-submarine-from-russia/

http://english.vov.vn/society/sixth-kil ... 342025.vov

[xavierv]

SNA 2017: Huntington Ingalls Industries Unveils Scale Model of DDG 51 Flight III Design

At the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium recently held near Washington DC, American naval shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) unveiled for the first time a scale model representative of the latest design of the next generation US Navy guided-missile destroyer: The DDG 51 Flight III.

The DDG 51 Flight III will be the most advanced Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer in the US Navy fleet. According to HII, the Flight III design will provide the distributed lethality multi-mission capability of conducting anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW). The new Flight III incorporates the SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) giving it a true Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability.

more at link http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... esign.html

[Hongjian]

Henri K. on the KG600 and KG800 jamming pods, as carried by J-10B and JH-7A respectively during last year's Red Sword excercise:

http://www.eastpendulum.com/red-sword-2 ... leur-j-10b



Interestingly, he states that the KG600 has about the same performance as Raytheon's ALQ-184(V)7 as used on Taiwan's F-16V, and hence are suitable for OPFOR training simulating Taiwanese airforce.

EDIT:
ALQ-184(V)9 (?) stats:
Frequency range: 2 to 10 GHz, continuous coverage
https://www.forecastinternational.com/a ... ARC_ID=654

According to Henri.K., the KG600's operates in the 2-12 Ghz band.

Also, the KG800, as carried by the JH-7A during the excercise is believed to be a new generation offensive ECM pod to replace the previous Chinese OECM pods carried by the JH-7A (and possibly will equip the J-16D Sino-Growler). One clue to that is the fact that the JH-7As during Red Sword carried no weapons aside of SRAAM's for self-protection, indicating that they are used in a Growler-like fashion to offer stand-in jamming support.

Some further evidence for his assertion:
In this picture, we see the lead plane carrying the KG800 pods, while the wingmen behind have KD-88 and YJ-91 AGMs. The lead-plane would provide electronic jamming screening to hide and protect the armed planes behind her, that will carry out the actual destruction of air-defense and ground-targets.

[ExNusquam]

ORIGINAL: Eggstor

I do note that the B-52 wasn't mentioned yet as a potential platform for the Libyan mission. If memory serves, it can carry (give or take a couple) as many GBU-38s as the B-2, and though it is less fuel-efficient, it actually has a longer range. Further, I don't believe any side in Libya has the weaponry to take down a B-52.

The B-52 can actually only carry 24 GBU-38s. The B-2 can carry up to 80. You'd need 4 B-52s vs the 2 B-2s that completed the mission.

The specificity of the details given about the operation immediately after it happened is surprising, and frankly alarming on more than one level. We didn't need to know the type and number of aircraft, much less the exact number of munitions dropped by said aircraft, essentially at the same time those aircraft were touching back down.

There's no reason to not disclose it; the US still does strategic messaging/PR (although not to the extent of the Russians). You'll note that the actually sensitive information, how they worked the targets, figured out who was there and designated aimpoints was not released. The fact that Loiter time was specifically mentioned in aircraft selection means that there was likely a dynamic time constraint (i.e. waiting for XYZ to show up). What this condition was (and how it was determined to be met) has not been released either, and likely won't be.

As for Taiwan, unless the US is going to abandon the "One China" policy, as the current leaders of Taiwan seem to be heading toward, putting US forces there is a non-starter. The bad news is that major policy change won't matter one bit in Beijing.

Concur. My comment was mostly intended to remark that people seem to be getting spun-up over John Bolton saying things that he's been saying forever.

[DeSade]

Polish F-16 have received first batch of JASSM, few months earlier then expected:



still no confirmed delivery date for recently ordered JASSM-ER.

[ExNusquam]

SBIRS GEO-3 was successfully launched yesterday on an Atlas V: http://spacenews.com/air-force-satellit ... ter-delay/

No news on when the vehicle will complete checkout and be brought online.

[ExNusquam]

An Iver Huitfelt Frigate of the Royal Danish Navy (HDMS Peter Willemoes) will deploy with a US CSG supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. It will likely deploy with CSG-2, centered on the Bush.

http://www.thelocal.dk/20170120/denmark ... into-syria

[xavierv]

PLAN Commissioning frenzy continues this January

China's Fifth Type 052D Kunming-class Destroyer "Xining" Commissioned in PLAN North Sea Fleet

According to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) the fifth Type 052D (NATO reporting name Luyang III class) destroyer Xining (hull number 117), was commissioned today with China's North Sea Fleet. The vessel is now homeported at Qingdao Naval Base located in North East China’s Shandong province.

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... fleet.html

China's 31st Type 056 Corvette (Jiangdao class) Commissioned in PLAN East Sea Fleet

A commissioning, naming and flag-presenting ceremony of the new Ezhou (hull number 513) Type 056 Corvette (Jiangdao class) of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) was held solemnly on January 18 at the Shacheng Naval Base (Fujian province). The event means the vessel is officially commissioned to the PLAN. Ezhou is the thirty-first Type 056 Corvette delivered to the PLAN fleet and the ninth Type 056A variant specialized in anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... fleet.html

[redcoat]

China's 1st Hack-Proof Quantum Satellite "Now Operational."

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2017/01/chinas-1st-hack-proof-quantum-satellite-now-operational-launches-a-new-world-.html

[orca]

MH-60 helicopters to become anti-missile jammers

http://www.c4isrnet.com/articles/mh-60- ... le-jammers

[AlGrant]

Did anybody out there NOT see this coming?
I suppose the biggest shock here is that it took them so long to get the documents signed [8|]

https://sputniknews.com/military/201701201049836303-base-naval-russia-syria/

[mikmykWS]

ORIGINAL: AlGrant

Did anybody out there NOT see this coming?
I suppose the biggest shock here is that it took them so long to get the documents signed [8|]

https://sputniknews.com/military/201701201049836303-base-naval-russia-syria/

Feel bad for the poor chumps that are going to be stationed there!

Mike

[Hongjian]

China's directed energy weapon project won the National Science and Technology Progress Award on January 9th.
The Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology research and development team lead by Huang Wenhua were awarded the first prize for their research in directed energy technology and the development of new concept weapons.
The research for the technology began on November 18, 2010 at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology. After six years of research and development, they achieved success.
According to report, the team was developing high-power microwave weapons.

People are already speaking about the application of that HPM weapon on some sort of sino-CHAMP missile, which may fry enemy electronics along its path.

Henri K has an article on that as well:
http://www.eastpendulum.com/mysterieuse ... -puissance

[Zaslon]

No 10 covered up Trident missile fiasco
A serious malfunction in Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons deterrent was covered up by Downing Street just weeks before the crucial House of Commons vote on the future of the missile system.


Theresa May Is Grilled Over U.K. Missile Test Failure
“It’s a pretty catastrophic error when a missile goes in the wrong direction, and while it wasn’t armed, goodness knows what the consequences of that could have been,” Mr. Corbyn said on Sunday.

[Dysta]

If Spratly Spat scenario happens in 2017, could this news be the suitable backdrop?

http://reut.rs/2j6AzKF

The new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump vowed on Monday the United States would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea, something Chinese state media has warned would require Washington to "wage war."

The comments at a briefing from White House spokesman Sean Spicer signaled a sharp departure from years of cautious U.S. handling of China's assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia, just days after Trump took office on Friday.

"The U.S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there," Spicer said when asked if Trump agreed with comments by his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. On Jan. 11, Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea.

"It’s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country," he said.

China responded on Tuesday, saying the United Sates was not a party to dispute in the South China Sea.

"We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Tillerson's remarks at his Senate confirmation hearing prompted Chinese state media to say at the time that the United States would need to "wage war" to bar China's access to the islands where it has built military-length air strips and installed weapons systems.

Tillerson was asked at the hearing whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China and said: "We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”

-more at link-

[xavierv]

Satellite Image Show a Third Type 055 Destroyer Under Construction in China

Satellite imagery from November 2016 seem to indicate that a 3rd Type 055 Destroyer is being built at Dalian shipyard in Northern China. The first two hulls are currently under construction at Jiangnan Changxing naval shipyard new Shanghai. Type 055 is the next generation class of Guided-Missile Destroyer (DDG) for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy).
...
According to Chinese media, the first tranche consist in four vessels (including two built at the Dalian naval shipyard). The unit cost of Type 055 is in excess of 5 Billion Yuan (approx. $750 Million USD). The first keel is rumored to have been layed in December 2014. The first vessel is likely to be launched in early 2017 while delivery to the PLAN should not happen until 2018 at the earliest.

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... china.html