Interest Grows In Dual-Mode Brimstone

(Avaitionweek) : The operational success the U.K. Royal Air Force has had with MBDA’s dual-mode Brimstone is driving U.S. and French interest in the munition, says the RAF’s assistant chief of the air staff, Air Vice Marshal Baz North.
The dual-mode weapon has been among the main munitions the RAF Tornado GR4 has been relying on during Libya operations.
The initial discussions with the French have begun, although they are at an early stage.
Still unclear is which French and U.S. platforms might launch the weapons. Dual-mode Brimstone is a Hellfire-class weapon, which should ease integration on new aircraft.
The dual-mode Brimstone has been used so heavily that inventory has become a concern—the weapon is modified out of a large existing stock of regular Brimstones. However, a senior NATO official notes that no missions have been scrapped owing to munitions shortages.
Although the dual-mode Brimstone has been well received, the U.K. for now has no plans to accelerate its fielding on the other U.K. fighter, the Eurofighter Typhoon. So far, the defense ministry has yet to award an integration contract for that weapon.

After Pakistan missile test, India flexes muscle

(Timesofindia) : Diplomatic re-engagement may have begun afresh but both sides are keeping their powder dry. The 1.13-million strong Indian Army is honing its war-fighting machinery with a major combat exercise, codenamed "Vijayee Bhava'' (Be Victorious), in the Thar desert to practice "high tempo'' operations to cut across the border.

Squeamish for long with India's "pro-active conventional war strategy'', or what is colloquially dubbed the "cold start'' doctrine, Pakistan in turn test-fired a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile Hatf-IX on Tuesday.

Given that Hatf-IX has a strike range of only 60 km, it is clearly intended for brandishing as a "battlefield nuclear weapon'' to deter Indian armoured forces from launching rapid thrusts into its territory.

"Pakistan already has the long and medium range Shaheen and Ghauri series of missiles, acquired with help of China and North Korea, to act as the delivery mechanism for strategic nuclear weapons,'' said a senior Indian official.

"So, with this new missile, Islamabad seems to be looking at tactical nuclear deterrence against advancing enemy formations. But it is being foolhardy if it thinks nuclear weapons are war-fighting weapons,'' he added.

India, of course, has its own nuclear and missile plans. It may be steadfast about adhering to a "no first-use'' of nuclear weapons but has made it amply clear that a nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be "massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage''.

The "Vijayee Bhava'' exercise, of course, is more conventional in nature, even though the combat manoeuvres may be simulated under "a  NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) overhang''.

The exercise, which will enter its peak phase in early-May, is being primarily conducted by the armoured corps-intensive 2 Corps, considered to be the most crucial of Army's three principal "strike'' formations tasked with virtually cutting Pakistan into two during a full-fledged war, said sources.

Incidentally, the 2 Corps based in Ambala is aptly called the `Kharga Corps', taking its name and formation sign from the deadly scythe wielded by Goddess Kali to vanquish enemies.

"In 2009, the 2 Corps had conducted the `Hind Shakti' exercise to fine-tune the pro-active strategy, which is all about mobilizing fast and hitting hard at several border points to catch the enemy unawares and gain momentum,'' said a source.

"The `Vijayee Bhava' exercise, which will also include elements from other Western Army Command (WAC) formations like the Jalandhar-based 11 Corps, will further validate operational concepts,'' he added.

With hundreds of tanks, artillery guns and over 30,000 soldiers, the exercise geared for "network-centric operations'' will see the extensive use of satellite imagery, helicopter-borne surveillance systems, spy drones and a wide array of land-based radars to "achieve battlefield transparency''.

As reported by TOI earlier, after Operation Parakram in 2002 took almost a month to reach D-Day readiness, India has reorganized Army formations all along the western front to enable a more swift and powerful offensive punch.

It was under this overall plan that the South-Western Command (SWAC) was created at Jaipur in 2005 as the Army's sixth operational command. With the Mathura-based 1 `Strike' Corps and Bhatinda-based 10 `Pivot' Corps under it, SWAC is responsible for offensive operations on the western front in conjunction with the Western Army Command (Chandimandir), which controls the 2 `Strike' Corps.

The Northern and Southern Army Commands, with the latter having the Bhopal-based 21 `Strike' Corps, at Udhampur and Pune respectively, will of course also play a crucial part in the event of a war but it will be SWAC and WAC which will assume the pivotal roles.

Moreover, both the western and southwestern commands of IAF have also stepped up coordination with the different Army commands in the western theatre to synergize efforts to build "an integrated and organic'' air-land war-fighting machinery.

Taiwan Plans to Build new ‘Stealth’ Warship

(NavalToday) : Taiwan plans to build a new ‘stealth’ warship armed with guided-missiles next year in response to China’s naval build-up, a top military officer and a lawmaker said on Monday.

Construction of the prototype of the 500-tonne corvette is due to start in 2012 for completion in 2014, deputy defence minister Lin Yu-pao said in answer to a question by Kuomintang party legislator Lin Yu-fang at parliament.
The warship, which the navy says is harder to detect on radar, is expected to emerge after China puts into service its first battle carrier group, the legislator said.
The twin-hulled boat will be armed with up to eight home-grown Hsiung-feng II ship-to-ship missiles and eight other more lethal Hsiung-feng III anti-ship supersonic missiles.
The remarks came as China has been restoring The Varyag, an old Soviet aircraft carrier bought in 1998.
The aircraft carrier will be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship, according to Andrei Chang, head of the Kanwa Information Centre, which monitors China’s military
(straitstimes)

Nag induction likely to be delayed

(The Hindu): The induction of third generation anti-tank Nag missile is likely to be delayed by more than a year with the Army seeking improvements to the specially-made missile carrier, Namica.
After the completion of the missile's “final validation trials” in the Chandan Air Force ranges in Rajasthan in July last, it was anticipated that it would be inducted into the Army this year. During the trials, the missile proved its capability against both moving and stationary targets, covering varying ranges of 500 meters to 2,600 metres.
The Namica too established its “channel-crossing ability” and manoeuvred across the Indira Gandhi Canal at Nachna in Rajasthan during flotation trials time. Each carrier can carry 12 missiles with eight of them in ready-to-fire mode.
Having a maximum range of four km, the Nag is equipped with the highly potent HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead.
With the Army seeking additional features such as providing a “panoramic sight” for two commanders, against the present system of having only one such facility for the ‘gunner,' the Namica is being totally redesigned.
Two systems would be made — one by Bharath Electronics Limited (BEL) and the other by Larsen & Toubro.
Following a comparative evaluation of the two carriers in the summer of 2012, the configuration of the production version would be selected.
Asked about induction, sources in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said, “It is up to the Army to decide.”
Meanwhile, the first demonstration flight test of the 7-km range Helina, the airborne version of the Nag from a helicopter, is planned to be conduced early next year. Recently, flight-testing from a ground-based launcher to establish the guidance scheme featuring “lock-on after launch” concept was conducted successfully at a range of 4.2 km, the sources said adding the DRDO proposed to carry out a guided flight test against a tank target by the end of the year,

India to order eight minesweepers from South Korea

(  The Economic Times) :  India is all set to place an order with a South Korean shipyard for building eight minesweepers for its navy in its quest to overhaul its existing fleet of such specialised warships, defence ministry sources say.

The ministry has zeroed in on Pusan-based Kangnam Corporation as the lowest bidder that is technically qualified to execute the order for which Italian firm Intermarine was among the shortlisted companies.

"The defence ministry has initiated cost negotiations with Kangnam Corporation that is expected to be completed in a month or two, when the order will be finally placed," a senior defence ministry official told IANS.

Though the final price is yet to be fixed, it is likely to be in the region of Rs.3,000 crore ($670 million) for each of the eight warships, defence ministry sources have indicated.

As per the tenders for the Mine Counter-Measure Vessels (MCMV), Kangnam will be asked to build the first two warships, following which Goa Shipyard Limited will be commissioned to build the rest six minesweepers under licensed technology transfer.

Minesweepers are specialised warships capable of detonating sea mines.

These eight vessels will be capable of playing the roles of both minesweepers and minehunters and hence will lie somewhere in between the two in terms of its capabilities, the official said.

The contract, which was originally scheduled for signing this month, got delayed as the Kangnam's competitors went to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) against its selection.

But after the defence ministry and the navy explained the rationality of Kangnam's selection as the lowest bidder to the CVC, the matter was settled and the cost negotiations are now progressing well, he added.

The navy currently operates 12 minesweepers of the Pondicherry/Karwar class that are equally divided between the two operational Mumbai-based Western Naval Command and Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command for deployment.

The Pondicherry/Karwar class of warships, built in the 1970s and 1980s, are fast approaching obsolescence and need to be replaced within this decade.

Kangnam will deliver the first two MCMVs by 2016 and Goa Shipyard Limited will complete its side of the contract by 2018.

The navy is also considering buying two used Osprey-class minesweepers from the US that were decommissioned by the US Navy in 2007. The US Congress has already cleared the prospective sale of these two vessels to friendly countries.

The Obama administration had in 2010 offered these two minesweepers to India, which had expressed its interest in acquiring them in April 2005

LIBYA: RAF Typhoon hits fresh target, with help from Tornado

(Flightglobal) : One of the UK Royal Airforce's Eurofighter Typhoons has again been in action against Libyan ground forces, with the type continuing to work in concert with the service's Panavia Tornado GR4 fleet.

The Ministry of Defence confirms that a two-aircraft formation comprising one Typhoon and one Tornado attacked equipment being operated by forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi on 14 April.
The UK aircraft "hit a heavy equipment transporter and a munitions store in the Misrata area using (Raytheon) Enhanced Paveway II and Paveway IV bombs," the MoD says in an operational update. Its Tornado GR4s also attacked one main battle tank and one armoured vehicle south of the Libyan capital Tripoli using MBDA dual-mode Brimstone air-to-surface missiles on the same day.

Flightglobal understands that the Typhoon's latest combat use of the 454kg (1,000lb) Enhanced Paveway II, along with its debut employment in Libya on 10 April, was enabled by a Tornado GR4 designating its targets using a Rafael Litening III targeting pod. Such co-operative targeting has previously been performed by RAF Blackburn Buccaneers for Tornado GR1s during the 1990-91 Gulf War, and by Dassault Mirage 2000s during the French air force's debut combat use of the Dassault Rafale  in Afghanistan.
The decision to use targeting services provided by the Tornado GR4 stems from a shortage of adequately trained Typhoon pilots, as illustrated in information published by the UK House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee on 15 April.
In evidence given to the committee on 9 March, two senior RAF officials revealed that only a fraction of the service's 48 Typhoon pilots were qualified to conduct air-to-ground missions, in line with its requirements for the fleet.
"We have eight pilots trained in the ground-attack role because that is all we need," said Air Vice Marshal Stephen Hillier, air officer commanding the RAF's 2 Group organisation. However, he added: "If we want to deploy that aircraft on an air-to-surface mission, we can do it." The UK's Typhoon force will achieve full multi-role readiness in 2018, with the bulk of the fleet to remain in use until 2030.

USA: Raytheon Company Completes First Flight Test of Standard Missile-3 Block IA

(NavalToday): Raytheon Company completed the first flight test of a Standard Missile-3 Block IA against an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). The test also demonstrated the SM-3 Block IA’s ability to engage a ballistic missile target when launched on remote.
“This test certifies phase I of the Phased Adaptive Approach,” said Frank Wyatt, vice president of Raytheon’s Air and Missile Defense Systems product line. “Executing the launch-on-remote engagement demonstrates both the increased capability of Raytheon’s SM-3 Block IA and the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed Aegis ships.”
The IRBM target was launched from Kwajalein Atoll. As it rose above the horizon, the target was acquired and tracked by a forward-based Raytheon AN/TPY-2 X-band radar located on Wake Island.
The target information was relayed through the command, control, battle management and communications system to an Aegis ship. The Aegis Weapon System computed a firing solution, forwarded this information to the SM-3 Block IA and initiated the launch sequence. By leveraging off-board sensors, the SM-3 Block IA engaged the IRBM.
“This was the 19th successful intercept for Raytheon’s SM-3, and it clearly demonstrates the missile’s increased capability,” said Wyatt. “We’ve taken a proven missile and made it even more capable through sensor netting.”
Raytheon  is developing SM-3 as part of the Missile Defense Agency’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, and more than 130 SM-3s have been delivered to date. The missiles are deployed with both the U.S. and Japanese navies to defend against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats in the ascent and midcourse phases of flight.
About Raytheon Company
Raytheon Company  , with 2010 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 89 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

China's first carrier can take the sea on July 1

(Rusnavy) :After 9 years of retrofitting, first Chinese aircraft carrier – the matter of Taiwan's concern – can take the sea soon.

Former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag was purchased in 1992 at the price of about $20 mln. Repair and upgrade works are at closing stage, the carrier's hull will be painted in standard colors of Chinese Navy, reports a Chinese military-oriented website.

It is expected that the aircraft carrier will be renamed in honor of a legendary Chinese admiral Shi Lang. This ship is believed to be one of the biggest successes of current Chinese president Hu Jintao who will leave his post next year.

The ship-repair works have been held since 2002 in Dalian port. Although the hull was built in 1988 in the Soviet Union, it had not electronics, radars, antennas, powerplant, and other onboard systems.

Jane's Defence Weekly reported on Friday that the future carrier will be equipped with phased antenna radars and ship-to-air systems. This will make Chinese aircraft carrier the more independent asset than US carriers are. As is known, air/missile defense of American carriers is provided by Aegis cruisers.

As was said in the interview by China's ex-Admiral Lan Ning-li, the aircraft carrier will be stationed in the South China Sea and enter the Taiwan-adjacent regions. "This carrier will make Taiwan vulnerable to sea attacks", he said. Despite the recent media reports that the ship's reconstruction is at closing stage, many electronic systems have not been installed in the carrier so far, said Lan.

The carrier's length is 302 meters; beam is 70.5 meters; displacement is 67,000 tons; speed is 29-31 knots; air wing is 50 aircraft. Probably, the ship is to be primarily armed with Russian-made Su-33 fighters, Chinese J-10 airplanes, early warning and ASW helicopters. So far, Chinese pilots have no deck takeoff/landing experience, and will need some time till Shi Lang could put pressure upon regional theater.

Russia Reaches Mistral-class Helicopter Carriers Agreement with France

(Navaltoday) : France and Russia have agreed that the Mistral-class helicopter carriers France will build for Russia will be fully equipped with the communication and control systems, a senior official in Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
“Russia has reached an agreement with France that meets the Defense Ministry’s demand to provide Mistral with the communications and other systems that would satisfy the requirements of the Navy,” the source said.
Russian Vedomosti business daily had previously said the Mistral talks were close to collapse since the Defense Ministry could not agree on the complete set of ships’ communications and control systems.
The Defense Ministry official said that Russian-French intergovernmental agreement on the purchase of two Mistral ships included the delivery of the helicopter carriers with the Zenith 9 communication and control system as well as the spare parts for the ships and technical documentation.
Russia and France signed an intergovernmental agreement in January to jointly build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are to be built later at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.
The estimated price for the first two French-built ships ranges from 980 milllion euros to at least 1.15 billion euros.
The Mistral class vessel is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.
Russia plans to deploy the first two Mistral ships in the Pacific to protect the four Kuril Islands, which Russia has disputed with Japan since World War II.
(Rian)

Indian Navy Crew Training in Russia for Admiral Gorshkov Aircraft Carrier Takeover

(Navaltoday) : India is gearing up to take delivery of the 45,000-tonne Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier with the navy training a batch of sailors in Russia as the warship’s first crew ahead of its induction in January 2013.
The 152 sailors and officers commenced their training in St. Petersburg in Russia three weeks ago to prepare for the takeover of the Kiev-class aircraft carrier in December 2012. The warship, bought by India in 2004, is undergoing a repair and refit programme at the Sevmash shipyard in northwest Russia.
“The first group of 152 sailors and officers commenced training in Russia to prepare to take over INS Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) aircraft carrier. The team largely comprises technical crew for the warship,” naval spokesperson Commander P.V.S. Satish said here today. Ahead of going to Russia for the training, the crew went through a three-month course in Russian language skills, he added. The warship will ultimately have 1,400 crew members. All of them will be trained in Russia in batches. India had paid $974 million for the aircraft carrier in 2004 and another $526 million for 16 MiG-29K fighter aircraft to be operated from the warship in a ‘short take-off but arrested recovery’ configuration.
In 2007, the Sevmash shipyard first demanded a hike in payments for the refit programme and had at one stage cited $2.9-billion as cost of the works, which included additional retrofitting, wiring, weapons suite, and communication systems that India sought.
After nearly three years of protracted negotiations, India finally agreed to pay $2.34 billion for the second-hand aircraft carrier in February 2010. While Russia has delivered the fighter jets to India, the warship itself is expected to be inducted only by late 2012 or early 2013. The navy is expected to place an order for 29 more MiG-29Ks.
The aircraft carrier deal had come in for criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2009 for the high costs involved in the purchase of a second-hand warship while spanking new one could be bought at almost the same cost. But the navy has argued that Admiral Gorshkov at the present price was the best India could get, as there were not many aircraft carrier manufacturers in the world and no other country, except Russia, was willing to sell the warship to India .

(headlinesindia)

Raytheon’s Hawk XXI Air Defense Missile System - Weapons on Offer to India

	( India Strategic) : The Hawk XXI Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) Missile System is one of the world’s most advanced all-weather, short to medium-range, low-to-medium-altitude air defense missile systems. Hawk XXI provides air defense against a variety of targets, including fixed and rotary wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and short range tactical ballistic missiles.
	This mobile system is highly lethal, reliable, and effective against electronic countermeasures. Hawk systems were deployed by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In response to the initial Iraqi attacks, Kuwaiti air defense Hawk units destroyed approximately 22 Iraqi fighters and helicopters. Hawk XXI provides full interoperability and situational awareness, high firepower, lethality, and reliability. The key to these system capabilities is the Fire Distribution Center (FDC) that can be configured as a Battery Mobile Command Post (BMCP).  The FDC – a modular and flexible C2 entity The modular FDC introduces new and modern technology all designed to optimize the war fighting capabilities of Hawk XXI. The FDC is characterized by its advanced fire control system, tactical interfaces and human machine interface (HMI), and the introduction of actual digitized terrain and map data; all based on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) processing systems. Due to its modular design, other variants of the Raytheon/ Kongsberg FDC are used with Surface Launched AMRAAM, naval strike missiles, and VSHORAD. The FDC can be integrated in a wide range of shelters mounted on both wheeled and tracked vehicles based on customer mobility requirements. The FDC performs data link management, sensor control, air picture production, track identification and classification, friendly protection, threat ordering, weapon allocation, engagement control and kill assessment. There is an embedded Force Operation’s tool for deployment planning, and scenario generation for realistic basic and enhanced training. The Hawk XXI FDC can also expand into controlling different launch platforms. The FDC is pre-wired for Hawk, AMRAAM and VSHORAD operations. National system capabilities can be added with software designed and developed by host nation industrial partners. The Hawk XXI batteries can be netted, constituting a Hawk XXI battalion or regiment. The link between the netted batteries and higher echelon unit (HEU) is the Battalion Operations Center (BOC) that can be configured as a Regimental Mobile Command Post (RMCP). The BOC is an advanced Command & Control Post for Battle Management, Coordination and Optimization of GBAD units at battalion level. The BOC has real-time engagement operation capabilities as well as mission planning capabilities and may be expanded to handle Engagement and Force Operations at regiment and above. The BOC is capable of merging and exploiting the capabilities of different air defense systems, including Early Warning sensors and national air defense systems, and fully integrating them into one fighting force. The outcome is increased combat efficiency through focus of force, shared awareness, and synchronization of assets in time and space and increased speed in the decision-making processes. nteroperability and mission configuration adaptability – are key features of the Hawk XXI system Interoperability and mission adaptability have become a commonly identified key components in the success of modern warfare. Each system in a joint and/ or combined theatre of operation contributes to a subset of information necessary to conduct military operations with a successful outcome. The BOC’s and FDC’s integration of tactical data links involves both the handling of relevant messages according to the standard message catalogue and the implementation of functionality in the C4I software to support the needed level of air defense system interoperability. The Battery Net Data Link (BNDL) is used for tactical operations and contains the primary means for integration to other FDCs in the operation’s area. This event driven high-speed high capacity link provides hard real time (milliseconds) data to all FDCs in the network. The BNDL enables all FDCs to see the exact same air picture/ tracks on their displays at the same time. This single correlated air picture is sent to higher echelon unit via the BOC. The implementation of standard tactical data links ensures interoperability with other national and allied forces as well as with adjacent air defense systems such as Patriot. The BOC and FDC are built on the exact same hardware and software architecture, and this open system design and standard facilitate the reuse of software, hardware and the injection of new technologies as they emerge. Summary - The highly effective, mobile and mission adaptable Hawk XXI air and missile defense system is being offered to Indian services to meet or exceed both the Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Defense as well as the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) defense capability. The HAWK XXI system has demonstrated the ability to configure across multiple missions, employing multiple missile types. Experts observe this adaptability should enable Hawk XXI to meet requirements of both the Indian Air Force and Army. It provides asset commonality for both services reducing life cycle costs, maintenance and logistics overhead, while simplifying training. Hawk XXI provides the right foundation to develop and integrate a layered Air and Missile Defense that will greatly benefit the Indian defense modernization roadmap.

Ford Carriers Stay On Schedule

(Avaitionweek) : While the rest of the aircraft carrier community breathed a collective sigh of relief in December when the U.S. Navy’s new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (Emals) launched its first Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet, shipbuilders and contractors for the next-generation CVN-78-class flattop knew the real work was just beginning.
While many in and out of the Navy worried about the risk of testing and refining a breakthrough technology like Emals concurrently with actual carrier construction, those building the ship and the aircraft-launching system say the real risk will be in maintaining the aggressive delivery schedule.
“If we were to wait for our new technology to be completely mature before deciding to include it, we’d never build a carrier,” says Navy Capt. Brian K. Antonio, Future Aircraft Carrier program manager. “There’s always concurrent development. It’s a balancing act—but we’re all on a schedule to launch in 2013.”
Keeping to schedule and making sure that technology works are key to making the CVN-78 Ford-class affordable and Navy shipbuilding plans viable. Delivering the ship on time will help cap construction costs, while Emals and other advancements promise to whittle away at lifecycle costs for a carrier class set to roam the seas into the coming century.
As the Navy’s most expensive ship to build or operate, any cost savings the service can realize on a carrier are certain to pay dividends.
“She’s coming together well,” said Rear Adm. Michael McMahon, carrier executive officer, at the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Newport News, Va., in February moments before the shipbuilder made its first steel cut on the next Ford-class carrier, CVN-79.
But there was less confidence about the future of the CVN-78—and the Ford-class program—in December. While Emals-maker General Atomics had succeeded in launching numerous heavy objects with the system, there had yet to be a successful Super Hornet takeoff.
“They took an enormous risk,” says Stuart Slade, senior naval editor for consultant Forecast International. “For a while, it didn’t look like it would pay off. It looked like we would have the world’s biggest helicopter carrier.”
An Emals failure would put the Ford’s future in doubt. It would be difficult—if not impossible—to rip the ship apart and reconfigure and rebuild it for a steam system.
Emals’ early herky-jerky progress had analysts working on briefings about how the Navy could have to develop some modified large amphibious ship derivation to fill the gap left by the Ford. The Dec. 18 Super Hornet catapult launch allayed those fears.
“It never dawned on me that we would not be able to launch that aircraft,” says Scott Forney, vice president of electromagnetic systems for General Atomics. “The real risk has always been in the production phase. My biggest concern was: How do we get ready to produce hardware in time for CVN-78?”
Northrop Grumman is keeping on pace with the schedule. Matt Mulherin, sector vice president, said in February that about a quarter of the ship’s structural units were in the dry dock.
One way the yard verified that its proposed design changes would meet Navy requirements was to put together a new simulation and modeling tool. It displayed flight-deck and other operations, as well as the impact of alterations.
“The program model emulates movement on the flight deck to verify that design features allow the ship to meet the requirements,” says Mike Shawcross, Newport News Ford-class vice president. The yard used the modeling to ensure that changes on the carrier help increase sortie generation and reduce manning, two of the Navy’s main objectives.
Some changes include: reducing the island size and moving it aft; decreasing the number of galleys, aircraft elevators and hangar bay doors; and replacing rotating radars with solid state-based systems.
“We needed to reduce the workload on the crew to allow the Navy to take sailors off the ship,” Shawcross says.
Including air wing manning cuts, Ford-class carriers will have 1,300 fewer sailors than the baseline Nimitz, even though the hull is essentially the same, Antonio says.
Slade says all the work is worth the effort. “She’s going to be an enormous improvement over the Nimitz class. With Nimitz, the primary role was alpha strike—to launch the attack wing. Now carriers need to support more land operations, they need to generate a more constant stream of aircraft.”
Doing that with significantly fewer people, he adds, is what’s going to make the Ford valuable in decades to come.
Image: Northrop Grumman