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Jeff Head

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Deck House of DDG-1001, Monsoor, has now been lifted

The second Zumwalt class destroyer is coming right along at Bath Iron Works.


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DDG-1001, Monsoor deck house positioned in the yard, along the ways

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DDG-1001 deck house being lifted for adding to the destroyer

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DDG-1001 deck house raised as destroyer hull is brought foreward

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DDG-1001 deck house being lowered onto the hull

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DDG-1001 Monsoor deck house attached to the hull
 

TerraN_EmpirE

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Textron Unveils Ultra-Light 7.62mm Machine Gun Effort
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on May 20, 2015 ·
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TAMPA, Fla. — Textron Systems showed off its newest effort to develop an ultra-light 7.62mm machine gun at the 2015 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.

The new MG is being designed to weigh 14.5 pounds – more than eight pounds lighter than the lightest version of the M240.

The effort is part of the Case-Telescoped Weapons and Ammunition program which has produced a matured 5.56mm lightweight machine gun similar to the M249 squad automatic weapon, according to Textron officials.

The newer 7.62mm version is under contract with Joint Service Small Arms Program Office to develop the operating system to handle the larger caliber, according to Ben Cole, mechanical engineer for AAI Corp., owned by Textron. JSSAP is based in the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

Formerly known as the Army’s Lightweight Small Arms Technologies, or LSAT, the program is designed to lower ammunition weight by 40 percent as well as producing significantly lighter infantry weapons.


The result would be a 14.5-pound 7.62mm case-telescoped machine gun, compared to the Army’s M240B machine gun which weighs 27 pounds. The new, lightweight version — the M240L — weighs about 22 pounds.

The overall effort has already produced a 5.56mm CT weapon that weighs 9.4 pounds, compared to the M249 SAW, weighing in at approximately 17 pounds.

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Military testers have fired about 85,000 5.56mm CT rounds through 10 test guns, said Cole, adding that the weapon has gone as far as it can go until the Army decides if it wants to make it a program of record.

A firing prototype of the 7.62mm CT weapon is expected to be ready by the fall of 2016, Cole said.

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Kit Up!
The Lightest GPMG In US Service is the MK48 mod 0 at 18.24 pounds empty. That is about the norm for a GPMG firing the full power 7.62x51mm round. The lightest I can think of was HK21 or HK11 at about 17 pounds.
The Current Russian issue Infantry GPMG the PKP "Pecheneg" Which fires that nasty longer range far older 7.62x54mm round originally used in the Russian Mosin Nagant weights 18 pounds.

NATO has about 5 standard GPMG's
  • The Minimi 7.62 Which is a re branding of the MK48
  • The MG3 more or less a update and rechambering of the WW2 vintage MG42 at 23.15 pounds.
  • The New HK121 aka HK MG5 at 25.57 pounds
  • The M60 series which is used now not by the US but by a number of nations at 23 pounds the latest version the M60E6 with a Short barrel 20.44 pounds.
  • The FN MAG Which is 26 pounds at it's most basic but can go up to 27 pounds in the M240B configuration but the MAG can go on slimfast The M240L now entering US infantry service is 22.3 pounds well the
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    .
So a 14.5 pound 7.62mm CT Machine gun would be a world beater in terms of weight to fire power. lighter then the MK46 (15.44 pounds)
for fun points the General Dynamics Land systems Lightweight Medium Machine Gun Offering that fires a .338 Norma Magnum round (8.59mm) A significantly more powerful round even better then the Russian Standard 7.62x54mm comes in at 24 pounds with a effective range of 1,860 yards. Lighter then the stock FN MAG yet with a much longer range. Way I figure it If you want a 20+ pound Machine gun might as well shot a round That is effective out past a mile!
 
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Jeff Head

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This is the first complete US Air Froce F-35A Fighter Squadron to be completed with its 26th aircraft. others are building towards that

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Eglin AFB said:
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla -- The 58th Fighter Squadron became the Air Force's first complete F-35A Lightning II squadron after they welcomed their 26th and final F-35A May 28 at the 33rd Fighter Wing, here.

Maj. Scott Charlton, 58th FS pilot, ferried the aircraft, AF-45, from Lockheed Martin's F-35 production center in Fort Worth, Texas.

"We've been in a growth mindset for the last few years," said Lt. Col. Matt Renbarger, the 58th FS commander. "We've been focused on adapting our training levels to the availability of aircraft as a growing squadron. It's been exciting to see this mission develop, but we're more excited to dial-in all of our attention to training our team."

The arrival of the last Air Force joint strike fighter variant scheduled to be stationed at the wing marked a shift in priorities for the 58th FS and 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. Both units experienced a series of transitions and accomplishments since the arrival of the first F-35A here July 14, 2011.

Renbarger was trained in the initial cadre of F-35 instructor pilots. He witnessed the number of JSF pilots swell to 100 since the F-35 training mission was first established here in October 2009. Half of those pilots are Air Force.

"We are focusing now on refining our processes and training, improving our tactics, and really optimizing our overall program to meet the needs of the Air Force as our Airmen move out to other F-35 missions," said Renbarger.

The last F-35A delivered is more capable than the first F-35A delivered three years ago as a result of the F-35 program's concurrency development model. The concurrency model executes testing, training and development simultaneously and incorporates feedback from each area into subsequent Low Rate Initial Production blocks produced at Lockheed Martin's mile-long factory in Fort Worth.

Renbarger highlighted that AF-45 arrived with Block 2A software and upgrades, including the use of simulated weapons, datalinks, and night and Instrument Meteorological Conditions flight capabilities.

"The arrival of AF-45 is an incredible milestone for the Air Force as we move closer to F-35A Initial Operational Capability in 2016," said Col. Todd Canterbury, 33rd FW commander. "The men and women here are establishing the foundation for all F-35A training operations. Having our full end-strength grants our pilots and maintainers more flexibility in training, and that flexibility lets us advance the F-35 program at a faster rate than ever before."

The 33rd FW is home to the F-35 Integrated Training Center responsible for F-35 A/B/C Lightning II pilot and maintainer training for the Marine Corps, the Navy, the Air Force and, in the future, at least eight international partners.

Currently, for the F-35As and the US Air Force, they are filling out the following squadrons:

58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida
61st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Arizona
422nd Test & Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
461st Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, California

For the F-35B and the US Marine Corps, they are currently filling out the following squadrons:

VMFA-121 Fighter/Attack Squadron, US MArine Air Station, Yuma, Arizona
VMFAT-501 Test Squadron, US MArine Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina
VMX-22 Test and Evaluation Squadron, Edards AFB, California

For the F-35A and the US Navy, they are currently filling out the following squadrons:

VFA-101 Fighter Squadron ("Grim Reapers") Eglin AFB, Florida
VX-23 Test & Evaluation Squadron, Naval Air station Patuxent River, MAryland
 

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USS-Gary-Leaves-Seal-Beach-for-the-Last-Time-1024x701.jpg
Naval Today said:
The guided-missile frigate USS Gary (FFG 51) departed Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach for the last time May 21 after conducting her final ammunition offload.

She is the last of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet frigates and is due to decommission later this year.

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were designed originally as a cost efficient surface combatant used to protect warships and merchant marine ships, especially as anti-submarine escorts for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups, and merchant convoys.

However, they lack the multi-mission capability necessary for modern surface combatants faced with multiple, high-technology threats and have little capacity for growth.

The latest U.S. deactivation plans will retire all Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates by October 2015, which will be the first time that the U.S. Navy has been without a frigate class of ships since 1943.

After more than 30 years of distinguished service, USS Gary is tentatively scheduled to decommission on July 23, 2015 at Naval Station San Diego.

Sorry to see them go. But they were pretty much neutered for anything outside of ASW and anti-priate or anti-drug duties years ago.
 
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Naval Today said:
Secretary of the US Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ship-naming ceremony yesterday in Jersey City, New Jersey, to announce that SSN 796, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS New Jersey.

Mabus told the audience the submarine will be named to honor the long-standing history its namesake state has had with the Navy. New Jersey was where USS Holland, the Navy’s first submarine, was designed and constructed in October 1900.

Since the creation of that first submarine, two naval ships have been named New Jersey – a battleship commissioned in 1906 which was part of the famed Great White Fleet and another battleship commissioned in 1943 – making SSN 796 the third naval ship to bear the name New Jersey.

The next-generation attack submarines will provide the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation’s undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. They will have enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements that will enable them to meet the Navy’s multi-mission requirements.

These submarines will have the capability to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert, long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; mine delivery and minefield mapping. They are also designed for special forces delivery and support.

Eleven Virginia class subs have already been commissioned. The 12th, USS John Warner, SSN-785, will be commissioned in August. Three others are currently at various levels of construction, with the newest, USS Colorado, SSN-788, laid down in March of this year, 2015.

This latest naming of the New Jersey represents the 22nd named vessel. She will be the 4th of ten Block IV vessels, all of which are already under contract and awarded.
 

Jeff Head

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AUstal-Rolls-Out-USS-Gabrielle-Giffords.jpg

Naval Today said:
The future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), launched from the Austal USA shipyard Feb. 25, marking an important production milestone for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.

The ship is named after former United States Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. LCS 10 will be the 16th U.S. naval ship to be named for a woman, and only the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850.

Gabrielle Giffords was rolled out of her assembly bay onto a barge for transfer down the Mobile River to a floating drydock Feb. 24. The ship entered the water for the first time the following day when the drydock was flooded for the ship launch. The ship will return to the shipyard to continue final outfitting and activation until her christening later this year. She is expected to deliver to the fleet in 2017.

Gabrielle Giffords is the third ship in a block buy contract with Austal to build 10 Independence- variant LCS ships. Sister ship Jackson (LCS 6) is preparing for builder’s trials, and Montgomery (LCS 8) was christened in November 2014. The LCS program is ramping up in 2015 to deliver two ships per year from the Austal shipyard, as well as two Freedom-variant ships from the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin.

So, for the next few years, the two builder will produce four LCS per year. That's a nice production rate.

If they will go ahead and add either the Naval Strike Missile, or the new Advanced Harpoon to the ships as standoff ASMs, they will end up being decent vessels with a strong ASW capability, a decent self-defense AAW capability, and a decent ASuW capability.

One can only hope.
 

Jeff Head

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The US Navy has tested numerous high speed vessels.

At significantly increased speeds, you run into all sorts of issues with weapons fired from the vessel.

You also have to deal with the issue of the ability for such small vessels to target and control the weapons they might wish to fire. Usually they are going to have to receive any meaningful acquisition and targeting data over a data link form larger vessels or other assets.

One of the more recent exotic vessels the US Navy has been testing is the Ghost. Highly stealthy, high speed, high maneuverability. The prototype is a supercavitating vessel powered by two
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providing 2,000 horsepower, the pans are to later adopt the
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turboshaft engine.


 
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