After an orgy of cost overruns, the navy canceled the contract (construction had not yet started).
Maybe we should look at some other country’s littoral (close into shore) combat vessels.
Category: Naval
The Scorpion Revisited?
The SSN Hampton was transferred from the East Coast to the West Coast, and upon arriving, a few weeks ago, there was some sort of investigation with a heavy clampdown on information.
Well, now the veil has been lifted a bit, and it appears that there was some signification violations of safety regulations, along with forged log books.
This is a very serious matter. One of the likely causes of the loss of the USS Scorpion in the 1960s was that they were trying out an austere maintenance program.
However, this is less severe thatn what I when I first heard about the lockdown, I was concerned that it involved another nuke had been mishandled.
Russia Working on New Carrier Killers
It’s interesting that Russia is dusting off a 30 year old missile design (the 3M-25 Meteorit, pics are at the end, the first picture is a testbed) that was canceled 30 years ago.
Part of this, when justaposed with the hypersonic testbed, is to show Russian capabilities, but I believe that there is a more direct market that they are addressing, a missile that can credibly threaten a US Carrier Battle Group, particularly the Carrier itself.
With a weight of over 10 tons, and speed and altitude in excess of mach 3 and 20,000 meters, even a few of these, if launched, could inflict serious damage on any ship out there.
Given technological advances, and the fact that a 4000km range would not be needed for attacking carrier battle groups off a country’s shores, I could see a derivative coming in at less than 5 tons.
Russia Rekindles High-speed Cruise Weapons Interest (Paid Subscription Required)
Aviation Week & Space Technology
10/08/2007, page 60Douglas Barrie
LondonPrinted headline: Speed Metal
Russia dusted off and declassified an almost 30-year-old missile design for display—the 3M-25 Meteorit supersonic strategic cruise missile—at the recent Moscow air show (MAKS). But why present a program canceled in the early 1990s?
NPO Mashinostroenia’s Meteorit (Meteorite) program had been intended to develop a “universal” cruise missile for air, surface and submarine launch. The turbojet-powered weapon would cruise at 75,000 ft. beyond Mach 3.
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On display as well at MAKS was a mock-up of the Central Aero-hydrodynamics Institute’s (TsAGI) GLL-AP-02 hypersonic “flying testbed” (shown). This is a notional Mach 6 air vehicle, to fly at 70,000 ft., powered by a Central Institute of Aviation Motors scramjet. TsAGI is looking at potential weapon applications of hypersonic air vehicles.
Here are the pics of the Meteorit
Russians Working on Hybrid Nuclear Submarine?
The Russians haven’t had a secret ship program in years, so this is interesting:
Submarine: Military Secret Shows Up on the Internet – Kommersant Moscow
Municipal authorities in Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod Region, accidentally revealed the design for the latest Russian submarine when it posted an account of a meeting with its commander on its website. The high level of secrecy surrounding the submarine suggests that it is a unique experiment on the part of scientists and the military.
On September 6, the official site of the city of Sarov (www.adm.sarov.ru) reported on a visit to the city by the commander of the submarine Sarov Capt. 1st Rank Sergey Kroshkin. In the text, it stated that the Sarov was still in the stocks at the Severodvinsk but “the chief commander of the Navy has set the task of finishing work by the end of the year.” The number of the submarine project was given: 20120 and its technical and tactical characteristics as well. those data indicate that the new submarine is very similar to the Project 877 Paltus (Halibut) diesel submarine, but its water displacement is greater (3950 vs. 3050 tons).
The article further goes on to surmise that this submarine has a mini-nuclear reactor on board, so that it can function much in the same way as some of the new conventional boats out there that can stay under water for over a month.
It makes sense. While one could not deploy any great distance with a 500-1000 kw reactor, your time underwater once on station wound be nearly limitless (by comparison, the Seawolf is somethere in the 50,000 kw MW range and has a top speed of over 35 kts).
Odd Ship Concepts
The DSEI show had someinteresting naval displays from BAE.
This is an 8000 ton (supercarriers are 75,000+ton) destroyer with a rear flight deck for dispatching UAVs. I’d call it more of a UAV tender than a Carrier.
This is a submarine propelled by 8 pumpjets mounted in the tail. It does away with the reduction gear of a direct drive system. If I recall correctly, the Seawolf and Virginia class boats use a single screw/pump with electric drive for much the same reason.
Those gears are heavy, very precise, and hence expensive, and (if anything goes wrong) noisy.
This is a mockup of an air independent propulsion system for submarines. As opposed to using a fuel cell, they are using a diesel generator, which promises to be cheaper.
Swedish navy’s stealth corvette HMS Nykoping (K 34)
The Swedish Visby class corvette showed up at the DSEi defense systems and equipment international London. It looks cool:
That being said, I’m rather dubious of the merits of full on stealth for surface combatants.
Given the harsh environment (spray, etc.) and the fact that some inexpensive radars can find the wake of ships, I’m not sure that it means a whole lot.
Of course, the real stealth ships, submarines, have been around for nearly 100 years now.
More on Japan’s Road to Militarism.
I’ve posted before on what I see as Japan’s return towards its militaristic past, and now we have the JapaneseDefense Tech: Japan launching an aircraft carrier.
I present to you the the Hyuga, 18,000 tons of naval pulchritude:
Of course, it’s not a “real carrier”, like the American super-carriers, or the France’s smaller deGaulle.
Right now, it will carry 4 helicopters, 3 Blackhawk types, and 1 Ch53E Super Stallion, though in a pinch, more can be accomodated.
If the Japanese get the JSF, I can see them getting some of the STOVL versions and operating them from these boats, if just for training for a possible future, and larger, carrier of Hermes size.
But still, the idea of Japanese getting back into carrier aviation does not fill me with anticipation.
Russia Restarts Carrier Ops
From the Boston Globe: Carrier relaunches jets after 2 years.
Russia is rearming and developing a more aggressive military posture, and it seems to be primarily in response to the fact that US leaders are batsh%$ insane.
Submarine Crash Photos
I came across an old story about USS San Francisco, SSN-711, hitting an uncharted undersea mountain while traveling at high speed about 500 ft deep.
Here are the photos:
I know that the standard submarine alloy is HY-80, a weldable high strength steel with a yield of about 80ksi.
So, from the damage, does anyone want to try to figure the speed it was traveling at?
Google Earth Pics of Chinese Boomer
The FAS has some pictures of the New Chinese SSBN at dock.
This was (note water mark) right off of Google.
22 years ago, Samuel Loring Morison was sent to jail for passing information almost identical to this to Jane’s Defense Weekly.
As to Mr. Morison. I believe he was properly convicted. His claims to want to publicize this notwithstanding, he was using classified information to get a job, and to get raises from Jane’s.
That’s why he leaked them, and I’m still conflicted about Clinton’s pardon of him. He deserved to go to jail, but the use of the Espionage act, which is a bad law to begin with, is troubling.
Brazil to Restart Nuke Power, Nuke Sub Programs
Lula resumes nuclear program to make Brazil ‘world power’ is the hed. I’m thinking that a more accurate hed would be, “Lula engages in dick swinging to distract from domestic issues.”
Then again, I’m a cynic.
Starting World War III By Mistake
Let’s see the problems here:
- This makes a conventional attack indistinguishable from a nuclear one, increasing the possibility of a nuclear response.
- It makes arms control agreements next to impossible to enforce, though that might be the goal of Bush and his evil minions™, they have always opposed arms control agreements.
Navy, Air Force Explore Conventional Strike Options (Subscription Required)
Aviation Week & Space Technology
07/02/2007, page 32Amy Butler
Los Angeles and Sunnyvale, Calif.The Pentagon is looking for non-nuclear strike options, prompting new demos
Printed headline: Hardly Conventional
The U.S. Air Force and Navy are preparing different approaches to solving a gap in the nation’s ability to deliver a conventional payload to strike any target on the globe within one hour of a go-ahead.
The Navy is looking to its Trident II D5 submarine-launched missile, while the Air Force is considering a land-based design using decommissioned Peacekeeper and Minuteman rocket motors on a Minotaur launch vehicle tipped with a conventional munition.
U.S. Strategic Command chief, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright–the White House’s pick for the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff–says he needs this capability to react to a variety of threats without having to rely on basing rights or nuclear weapons. The target set could include anything from activities deserving of a preemptive strike–such as an anti-satellite threat–or a reaction to real-time intelligence on terrorist elements.
And this makes it even worse:
The Navy notionally plans to dedicate two of 24 tubes in each of 14 Ohio-class submarines to the conventional Trident mission. The remaining tubes would continue to carry the nuclear-armed versions.
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There is a sub launched ballistic missile headed toward you. You have nukes. Is it targeting you, or someone else? Is it conventional or nuclear?
You have 5 minutes to choose a response.
New Sensor Detects Submarines?
I think that this technology is probably oversold, otherwise we would not see it in Aviation Week.
If it worked, it would be so classified, we wouldn’t even hear rumors of it.
New Sensor Detects Submarines(Subscription Required)
New Sensor Detects Submarines
Aviation Week & Space Technology
07/02/2007, page 13Edited by Edward H. Phillips
Printed headline: Hide and Seek
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a sensor that measures the motion generated by sound waves under water. A series of the device could be configured in compact arrays and deployed by the U.S. Navy to detect enemy submarines. According to Francois Guillot, a research engineer at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering in Atlanta, the sensor is capable of detecting small sounds despite the surrounding noise of the ocean, and it provides clear directional information. In addition, the sensor can be modified to measure water deformation, or shear, associated with a sound wave. The research is being supported by a grant from the Office of Naval Research.
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Russians to Launch Nuclear Powered Carrier
Aviation week is covering the new aircraft, but to me, the building of a carrier is more interesting.
MiG is beginning flight testing (subscription required)
Aviation Week & Space Technology
07/02/2007, page 18MiG is beginning flight testing of the latest iteration of the MiG-29K carrier-borne derivative of the Fulcrum, which is destined for the Indian navy.
The two-seat variant, the MiG-29KUB, flew for the first time in January. Under a contract with India, signed in 2004, 12 single-seat and four two-seat aircraft were ordered as part of the $1.5-billion deal covering the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The single-seat MiG-29K uses the same forward fuselage section as the two-seat aircraft, including the canopy. The second cockpit, however, is replaced with an additional fuel tank.
Credit: ALEXEY KOMAROV
The MiG-29 could yet find its way into the Russian navy inventory, which only includes the Su-33 in the combat role. Commander-in-Chief Adm. Vladimir Masorin says its future carrier requirement is for a ship “with some 50,000 tons displacement. We assume the carrier will accommodate 30 aircraft, both fixed-wing and rotorcraft.” The new class of nuclear-powered ship would replace the Admiral Kuznetsov after 2015.
By comparison, the Charles de Gaulle displaces 40,600 tons, their future Carrier will displace about 65,000 tons, and the Nimitz class super carriers displace about 102,000 tons.
The Nimitz has a complement of about 75 aircraft.
I’m wondering if they will continue with the ski jump, or go with catapults.
Russia Tests 3M14 Bulava SS-N-30
Note that the name Akula is the Russian name for the Typhoon class mammoth SSBN. What the West calls the Akula is called the Bars class in Russia.
She SS-N-30 is basically a cut down Topol.
On 28 June 2007 Russia successfully tested the new Bulava (SS-NX-30) sea-based ballistic missile after several previous failures. Capt. Igor Dygalo told The Associated Press that the Bulava missile hit its target on the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka, about 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) east of Moscow, after being launched in northern Russia’s White Sea from the submarine Dmitry Donskoi, a 941 Akula / TYPHOON class submarine outfited in 2005 as the SS-N-30 Bulava test platform.
The Bulava (SS-NX-30) is the submarine-launched version of Russia’s most advanced missile, the Topol-M (SS-27) solid fuel ICBM. The SS-NX-30 is a derivative of the SS-27, except for a slight decrease in range due to conversion of the design for submarine launch. The SS-27 has is 21.9 meters long, far too large to fit in a typical submarine. The largest previously deployed Russian SLBM was the R-39 / SS-N-20 STURGEON, which was 16 meters long. Russian sources report that the Bulava SS-N-30 ballistic missile can carry ten warheads to a range of 8,000km. Other sources suggest that the Bulava probably might have a range of 10,000 km, and is reportedly features a 550 kT yield nuclear warhead. Apparently up to six MIRVs can be placed at the cost of offloading warhead shielding and decoys.
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Indian Navy prepares for MiG-29-21/06/2007-Paris-Flight Daily News
It’s beginning to look like the Russians may have a growing business in providing low cost carrier capability to nations like India.
Indian Navy prepares for MiG-29
Only the first prototype of the Indian Navy’s new MiG-29s has flown, but the force’s preparations for the new aircraft are proceeding apace.
The Indian Navy has not operated conventional carrier -based aircraft since the withdrawal of the Hawker Sea Hawk in 1983, after which the STOVL BAE Systems Sea Harrier became the service’s only carrier-based fighter.
Captain GM Gopakumar of the Indian Navy told Flight Daily News that Indian Navy pilots are already flying exchange tours on Indian Air Force MiG-29s, and though delivery of the first INAS MiGs has been delayed from November 2007 until March or April 2008, pilot conversion training in Russia will commence in August.…
France and UK to Co-Develop New Carriers
This should significantly improve power projection capabilities of both navies, particularly the Royal Navy.
Britain and France Develop New Carriers (Subscription Required)
Jun 13, 2007
Christina Mackenzie/Defense Technology International
Britannia rules the waves, the old standard declares, but now it looks like it’s going to share them with France–at least when it comes to launching the next generation of aircraft carriers.
Britain and France are on the verge of signing an agreement calling for three carriers to be designed and built in an Anglo-French partnership. The deal would be a milestone in cooperation between two countries with major differences in naval strategies and operational needs.
The reason for rapprochement is economics: At a total projected price of around $10 billion for three ships, the cost of developing and building the 65,000-ton carriers alone is too expensive for Britain and France to bear separately.
The program calls for Britain to take delivery of two aircraft carriers, the first and third, and for France to get one. The ships are slated to start entering service by 2015.
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An interesting note:
Meanwhile, France and the U.K. have invested a lot of money in studies to reduce the number of personnel needed to man and operate the carriers. The French ship, for example, will have around 20% less manpower than the Charles de Gaulle, although it is significantly larger and has greater operational capability.
This would appear to imply that reports of problems with the CdG are justified.
High Altitued Torpedo Mod Tested
My guess is that because they are going from a prop (P-3) to a turbofan (Boeing 737 Derivative), they want to spend less time in low altitude, where turbofans are less efficient.
Lockheed backs LongShot for P-3 enhancement-05/06/2007-Washington DC-Flight International
By Graham Warwick Launch of a torpedo from high altitude using a wing kit has been demonstrated by the US Navy as it develops requirements for the capability, which is expected to extend the life of its anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Lockheed Martin’s high-altitude ASW weapons concept (HAAWC) was demonstrated on 24 May with the release of a Mk54 torpedo equipped with the company’s LongShot wing kit from the weapons bay of a US Navy Lockheed P-3 over the AUTEC test range in the Bahamas.
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