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Redlands18

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oldsig127 said:
There is a photograph of Doris Miller receiving his Navy Cross - it was presented by Adm. Chester Nimitz on the deck of USS Enterprise. It seems somehow appropriate that the three names will all be simultaneously carried by supercarriers (unless Nimitz decommissions first)

oldsig
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Sorry but the Nimitz is due to decommission mid decade replaced by the new JFK(currently fitting out) and the Miller wont be due to commission till the mid 30s or so. The new Enterprise(currently building) will replace the Eisenhower and the Miller will replace the Vinson, so no highly unlikely to happen.
 
oldsig127

oldsig127

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Redlands18 said:
Sorry but the Nimitz is due to decommission mid decade replaced by the new JFK(currently fitting out) and the Miller wont be due to commission till the mid 30s or so. The new Enterprise(currently building) will replace the Eisenhower and the Miller will replace the Vinson, so no highly unlikely to happen.
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Yes, I really expected as much but couldn't find the schedule to be certain. The fact that all three will have been supercarriers though, is a neat counterpoint to the photo

oldsig
 
OPSSG

OPSSG

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John Fedup said:
Boeing’s test plane MQ-25A made its first flight. The USN is still hoping for deployment by the middle of the next decade.

PICTURES: Boeing MQ-25A unmanned tanker makes first flight
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Big fan of this unmanned tanker. On 30 August 2018, the US Navy announced Boeing as the winner of the competition and awarded a US$805 million development contract for four unmanned MQ-25A Stingray to be completed by August 2024 — the continued relevance of carrier based aviation will evolve thanks to maturing technological initiatives like this.

Along with conforma fuel tanks for the Block III Super Hornets, this unmanned tanker will help extend the range of carrier aviation. Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker said that the MQ-25 can extend the Super Hornet's 450 nmi (520 mi; 830 km) unrefueled combat radius to beyond 700 nmi (810 mi; 1,300 km). The US Navy's goal for the aircraft is to be able to deliver 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) of fuel total to 4 to 6 airplanes at a range of 500 nautical miles (580 mi; 930 km).

While there are many milestones to meet before the MQ-25A program may expand a build program of 72 aircraft, I am sure Super Hornet, Growler, F-35C and a select few F-35B customers/operators are looking at this development with interest — for their penetrating strike packages, even if these are land based aircraft.
 
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John Fedup

John Fedup

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I guess the proof of performance will be the retention of the tumblehome or a modified version of it in the future large surface combatant ship. Sure does look awesome and the reported stealth is a big plus too. If railguns and/or lasers were mission capable prior to discovering how expensive ammunition for Zumwalt’s powder guns were going to be then perhaps a switch to the new technology would have allowed more Zumwalt hulls.
 
Ranger25

Ranger25

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Staff member
OPSSG said:
Big fan of this unmanned tanker. On 30 August 2018, the US Navy announced Boeing as the winner of the competition and awarded a US$805 million development contract for four unmanned MQ-25A Stingray to be completed by August 2024 — the continued relevance of carrier based aviation will evolve thanks to maturing technological initiatives like this.

Along with conforma fuel tanks for the Block III Super Hornets, this unmanned tanker will help extend the range of carrier aviation. Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker said that the MQ-25 can extend the Super Hornet's 450 nmi (520 mi; 830 km) unrefueled combat radius to beyond 700 nmi (810 mi; 1,300 km). The US Navy's goal for the aircraft is to be able to deliver 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) of fuel total to 4 to 6 airplanes at a range of 500 nautical miles (580 mi; 930 km).

While there are many milestones to meet before the MQ-25A program may expand a build program of 72 aircraft, I am sure Super Hornet, Growler, F-35C and a select few F-35B customers/operators are looking at this development with interest — for their penetrating strike packages, even if these are land based aircraft.
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Agreed, I think the design will also enable other variants for ISR and Offensive strike. Potentially a loyal wingman for the F35
 
OPSSG

OPSSG

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Ranger25 said:
News for the USN The new LRASM(ranger over 500km/stealthy). Has achieved IOC with the F18 fleet. Each F18 has the capacity to carry 4 LRASM.

LRASM set to Achieve EOC with U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet - Naval News
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1. I find it interesting that the US Navy continues to invest in interim upgrades for the Harpoon, as part of their new Offensive Missile Strategy. In April 2019, USNI reports the 2020 budget request for US$25.4 million to buy 70 modification kits to take Cold War-era Block IC Harpoon missiles (that the Singapore Navy is also using) and upgrade them to the Harpoon II+ configuration for use from the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

2. The Offensive Missile Strategy construct has three pillars.
  • First, the US Navy will sustain relevant weapon systems — to preserve the readiness and capacity of key strike weapons inventories.
  • Second, the US Navy will pursue strike weapon capability enhancements. Under this initiative, it will develop near-term capability upgrades to enhance existing weapons that provide critical improvements to our current long-range strike weapons capabilities (e.g. Maritime Strike Tomahawk, new Tomahawk warhead (Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System), LRASM V1.1, SM-6/Block 1B, and the Naval Strike Missile.
  • Third, the US Navy will develop next-generation strike missile capabilities to address emerging threats. LRASM’s replacement in Increment 2 is the next-generation capability being researched (compared to the LRASM V1.1 covering the now and the near-term). Increment 2 looks at defeating threats in 2028 and beyond and will be developed through an open competition.
This means that we have to await the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare efforts for Increment 2 to see what the LRASM replacement looks like.

3. In related news on a longer time frame beyond Increment 2, the US Navy will focus in 2020 on developing hypersonic weapons at breakneck speed, with testing to occur throughout 2020, Acting Secretary of the US Navy Thomas Modly said. Modly’s memo, SECNAV Vectors 9, likens the need to develop hypersonic weapons today to 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik.
  • Marillyn Hewson, the chief executive of Lockheed Martin, said that “development work on new hypersonic and classified programs” were among the reasons why the company’s Missiles and Fire Control segment reported strong growth in 2019.
  • In 2018, Northrop Grumman paid US$9.2 billion to purchase aerospace and technology company Orbital ATK. The acquired company, renamed Innovation Systems, “expands the Northrop Grumman portfolio into hypersonics.
  • United Technologies Corp. announced a plan to buy Raytheon in an all-stock deal that will create a defense industry giant. The new company, to be named Raytheon Technologies, will have estimated annual revenues of US$74 billion. Cash flows from the combined operations will fuel the development of directed energy weapons, hypersonic weapons and counter-hypersonic missile systems, said executives from both Raytheon and United Technologies when they justified the deal to analysts during a pair of July 2019 conference calls.
 
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ngatimozart

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I would hazard a guess that the LRASM replacement may be a hypersonic weapon. I can't understand why they continue with upgrading the Harpoon when it's already obsolete.
 
OPSSG

OPSSG

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ngatimozart said:
I would hazard a guess that the LRASM replacement may be a hypersonic weapon. I can't understand why they continue with upgrading the Harpoon when it's already obsolete.
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I think the USN are waiting for increment 2 of the LRSM (to mature the tech and before giving it more production volume on their surface fleet). The AGM-158C LRASM achieved operational capability with the US Air Force B-1B and the US Navy FA-18. A single USAF B-1B Lancer can carry and deploy up to 24 LRASM, to provide interim support naval strike operations in the Indo-Pacific, should the need arise. The Americans are not offering the LRSM for FMS sale, at this time — but may do so in a few years.

The Harpoon is in US Navy inventory and certified for use in the P-8A and P-8I— this order will also encourage other Harpoon users to upgrade their older missile stock.
 
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ngatimozart

ngatimozart

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The USN has flown 2 F-18G Growlers as UAVs, using a 3rd as the controller, as a demonstration of the loyal wingman program. US Navy flies two EA-18G Growlers autonomously; third Growler used as controller. The abilty of the Growler to control the loyal wingman will be part of the Growlers Blk II upgrade. It is possible that a QF-18G Growler UAV will be part of the Growler Blk III upgrade.

The USN is looking for contractors to integrate the P-8A Poseidon with LRASM, JDAM equipped 500 - 2,000 lb bombs, Mk62/63/65 Quickstrike sea mines, SDBs, MALDs, BRU-55 bomb rack and a Universal Armament Interface. US Navy plans to arm P-8A with cruise missiles, bombs, sea mines and decoys. They are certainly increasing the weapons capability of the P-8A.
 
OPSSG

OPSSG

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In Feb 2020, the first of a new generation of carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft delivered to the US Navy. Bell-Boeing turned over a CMV-22B Osprey to the US Navy in a ceremony at its Texas assembly facility after four years of design and production. The delivered aircraft is now assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21. “The first operational squadron, Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, is scheduled to receive the aircraft this summer,” the US Navy said.

The first flight of the aircraft was in Dec 2019, reported USNI News at the time. The delivery comes ahead of an aggressive testing and fielding schedule for the new COD that is anticipated to deploy in 2021 in parallel with the first deployed squadron of F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).
 
OPSSG

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A study released in 2019 by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said that, in order for a future carrier air wing to be effective in a major conflict with China, it would need to develop aircraft that could operate consistently at ranges of up to 1,000 nautical miles from the carrier.

“The decision to cease F/A-18 procurement after FY 2021 ensures the Carrier Air Wing will maintain capable strike fighter capacity to pace the most stressing threats through the 2030s,” read the US Navy documents. According to the justification in the documents, the money the US Navy for planned a subsequent multiyear buy of 36 Super Hornets from FY 2022 to 2024 would be rerouted to “accelerated development of Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and other key aviation wholeness investments,” read the documents.

The US Navy has abandoned a program to develop a low-observable, carrier-based unmanned strike aircraft in favor of the current MQ-25A Stingray unmanned refueling aircraft. In 2019, US Navy leaders said they weren’t working on development of a new unmanned carrier aircraft. So it is unclear if NGAD will be manned, unmanned or some combination of both.
 
ngatimozart

ngatimozart

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OPSSG said:
A study released in 2019 by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said that, in order for a future carrier air wing to be effective in a major conflict with China, it would need to develop aircraft that could operate consistently at ranges of up to 1,000 nautical miles from the carrier.

“The decision to cease F/A-18 procurement after FY 2021 ensures the Carrier Air Wing will maintain capable strike fighter capacity to pace the most stressing threats through the 2030s,” read the US Navy documents. According to the justification in the documents, the money the US Navy for planned a subsequent multiyear buy of 36 Super Hornets from FY 2022 to 2024 would be rerouted to “accelerated development of Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and other key aviation wholeness investments,” read the documents.

The US Navy has abandoned a program to develop a low-observable, carrier-based unmanned strike aircraft in favor of the current MQ-25A Stingray unmanned refueling aircraft. In 2019, US Navy leaders said they weren’t working on development of a new unmanned carrier aircraft. So it is unclear if NGAD will be manned, unmanned or some combination of both.
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I'm getting the impression that the USN is somewhat unsure in what it wants at the moment, and this is not just related to this, but right across the board. The political shenanigans that have surrounded defence budgets since 2013, certainly haven't help at all, and this years looks no different.
 
John Fedup

John Fedup

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Has the EMALS system been modified to allow a unit to be serviced without the need to shut down the other three units? IIRC, this was one of the biggest reasons for sortie rates well below what was promised.
 
ASSAIL

ASSAIL

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USN completes the first operational deployment of UQ4C Triton in the WESTPAC area in January.
I’m looking forward to the RAAF delivery to compliment the P8’s
Fluff piece here
 
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