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Dec 31, 2018
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7. Navy mulls frigate choices


sounds like I'll make it or break with the FFG(X) cancellation prediction Oct 30, 2018
LOL!
now inside
Experts Say Aligning FY2020 Budget With Defense Strategy Could Result in Navy Cuts
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:

"The frigate program, though, is one Harrison said could be easier to cancel. Again, it’s not clear how the frigates fit into the NDS. A contract award is expected in FY 2020, so this program could be cut to fund other priorities considered vital to the NDS."

[Harrisson is an analyst (sorry), NDS = National Defense Strategy]
 
Nov 23, 2018
tragicomic they don't ever mention actual combat value ("value") of some vessels being procured for example 35 LCSs Sep 18, 2018
, just aggregate number in Panel: Navy May Have to Choose Between New Ballistic Missile Subs or 355 Ship Fleet
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and
Navy Reassessing Plan for 355-Ship Fleet in New Study, Top Officer Says
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The U.S.
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is revisiting whether its 355-ship plan is sustainable, and whether today's national security environment calls for an even larger naval presence, the Navy's top officer said Friday.

"We're on a path to grow the Navy," said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, adding that the goal is to achieve "the most capable naval force."

Given the current threat environment and the Pentagon's National Defense Strategy, "we're doing a new force-structure assessment, and we'll see where that goes," he told reporters Friday at the Pentagon.

Prior studies by both the Navy and external sources have found that the service's optimal fleet size ranges from the upper 300s to 400s, Richardson said.

But "going forward, we'll take a look at it. I can tell you the security environment has only gotten more sporty, so we'll take that into account," he said. "Technology has started to come into play, and so what counts as a 'naval platform' is going to be an interesting discussion in this … new assessment."

If the 355 number no longer makes sense, "we'll get a new number," Richardson said. "We might hold to it, we may not, [but] the analysis is in progress."

The Navy announced its buildup strategy in late 2016, calling for a
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by the 2030s.

On Thursday, Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a known Pentagon budget guru,
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given the uncertainty surrounding future Defense Department budgets, including the fiscal 2020 request.

"Fully implementing the National Defense Strategy means you'll need trade-offs," he said
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"Things have to go. The 355-ship Navy is out the window if you want to implement the plan," Harrison said, adding the service will need to review or cancel programs -- carrier, frigate or amphibious ship purchases -- to better align with the NDS while staying pragmatic about costs.

As of January, the service had 287 battle-force ships that were deployable, or capable of conducting operations.

Richardson, who recently came back from visiting ships in the Pacific, Europe and Middle East, said conversations with partners, allies and even rivals such as China need to remain consistent to maintain safety and security.

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, the
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sailed within 12 nautical miles of
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as part of the Navy's freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPS.

As China continues to build up contested islands, FONOPS have continued in the region, especially after a Chinese warship
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last fall.

Richardson on Friday said the Chinese did not provide an explanation for that near mishap.
 
quote of the day comes from
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F-15X in, Light Attack Out in FY20 Budget

:

"Bunch declined to comment about USAF’s long-standing insistence that it will buy no “new old” aircraft, and will put all available fighter dollars toward buying fifth-generation aircraft."
 
US Navy canvasses industry for GLGP seeker options
(dated today)
US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has released an initial Request for Information (RFI) to assess potential seeker options for the US Navy's (USN's) next-generation Gun-Launched, Guided Projectiles (GLGP), which are planned to be fired from the MK 45 5-inch guns that equip the service's cruiser and destroyer fleet.

The RFI was released on 29 January and states that the USN is interested in a "variety of seeker solutions", particularly radio frequency (RF) and passive optic seeker types for terminal guidance. "These two seeker families have been emphasised because they minimise platform modifications while providing system capability against raids and enabling over-the-horizon terminal operation," the RFI stated.

Mid-course guidance could be provided by the AN/SPY-1/6 air- and missile-defence radar along with a "platform-to-projectile" two-way datalink. This mid-course guidance could be used to reduce field-of-view (FOV) requirements, with the navy noting that it is interested in gimbaled and body-fixed seekers. A gimbaled seeker could add cost and complexity but would reduce FOV requirement "significantly" compared with body-fixed examples.

The GLGP will have "significant volumetric limitations", according to the RFI, with the seeker size ultimately affecting warhead size. "The available volume of a high-velocity guided projectile is very limited, which emphasises the importance of high-energy density power sources," it said.

The proposed seeker location is expected to be in the front of the projectile, which enables the forward aperture to acquire and track targets. Despite this, the navy is still keen to keep the front "relatively dense" to maintain aerodynamic stability.
wished I had an access to the rest of
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TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
F15CX single seater meant to replace the C. F15EX 2 seater. This one is the trainer but F15E is the ground attack designation F15D is the air to air trainer. So F15EX seems confusing. Is it supposed to duel role? That would make some sense as the F15E model is the basis of the modern F15 versions.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
... whatever, I particularly liked the chunk

"platforms that we then described as game changers"

but OK here's the complete text (
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):
Well follow up here apparently the generals don’t want to talk details on new programs so if you ask about tankers they will wax about alagorical ideas.
I listen to the Aviation week check Six podcast and they talked about it.
The USAF is working on a KC-Z ( Stealth Tanker) we know this.
 
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