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L-3 to upgrade avionics on C-130H Hercules under $499.5M contract
June 5, 2019
By Ed Adamczyk

View attachment 7568
A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules Aircraft from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, takes off during Exercise Swift Response 16 at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany on June 17, 2016. Photo by Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford/U.S. Air Force

June 5 (UPI) -- L-3 Communications Integrated Systems received a $499.5 million contract for aircraft avionics upgrades on 176 military transport aircraft, the Defense Department announced.

The contract covers engineering and manufacturing development, as well as training and logistics requirements, for improvements to 176 C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve Command, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The four-engine turboprop plane entered U.S. service in 1956 for use as a troop carrier, and has seen numerous improvements, as well as an expansion of its purpose.

With over 40 variants, it is used by more than 60 countries and can be fitted for use as a gunship, for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting. Many countries' air forces regard the plane as their primary tactical airlifter.

Work will primarily be performed at L-3 Communications' Waco, Texas, facility, with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2029.

 

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Navy to rotate guided-missile destroyers, add helicopter squadron in Spain
The U.S. 6th Fleet said this week it plans to rotate the four vessels deployed with Naval Forces-Europe in Rota, Spain, replacing them with more modern ships.
June 6, 2019
By Allen Cone

1559838696200.png
1559838724500.png

Sailors man the rails as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook arrives in Naval Station Rota, Spain, on March 8. The Cook returned to Rota following its eighth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ford Williams/U.S. Navy

June 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy plans to replace four guided-missile destroyers with more modern ships and add a helicopter squadron in Spain "to posture the most capable forces forward in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility."

The USS Donald Cook, USS Ross, USS Porter and USS Carney will cycle out of Naval Station Rota starting in 2020 and ending in spring 2022, the Navy announced Tuesday.

In addition, the U.S. Navy intends to relocate a helicopter maritime strike squadron to Rota "in support of the destroyers, which will enhance the multi-mission roles of these ships," the Navy said in a news release.

The operation is part of Forward Deployed Naval Force-Europe among the U.S. 6th Fleet.

"Continuing to operate the FDNF-E destroyers out of Rota, Spain, demonstrates the enduring relationship between the U.S. Navy and our Spanish naval allies," the U.S. Navy said. "Additionally, the U.S. and Spanish navies will continue working together to conduct ship maintenance, training, and operations in support of maritime security within the EUCOM AOR."

The U.S. Navy didn't name specific ships to move in Spain but said they will be "newer, modernized ships."

The four Arleigh Burke-class ships now homeported in Spain were commissioned in 1996 or 1997.

Newer destroyers include the Zumalt class. The USS Zumwalt and Michael Monsoor are homeported in San Diego and the Lyndon B. Johnson is under construction.

Flight III Arleigh class destroyers under construction are the Jack H. Lucas, Louis H. Wilson Jr., Patrick Gallaghe and Ted Stevens.

The Porter and Cook are Flight II classes and the Carney and Ross are among the original class.

The current guided-missile destroyers in Spain are equipped with an older software and hardware combination.

But they have been modified to include additional self-defense capabilities, including adding Raytheon's Sea Rolling Airframe Missile and versions of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program electronic warfare suite, USNI News reported.

In 2014, the ships began patrolling from Rota after Russia invaded and seized Crimea from Ukraine.

The Cook has been buzzed twice by Russian fighters -- first for 90 minutes by Sukhoi Su-24 while operating in the Black Sea in 2014, and again in the Baltic by Russian fighters during a separate patrol in 2016.

Porter and Ross fired almost 60 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles into Syria in retaliation for a chemical weapons strike against forces loyal to Bashar al Assad in 2017.

The Cook was docked in January in western Georgia to participate in joint drills with NATO allies under the observation of Russian vessels in the Black Sea.

The Ross in April was deployed to the Black Sea, the second time the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer entered the region in 2019.

The Carney was among ships from nine nations, led by the U.S. 6th Fleet, participating in May's Formidable Shield, a live-fire integrated air and missile defense exercise in Scotland.

And the USS Porter arrived in Aksaz, Turkey, in January for a regular scheduled port visit.

The U.S. Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea consistent with international law and with the Montreux Convention signed in 1936. According to the document, Black Sea nations can only send warships with displacements of less than 15,000 tons into the Black Sea and these ships can only stay for 21 days.

 
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U.S. Seventh Fleet deploys Coast Guard ship near North Korea
By Elizabeth Shim
June 5, 2019

1559839236600.png

1559838974200.png

The U.S. Seventh Fleet posted this photograph of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of United State Navy/Seventh Fleet

June 5 (UPI) -- The United States Seventh Fleet has deployed a U.S. Coast Guard ship in the Yellow Sea in waters near North Korea.

The Seventh Fleet stated on its Facebook page on Wednesday the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, WMSL 750, is on duty in the Yellow Sea.

"U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf [WMSL 750] operates in the Yellow Sea. The ship is engaged in a Western Pacific deployment in support of the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet," the Seventh Fleet said in a post that included several photographs of the 4,500-ton vessel.

No other statements or explanations accompanied the text and photographs.

The presence of the Bertholf in the Yellow Sea is raising speculation the ship's "Western Pacific" deployment is related to U.S. efforts to step up monitoring and enforcement of sanctions against illicit North Korean transshipments, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

In a statement issued by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on March 19, the military said the Bertholf would contribute to international cooperation against North Korean sanctions evasion.

But the Seventh Fleet is also disclosing the deployment of the Bertholf only a few days after reports stated China tested submarine-launched ballistic missiles in Bohai Bay, near the Yellow Sea.

Adjacent to the waters, in the East China Sea and other areas, the United States, Britain, Japan, Australia, Canada and France are monitoring shipping routes for illegal North Korea transshipments. The deployments could be irritating China, which recently accused Washington of destabilizing the Pacific.

U.S. analysts say they are worried the U.S.-China trade dispute could also hurt efforts in sanctions enforcement, Voice of America reported Wednesday.

"The main impact of trade tensions between the U.S. and China is [lowering] the priority of North Korea as an issue on the agenda of U.S.-China relations," said Scott Snyder, director of the U.S.-Korea policy program at the Council of Foreign Relations. "It's going to be harder to get China to cooperate as much as the United States would like because they're focused on other issues in the relationship."

 
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At least one dead, 22 injured in vehicle crash at West Point
June 06, 2019
By Allen Cone
1559840089300.png

This 5 ton light medium tactical vehicle operated by the New Jersey Army National Guard is similar to one that crashed at West Point on Thursday morning.
Photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/U.S. Air Force


1559840173700.png

United States Military Academy is located in West Point, N.Y., about 55 miles north of New York City. A tactical vehicle overturned near the academy this morning, resulting in one death and 22 injuries. Photo by Ad Meskens/Wikimedia Commons

1559840253700.png

Members of the West Point Military Academy march up Fifth Avenue during the Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2018 in New York City. File photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License Photo


June 6 (UPI) -- A military vehicle overturned on a dirt road in a training accident at West Point, N.Y., on Thursday morning, killing at least one person and injuring 22 others, officials said.

The 5 ton light medium tactical vehicle crashed at approximately 6:45 a.m. off Route 293, West Point posted on Twitter.

The crash happened near Camp Natural Bridge training site, which is on U.S. Military Academy property, officials told ABC News. The United States Military Academy is 55 miles north of New York City.

Injured were 20 cadets and two soldiers, who were transported to local hospitals. The active soldiers were based at Fort Benning, Ga., WNBC-TV reported.

The severity of injuries and name of the deceased cadet have not yet been released.

The academy said details of the one-vehicle crash are under investigation.

"West Point officials thank local and state emergency responders for their assistance on the scene," West Point tweeted.

The cadets were engaging in a summer exercise.

Cadet field training is conducted during their second summer at West Point. "It is designed to familiarize and train each Third Class cadet in basic and advanced individual Soldier skills," according to the West Point website. "Training is conducted in combined arms operations, introducing the cadets to the combat, combat support and combat service support branches of the U.S. Army."

First and Second Class cadets develop their leadership skills by serving as officers and noncommissioned officers for the Cadet Training Regiment during the summer.

Around 4,000 cadets attend the United States Military Academy, which founded on March 16, 1802.

West Point includes 16,000 acres, a portion of which played an instrumental role during the Revolutionary War, according to the academy's website.

 

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At least one dead, 22 injured in vehicle crash at West Point
June 06, 2019
By Allen Cone
1559840089300.png

This 5 ton light medium tactical vehicle operated by the New Jersey Army National Guard is similar to one that crashed at West Point on Thursday morning.
Photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/U.S. Air Force


1559840173700.png

United States Military Academy is located in West Point, N.Y., about 55 miles north of New York City. A tactical vehicle overturned near the academy this morning, resulting in one death and 22 injuries. Photo by Ad Meskens/Wikimedia Commons

1559840253700.png

Members of the West Point Military Academy march up Fifth Avenue during the Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2018 in New York City. File photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License Photo


June 6 (UPI) -- A military vehicle overturned on a dirt road in a training accident at West Point, N.Y., on Thursday morning, killing at least one person and injuring 22 others, officials said.

The 5 ton light medium tactical vehicle crashed at approximately 6:45 a.m. off Route 293, West Point posted on Twitter.

The crash happened near Camp Natural Bridge training site, which is on U.S. Military Academy property, officials told ABC News. The United States Military Academy is 55 miles north of New York City.

Injured were 20 cadets and two soldiers, who were transported to local hospitals. The active soldiers were based at Fort Benning, Ga., WNBC-TV reported.

The severity of injuries and name of the deceased cadet have not yet been released.

The academy said details of the one-vehicle crash are under investigation.

"West Point officials thank local and state emergency responders for their assistance on the scene," West Point tweeted.

The cadets were engaging in a summer exercise.

Cadet field training is conducted during their second summer at West Point. "It is designed to familiarize and train each Third Class cadet in basic and advanced individual Soldier skills," according to the West Point website. "Training is conducted in combined arms operations, introducing the cadets to the combat, combat support and combat service support branches of the U.S. Army."

First and Second Class cadets develop their leadership skills by serving as officers and noncommissioned officers for the Cadet Training Regiment during the summer.

Around 4,000 cadets attend the United States Military Academy, which founded on March 16, 1802.

West Point includes 16,000 acres, a portion of which played an instrumental role during the Revolutionary War, according to the academy's website.

 

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Pentagon: No more punishment for ambush that killed U.S. troops in Niger
June 6, 2019
By Nicholas Sakelaris

1559842958100.png

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black (Top-L), Sgt. La David Johnson (top-R) ,
Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright (bottom-L), Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson (bottom-R)
were killed in an ambush in southwest Niger on October 4, 2017.
File Photo by Dept. of Defense/EPA-EFE


June 6 (UPI) -- No further disciplinary action will be taken against soldiers in response to ambushes in Niger two years ago that killed four Green Berets, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday.

Several military officials have already been reprimanded for the Oct. 4, 2017, incidents in which fighters linked to the Islamic State attacked U.S. and Nigerien forces with machine gun and small arms fire. Four Nigerien soldiers died in the attack.

An initial Defense Department investigation cited organizational failures and a lack of proper training for that particular combat situation. Several junior and mid-grade officers and enlisted personnel were punished.

"After this review of the investigation by [Army] Gen. Robert Brown, the acting secretary of defense was satisfied that appropriate individual accountability measures and organizational improvements were in place," Assistant Defense Secretary Owen West said. "The department is absolutely confident after two investigations and three reviews that accountability has been rendered in this case."

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., criticized Shanahan's decision to punish junior officers and enlisted personnel.

"From the beginning, the investigation into what happened that day has been poorly handled at all levels," said Gallego, a member of the House armed services committee. "Nearly two years later, we are still waiting for answers."

Shanahan said the men who were attacked fought "valiantly" against "a numerically superior heavily armed force."

The Pentagon also said nine valor medals for heroic actions will be given in connection to the attack. The families of the four soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group killed in the incident will receive the awards.

 

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Pentagon: No more punishment for ambush that killed U.S. troops in Niger
June 6, 2019
By Nicholas Sakelaris

1559842958100.png

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black (Top-L), Sgt. La David Johnson (top-R) ,
Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright (bottom-L), Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson (bottom-R)
were killed in an ambush in southwest Niger on October 4, 2017.
File Photo by Dept. of Defense/EPA-EFE


June 6 (UPI) -- No further disciplinary action will be taken against soldiers in response to ambushes in Niger two years ago that killed four Green Berets, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday.

Several military officials have already been reprimanded for the Oct. 4, 2017, incidents in which fighters linked to the Islamic State attacked U.S. and Nigerien forces with machine gun and small arms fire. Four Nigerien soldiers died in the attack.

An initial Defense Department investigation cited organizational failures and a lack of proper training for that particular combat situation. Several junior and mid-grade officers and enlisted personnel were punished.

"After this review of the investigation by [Army] Gen. Robert Brown, the acting secretary of defense was satisfied that appropriate individual accountability measures and organizational improvements were in place," Assistant Defense Secretary Owen West said. "The department is absolutely confident after two investigations and three reviews that accountability has been rendered in this case."

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., criticized Shanahan's decision to punish junior officers and enlisted personnel.

"From the beginning, the investigation into what happened that day has been poorly handled at all levels," said Gallego, a member of the House armed services committee. "Nearly two years later, we are still waiting for answers."

Shanahan said the men who were attacked fought "valiantly" against "a numerically superior heavily armed force."

The Pentagon also said nine valor medals for heroic actions will be given in connection to the attack. The families of the four soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group killed in the incident will receive the awards.

 

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Navy's F-35C Stealth Fighters Won't Fly From Troubled New Ford Class Carriers For Years
Now, lawmakers want to make it illegal for the Navy to take delivery of the next carrier in the class if it can't deploy the jets.

By Joseph Trevithick
June 4, 2019

7612


Members of Congress want to make it illegal for the U.S. Navy to accept delivery its next Ford-class aircraft carrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy, unless it can launch and recover F-35C Joint Strike Fighters. But the proposal highlights something that is perhaps more damning, that the USS Gerald R. Ford cannot deploy those stealthy aircraft in its present configuration. This just adds to the woes for the troubled first-in-class flattop two years after its delivery.

he House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces included the provision in a draft of the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the upcoming 2020 Fiscal Year, which it released publicly on June 3, 2019. The ship that is due to become officially named the USS John F. Kennedy, and is also known by its hull number CVN-79, is already under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Just on May 29, 2019, workers lowered the 588-ton island, which stands 72 feet tall, into position on the deck, a major milestone that means the ship is now more than 90 percent structurally complete, though much work remains to do. The Navy expects to commission the new carrier in 2024.

"This section would require the Secretary of the Navy to ensure that the aircraft carrier to be designated CVN-79 is capable of deploying with the F-35 prior to accepting delivery," the draft NDAA text states bluntly. It is important to note that there is no guarantee that it will be in any final version of the bill that goes to a full vote later this year or that it will become law.


But the more important thing here is that this is an admission that the Ford herself, which the Navy officially took delivery of in May 2017, cannot, at present, can't deploy the F-35C at all. The service declared initial operational capability with this carrier-based version of the Joint Strike Fighter in February 2019 and the jets are supposed to make their first operational deployment aboard the Nimitz-class USS Carl Vinson in 2021.

The Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee's language doesn't say why this is the case, though Congressional staffers blamed it on previously legislated cost-cutting efforts, which legislators are also looking to repeal. In 2016, Congress demanded the Navy deliver reports on how it could try to keep the final bill for Ford, as well as the price tags of the other upcoming ships in the class, under control. The goal was to put a cap of no more than $11 billion on Kennedy's ultimate cost, which it reportedly has already exceeded.

But "CVN-79 will not be able to deploy with F-35s when it’s delivered to the Navy as a direct result of that cost cap," Seapower and Projection Forces committee staffer told reporters, according to USNI News. "So when that cost cap was imposed, the Navy traded that capability off and chose to build that back in on the back end."
The assertion is that these funding shortfalls have delays efforts to fix a host of issues on the Ford. When it comes to the lack of F-35 capability specifically, the most likely culprits are the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). These electrically-powered and electronically-controlled systems are supposed to give the Ford-class more control over the finer aspects of the launch and recovery process. The Navy claims this will improve sortie generation rates, reduce wear and tear on aircraft, and increase reliability and safety across the board.


The War Zone has explored on multiple occasions how both systems, in practice, have chronically underperformed. The problems have been so persistent, that the Ford has been unable to meet its performance targets for launching and recovering aircraft even after the Navy lowered the bar with a "re-baselined reliability growth curve."
These issues are well known at this point and President Donald Trump has now railed against the troubled catapults, in particular, on more than one occasion. During a recent trip to Japan, he claimed that may order the Navy to return to using steam catapults in future carriers. In an Email to The War Zone, Naval Sea Systems Command declined to comment on whether this was true or if it was even exploring alternative options for any future Ford-class ships.

Difficulties with EMALS and AAG have also resulted in delays in creating so-called "launch and recovery bulletins" that define the parameters for launching and recovering certain aircraft in certain configurations. As of February 2019, the Ford could only deploy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets or EA-18G Growlers with certain loadouts, though the Navy expected to have this issue resolved by the end of the year.

7613

An F-35C, at right, along with an F/A-18E Super Hornet, on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during tests in 2018.

It's not clear when the Navy expects to even start validating the launch and recovery bulletins for the F-35C. In 2014, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, warned that Ford-class carriers might not have the ability to deploy with the Joint Strike Fighters until 2027 at the very earliest. The report also noted that, at the time, the Navy had not included the F-35C is in land-based testing of the AAG at all.

In that same report, GAO had expressed concerns about the regular delivery of spare parts for the jets to the carrier, especially replacement engines, to ensure adequate F-35C mission capable rates, something that remains an issue for the jets, in general. The Navy says that its new CMV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor will be able to sufficiently replace the aging C-2 Greyhound in the Carry Onboard Delivery (COD) role, including carrying the F-35's engine.

Of course, the EMALS, AAG, and its inability to deploy the F-35C are just some of Ford's many woes. Just recently, the Navy admitted that not all of the ship's advanced weapon elevators, which bring ordnance and other equipment up to the main deck, would be working by the time it returned to the fleet following a scheduled maintenance availability. The maintenance availability had already been extended due to a separate propulsion system issue. Ford is now not expected to return to whatever kind of duty it is capable of until at least October 2019.


As it stands now, two years after the Navy received the ship, only a pair of Ford's 11 AWEs are working. It's unclear when they all might get certified for regular use. The Navy is now planning to build a land-based test facility for the elevators, but that won't become operational until sometime in 2020. The elevators are absolutely critical to the ship's ability to fight. In January 2019, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer had said Trump should fire him if the elevator issue didn't get resolved by the end of the summer.

All of these issues – and there are many more – can only call into question Ford's utility in any capacity, including non-combat training and test missions. Members of Congress are clearly increasingly worried that the next ship in the class will be similarly limited. Just on June 4, 2019, Raytheon announced the completion of the final developmental test of the carrier's integrated combat management system.

These persistent problems also come in the aftermath of a brief, but acrimonious battle between legislators and the Navy, along with the Pentagon and the White House, about the timeline for retiring Nimitz-class carriers. The Trump Administration has now backtracked completely on its still puzzling proposal to retire the USS Harry S. Truman prematurely and Congress is looking to prevent any reversal of that decision, but at a certain point, the existing flattops will begin to age out. The Navy already needs a functional replacement for the now decommissioned one-of-a-kind USS Enterprise.

If the Navy can't start making real progress on the Ford program's troubles, the service risks real operational shortfalls regardless of whether or not ships can deploy the F-35C.

 

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Navy's F-35C Stealth Fighters Won't Fly From Troubled New Ford Class Carriers For Years
Now, lawmakers want to make it illegal for the Navy to take delivery of the next carrier in the class if it can't deploy the jets.

By Joseph Trevithick
June 4, 2019

View attachment 7612

Members of Congress want to make it illegal for the U.S. Navy to accept delivery its next Ford-class aircraft carrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy, unless it can launch and recover F-35C Joint Strike Fighters. But the proposal highlights something that is perhaps more damning, that the USS Gerald R. Ford cannot deploy those stealthy aircraft in its present configuration. This just adds to the woes for the troubled first-in-class flattop two years after its delivery.

he House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces included the provision in a draft of the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the upcoming 2020 Fiscal Year, which it released publicly on June 3, 2019. The ship that is due to become officially named the USS John F. Kennedy, and is also known by its hull number CVN-79, is already under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Just on May 29, 2019, workers lowered the 588-ton island, which stands 72 feet tall, into position on the deck, a major milestone that means the ship is now more than 90 percent structurally complete, though much work remains to do. The Navy expects to commission the new carrier in 2024.

"This section would require the Secretary of the Navy to ensure that the aircraft carrier to be designated CVN-79 is capable of deploying with the F-35 prior to accepting delivery," the draft NDAA text states bluntly. It is important to note that there is no guarantee that it will be in any final version of the bill that goes to a full vote later this year or that it will become law.


But the more important thing here is that this is an admission that the Ford herself, which the Navy officially took delivery of in May 2017, cannot, at present, can't deploy the F-35C at all. The service declared initial operational capability with this carrier-based version of the Joint Strike Fighter in February 2019 and the jets are supposed to make their first operational deployment aboard the Nimitz-class USS Carl Vinson in 2021.

The Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee's language doesn't say why this is the case, though Congressional staffers blamed it on previously legislated cost-cutting efforts, which legislators are also looking to repeal. In 2016, Congress demanded the Navy deliver reports on how it could try to keep the final bill for Ford, as well as the price tags of the other upcoming ships in the class, under control. The goal was to put a cap of no more than $11 billion on Kennedy's ultimate cost, which it reportedly has already exceeded.

But "CVN-79 will not be able to deploy with F-35s when it’s delivered to the Navy as a direct result of that cost cap," Seapower and Projection Forces committee staffer told reporters, according to USNI News. "So when that cost cap was imposed, the Navy traded that capability off and chose to build that back in on the back end."
The assertion is that these funding shortfalls have delays efforts to fix a host of issues on the Ford. When it comes to the lack of F-35 capability specifically, the most likely culprits are the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). These electrically-powered and electronically-controlled systems are supposed to give the Ford-class more control over the finer aspects of the launch and recovery process. The Navy claims this will improve sortie generation rates, reduce wear and tear on aircraft, and increase reliability and safety across the board.


The War Zone has explored on multiple occasions how both systems, in practice, have chronically underperformed. The problems have been so persistent, that the Ford has been unable to meet its performance targets for launching and recovering aircraft even after the Navy lowered the bar with a "re-baselined reliability growth curve."
These issues are well known at this point and President Donald Trump has now railed against the troubled catapults, in particular, on more than one occasion. During a recent trip to Japan, he claimed that may order the Navy to return to using steam catapults in future carriers. In an Email to The War Zone, Naval Sea Systems Command declined to comment on whether this was true or if it was even exploring alternative options for any future Ford-class ships.

Difficulties with EMALS and AAG have also resulted in delays in creating so-called "launch and recovery bulletins" that define the parameters for launching and recovering certain aircraft in certain configurations. As of February 2019, the Ford could only deploy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets or EA-18G Growlers with certain loadouts, though the Navy expected to have this issue resolved by the end of the year.

View attachment 7613
An F-35C, at right, along with an F/A-18E Super Hornet, on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during tests in 2018.

It's not clear when the Navy expects to even start validating the launch and recovery bulletins for the F-35C. In 2014, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, warned that Ford-class carriers might not have the ability to deploy with the Joint Strike Fighters until 2027 at the very earliest. The report also noted that, at the time, the Navy had not included the F-35C is in land-based testing of the AAG at all.

In that same report, GAO had expressed concerns about the regular delivery of spare parts for the jets to the carrier, especially replacement engines, to ensure adequate F-35C mission capable rates, something that remains an issue for the jets, in general. The Navy says that its new CMV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor will be able to sufficiently replace the aging C-2 Greyhound in the Carry Onboard Delivery (COD) role, including carrying the F-35's engine.

Of course, the EMALS, AAG, and its inability to deploy the F-35C are just some of Ford's many woes. Just recently, the Navy admitted that not all of the ship's advanced weapon elevators, which bring ordnance and other equipment up to the main deck, would be working by the time it returned to the fleet following a scheduled maintenance availability. The maintenance availability had already been extended due to a separate propulsion system issue. Ford is now not expected to return to whatever kind of duty it is capable of until at least October 2019.


As it stands now, two years after the Navy received the ship, only a pair of Ford's 11 AWEs are working. It's unclear when they all might get certified for regular use. The Navy is now planning to build a land-based test facility for the elevators, but that won't become operational until sometime in 2020. The elevators are absolutely critical to the ship's ability to fight. In January 2019, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer had said Trump should fire him if the elevator issue didn't get resolved by the end of the summer.

All of these issues – and there are many more – can only call into question Ford's utility in any capacity, including non-combat training and test missions. Members of Congress are clearly increasingly worried that the next ship in the class will be similarly limited. Just on June 4, 2019, Raytheon announced the completion of the final developmental test of the carrier's integrated combat management system.

These persistent problems also come in the aftermath of a brief, but acrimonious battle between legislators and the Navy, along with the Pentagon and the White House, about the timeline for retiring Nimitz-class carriers. The Trump Administration has now backtracked completely on its still puzzling proposal to retire the USS Harry S. Truman prematurely and Congress is looking to prevent any reversal of that decision, but at a certain point, the existing flattops will begin to age out. The Navy already needs a functional replacement for the now decommissioned one-of-a-kind USS Enterprise.

If the Navy can't start making real progress on the Ford program's troubles, the service risks real operational shortfalls regardless of whether or not ships can deploy the F-35C.

 

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Navy Recovers C-2A from Fatal 2017 Crash from 3 Miles Underwater
By: Sam LaGrone
June 5, 2019

7619

C-2A Greyhound

A year and a half after a fatal crash in the Philippine Sea, the Navy has recovered the wreckage of the missing C-2A Greyhound from more than three miles below the surface, USNI News has learned.

The aircraft was recovered from near its Nov. 22 crash site about 500 miles from Okinawa in late May, a U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman confirmed to USNI News on Wednesday.

“A Navy salvage team embarked on a contracted vessel and completed the recovery of the C-2A aircraft on May 21,” Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Navy spokesman, told USNI News.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families, friends and shipmates of our three fallen sailors.”

The Greyhound’s pilot Lt. Steven Combs, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equpiment) Matthew Chialastri and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Bryan Grosso are presumed to have died following the crash.

A Navy official told USNI News that the families of the sailors have been notified of the recovery. The service is not discussing yet if remains were found aboard the aircraft.

The C-2A, assigned to the “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, was headed to aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) with four aircrew and seven passengers aboard the aircraft when the crash occurred just miles from the carrier.

While the investigation into the incident has yet to be officially closed, accounts from survivors point to Combs performance as the reason eight sailors survived the crash. He had to ditch the aircraft following a mechanical failure in 10-foot to 12-foot seas, according to an account in Military.com.

Combs “flew the hell out of that airplane,” his copilot told service officials after the rescue.

While the survivors were quickly rescued by helicopters from Reagan, recovering the C-2A from some of the deepest parts of the Pacific was recognized early as a challenge that would take time.

The Navy found the location of the aircraft using the Navy’s TPL-25 towed pinger locator – a so-called black box detector – after about a week of searching.

While the Navy knew the location of the aircraft, the service said at the time the recovery effort would take time.

“The C-2A rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage phase of this operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date,” according to a Navy news release from the time.
“Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen sailors.”

The depth was beyond the 16,000-foot recovery capability native to U.S. 7th Fleet and required specialized equipment to be moved into the region, USNI News reported in early 2018.

The more than 50-year-old Greyhound design is set to be replaced by a variant of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in the early 2020s.

 

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Navy Recovers C-2A from Fatal 2017 Crash from 3 Miles Underwater
By: Sam LaGrone
June 5, 2019

View attachment 7619
C-2A Greyhound

A year and a half after a fatal crash in the Philippine Sea, the Navy has recovered the wreckage of the missing C-2A Greyhound from more than three miles below the surface, USNI News has learned.

The aircraft was recovered from near its Nov. 22 crash site about 500 miles from Okinawa in late May, a U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman confirmed to USNI News on Wednesday.

“A Navy salvage team embarked on a contracted vessel and completed the recovery of the C-2A aircraft on May 21,” Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Navy spokesman, told USNI News.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families, friends and shipmates of our three fallen sailors.”

The Greyhound’s pilot Lt. Steven Combs, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equpiment) Matthew Chialastri and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Bryan Grosso are presumed to have died following the crash.

A Navy official told USNI News that the families of the sailors have been notified of the recovery. The service is not discussing yet if remains were found aboard the aircraft.

The C-2A, assigned to the “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, was headed to aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) with four aircrew and seven passengers aboard the aircraft when the crash occurred just miles from the carrier.

While the investigation into the incident has yet to be officially closed, accounts from survivors point to Combs performance as the reason eight sailors survived the crash. He had to ditch the aircraft following a mechanical failure in 10-foot to 12-foot seas, according to an account in Military.com.

Combs “flew the hell out of that airplane,” his copilot told service officials after the rescue.

While the survivors were quickly rescued by helicopters from Reagan, recovering the C-2A from some of the deepest parts of the Pacific was recognized early as a challenge that would take time.

The Navy found the location of the aircraft using the Navy’s TPL-25 towed pinger locator – a so-called black box detector – after about a week of searching.

While the Navy knew the location of the aircraft, the service said at the time the recovery effort would take time.

“The C-2A rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage phase of this operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date,” according to a Navy news release from the time.
“Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen sailors.”

The depth was beyond the 16,000-foot recovery capability native to U.S. 7th Fleet and required specialized equipment to be moved into the region, USNI News reported in early 2018.

The more than 50-year-old Greyhound design is set to be replaced by a variant of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in the early 2020s.

 

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Navy Recovers C-2A from Fatal 2017 Crash from 3 Miles Underwater
By: Sam LaGrone
June 5, 2019

View attachment 7619
C-2A Greyhound

A year and a half after a fatal crash in the Philippine Sea, the Navy has recovered the wreckage of the missing C-2A Greyhound from more than three miles below the surface, USNI News has learned.

The aircraft was recovered from near its Nov. 22 crash site about 500 miles from Okinawa in late May, a U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman confirmed to USNI News on Wednesday.

“A Navy salvage team embarked on a contracted vessel and completed the recovery of the C-2A aircraft on May 21,” Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Navy spokesman, told USNI News.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families, friends and shipmates of our three fallen sailors.”

The Greyhound’s pilot Lt. Steven Combs, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equpiment) Matthew Chialastri and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Apprentice Bryan Grosso are presumed to have died following the crash.

A Navy official told USNI News that the families of the sailors have been notified of the recovery. The service is not discussing yet if remains were found aboard the aircraft.

The C-2A, assigned to the “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, was headed to aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) with four aircrew and seven passengers aboard the aircraft when the crash occurred just miles from the carrier.

While the investigation into the incident has yet to be officially closed, accounts from survivors point to Combs performance as the reason eight sailors survived the crash. He had to ditch the aircraft following a mechanical failure in 10-foot to 12-foot seas, according to an account in Military.com.

Combs “flew the hell out of that airplane,” his copilot told service officials after the rescue.

While the survivors were quickly rescued by helicopters from Reagan, recovering the C-2A from some of the deepest parts of the Pacific was recognized early as a challenge that would take time.

The Navy found the location of the aircraft using the Navy’s TPL-25 towed pinger locator – a so-called black box detector – after about a week of searching.

While the Navy knew the location of the aircraft, the service said at the time the recovery effort would take time.

“The C-2A rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage phase of this operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date,” according to a Navy news release from the time.
“Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen sailors.”

The depth was beyond the 16,000-foot recovery capability native to U.S. 7th Fleet and required specialized equipment to be moved into the region, USNI News reported in early 2018.

The more than 50-year-old Greyhound design is set to be replaced by a variant of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in the early 2020s.

 

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Meet Russia's 'New' Tu-22M3M Bomber: "A Nasty Surprise for the U.S. Navy"
The Russian air force is scheduled to start taking Tu-22M3M deliveries in 2021, while dozens of Tu-22M3’s will be retrofitted with the M3M upgrade package over the coming years.
June 06, 2019
by Mark Episkopos

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In what is the latest sighting of Russia’s much-anticipated strategic bomber, the official television channel of the Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of the Tu-22M3M in action.

The one-minute clip, posted earlier this week, offers extended takeoff, flight, and landing shots. There was no footage from inside the cockpit, which is perhaps a missed opportunity to corroborate Tupolev’s recurring talking point that the Tu-22M3M boasts 80% new avionics over the original Tu-22M. According to Tupolev’s press office,

“The replacement of 80% [of the plane’s] avionics will improve navigation accuracy and level of automation, and streamline its technical maintenance as well as preflight routine.” Notably, the additions will include GLONASS navigation system integration, a digital onboard interface, modernized glass cockpit, and electronic warfare countermeasures (ECM)."

It is unsurprising that the manufacturer is going out of their way to stress the Tu-22M3M’s revamped internal components, given that the bomber’s chassis is otherwise nearly identical to its predecessors. This approach also displayed with the upcoming Tu-160M2 bomber and recently produced A-50U reconnaissance plane, is a core pillar in Russia’s air force modernization strategy: filling tried-and-true Soviet era chassis designs with new technical guts, thereby keeping R&D costs to a minimum and expediting development cycles.

As important as updated avionics are in the age of modern warfare, the centerpiece of the Tu-22M3M upgrade package is the inclusion of up to three new Kh-32 missiles. While classified as anti-ship missiles, the Kh-32 was also developed to also be effective against critical infrastructure targets like bridges and power plants.

It is this newfound offensive flexibility that has led defense analyst Dmitry Kornev to describe the Tu-22M3M as “occupying a unique position between strategic and operational-tactical roles,” as opposed to heavier aircraft like the Tu-160 that exist squarely in the heavy strategic bomber camp.

The Tu-22M3M, along with its M3 predecessor and MiG-31K, will be among the handful of currently operational Russian aircraft confirmed to be compatible with the nuclear-capable, Mach 10 speed Kh-47 “Kinzhal” missile unveiled at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2018 address to the federal assembly.

Military expert Yuri Knutov noted that the Tu-22M3M is not only a valuable addition to the air component of Russia’s nuclear triad, but the spearhead of a new power projection strategy to counter American to counter carrier strike groups operating in Russia’s sphere of influence: “The VKS [Russian air force] is undergoing an infrastructure update, in which the Tu-22M3M will have a role to play. The bomber will likely be able to land in most terminals, using them take-off points. Particularly important is the opportunity to transfer the Tu-22M3M to Crimea. American destroyers regularly enter the Black Sea.

If tensions sharpen, the proliferation of [Tu-22M3M] bombers on the Crimean peninsula will become a nasty surprise for the US Navy.” Tu-22M3 bombers were frequently sighted in Crimea and the larger Black Sea area over the coming years, but it appears that the Russian air force is now pursuing a more deliberate policy of long-range power projection in that region.

The Russian air force is scheduled to start taking Tu-22M3M deliveries in 2021, while dozens of Tu-22M3’s will be retrofitted with the M3M upgrade package over the coming years.

 

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U.S., Russian warships narrowly avoid collision
By Allen Cone
Updated June 07, 2019

7647

The USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 50 to 100 feet of a Russian destroyer, the Admiral Vinogradov, in a near collision Friday in the Philippine Sea, the U.S. 7th Fleet said.

Russia, however, claims the Chancellorsville hindered the passage of the Vinogradov in the East China Sea.

The Russian anti-submarine ship made an "unsafe maneuver" against the Chancellorsville at approximately 11:35 a.m. local time, the U.S. Navy said in a news release.

The Chancellorsville was recovering its helicopter on a steady course and speed when the Russian ship maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville, accelerated and closed to an "unsafe distance," the Navy said. The Chancellorsville was forced to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision.

"We consider Russia's actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 'Rules of the Road,' and internationally recognized maritime customs," the U.S. Navy said.

The United States and Russia couldn't even agree on where the incident happened.

Within the Philippines Sea and the East China Sea are the Senakaku Islands, which are also known as the Diaoyu islands in China, to the south of Japan and east of Taiwan.

"The US cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed its course and crossed the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer's course some 50 meters away from the ship. In order to prevent a collision, the Admiral Vinogradov's crew was forced to conduct an emergency maneuver," the Russian press service said.

International maritime law requires ships to maintain a safe distance, normally interpreted as 1,000 yards, when passing another. Also, navies are not to interfere with another ship conducting flight operations.

"The Russians normally harass our ships when they are operating in waters the Russian consider to be within their sphere of Influence, Carl Schuster, a retired US Navy captain and former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, told CNN. Those areas are the Black Sea, Barents Sea and the waters off Validvostok.

The near-collision this morning is not the first in recent memory for U.S. and Russian ships, or aircraft.

Twice in June 2016, a Russian warship in the eastern Mediterranean approached a U.S. Navy ship in what American military officials said were unsafe manners.

The Russian frigate Neustrashimyy on June 17, 2016, came within 150 yards of the USS San Jacinto, according to U.S. military officials.

the USS Gravely was in the Mediterranean on June 28, 2016, to provide protection for the aircraft carrier Harry S Truman when it approached by the Russian Neustrashimyy-class frigate, according to U.S. officials.

And earlier this week, the United States said a P-8A Poseidon aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-35 three times over 175 minutes. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the U.S. accusations of the incident Tuesday.

The Chancellorsville, which is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is among the Ticonderoga-class of cruisers that perform primarily in a Battle Force role, "capable of supporting carrier battle groups, amphibious forces or operating independently and as flagships of surface action groups," according to the Navy. They include 30 officers and 300 enlisted personnel.

The Chancellorsville -- named for a battle during the Civil War -- was first deployed in 1991 to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm.


 

Khafee

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U.S., Russian warships narrowly avoid collision
By Allen Cone
Updated June 07, 2019

View attachment 7647
The USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 50 to 100 feet of a Russian destroyer, the Admiral Vinogradov, in a near collision Friday in the Philippine Sea, the U.S. 7th Fleet said.

Russia, however, claims the Chancellorsville hindered the passage of the Vinogradov in the East China Sea.

The Russian anti-submarine ship made an "unsafe maneuver" against the Chancellorsville at approximately 11:35 a.m. local time, the U.S. Navy said in a news release.

The Chancellorsville was recovering its helicopter on a steady course and speed when the Russian ship maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville, accelerated and closed to an "unsafe distance," the Navy said. The Chancellorsville was forced to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision.

"We consider Russia's actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 'Rules of the Road,' and internationally recognized maritime customs," the U.S. Navy said.

The United States and Russia couldn't even agree on where the incident happened.

Within the Philippines Sea and the East China Sea are the Senakaku Islands, which are also known as the Diaoyu islands in China, to the south of Japan and east of Taiwan.

"The US cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed its course and crossed the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer's course some 50 meters away from the ship. In order to prevent a collision, the Admiral Vinogradov's crew was forced to conduct an emergency maneuver," the Russian press service said.

International maritime law requires ships to maintain a safe distance, normally interpreted as 1,000 yards, when passing another. Also, navies are not to interfere with another ship conducting flight operations.

"The Russians normally harass our ships when they are operating in waters the Russian consider to be within their sphere of Influence, Carl Schuster, a retired US Navy captain and former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, told CNN. Those areas are the Black Sea, Barents Sea and the waters off Validvostok.

The near-collision this morning is not the first in recent memory for U.S. and Russian ships, or aircraft.

Twice in June 2016, a Russian warship in the eastern Mediterranean approached a U.S. Navy ship in what American military officials said were unsafe manners.

The Russian frigate Neustrashimyy on June 17, 2016, came within 150 yards of the USS San Jacinto, according to U.S. military officials.

the USS Gravely was in the Mediterranean on June 28, 2016, to provide protection for the aircraft carrier Harry S Truman when it approached by the Russian Neustrashimyy-class frigate, according to U.S. officials.

And earlier this week, the United States said a P-8A Poseidon aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-35 three times over 175 minutes. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the U.S. accusations of the incident Tuesday.

The Chancellorsville, which is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is among the Ticonderoga-class of cruisers that perform primarily in a Battle Force role, "capable of supporting carrier battle groups, amphibious forces or operating independently and as flagships of surface action groups," according to the Navy. They include 30 officers and 300 enlisted personnel.

The Chancellorsville -- named for a battle during the Civil War -- was first deployed in 1991 to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm.


 
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