Mil News USA, Canada & Caribbean Nations Military News & Discussion Thread

[BravoZulu]

USN:

The Navy on Wednesday identified the sailor who died during a mishap on aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush as Airman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak.

Naglak died Monday 17th September on the flight deck after he was struck by the turning propeller of an E-2C Hawkeye. The incident happened during routine operations while the vessel was operating in the Atlantic Ocean. No other service members sustained injuries.

“The loss of a shipmate is a heartbreaking experience for a crew of a naval vessel and those aboard USS George H.W. Bush will mourn Naglak’s passing and remember him always for his devoted service and sacrifice to our nation,” a statement from the office of Naval Air Force Atlantic Cmdr. Dave Hecht said.

The military was investigating the cause of the incident.

Naglak, of New Jersey, enlisted in the Navy in April 2017.

The USS George H.W. Bush was among nearly 30 vessels sortied from Norfolk, Va., earlier this month ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence on the East Coast.

Hecht, a public affairs officer, told UPI the aircraft carrier had already been scheduled to go to sea but left three to four days early due to the storm.

The USS George H.W. Bush resumed normal flight operations Tuesday afternoon.

Airman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak
https://gephardtdaily.com/national-international/navy-ids-sailor-killed-on-uss-george-h-w-bush/

R.I.P. Airman, a young man taken so early in his life and career

 

[BravoZulu]

USA:

The U.S. Marine Corps F-35B joint strike fighter has successfully conducted its first combat mission over Afghanistan, U.S. officials confirmed to Military Times.

The strikes, carried out by F-35Bs assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, occurred Thursday morning against a fixed target “in support of ground clearance operations,” and were deemed a success by the ground force commander, according to a statement put out by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command on Thursday afternoon.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 made history earlier this month as they became the first squadron with F-35Bs to deploy to the U.S. Central Command area of operations aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship Essex.

“The F-35B is a significant enhancement in theater amphibious and air warfighting capability, operational flexibility, and tactical supremacy,” said Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central command. “As part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, this platform supports operations on the ground from international waters, all while enabling maritime superiority that enhances stability and security.”

“The opportunity for us to be the first Navy, Marine Corps team to employ the F-35B in support of maneuver forces on the ground demonstrates one aspect of the capabilities this platform brings to the region, our allies, and our partners,” said Col. Chandler Nelms, commanding officer of the 13th MEU.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...35-flies-first-combat-mission-in-afghanistan/

 

[AAR Galileo]

USN: The Achilles heel of the US Sealift

In the event of a major war with China or Russia, the U.S. Navy, almost half the size it was during the height of the Cold War, is going to be busy with combat operations. It may be too busy, in fact, to always escort the massive sealift effort it would take to transport what the Navy estimates will be roughly 90 percent of the Marine Corps and Army gear the force would need to sustain a major conflict.
That’s the message Mark Buzby, the retired rear admiral who now leads the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, has gotten from the Navy, and it’s one that has instilled a sense of urgency around a major cultural shift inside the force of civilian mariners that would be needed to support a large war effort.

“The Navy has been candid enough with Military Sealift Command and me that they will probably not have enough ships to escort us. It’s: ‘You’re on your own; go fast, stay quiet,’” Buzby told Defense News in an interview earlier this year.


https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2...-escorts-in-the-next-big-war-forcing-changes/

 

[BravoZulu]

US:
Raytheon has integrated its latest DeepStrike missile container with the US Army’s M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The long-range DeepStrike missile was designed and developed to meet the US Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) requirement.

The integration of the DeepStrike missile pod, containing two missiles side-by-side, was carried out at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in July this year. Jane’s understands that the integration was successfully carried out with a M270A1 MLRS in US Army service and a M142 HIMARS in United States Marine Corps (USMC) service.

Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice-president Dr Thomas Bussing explained that the latest advancement in the development of the DeepStrike missile is in response “to the US Army’s desire to accelerate its PrSM programme”.

 

[BravoZulu]

US Air Force:
The US Air Force is awarding a series of contracts for the development of a Launch System Prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicleprogram. The contracts are part of a portfolio that aims to leverage commercial launch solutions to meet National Security Space requirements. This includes the launch of the heaviest and most complex payloads the US military has to offer.

The first contract is awarded to United Launch Alliances and is valued at $967 million. This covers the an initial investment for the development of ULA's Vulcan Centaur launch system. The Vulcan is being developed to replace both the Atlas-5 and Delta-4 families which will be phased out beginning in 2018. By 2023 ULA plans to introduce a more powerful Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) to the Centaur second stage. ACES, assisted by six solid rocket boosters will be able to outlift the existing Delta 4 Heavy. ULA's work will be performed at it's factories in Centennial, Colorado; Decatur, Alabama; and at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Vulcan is expected to be ready for launch by end of March 2025.

The second contract is valued at $791.6 million goes to Orbital Sciences Corp, which will develop the OmegA launch system. Orbital's OmegA rocket's initial intermediate-payload configuration consists of a solid-rocket booster a second stage powered by the company's Castor 300 or Castor 600 solid-rocket motor, and a third stage powered by two Aerojet RL-10C engines. By adding up to six strap-on boosters, OmegA will be capable of launching payloads of up to 22,266 lbs. to a geostationary transfer orbit, and payloads of up to nearly 17,200 lbs. to geostationary equatorial orbits. The OmegA will be produced at a variety of Orbital facilities including Chandler, Arizona; Magna and Promontory, Utah; Iuka, Mississippi; West Palm Beach, Florida; Sandusky, Ohio; and Michoud, Louisiana. The OmegA will be launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Orbit is expected to complete the rocket by December 31st, 2024.

The third contract is being awarded to Blue Origin LLC owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The $500 million order covers the initial development of the company's New Glenn launch system. New Glenn is a new reusable rocket family, the three-stage version is 313 feet tall. The first stage is modelled after the reusable booster New Shepard and significantly reduces cost and maintenance. A single, vacuum-optimized BE-3 engine, burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, powers its third stage. Work will be performed at the company's factories in Kent, Washington and Huntsville, Alabama. The New Glenn will have its launch facilities at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg AFB and is expected to be ready by July 2024.

In the coming months the companies will create launch system prototypes; ultimately, the Air Force will narrow the field from three to two developers, who will continually compete for national security rocket launch opportunities from fiscal year 2020 onward. Elon Musk's SpaceX is currently left out of the competition but may be able to join the program at a later stage. Under the EELV program, the competitors must develop or source domestically-produced propulsion systems — a reversal of the current status quo.

defenseindustrydaily.com

 

[BravoZulu]

US Air Force:
The US Air Force is procuring more updated Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) from Raytheon.

The awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee option is valued at $62 million and provides for more missiles that integrate the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) of the AMRAAM guidance section. Friday's contract involves foreign military sales to Norway, Turkey, Japan, Romania, and Australia.

The Air Force's AMRAAM F3R project is a comprehensive effort to mitigate the effects of parts obsolescence and diminishing manufacturing sources in the missile's guidance section to extend the missile's lifetime well into the 2020s. The F3R effort includes the substantial redesign of subsystems that include a new ASIC design, new hardware and a new signal processor. Work will be performed at Raytheon's factory in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by December 2020.

 

[AAR Galileo]

USN:

Navy Wants New 'Seawolf-Like' Attack Submarines To Challenge Russian And Chinese Threats

The U.S. Navy appears to be leaning toward developing a new, advanced fast attack submarine that focuses more on hunting maritime threats above and below the waves than on stand-off strikes against targets ashore. The decision would reflect growing concerns about Russian and Chinese submarine activity, but could come at a steep price of more than $5 billion per sub.

USNI News was one of the first to spot that the Congressional Budget Office explored the Navy’s shifting priorities in its analysis of the service’s latest shipbuilding plan for the 2019 through 2048 Fiscal Years, which it released on Oct. 18, 2018. Purchases of the Virginia-class attack submarine are supposed to end in 2033, after which the Navy expects to begin buying new boats to succeed that design at a rate of two every year through 2048. This would result in a fleet of 30 of the new subs, presently referred to simply as SSN(X).

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...bmarines-to-challenge-russian-chinese-threats

 

[AAR Galileo]

US Army:

The US Army is borrowing Marines Lav-25 to equip the 82 Airborne 4-68 Armor Regiment.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mi...wing-light-armored-vehicles-from-the-marines/

 

[bdpopeye]

U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea by Russian Su-27

Release Date: 11/5/2018 11:15:00 AM

From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

BLACK SEA (NNS) -- On Nov. 5, 2018, a U.S. EP-3 Aries aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27. This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-27 conducting a high speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft, putting at risk the pilots and crew. The intercepting SU-27 made an additional pass, closing with the EP-3 and applying its afterburner while conducting a banking turn away. The crew of the EP-3 reported turbulence following the first interaction, and vibrations from the second. The duration of the intercept was approximately 25 minutes.

While the Russian military is within its right to exercise within international airspace, this interaction was irresponsible. We expect them to behave within international standards set to ensure safety and to prevent incidents, including the 1972 Agreement for the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA). Unsafe actions‎ increase the risk of miscalculation and potential for midair collisions.

The U.S. aircraft was operating in accordance with international law and did not provoke this Russian activity.

 

[bdpopeye]

Chinese warship sails within yards of US destroyer in 'unsafe' encounter

A Chinese warship sailed within yards of an American destroyer – forcing it to change course – in an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter as the US vessel was in contested waters in the South China Sea, according to a US official.

The Chinese ship then conducted a series of “increasingly aggressive maneuvers, and warned the Decatur to depart the area,” he added.

The Chinese “destroyer approached within 45 yards of Decatur’s bow, after which Decatur maneuvered to prevent a collision”.

The USS Decatur guided-missile destroyer was conducting what the military calls a “freedom of navigation operation” on Sunday, when it passed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the remote Spratly Islands.

Beijing claims all of the Spratly chain as part of its sweeping claims across much of the South China Sea.

China’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that a Chinese naval ship had been sent to warn the US vessel to leave, saying it was resolutely opposed to an operation that it called a threat to its sovereignty.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said in a separate statement it strongly urged the United States to stop such “provocative” actions.

The 12-mile distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass.

 

[BravoZulu]

US SOCOM:
The US Special Operations Command is ordering additional helicopters from Boeing.

The awarded contract modification

is priced at $42.8 million and provides for four new build MH-47G Chinooks. The MH-47G is a new version of the helicopter platform that first flew in 1962 and has been configured to perform long-range day and night missions, in inclement weather at low levels.

The Chinooks feature enhanced digital avionics and flight control systems, as well as a sturdier monolithic airframe increasing survivability.

According to the DoD press release, SOCOM needs those additional rotorcraft to satisfy an urgent need for heavy assault helicopters. Work will be performed at Boeing’s factory in Ridley Park.

These helicopters’ distinctive “flying banana” twin-rotor design stems from the brilliant work of aviation pioneer Frank Piasecki. It gives Chinooks the ability to adjust their positioning very precisely, while carrying a large airframe whose load capacity has made it the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter.

The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030.

The CH-47F looks similar to earlier models, but offers a wide range of improvements in almost every aspect of design and performance. While the related HH-47’s $10-15 billion CSAR-X program win was terminated, delivery orders continue for CH-47Fs and for MH-47G Special Forces configuration helicopters.

International orders or formal requests have also come in from Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the UAE, with India and other countries expected to follow.

 

[BravoZulu]

USA:
The US and Australian navies have for the first time jointly tested the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) real-time sensor netting system.

During training and trials conducted off the coast of Hawaii, the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) first Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD), HMAS Hobart , established secure data links with US Navy (USN) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John Finn, after which the vessels shared tracking and fire control data, Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne announced in a 5 November statement, pointing out that the trials marked "a significant milestone in the testing and qualifying of Hobart' s combat and weapons systems".

"These trials are the culmination of 12 months of preparations and demonstrate Hobart's formidable capability," said Pyne without specifying when the latest tests took place.

The RAN's Hobart-class destroyers are the first warships outside the USN to be equipped with the CEC system, meaning this test marked the first time the capability was proven between two navies.

Hobart 's commanding officer, Captain John Stavridis, was quoted by the Australian Department of Defence as saying that the AWD's visit to the US showed how closely the Australian and US navies can work together. "Connecting and sharing data with the US Navy like this is an important step in increasing our interoperability with them, especially during linked task group operations at sea," he said.

Supplier, Raytheon describes the CEC system as one that brings together radar data from geographically dispersed naval ships, aircraft, and ground-based units into a common and integrated air picture.

This means that a ship "can detect and, if needed, engage a threat identified by another ship or aircraft, creating greater flexibility and better protection for all the ships involved", explained Capt Stavridis.

 

[AAR Galileo]

Canada:

Dassault will not bid on the next Canadian fighter .

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...acturer-pulls-out-of-canadian-competition-to/

The key mission for Canada’s next fleet of fighter jets will be patrolling the skies of North America in tandem with U.S. forces as part of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). In that context, the new fighter jets will have to be able to communicate securely with Canadian and American forces, which requires state-of-the-art encryption and data-sharing technologies.

I totally agree with Dassault position, it will be a waste of time and money for European manufacturers to bid in a competition were the USA have a joker in the hand with the NORAD encryption boxes.

 

[BravoZulu]

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) held a steel-cutting ceremony on November 9 to mark the official start of construction of the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127).
The milestone was marked with a ceremony held in the shipyard’s fabrication shop during which US Senator Susan Collins made the initial cut to the first plate of steel for the ship. The ceremony was attended by BIW shipyard workers and Navy representatives.
The ship will honor Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Navy Cross recipient. Gallagher was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on July 18, 1966, when he selflessly threw his body on an incoming grenade, shielding his fellow Marines. He quickly pitched the grenade to a nearby river where it safely exploded out of harm’s way, without injury to himself or others. Gallagher was killed in action one year later in DaLoc near De Nang on March 30, 1967. He is one of only 30 known Irish citizens to have died in the Vietnam conflict.
“It is exciting to commence construction on what will be the 77th ship of the Arleigh Burke class” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “Not only will this ship continue the legacy of enduring warfighting capability, it will carry with it the strength and courage demonstrated by its namesake.”
DDG 127 will be the last Flight IIA configuration destroyer built by BIW. The ship will incorporate the AEGIS Baseline 9 combat system which includes integrated air and missile defense capability. This system delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for anti-air warfare.
BIW is currently in production on the future Arleigh Burke class destroyers Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), and Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), as well as the Zumwalt class destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002).
BIW was also recently awarded a contract for the construction of four DDG 51 Flight III ships as part of the Navy’s FY18-22 multiyear procurement.

https://navaltoday.com/2018/11/12/c...gh-burke-destroyer-patrick-gallagher-ddg-127/

 

[BravoZulu]

An F/A-18 Hornet flying from US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) crashed into the Philippine Sea during routine operations on November 12.
The F/A-18 from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 experienced a mechanical issue that forced the crew to eject, the US Navy said.
The crew was recovered by USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) search and rescue aircraft and brought back to the ship for evaluation by medical personnel. Both aviators are in good condition.
The navy says the aircraft carrier has resumed normal operations adding that the crash is under investigation.
CVW 5 is embarked onboard Ronald Reagan and is currently underway on a patrol in the US 7th Fleet area of operations.
The aircraft crash occurred just days after USS Ronald Reagan completed participation in exercise Keen Sword with units from the US Air Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
On October 19, 2018, an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter crashed aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during flight operations. The aircraft carrier was underway in the Philippine Sea at the time of the accident, after completing participation in the Republic of Korea Navy fleet review.

https://navaltoday.com/2018/11/12/p...ss-ronald-reagan-crashes-into-philippine-sea/

 

[BravoZulu]

Future USS Sioux City will become the first US Navy ship ever to be commissioned at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as she enters service in a ceremony on Saturday, November 17.
The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) is also the first naval vessel to be named in honor of Sioux City, Iowa.
US Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa will deliver the commissioning ceremony’s principal address. Mary Winnefeld, the wife of former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld, is the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when Mrs. Winnefeld gives the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”
“This ship is named in honor of Sioux City, Iowa, but represents more than one city,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “USS Sioux City represents an investment in readiness and lethality, and is a testament to the increased capabilities made possible by a true partnership between the Department of the Navy and our industrial base.”
The future USS Sioux City, designated LCS 11, is the 13th LCS to enter the fleet and the sixth of the Freedom-variant design.
USS Sioux City will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

https://navaltoday.com/2018/11/16/u...vy-ship-to-enter-service-at-us-naval-academy/

 

[Scalindjo]

2 Navy SEALs, 2 Marines charged with murder in death of Green Beret: Prosecutors

Nov 16, 2018

Two SEALs from the Navy's elite SEAL Team Six and two Marines have been charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar in Mali in June 2017. If the case moves to a court-martial, the four members of some of the U.S. military's most elite units face the possibility of life in prison without parole.

"Charges were preferred yesterday against two Sailors and two Marines in the death of Army Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar, who died June 4, 2017, while serving in Bamako, Mali," said a Navy statement.
"The four personnel face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice including Felony Murder, Involuntary Manslaughter, Conspiracy, Obstruction of Justice, Hazing and Burglary," the statement said.

Charge sheets identify the two SEALs as serving with Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the official name for SEAL Team Six, the elite unit most famous for carrying out the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The two Marines belong to the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mem...charged-green-berets-murder/story?id=59218757

 

[BravoZulu]

U.S. Army
The U.S. Army is asking for over 6,000 joint light tactical vehicles, or JLTVs, the Oshkosh company announced Wednesday.

It's the tenth request since Oshkosh Defense was awarded a contract in 2015.

Oshkosh Defense officials say the vehicles the U.S. Army ordered are an advancement from past vehicles.

“This vehicle represents a technological leap forward that provides enhanced protection and extreme mobility both off-road and in dense urban terrain," said vice president and general manager of Joint Programs, George Mansfield.

Mansfield says in the past the vehicles equipped with the same features of the JLTVs offered little mobility, and were much larger.

Oshkosh Defense says it expects the first Army unit to be ready by early next year.

https://fox11online.com/news/local/us-army-places-169-billion-order-with-oshkosh-defense

 

[bdpopeye]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet has been found dead in his residence in Bahrain.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson says Vice Adm. Scott Stearney was found dead Saturday.

Richardson says the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are investigating the death, but foul play is not suspected.

Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, the deputy commander of the Fifth Fleet, has taken over Stearney's duties.

Richardson described Stearney as a decorated naval warrior, a devoted husband and father, and a good friend.

The Fifth Fleet includes the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

 

[santana]

Marine KC-130 Aerial Tanker And F/A-18 Hornet Crash Off Japan

A Marine Corps KC-130 aerial tanker and an F/A-18 Hornet have crashed off Japan, a defense official told Task & Purpose on Wednesday.

One of the missing Marines has been rescued alive, said 2nd Lt. Alyssa J. Morales, a spokeswoman for the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The status of the other Marines was not immediately available.

“Search and rescue operations continue for U.S. Marine aircraft that were involved in a mishap off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 a.m. Dec. 6.,” a Marine Corps news release said.

“The aircraft involved in the mishap had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred. Japanese search and rescue aircraft immediately responded to aid in recovery.”


A total of seven personnel were believed to be on board the two aircraft, according to ABC News’ Elizabeth McLaughlin.

Full Story
https://taskandpurpose.com/marine-a..._Ha_cigDm2yTPhsOhm-ZS-NxwsJHlJQesZw7gzL4tfdow