US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

gosh: "I hope what they learned is that trying to do a forward fleet commander job from San Diego is proably not a good idea.”, and worse ...
New US Pacific Fleet commander backs away from ‘3rd Fleet Forward’
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The new head of U.S. Pacific Fleet is moving away from a throwback command structure championed by his predecessor that saw the San Diego-based head of U.S. 3rd Fleet take tactical control of ships in the Asia-Pacific region, a role usually taken over by the Japan-based
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once ships sail west of Hawaii.

Former PACFLT head Adm. Scott Swift, who is retired from service, used the construct, remeniscent of the structure employed by the Navy during its broad Pacific campaign in World War II, as a way of dividing up the responsibilities for the theater, with 7th Fleet taking the lead on the
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and 3rd Fleet handling other areas. But new PACFLT commander Adm. John Aquilino, who took the helm in May, is moving away from the concept, which has been criticized in recent months.

Aquilino’s spokesman, Capt. Charlie Brown, told Defense News that the term isn’t being used anymore but that Aquilino intends to keep testing new concepts in the future.

“ ‘Third Fleet Forward’ was a concept designed to enable 3rd Fleet’s maneuver force capability in order to aggregate and, when necessary, fight with the combined power of both numbered fleets in the Pacific Fleet," Brown said. "The term ‘Third Fleet Forward’ is no longer being used. The new Pacific Fleet commander intends to take the next step to advance the maneuver force capability fleetwide during this time of great power competition.

“In the context of renewed great power competition and in accordance with the National Defense Strategy, Pacific Fleet, in cooperation with Fleet Forces Command, continues to explore and incorporate new concepts and capabilities that will allow us to bring full naval power to bear against any adversary,” Brown added.

“3rd Fleet Forward” was first employed in 2016 with a Surface Action Group made up of three destroyers deployed to test new operating concepts with the Navy’s heft surface combatants, then again earlier this year with the deployment of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group to the western Pacfic.

Now-retired Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the 7th Fleet commander fired by Swift in the wake of
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, argued
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in the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings journal that the employment of 3rd Fleet ships in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility had a detrimental impact on command and control.

“Under this initiative, surface forces that historically had been deployed to the Western Pacific to augment the presence of (and relieve the pressure on) FDNF forces, now were taken out of [7th Fleet’s] command,” Aucoin wrote. “While these ships occasionally filled some missions that would otherwise have required FDNF ships, they spent much of their time executing ‘shows of force’ or engaging in Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) fisheries patrols and therefore were not available to provide relief for FDNF cruisers or destroyers in need of training or maintenance.”

The Navy’s comprehensive review of the accidents that claimed the lives of 17 sailors in the Pacific found that the breakneck operations tempo in 7th Fleet created conditions that contributed to the accidents.

The experiment with 3rd Fleet was valuable but ultimately unworkable in that format, said Bryan McGrath, a retired destroyer skipper and head of the defense consultancy The FerryBridge Group.

“We have a considerable operational requirement in the Pacific Fleet area and, in my view, it exceeds the planning and war-fighting capability of a single numbered warfare commander,” McGrath said. “We do need another fleet commander forward, but the attempt to get the benefit of an added fleet commander, while an interesting experiment, was a bit of a half measure. I hope what they learned is that trying to do a forward fleet commander job from San Diego is proably not a good idea.”

Instead, McGrath said, the Navy should look at establishing a forward commander in Australia.

“I would hope that as the Navy grows (if the Navy grows), I hope we will work with our Australian allies to establish a forward command,” he said. “Tyring to do that from San Diego doesn’t make sense.”
 
Yesterday at 7:48 AM
interesting from both the military and PR viewpoints is
Essex Amphibious Ready Group Quietly Deployed on Tuesday with Marine F-35s
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now MarineCorpsTimes:
F−35Bs leave with 13th MEU on first deployment with stateside unit
The Navy’s Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit left San Diego on June 10 with three ships, and is projected to carry out a deployment to the Western Pacific and the Middle East. And they’re bringing something else with them too: Marine Corps F−35Bs, which are leaving on their first deployment with a stateside unit.

“The Essex Amphibious Ready Group with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit got underway from San Diego, Tuesday,” Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. Charlie Brown said in a Thursday statement to United States Naval Institute News.

Further details about the nature of the deployment were not released due to operational security concerns.

The big deck amphibious assault ship Essex, amphibious transport dock Anchorage and dock landing ship Rushmore departed with a squadron of Marine F−35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters from the “Wake Island Avengers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, the official confirmed to USNI.

The Marine F−35Bs first deployment has been well anticipated in the weeks of training leading up to the ship-out date. Previous reporting by the
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shed light on the air platform’s ability to support the MEU’s duties of engagement in humanitarian disasters, maritime incidents and potential combat operations.

The F−35B has been controversial from its inception largely in part due to its hefty $100 million price tag and inconsistent performance reviews. However, its updated technology adds much needed capabilities to the ARG/MEU. Most of the Marines’ strike inventory is comprised of the 30-plus-year-old AV−8B Harrier II.

“With the new aircraft, we want to be able to capitalize on all the capability that aircraft has to bear, like multi-functional data links, how do we get that information from that airplane to the ship, so we can use it,” Capt. Gerald Olin, Amphibious Squadron 1 commander and commodore of the Essex ARG, said in February. “That also gives me additional command-and-control capability.”
it's
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timepass

Brigadier
Lockheed Martin contracted to refurbishment of B-2 bomber.

37135628_914537698716725_5673052564178862080_n.jpg


Lockheed Martin has been awarded a USD28 million contract for the B-2 Spirit bomber defense management system overhaul, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 10 July.

The DoD announced on Monday that Lockheed Martin, Owego, New York, has been awarded a USD28 million firm-fixed price delivery order, (FA8119-18-F-0096), against basic contract FA8119-13-D-0001 for the B-2 defense management system overhaul.

37131080_914539475383214_2795360755724058624_n.jpg


Details of the contract are not reported, but it was known that work is expected to be completed by July 9, 2020, and will be performed in Owego, N.Y.

Some source reported that the upgrades of the B-2 defense management system will include a digital electronic support measures (ESM) subsystem, new ESM antennas, and modern display processing units to improve threat radar detection, identification, and avoidance capabilities. Associated software components integrate these upgraded systems with existing B-2 avionics systems to improve overall pilot threat awareness, threat reaction, and survivability.

37131098_914540105383151_317204367264448512_n.jpg


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Apr 14, 2016
I think it's very important Raytheon Receives $1 Billion Contract for New EA-18G Jammers

source:
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now
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The U.S. Navy hopes to start flying its
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some time next year, though the system won’t reach operational capability until 2022, said Navy Capt. Michael Orr, program manager for the service’s electronic attack systems.

As it stands now the Navy’s principal airborne electronic attack systems relies on technology developed in the 1970’s: While the service has switched from the old
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to the new
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as its electronic attack aircraft, the actual radar-jamming systems on the aircraft are largely the same. Service leaders are worried that with
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in electromagnetic warfare will put their pilots at a major disadvantage, sooner rather than later.

In 2016 Raytheon won a $1 billion award to build the Next Generation Jammer. The Navy plans to spend $1.5 billion on NGJ development between 2019 and 2022.

Orr said that the analog AN/ALQ-99 pods currently on the aircraft will continue in use even after the all-digital NGJ pods are installed, and that the Navy has a co-development program with the
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to develop the system. He would not comment further on the Aussie involvement, or what other aircraft the NGJ might be integrated on in the future.
source:
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Mar 10, 2017
"He is concerned about having outdated aircraft — some of which entered the Air Force’s inventory in 1970 — protecting nuclear missile bases."
no wonder Lawmaker Bashes Delay on Huey Replacement Program

source:
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and
Contract award for US Air Force’s Huey replacement helicopter at risk of delay until FY20
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The U.S. Air Force’s contract for a replacement to the UH-1N Huey helicopter
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until fiscal 2020 unless Congress adds another $83.4 million to the program.

According to a reprogramming request sent by the Defense Department to Congress, the UH-1N replacement effort is currently considered a “high risk” program due to a pre-award protest by competitor Sikorsky, a
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which
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.

The protest had temporarily put a hold source selection, deferring a contract planned for June to September. Current funds would expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, meaning that if an award was further delayed it would take until FY20 to inject more money to continue on with the program, the request stated.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson acknowledged in May that the contract could be awarded sometime this fall.

“We’re going to try and not let that slip too much because we know we need to get the Hueys replaced, but we did get a delay,” she had said.

The Air Force’s aging UH-1Ns are most well-known for the role they play defending nuclear missile sites, and it is the importance of this mission that has led to criticism from leaders in Congress and in the U.S. military — including U.S. Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten — who have said the service needs to move more quickly to procure new helicopters.

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for the Huey replacement award, with the first of a total of 84 new armored helicopters expected for delivery as early as 2020 — although if a contract is delayed until FY20 it seems likely that fielding will not be possible for another couple of years.

Sikorsky
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, a version of its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with modifications like a rescue hoist and electro-optical sensor. Sierra Nevada Corp. has pitched a modernized, life-extended version of used Army UH-60L aircraft that its calling “Sierra Force.”

Meanwhile, Boeing and Leonardo are
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, a militarized version of the Italian firm’s civilian AW139 helicopter. Boeing submitted the final proposal for the aircraft Tuesday, it confirmed in a statement.

“The Boeing MH-139 is capable, affordable, and ready to serve the United States Air Force’s urgent UH-1N replacement needs,” the company said. "With a hot production line in Philadelphia, we are well-positioned to meet the USAF’s delivery requirements for fielding this vital platform as soon as possible.”

While the requirements for the helicopter were not made public, the Air Force has specified nine fully loaded troops without needing to be refueled for an endurance of at least 225 nautical miles. They also should be able to fly three hours while maintaining a 135-knot cruise speed.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
LOL almost 29k per goggles inside
US Army asks Congress to shift millions in FY18 dollars. What’s behind the request?
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The Goggles are not simply Night vision they are also thermal.
Regular night vision systems use image intensification by focusing ambient light, the down side is that in some conditions like say inside a darkened structure like a cave there may not be an ambient light source. Thermal sees heat as such it can be seen in more types of conditions. Farther more not all that 29K per goggle is actually being spent on the Goggle, but training and integration of the goggle.
also note the numbers a little over 3600 units. That's not a wide fielding.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Lockheed Martin contracted to refurbishment of B-2 bomber.

37135628_914537698716725_5673052564178862080_n.jpg


Lockheed Martin has been awarded a USD28 million contract for the B-2 Spirit bomber defense management system overhaul, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 10 July.

The DoD announced on Monday that Lockheed Martin, Owego, New York, has been awarded a USD28 million firm-fixed price delivery order, (FA8119-18-F-0096), against basic contract FA8119-13-D-0001 for the B-2 defense management system overhaul.

37131080_914539475383214_2795360755724058624_n.jpg


Details of the contract are not reported, but it was known that work is expected to be completed by July 9, 2020, and will be performed in Owego, N.Y.

Some source reported that the upgrades of the B-2 defense management system will include a digital electronic support measures (ESM) subsystem, new ESM antennas, and modern display processing units to improve threat radar detection, identification, and avoidance capabilities. Associated software components integrate these upgraded systems with existing B-2 avionics systems to improve overall pilot threat awareness, threat reaction, and survivability.

37131098_914540105383151_317204367264448512_n.jpg


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It will be nice to augment the 20 B-2s with 100+ LRSB B21s.

I'd love to see them have the B-21s replace all of the B-52s, but then leave the B-1Bs around for a few more years.
 
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