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

[BravoZulu]

USAF Confirms: The Chinese J-20 Spotted In Georgia Is a Mock-Up Used For Training by the U.S. Marine Corps

The U.S. Air Force has officially confirmed to TheAviationist.com that the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon photographed at a military facility inside Savannah-Hilton Head Airport, Georgia, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, is a training mock-up for use by the United States Marine Corps.

“It is a full scale replica and remained at the Air Dominance Center for a short period during the week of 4-6 Dec. The USMC is funding and directing the training objectives of this device. Col. Emmanuel Haldopoulos, Commander of the Savannah Air Dominance Center, wrote us.

The specific role of the realistic, full scale mock-up has not yet been clarified by official U. S. Marine Corps sources.

The photo caused worldwide speculation when we broke the story on Thursday, the day after the aircraft was sighted at Savannah-Hilton Head Airport. It was provided to us by a reliable spotter who asked to remain anonymous and shot the photo from public property.

A number of theories about the plane’s authenticity and origin, including bizarre ideas about a Viktor Belenko style defection, however unlikely, swirled around social media. The Russian media outlet Sputnik ran a feature on the photograph and our story.

Late last week, Chinese Defense subject matter expert Andreas Rupprecht, noted author of several authoritative reference books on the Chinese air forces, was the first to observe that the aircraft’s control surfaces had not moved while parked in a static position. He also noted that the exhaust nozzles looked inaccurate and the landing gear was different from a real Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon. These observations confirmed the aircraft was a full-scale mock-up and not a real Chengdu J-20.

Now that the authenticity of photo and the purpose for the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon have been officially confirmed by the U.S. Air Force the more interesting story becomes how the U.S. Marine Corps will integrate the aircraft into its training operations.

The appearance of the USMC-owned J-20 mock-up suggests that the U.S. is taking the emergence of this and other Chinese weapons systems seriously. With a significant increase in both indigenous and export weapons programs coming from China the U.S. focus on emerging Chinese defense technology is well justified.

Comparison of the Savannah-Hilton Head training mock-up photo (bottom) with a file photo of the Chengdu J-20 from China’s Defense Force. A. Incorrect Landing Gear B. aircraft’s control surfaces not moved while parked in a static position. C. Incorrect nozzles (Photo: Anonymous and Chinese Media.)
https://theaviationist.com/2018/12/...up-used-for-training-by-the-u-s-marine-corps/

 

[BravoZulu]

Chinese Intelligence Officer Charged with Economic Espionage Involving Theft of Trade Secrets from Leading U.S. Aviation Companies

A Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) operative, Yanjun Xu, aka Qu Hui, aka Zhang Hui, has been arrested and charged with conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and steal trade secrets from multiple U.S. aviation and aerospace companies. Xu was extradited to the United States yesterday.

The charges were announced today by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Benjamin C. Glassman, Assistant Director Bill Priestap of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division.

“This indictment alleges that a Chinese intelligence officer sought to steal trade secrets and other sensitive information from an American company that leads the way in aerospace,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “This case is not an isolated incident. It is part of an overall economic policy of developing China at American expense. We cannot tolerate a nation’s stealing our firepower and the fruits of our brainpower. We will not tolerate a nation that reaps what it does not sow.”

“Innovation in aviation has been a hallmark of life and industry in the United States since the Wright brothers first designed gliders in Dayton more than a century ago,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman. “U.S. aerospace companies invest decades of time and billions of dollars in research. This is the American way. In contrast, according to the indictment, a Chinese intelligence officer tried to acquire that same, hard-earned innovation through theft. This case shows that federal law enforcement authorities can not only detect and disrupt such espionage, but can also catch its perpetrators. The defendant will now face trial in federal court in Cincinnati.”

"This unprecedented extradition of a Chinese intelligence officer exposes the Chinese government's direct oversight of economic espionage against the United States,” said Assistant Director Priestap.

Yanjun Xu is a Deputy Division Director with the MSS’s Jiangsu State Security Department, Sixth Bureau. The MSS is the intelligence and security agency for China and is responsible for counter-intelligence, foreign intelligence and political security. MSS has broad powers in China to conduct espionage both domestically and abroad.

Xu was arrested in Belgium on April 1, pursuant to a federal complaint, and then indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Ohio. The government unsealed the charges today, following his extradition to the United States. The four-count indictment charges Xu with conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chin...pionage-involving-theft-trade-secrets-leading

 

[BravoZulu]

Raytheon's SM-2 Block IIIC terminal-homing shipboard missile

Shipboard weapons experts at the Raytheon Co., are starting full-scale development of an anti-aircraft missile for surface warships that combines the range and speed of the RIM-66 Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) with accuracy matching the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).
Officials of the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington announced a $149.4 million contract Friday to the Raytheon Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Ariz., for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the SM-2 Block IIIC.
This missile is an active terminal-homing version of the SM-2 medium-range missile. It adds the active-homing radar seeker of the SM-6 Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM) to the existing SM-2 airframe, which has inertial and command mid-course guidance.
EMD is where a system is developed and designed before going into production, and is to complete system development, develop affordable and efficient manufacturing processes, complete system fabrication, and test and evaluate the system before proceeding into full production.
The SM-2 Block IIIC guidance system, which comes from the SM-6 ERAM, was developed originally for the Raytheon aircraft-launched AIM-120 AMRAAM -- one of the nation's most sophisticated radar-guided air-to-air missiles, and one of the world's most advanced all-weather, all-environment, medium-range air-to-air missiles for engaging enemy aircraft and missiles from beyond visual ranges.
Currently Raytheon is working on for phase 4b Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) of the AMRAAM guidance section to extend the missile's lifetime well into the 2020s. AMRAAM is standard armament on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-22, F-35, F-16, F-15E, and other combat jets.
Blending active radar homing and the SM-2 missile airframe gives the missile added capability against agile maneuvering targets, as well as against targets beyond the effective range of the launching vessel's target-illumination radar.
The Raytheon SM-2 Block IIIC is aboard Navy Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. It deploys from the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS). It is designed for use against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and anti-ship cruise missiles. It also can be used as a high speed anti-ship missile.
On this contract Raytheon will do the work in Tucson, Ariz; Wolverhampton, England; East Aurora, N.Y.; Middletown, Ohio; and Englewood, Colo., and should be finished by October 2022.

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2018/12/shipboard-terminal-homing-missile.html

 

[BravoZulu]

US:
BAE Systems and General Dynamics have received contracts that total more than $700 million to produce 12 prototypes of the Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle.
The contracts, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, cover middle tier acquisition and rapid prototyping effort, with plans and options for initial production. The MPF will fall under a Rapid Prototyping contracting arrangement meant to lead to fast fielding, according to the Army.

The proposed vehicle will be similar to the AJAX vehicle currently being developed by the U.K., which General Dynamics has worked on, while BAE's prototypes will likely include the M8 Buford Armored Gun System it has developed with the Army.
Delivery on both MPF prototypes is expected to start sometime next year.

"By working closely with industry, they will be able to deliver this major improvement in lethality and maneuver support, embedded directly within our Infantry Brigade Combat Teams and ensuring continued combat over match at the lowest echelons of our formations," Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said in an Army press release.
The MPF will be meant for bunker busting roles and combating light armor using a gun in the 105mm to 120mm range. The vehicle is meant to be easily air transportable in standard cargo aircraft like the C-17.
The vehicle would be similar to the current Stryker 105mm gun variant with the addition of tracks for better mobility in rough terrain.

For the two contracts -- BAE was awarded $375 million and General Dynamics received $335 million -- each company has been obligated about $175 million in fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds.
Both contracts run through October 2025, and the Army aims to start fielding it that year.
The Army plans to acquire 504 of the vehicles, with 14 assigned to each IBCT.

The Mobile Protected Firepower prototype General Dynamics has been contracted to provide for the U.S. Army is expected to be influenced by the U.K.'s AJAX vehicle, pictured. Photo courtesy of Saab

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/20...ed-fighting-vehicle-prototypes/2091545145142/

 

[BravoZulu]

US Army:
The US Army is buying more sniper rifles for its troops.

Knights Armaments will deliver an unspecified number of M110 semi-automatic sniper rifles at a cost of $16.5 million. The M110 is a lightweight, semi-automatic, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, shoulder-fired weapon that fires NATO-standard ammunition. The M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS) has been in service since 2008.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Deliveries are expected to end by November 20, 2024.

 

[AAR Galileo]

US Navy

US Navy to block buy 2 more G. Ford Carrier.

Despite the ongoing federal funding battle and government shutdown, the U.S. Navy announced its intent to block buy two Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers.
That could mean millions of dollars funneling into the Hampton Roads economy. The block buy is also expected to save taxpayers money.
In response to the announcement, Senator Tim Kaine released a statement saying, "This smart move will save taxpayer dollars and help ensure the shipyards can maintain a skilled workforce to get the job done. Newport News builds the finest carriers in the world, and I know they are ready to handle this increase in work as we make progress toward the Navy's goal of a 355-ship fleet."



https://www.13newsnow.com/article/n...iers/291-d6d5fa35-2de2-475b-abb4-08916f141280

 

[BravoZulu]

"Navy's goal of a 355-ship fleet."

I remember being in Seattle in 1985 and listening to the Pres laying out his goal for a 600 ship fleet,how times and circumstances have carved into the USN

 

[AAR Galileo]

US Navy

he U.S. Navy’s submarine community has been the focus of great attention recently as the service has offered new details about plans for multiple new classes of submarines and plans for a Topgun-like training program for submariners. Unfortunately, a new report from a top Congressional watchdog highlights the Navy’s continuing struggles to maintain the attack sub fleet it already has, with the service incurring more than $1.5 billion in charges in the past decade to keep boats sitting pier-side for months, and sometimes years, awaiting major maintenance The result? Decades of operational time lost in the process.

On Nov. 19, 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an unclassified version of its review, which focuses on the maintenance backlog impacting Los Angeles-, Virginia-, and Seawolf-class attack submarines, but does not include data relating to Ohio-class ballistic and cruise missile boats. Just over a year earlier, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Joseph Tofalo, then-Commander, Submarine Forces, had himself acknowledged the extent of the issue and warned that the service might not be able to meet the demands for a surge in submarine deployments during a major conflict.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...rth-of-operational-time-to-maintenance-delays



Navy and Marine Corps:
Rebuilding Ship, Submarine, and Aviation Readiness Will Require Time and Sustained Management Attention

The GAO release a report on readiness of USN $ USMC forces.

Since 2015, we have made 45 recommendations to help the Navy and Marine Corps ensure they have the personnel and equipment they need to be ready for their operations. We discussed the two services' readiness challenges in this testimony, including

• Personnel shortfalls and gaps in experience leading to high sailor workloads
• Maintenance delays that prevent ships and submarines from operating
• Unavailable aircraft in both the Navy and the Marine Corps While the services have taken initial steps to rebuild military readiness, fully addressing these challenges while balancing high demands will require years of sustained attention.

https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/695911.pdf

23 years are needed to fix all the problems at the current rate !!

 

[Chazman]

USAF will order new F-15X fighters to replace aging F-15C/D.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-new-f-15x-advanced-eagle-fighter-jets-report

 

[AAR Galileo]

USN : 20 Hyper Velocity Projectile tested last year

The U.S. Navy quietly test-fired 20 supersonic projectiles originally intended for the service's futuristic electromagnetic railgun from the conventional deck guns during an international military exercise at sea last summer, according to a new report from the U.S. Naval Institute, signaling a potentially significant boost in the Navy's surface warfare capabilities amid challenges from competitors like China.

Unnamed Navy officials told USNI News that the USS Dewey fired off 20 of the next-generation hypervelocity projectile — a supersonic shell capable of striking targets up to 100 nautical miles away at speeds approaching Mach 6. Originally developed as ammunition for the Office of Naval Research's vaunted electromagnetic railgun system, the Dewey used its Mk 45 five-inch deck guns during the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to test out the speedy new round.

https://taskandpurpose.com/navy-hypervelocity-projectile-test

 

[bdpopeye]

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson is scheduled to visit China, Jan. 13 to 16, to meet with Central Military Commission leadership and People's Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA(N)) commander Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong.

The goal of the three-day visit to Beijing and Nanjing is to continue a results-oriented, risk reduction focused dialog between the two militaries.

"I am looking forward to this trip," said Richardson. “A routine exchange of views is essential, especially in times of friction, in order to reduce risk and avoid miscalculation. Honest and frank dialogue can improve the relationship in constructive ways, help explore areas where we share common interests, and reduce risk while we work through our differences."

Richardson and Shen met previously at the 2018 International Seapower Symposium, hosted by Richardson in Newport, R.I. and have held three discussions via video teleconference (VTC) with the most recent occurring in December 2018.

This is Richardson's second visit to China as CNO.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.

For more news from Chief of Naval Operations, visit www.navy.mil/local/cno/.

 

[AAR Galileo]

US Navy:

Navy sub commander relieved of duty for hiring prostitutes in Philippines

The commander of a Navy submarine was relieved of duty last summer after admitting to investigators that he paid for “female accompaniment” while the boat was in port in the Philippines.
Capt. Travis Zettel was relieved of duty in August following a loss of confidence in his ability to command the fast attack submarine USS Bremerton, which is now tied up in Bremerton for decommissioning.
The incident occurred March 1 while the sub was ported in Subic Bay, according to documents released to the Kitsap Sun under a federal Freedom of Information Act request. NCIS agents interviewed a tipster to the Department of Defense Inspector General’s hotline that Zettel had told him and another sailor at a hotel pool that Zettel had “requested/ordered ten girls to arrive at the hotel.” Later, at dinner, the sailor saw Zettel with around 10 “provocatively dressed females outside the front door of the hotel.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...r-relieved-purchasing-prostitutes/2554043002/

 

[BravoZulu]

The US Navy and Australian Air Force kicked off the annual anti-submarine warfare exercise Sea Dragon on January 14.
The multilateral exercise is based out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, with this year’s event running until Jan. 25.
Participating US units will include Patrol Squadron (VP) 47, VP-16, both operating under CTF-72, and Commander, Submarine Squadron (CSS) 15, operating under CTF-74. CTF-72 has taken lead and will oversee the exercise. Units from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will join US units throughout the exercise.
“Exercise Sea Dragon is an exciting opportunity to enhance maritime patrol relationships in the Western Pacific and focus on building anti-submarine warfare (ASW) proficiency and increase warfighting lethality,” said Capt. Brian Erickson, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72. “In future Sea Dragon exercises, I am excited to expand ally and partner nation participation.”
Four US and one RAAF P-8A Poseidons will be conducting flight operations, with support from a joint Mobile Tactical Operations Center, during the exercise. Respectively, four US aircrews and one RAAF aircrew will be sent with the aircraft. Exercise Sea Dragon stresses coordinated ASW prosecution against both simulated and live targets to include a Los Angeles-class attack submarine assigned to CSS-15.
“Being a multi-national exercise, our goal is to work closely with our Pacific allies and to continue to foster relationships in the region,” said Lt. Cmdr. Korhan Orgun, VP-47’s 2019 Exercise Sea Dragon Officer in Charge. “We’ll do this through ASW events and learning to work together more efficiently. Additionally, this exercise is a chance for us to further hone our ASW skills and become even more proficient in one of our core missions.”
“I have worked very closely with the RAAF P-8s before and even recently during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise,” said Orgun. “Our Australian allies have been very professional and skilled at what they do and I look forward to sharing our experiences and learning more from each other.”

Sailors assigned to the "Golden Swordsmen" of Patrol Squadron 47 pose for a group picture, Jan. 14, 2019, at the commencement of Exercise Sea Dragon. Photo: US Navy
https://navaltoday.com/2019/01/15/a...ubmarine-warfare-exercise-sea-dragon-in-guam/

 

[BravoZulu]

The US Navy has identified Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, as one of the victims of the January 16 attack in Manbij, Syria.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the explosion which killed four Americans and 15 others in front of a restaurant.

The US defense department further identified Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, and civilian Scott A. Wirtz, who were killed while supporting operation Inherent Resolve.

As noted by Stars and Stripes, Kent is the first female American service member to be killed in the Syrian conflict.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and teammates of Chief Petty Officer Kent during this extremely difficult time. She was a rockstar, an outstanding Chief Petty Officer, and leader to many in the Navy Information Warfare Community,” said Cmdr. Joseph Harrison, Commanding Officer, CWA-66.

Kent, who hailed from upstate New York, enlisted in the Navy December 11, 2003, and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., in February 2004. Her other military assignments included Navy Information Operations Command, Fort Gordon, Ga.; Navy Special Warfare Support Activity 2, Norfolk, Va.; Personnel Resource Development Office, Washington, D.C.; Navy Information Operations Command, Fort Meade, Md.; and Cryptologic Warfare Group 6, Fort Meade, Md. Kent reported to CWA 66 after the command was established on Aug. 10, 2018.

“Chief Kent’s drive, determination and tenacity were infectious. Although she has left us way too soon, she will not be forgotten, and her legacy will live on with us,” said CWA 66 Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collections) Denise Vola.

Kent’s awards and decorations include the Joint Service Commendation Medal (2), Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon, and Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon.
https://navaltoday.com/2019/01/18/us-navy-identifies-sailor-killed-in-manbij-attack/

 

[BravoZulu]

Two U.S. Soldiers injured in roadside bomb attack in Syria

 

[BravoZulu]

USN:
In an attempt to address a “capacity problem” in the amphibious ship fleet, the head of expeditionary warfare wants to accelerate the construction of new amphibious assault ships and stop a lengthy upgrade program for the aging LSDs to return them to fleet operations.

The aging Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships (LSD-41/49) will be replaced on a one-for-one basis with the much more capable San Antonio-class Flight II LPDs, once those are built and start to deliver in the 2020s. Until then, though, Maj. Gen. David Coffman, the director of expeditionary warfare on the chief of naval operations’ staff (OPNAV N95), wants to stop trying to bring the LSDs up in capability and instead return them to the fleet to do what they’re good at: hauling a lot of stuff.

Congress pushed on the Navy a modernization plan for its cruisers and LSDs; for the amphibs, it called for taking three LSD hulls, putting them in reduced operational status until they could undergo major upgrades to the command, control, communications, computers, collaboration and intelligence (C5I), and then bringing them back to the fleet with an extended service life and greater warfighting capability. The combat credibility of the LSDs was in question, as amphibious ships now mostly operate in a distributed manner but the LSDs cannot operate as independently as the LPDs, which have a much more robust command and control system, medical facilities and other key capabilities.

With a better-than-anticipated replacement on the horizon with the LPD Flight II design, Coffman said last week at the Surface Navy Association’s annual national symposium that he wants to ditch the LSD modernization plan, use the ships now as trucks to carry people and gear, and focus resources on the LPD Flight II replacement program.

San Antonio class LPD

 

[BravoZulu]

USA:
Building on a full year’s worth of testing and more than 85 hours of flight time, Bell’s V-280 Valor reached its namesake cruising speed of 280 knots true airspeed this week.

Bell and Team Valor continue to methodically and very successfully expand the flight envelope. The aircraft continues to prove its performance is well beyond legacy rotorcraft and will deliver revolutionary capability for warfighters as part of the Future of Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

Building on a full year’s worth of testing and more than 85 hours of flight time, Bell’s V-280 Valor reached its namesake cruising speed of 280 knots true airspeed this week.

Bell and Team Valor continue to methodically and very successfully expand the flight envelope. The aircraft continues to prove its performance is well beyond legacy rotorcraft and will deliver revolutionary capability for warfighters as part of the Future of Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

Additionally, Bell’s digital design and design-as-built methodology for the V-280 focused on creating a sustainable and affordable aircraft. The team took great care to simplify designs and advance technology readiness to inform requirements for FVL CS3.

As the program moves into 2019, V-280 flight testing will continue to prove out Bell’s key performance parameters and reduce FVL risk in the U.S. Army led Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program. The next stages will expand the performance envelope highlighting further low-speed agility maneuvers, angles of bank and autonomous flight.

http://news.bellflight.com/en-US/170939-v-280-valor-reaches-280-knots-true-airspeed

 

[BravoZulu]

US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait
US Navy file photo of USS McCampbell
The US Navy has sent a destroyer and a replenishment oiler through the Taiwan Strait on January 24, in the third such move in four months.
US Navy ships previously made the transits in October and November 2018.
The ships involved in the Thursday’s operation were destroyer USS McCampbell and replenishment oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl.
USS McCampbel was the destroyer involved in a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) near the Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan in December 2018. The FONOP challenged Russia’s territorial claims. A month later, McCampbell carried out a South China Sea FONOP sailing within 12 miles of the disputed Paracel Island chain which is claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan but controlled by China.
The Taiwan Strait transit is considered routine and in accordance with international law, US Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman told CNN.
The strait separates Taiwan and the Republic of China. Responding to previous US Navy passages, China’s foreign affairs ministry noted that the Taiwan issue “had a bearing on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” It was further said that the US interaction with Taiwan was the most important and sensitive issue in China-US ties.
During a recent tour of the Asia Pacific, US Navy Chief, Admiral John Richardson told media that the navy would also consider sailing an aircraft carrier through the strait noting that there was no limitation on what type of ship could pass through the waters. Speaking to reporters in Japan, the admiral noted that the strait was regarded by the US as another stretch of international waters.
https://navaltoday.com/2019/01/25/us-navy-ships-sail-through-taiwan-strait/

 

[AAR Galileo]

Austal Raided By Feds

USNI News website reported on an interesting LCS shipbuilding development. It appears that Federal agents are searching the Austal LCS manufacturing site at Mobile, Alabama as part of an investigation related to costs linked to the USS Jackson which was commissioned in Dec 2015. Jackson, you’ll recall, took part in shock testing in June and July of 2016.

Federal agents visited Littoral Combat Ship manufacturer Austal USA in its Mobile, Ala., shipyard as part of an unspecified investigation involving the U.S. Navy, according to local media.

“Department of Defense, NCIS and [the Defense Criminal Investigative Service] have been seen on site,” according to NBC 15 in Mobile, Ala.
“Investigators are expected to be on site for several hours.” (1)

Apparently, Austal’s troubles are not confined just to the US.

Earlier Thursday, Australian media reported Austal was under investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission over market updates related to losses around the Independence-class LCS.

The Australian authorities are said to be focusing on statements issued by Austal regarding the blow out, or sudden increase in costs, associated with finishing USS Jackson (LCS-6). (1)

Austal Raided By Feds

USNI News website reported on an interesting LCS shipbuilding development. It appears that Federal agents are searching the Austal LCS man...

navy-matters.blogspot.com

 

[BravoZulu]

Canadian Halifax frigates getting underwater warfare suite upgrades
Royal Canadian Navy photo of Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton
The Canadian government has awarded General Dynamics Misssion Systems a CAD186 million contract for upgrades and maintenance of underwater sensors on Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigates.
The majority of this work will occur in Canada, creating and maintaining about 120 highly skilled jobs while supporting the continued growth of the underwater sensor industrial capabilities in Canada, the government said in an announcement.
The upgrades will allow the frigates to detect quieter targets at increased ranges. In addition, improved automation will allow sonar operators to improve their underwater warfare performance work and to focus on other priorities.
“Threat detection is critical to initiate rapid defense countermeasures that protect our sailors and our ships. As the security environment continues to evolve, we will continue to adapt our naval capabilities, enabling effective defence of Canadian waters and meaningful contribution to international operations and exercises,” said Harjit S. Sajjan, Canadian Minister of National Defence.
Halifax-class frigate sonar operators detect, locate and track surface and sub-surface threats through the continuous monitoring and collection of information via high-tech sensors.
The $186 million contracts include acquisition and upgrade for the first six Halifax-class frigates ($103 million) and in-service support (potentially $83 million).
The contracts include options to upgrade all twelve Halifax-class frigates, which would bring the acquisition portion of to $170 million.
The in-service support contract will maintain and sustain upgraded suites for up to 23 years, if all options are exercised.
The first installation of the upgraded underwater warfare suite is expected to be completed in 2021 and operational in 2022.
https://navaltoday.com/2019/02/04/c...es-getting-underwater-warfare-suite-upgrades/