Lockheed Martin Receives $376 Million to Construct Nation’s Next Littoral Combat Ship

WASHINGTON | The U.S. Navy has awarded a Lockheed Martin-led industry team $376 million to construct the nation’s seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). 

The fixed-price-incentive-fee contract provides funding for the second of 10 ships the Navy awarded to the Lockheed Martin team in December 2010. The contracts for the remaining eight ships will be awarded through 2015. Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, will construct the ships in Marinette, Wis., and naval architect Gibbs & Cox will provide engineering and design support. 

“As the Lockheed Martin team constructs this next ship, we will remain focused on performance and cost,” said Joe North, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Littoral Ship Systems business. “The Navy’s 10-ship award provides stability to this program, allowing industry to more efficiently meet the customer’s need for an affordable, multi-mission surface combatant.”

The Lockheed Martin industry team designed and constructed the nation’s first LCS, USS Freedom. USS Freedom was commissioned in 2008 and has sailed more than 50,000 nautical miles. Based at its homeport of San Diego, Calif., the ship completed a highly successful maiden deployment in 2010 and is now fully integrated into the fleet.

LCS 3, the Navy’s future USS Fort Worth and Lockheed Martin’s second LCS, is more than 85 percent complete and was christened and launched in December 2010 – a milestone reached just 20 months after contract award. The program remains on schedule and on budget for delivery to the Navy in 2012. 

Source

Lockheed bags contract to build next LCS for US Navy

WASHINGTON (BNS): Lockheed Martin has bagged a $376 million contract from the US Navy to construct the seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for it.

The fixed-price-incentive-fee contract provides funding for the second of 10 such ships the Navy awarded to the Lockheed Martin team in December 2010. 

The contracts for the remaining eight ships will be awarded through 2015, Lockheed said.

Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, will construct the ships in Marinette, Wisconsin, and naval architect Gibbs & Cox will provide engineering and design support, the company said.

Lockheed has already built the first LCS, USS Freedom, for the US Navy which was commissioned in 2008. The construction work for LCS 3, USS Fort Worth, is presently going on at full pace. The ship is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2012.

The US Navy intends to procure a total of 55 Littoral Combat Ships for multi-mission support. 

The LCS has been envisioned to be a versatile, networked, agile, surface combatant vessel capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals.

Northrop, US Navy complete second, third flights of X-47B

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE (BNS): Less than a month after completing the first flight of the US Navy's X-47B UCAS-Demonstration aircraft, flight test engineers from Northrop Grumman and the Navy have successfully completed the aircraft's second and third flights.

The flights, both conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, mark the beginning of a process called envelope expansion during which the test team will begin proving that the tailless aircraft can perform safely over a broad range of altitudes, air speeds and operating weights.

During the X-47B's 39-minute second flight on March 1, the aircraft flew to an altitude of 7,500 feet at speeds up to 200 knots. During its 41-minute third flight on March 4, the aircraft reached an altitude of 7,500 feet and a top speed of 180 knots. By comparison, the X-47B flew only to 5,000 feet at a top speed of 180 knots during its first flight February 4, a statement by Northrop Grumman said.

Phil Saunders, chief engineer for Northrop Grumman's Navy UCAS programme, said envelope expansion is designed to fully characterize the aircraft's flying qualities and prove that they match the system's performance requirements and the test team's predictions. 

"Over the next few flights, we'll continue to expand the envelope in terms of air speed, altitude and operating weight range," he said. 

Northrop Grumman and the Navy expect to complete the planned 49-flight envelope expansion program at Edwards Air Force Base before moving the first X-47B to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, later this year, he added. 

One of the most important measures of performance, Saunders explains, is aircraft stability. The X-47B, which relies on high-speed computers to manage its flight control surfaces, must be able to adjust quickly and automatically to unpredictable environmental conditions such as air turbulence or cross winds. 

The recent test flights included a series of maneuvers designed to measure the aircraft's ability to maintain a smooth, level flying state in the presence of such conditions.

The flight tests also confirmed that the X-47B's flush mounted air data system – a nod to its low-observable-relevant design – is accurately sensing and communicating the aircraft's air speed, a critical factor in takeoff and landing.

The Navy awarded the UCAS-D prime contract to Northrop Grumman in August 2007. The six-year contract calls for the development of two X-47B fighter-sized aircraft. 

The programme will demonstrate the first-ever carrier launches and recoveries by a tailless, unmanned aircraft. Autonomous aerial refueling will also be performed after carrier integration and at-sea trials.

Fiscal Year 2011 Littoral Combat Ship Contract Awards Announced

Contract modifications were issued to Lockheed Martin Corporation and Austal USA March 17, under their respective Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) block buy contracts to add funding for construction of one fiscal year 2011 Littoral Combat Ship each.

This is the second ship fully funded for each contractor under its previously-awarded, fixed-price incentive "block buy" contract for the design and construction of up to ten LCS Flight 0+ ships. The two block buy contracts provide for the acquisition of a total of up to 20 LCS from fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2015, subject to availability of appropriations.

The amount of funds added under the block buy contract with Lockheed Martin Corporation for the fiscal year 2011 LCS ship is $376,621,375. The amount of funds added under the block buy contract with Austal USA for the fiscal year 2011 LCS ship is $368,592,125.

The ships will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette, Wis., and Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., respectively.

The prices for the fiscal year 2011 ships were determined based on the competitive, LCS dual block buy contracts that were awarded Dec. 29, 2010.

"The awards represent the Navy's commitment to driving down costs in the littoral combat ship program," said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Sean Stackley. "We are executing the dual award strategy for these ships. Efforts to stabilize design, improve production planning, invest in shipbuilder improvements and leverage long-term vendor agreements all within the framework of a competitive fixed-price contract have returned this program to the level of affordability necessary for the Navy to move forward with construction at efficient rates in support of the 55-ship LCS requirement."

The additional funding obligated is for the seventh and eighth ships in the LCS class. USS Freedom (LCS 1) was delivered to the Navy September 2008 and is undergoing a continuous maintenance availability at its homeport of San Diego. USS Independence (LCS 2) was delivered to the Navy December 2009 and is currently undergoing test and trials in Mayport, Fla. Fort Worth (LCS 3) and Coronado (LCS 4) are under construction at Marinette Marine and Austal USA, respectively, and are expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2012.

LCS is needed to fill critical, urgent warfighting requirements gaps that exist today. LCS is required to establish and maintain U.S. Navy dominance in the littorals and sea lines of communication choke points around the world.

US Navy backs Northrop spin-off of ship unit

The US Navy threw its support behind Northrop Grumman Corp's plans to spin off its shipbuilding unit after the company agreed to make certain financial adjustments to cover possible risks.

The Navy announcement came late on Tuesday after Northrop's board approved the creation of Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc, in a spin-off to shareholders.

The Navy's support paves the way for the new company to wrap up contracts for two new U.S. warships, and moves Northrop one step closer to finalizing the spin-off, which must still be approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Reuters reports.

The defense contractor said the spin-off has been structured to qualify as a tax-free distribution for US federal tax purposes.

See Detail

US Navy's TacSat-4 arrives at Alaska launch pad

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA (BNS): The US Navy's new joint tactical communications satellite arrived at Alaska's Kodiak Launch Complex recently, and is currently undergoing final preparations for its scheduled spring liftoff.

The Tactical Microsatellite (TacSat)-4 is designed to augment traditional satellite communications, supplying 10 legacy ultra-high-frequency channels. It can provide two hours of coverage up to three times per day and support multiple theaters worldwide in a 24-hour period.

It is smaller in size, lower in cost and relatively quicker to launch than a traditional system.

"TacSat-4 enables 'comms on the move', which is a unique feature of this system- no other DoD satellite can do it currently," Fred Hellrich, an ONR senior scientist, was quoted as saying in a news report by the US Naval Air Systems Command.

TacSat-4 allows warfighters to use a regular handheld radio for communications on the move. TacSat-4 has also been developed to operate more economically than traditional satellites by using high-quality components designed to last at least six months to one year. It is also changing the cost to build systems and thus the number of launches per year.

Funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), this fourth-generation microsatellite is expected to be launched in May or June. The US Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space Office funded TacSat-4's launch aboard a Minotaur IV rocket built by Orbital Sciences.

The satellite will carry an ONR-sponsored and Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)-developed payload.

TacSat is one of the original four proposed efforts initiated by ONR's INP programme, which investigates cutting-edge technologies with the potential to irrecoverably change naval operations.

Critical review for electronic warfare system upgrade that will defend U.S. Navy

Lockheed Martin held a successful critical design review for an electronic warfare system upgrade that will defend U.S. Navy surface combatants from evolving anti-ship missile threats.

Under the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP), the Navy is pursuing an evolutionary succession of enhancements to its AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare system currently installed on aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and other U.S. warships. A series of SEWIP block upgrades will incrementally add new defensive technologies and functional capabilities.

“Block 2 establishes a framework for the Navy to easily integrate future block upgrades of the most current electronic warfare technology to defend the fleet,” explained Joe Ottaviano, Lockheed Martin’s SEWIP program director. “This critical milestone validates our design and serves as the contractual go-ahead to produce two system prototypes by 2012.”

Lockheed Martin’s modular solution for SEWIP Block 2 is based on its own Integrated Common Electronics Warfare System demonstrator, which operated over water for risk reduction in October 2010. This approach uses commercial-off-the-shelf electronics and provides the Navy with the latest surface ship electronic warfare capabilities, as well as enhanced flexibility to upgrade the technology to address emerging threats.

In November 2009, Lockheed Martin was awarded an initial $9.9 million contract to develop SEWIP Block 2 with options totaling nearly $167 million. In July 2010, the Navy exercised the first option for $51.1 million and approved Lockheed Martin’s preliminary design for Block 2.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 132,000 prople worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

CSC receives $110 mln US Navy task order

VIRGINIA (BNS): US Navy has awarded a contract to CSC for providing engineering and programme support for the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer Programme Office (PMS 500).

The task order has a one-year base period and four one-year options, bringing the estimated total five-year value to $110 million. 

The Navy awarded the task order under the Naval Sea Systems Command SEAPORT-Enhanced contract vehicle, which CSC won in 2004.

Under the contract, CSC will provide engineering and programme management support for the development, design, building, outfitting and testing of the Zumwalt Class Destroyer. 

“We will draw upon our recognized success in supporting cost effective programme management and test and evaluation of new systems to deliver vital, mission-critical expertise for the Navy’s future class of destroyers,” James W. Sheaffer, president of CSC’s North American Public Sector, said.

The multi-mission DDG 1000 is tailored for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack, and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces.

US Navy ill-prepared for new Arctic frontier: study

Climate change is rapidly transforming the Arctic and the US Navy is falling behind as international powers jockey for power over vast oil resources, suggested a US study released on Thursday.

The report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) pointed to areas where the United States needs to bolster its forces as warming temperatures break up polar ice, raise sea levels, and potentially cause more international chaos.

A sea-level rise in the Arctic over the next two decades is "highly certain to occur and highly certain to come with economic costs" in a region thought to hold more than one-fifth of the world's untapped hydrocarbons, it said.

The past three years have seen a surge of global interest in the Arctic, on a level not seen since the Cold War, but United States has not pursued this with the same vigor as Russia, Norway, Denmark and other countries.

"The retreat of Arctic sea ice in summer is fundamentally altering the naval forces' mission by allowing increasing access to the harsh and highly variable Arctic environment," said the study by the NAS's National Research Council (NRC).

"Surface and air operations have not been a priority for the Navy in the high latitudes for almost 25 years; so, today's naval forces lack experience and procedures for the challenges of these northern environments," it said.

See detail

Marines Declare AH-1Z Cobra Operational

The Marine Corps' newest attack helicopter, the AH-1Z Cobra, achieved Initial Operating Capability ahead of schedule in February.

"Getting the AH-1Z to IOC has been a huge achievement for the entire team," said Col. Harry Hewson, program manager for U.S. Marine Corps Light and Attack Helicopters. "Now we get to put the Zulu in the hands of the Marines and prove that it is indeed the most capable marinized attack helicopter in the world."

As part of the H-1 Upgrades Program, the AH-1Z replaces the currently fielded AH-1W. The AH-1Z will serve a primary role in assault support, offensive air support and air reconnaissance. Cobras will play a supporting role in anti-air warfare, electronic warfare, and control of aircraft and missiles.

The new Cobras feature 10,000 flight-hour airframes, a new four-bladed rotor system with semi-automatic blade fold of the new composite rotor blades, new performance matched transmissions, a new four-bladed tail rotor and drive system, upgraded landing gear, and pylon structural modifications. The Cobra also incorporates modernized, fully integrated cockpits/avionics that will reduce operator work load while improving situational awarenessand safety.

The AH-1Z is equipped with two General Electric T700-GE-401 series engines and greatly increased lift capability and stores capacity, giving it a significantly greater ordnance payload for future growth potential. The primary weapon system is the Hellfire missile. It is fully shipboard compatible, and capable of operating from prepared or unprepared landing sites, day or night.

The Marine Corps will remanufacture 131 AH-1W helicopters into AH-1Z aircraft and build 58 new AH-1Zs. The projected inventory for the AH-1Z is 189 helicopters. Full operational capability, defined as when all AH-1Z maintenance and repair support, test equipment, and spares are in place to support active component force primary aircraft authorization, is expected to be achieved in 2020.

AH-1Z Cobras were first delivered in 2007 by prime contractor Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated. The Department of Defense authorized the Cobra for full-rate production in November 2010. The first deployment of the AH-1Z is scheduled for later this year with a Marine Expeditionary Unit. This will be the first opportunity for the AH-1Z and UH-1Y to deploy together. The UH-1Y is already on its third rotation to Operation Enduring Freedom.

"The expeditionary agility that the Yankee/Zulu package brings to the Marine Air/Ground Task Force is exactly what the Marine Corps needs as we continue to fight two wars and conduct numerous other engagements in every clime and place," Hewson said. "I am proud to be a part of the team that is making that happen."

The AH-1Z is scheduled to deploy later this year with a Marine Expeditionary Unit.

U.S. charges pirates in killing of four hostages on yacht

Thirteen Somalis and one Yemeni have been brought to the United States to face charges in the seizure of a yacht with two American couples aboard who were later killed off the coast of Somalia, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The accused pirates were charged with piracy, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and use of firearms during a crime involving last month's hostage-taking in which four Americans were kidnapped for ransom, according to court documents.

The defendants were not charged with murder, but a U.S. Justice Department official said more charges could be brought later.

The group seized the yacht and were negotiating with the U.S. military to release the couples when a pirate fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett.

Gunfire then broke out inside the pirated vessel, prompting the U.S. military to send American special forces to board the vessel. The U.S. military has said the pirates shot the hostages before American troops boarded the yacht.

U.S. troops killed two pirates as they boarded the boat. Another two were found dead when special forces arrived but they were not killed by U.S. forces, the military has said.

The American victims were Jean and Scott Adam of California and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle from Seattle.

According to the indictment filed in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, at least three defendants intentionally shot and killed the Americans without provocation before they could be rescued by the U.S. military.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, U.S. officials said.

According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to unlawfully seize, kidnap, abduct and hold for ransom the four Americans on the yacht. They were armed with assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade when they boarded the yacht.

One defendant, Mohamud Salad Ali, went to the Sterett to negotiate on February 21, according to the indictment. The next day, a pirate fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterett.

The case marked at least the third time that suspected pirates operating off Somalia have been brought to the United States to face criminal charges.

In February, a Somali pirate was sentenced in federal court in New York to 33 years and nine months in prison for his role in the 2009 seizure of the Maersk Alabama container ship.

In April last year, 11 defendants were brought to Norfolk to face charge for the attacks on two U.S. Navy ships off the coast of Africa.

Pirate gangs operating off the coast of Somalia have stepped up hijacking attacks on vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by seizing ships, including oil tankers, despite the presence of dozens of foreign naval vessels.

US Indicts 14 in Piracy Killings Aboard Yacht

Fourteen men accused of seizing a yacht and killing its American crew last month in the Arabian Sea were indicted Thursday by a grand jury in Norfolk, Va., on piracy and kidnapping charges. If convicted of piracy, the men face a mandatory life sentence.

The 14 men–13 Somalis and one Yemeni–were captured by U.S. Navy Seals who stormed the 58-foot Quest four days after it was hijacked while sailing from India toward Oman. Navy officers were negotiating for the release of the American sailors, but the four were killed before the assault force could storm the ship.

The men were indicted on one count of piracy, one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. They were not charged with murder, but the indictment stated that “at least three of the defendants on board the Quest intentionally shot and killed” the U.S. citizens.

(This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal website, WSJ.com.)

U.S. Attorney Neil McBride said that the investigation will continue and that “additional future charges are possible.” He noted that the other charges include hefty sentences: Up to life in prison for kidnapping and a minimum of 30 years for the weapons charges.

The American sailors–Scott Adam, Jean Adam, Phyllis Macay, and Bob Riggle–were completing an around-the-world voyage, and just days before the pirate attack had separated from a group of fellow sailors to chart their own course toward Oman.

The alleged pirates appeared in court Thursday afternoon to hear the charges. A detention hearing will be held in about one week, and a trial could begin this summer.

The killings have highlighted the threat from pirates operating from Somalia and threatening an ever-widening swath of the Indian Ocean. There have been more than 90 pirate attacks worldwide this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, with most of those coming off the coast of Somalia.

Last week, pirates unsuccessfully attacked a chemical tanker and a container ship, according to the IMB. In addition, the Maersk Alabama–the cargo ship famously attacked in April 2009 whose American captain was taken hostage and later rescued from a lifeboat by Navy Seal snipers–was attacked this week for the third time in two years.

The U.S. has proven willing to prosecute pirates when U.S. ships and sailors are involved and the cases are clear-cut.

However, battling pirates in courtrooms is tougher for the bulk of attacks in the Indian Ocean. Few countries in the region are willing and able to prosecute pirates. Western countries whose warships patrol the area, meanwhile, are loath to prosecute without an abundance of evidence–often hard to gather when pirates disguise themselves as fishermen. Numerous European and American warships have caught and released pirates for lack of evidence in recent years.

“It’s the problem of the dog catching the car: What do you do when you catch the pirates?” said Terrence McKnight, a retired U.S. admiral who set up the first anti-piracy task forces in the Indian Ocean in 2007.

To stem the rising number of attacks, Mr. McKnight proposes increasing aerial surveillance and naval patrols closer to the Somali region of Puntland, from where most pirate skiffs depart.

“We’re just waiting and reacting, instead of being proactive,” he said.

Boeing begins final assembly of first P-8A Poseidon for US Navy

Boeing has begun the final assembly of the first P-8A Poseidon production aircraft for the US Navy.

The work began at Boeing's Renton facility in Washington Wednesday.

“Boeing will deliver this first aircraft to the Navy on schedule in 2012 in preparation for initial operational capability, which is planned for 2013,” Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president and P-8 programme manager, said.

The aircraft is the first of six low-rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft that Boeing is building under a $1.6 billion contract awarded to it by the US Navy in January this year.

The LRIP-1 contract includes spares, logistics and training devices. 

Boeing was awarded a System Development and Demonstration contract in 2004 to build and test six flight-test and two ground-test P-8A aircraft. 

The first three flight-test planes -- T1, T2 and T3 -- are completing testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The programme’s static test plane, S1, has completed its test programme earlier this year.

The US Navy plans to purchase a total of 117 P-8A Poseidons.

The multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft is based on a Boeing 737-800 airframe with state-of-the art equipment for maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.

The intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft is being designed to replace the US Navy’s P-3C Orion aircraft.

India has also placed orders worth $2.1 billion with Boeing to acquire eight P-8I Poseidons.

“We’re excited to transition from the development airplanes to production,” said John Pricco, Boeing Commercial Airplanes P-8 programme manager. 

“Our team’s tremendous work has put us in a good position as we ramp up to build both the P-8A for the United States and the P-8I for India,” the official said. 

The first P-8I Poseidon is scheduled to be delivered to India in 2013.

P-3 trainer completes US Navy final fleet evaluation

PATUXENT RIVER (BNS): The P-3 Aircrew Tactical Team Trainer (PACT 3) has completed its fleet evaluation to showcase the capabilities of its training system, which emulates a tactical aircrew station, at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida.

The crew has completed the final four demonstrations to ensure that all performance requirements required by the US Navy are met, according to NAVAIR.

The demos Members of the Naval Aviation Training Systems programme office (PMA-205), along with representatives from the fleet, looked on as the Patrol Squadron THIRTY (VP-30) fleet project team tested the device using various anti-submarine warfare (ASW) scenarios.

“We are very excited to finally have this capability. This training simulator is at the forefront of ASW technology, incorporating advanced hardware and software concurrent with what is in the P-3 Orion. Because it can be broken down and transported to remote detachment sites, it fills a gap for forward deployed aircrews requiring ASW proficiency training opportunities,” Capt. John Feeney, PMA-205 programme manager, said.

The Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Fleet identified a need for high-fidelity, portable training devices to address proficiency levels of deployed P-3 aircrews. 

In addition to ASW training, the PACT 3 will be available for Fleet Synthetic Training exercises.

The device was designed, engineered and constructed by Naval Aviation Warfare Center Training Systems Division and Alion Science & Technology.

US Navy will receive the first device of the fleet fall in 2011.

Ex-Russian naval officer transferred $172 mln to the U.S

Former naval officer Viktor Kaganov who had left Yevpatoria, Ukraine for Oregon, US in 1998 admitted guilt in illegal money transfer operations. 

FBI hunted him out last year in the course of inquiry into the case of numerous "paper" corporations opened in Oregon. According to investigators, he had been illegally transferring money from his house. 69-year old naval veteran had conducted over 4 200 online operations and transferred somewhat $172 mln. 

Money was transferred from Russia to several American banks.
However, 69-year old Kaganov had no money transfer license. He was not registered in the US Treasury Department either. 

Now the ex-naval officer can be imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to $250,000. However, the term can be shortened to 1.5 years in exchange for admission. Money transferred by former Russian naval officer had no criminal origin.

US Navy successfully test-fires Trident II D5 missile

SAN DIEGO (BNS): The US Navy has successfully test-fired an unarmed Trident II D5 missile from the Ohio-class fleet ballistic-missile submarine USS Nevada (SSBN 733) off the coast of Southern California.

The missile was launched last week to certify the readiness of an SSBN crew and the operational performance of the submarine's strategic weapons system prior to returning to operational availability, according to a US Navy release.

Engineers and scientists tracked the submarine and the missile throughout the launch process.

The launch marked the 135th consecutive successful submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test flight since December 1989.

Nevada was commissioned in 1986 as the eighth Ohio-class fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in US Navy. The Ohio-class design allows the submarines to operate for 15 or more years between major overhauls.

Source

Curtiss-Wright Awarded $66 Million Contract for Virginia-Class Submarine Program

PARSIPPANY, N.J. | Curtiss-Wright Corporation on Friday announced that it has been awarded a contract, that when fully funded, is expected to be in excess of $66 million to provide valves that meet the demanding needs for the next six U.S. Navy Virginia-Class submarine nuclear propulsion systems. The award from Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. (BPMI) is for an initial two ship-sets, with options for another four ship-sets to be funded at two ship-sets per year in 2012 and 2013. Curtiss-Wright's Flow Control segment will perform the work at its facility in East Farmingdale, NY. Delivery of these components is scheduled for the 2012 through 2018 timeframe.

"We are very pleased to have been awarded this important naval defense contract," said Curtiss-Wright Chairman and CEO Martin R. Benante. "Our continuous improvement programs and innovation resulted in us achieving the cost reduction goals that supported the production increase of Virginia-Class submarines from one sub to two subs per year. Since the inception of nuclear powered ships, our commitment to providing advanced, reliable technologies and our strategic investment in innovative technologies has ensured our continued participation in this defense program."

For over 50 years, Curtiss-Wright has supplied technologically advanced products and services to the U.S. Navy, particularly for nuclear propulsion systems. Curtiss-Wright's innovative, high-performance products can be found aboard nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers owned by the U.S. Navy, ensuring safe, reliable operations. In addition, the company's technology advances, including more power-dense motors and enhanced valve designs, enable more efficient operations, increasing safety and reducing manpower and overall cost.

BOEMRE Probe Finds No Evidence Of Safety Risk At BP’s Atlantis Platform

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–U.S. investigators said Friday that problems with engineering documents on a BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) production platform in the Gulf of Mexico didn’t pose a safety risk and said the company won’t face civil penalties.

The findings marked the end of an investigation that stemmed from an April 2009 suit, in which a BP contractor alleged the company couldn’t safely operate its Atlantis platform because it didn’t have thousands of necessary engineering documents.

Investigators said that while BP labeled the engineering documents in a “confusing” way and some documents were missing the required stamps and signatures, those conditions didn’t create “specific unsafe conditions” on the platform. They said personnel on the rig had access to relevant safety information.

“Although we found significant problems with the way BP labeled and maintained its engineering drawings and related documents, we found the most serious allegations to be without merit,” Michael Bromwich, head of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, said in a statement.

BP is still facing separate litigation on the issue. Food and Water Watch, an advocacy group, said Friday it will continue to pursue a lawsuit that asks a federal judge to shut down the Atlantis platform because of allegedly flawed documentation.

Zach Corrigan, a senior staff attorney for Food and Watch Watch, likened the incomplete documents to an “owner’s manual” that hadn’t been finalized before the platform started operating. He said an audit was necessary to prove the engineering drawings represented actual conditions on Atlantis, but federal investigators hadn’t conducted one.

“Their evaluation of the documents and the evaluation of the facility was woefully deficient,” Corrigan said. After an explosion and subsequent oil spill at a BP-leased drilling rig last year, U.S. regulators have reorganized, aiming to separate the responsibility of safety oversight from the business of collecting royalties from offshore oil production.

The reaction to Friday’s report illustrated the challenges facing Bromwich’s agency, which is enforcing safety rules and reviewing permits for new wells. While the agency is under intense pressure from the oil industry to issue more drilling permits, it is also taking heat from environmentalists who say it is not doing enough to ensure safety.

“Bromwich had promised reforms,” Corrigan said. “This report (Friday) was their first test and they failed.”

A BP spokesman said the company hadn’t yet reviewed the investigation report released Friday.

“Throughout this process, BP contributed its full cooperation with the agency investigation, maintaining our belief that Atlantis is, and at all times has been, safe and fit for service,” BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said in an email.

Aircraft Launch Bulletins Move into Digital Age with Cutting Edge Calculator

Flight crews responsible for launching aircraft from the decks of carriers are transitioning into the computer age, with the aid of an Office of Naval Research (ONR) TechSolutions effort to move paper tables onto handheld devices.

The Catapult Capacity Selector Valve (CSV) Calculator, which is being developed at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Lakehurst, NJ with New Jersey-based contractor Specialty Systems, could eventually eliminate the need for paper-bound launch bulletins. The device underwent final test and evaluation at the end of January aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Eleven members of the Truman's flight deck crew recently underwent three days oftraining with the Catapult CSV Calculator.

The capacity selector valve is used to set the energy level needed for a launch on an aircraft carrier. Calculations are based on aircraft type, weight and wind speed, among other variables.

Currently, all that information is contained in a loose-leaf notebook. Crews must manually look up the data to determine the energy level for each launch. Launch bulletin updates are e-mailed to the ship from NAVAIR. The Sailors have to print them out and enter the data into the notebooks by hand.

Based on a request from the Fleet and with guidance from Captain Drew Swenson, Military Director for Support Equipment and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment at NAVAIR Lakehurst, Specialty Systems engineers Tom Breslin and Bob Swigon were tasked with developing a computerized device to improve on this system.

In six short months and at an extremely reasonable development cost of $135,000, the prototype CSV Calculator was designed. Now, "instead of relying on the book, the launch bulletins are stored in the calculator, and they are updated automatically," said Stephanie Everett, ONR's TechSolutions Program Manager.

According to designer Bob Swigon, “the ruggedized Catapult CSV Calculator is expected to increase efficiency and safety of the launch process, while also reducing wear on catapult machinery. The calculator also performs automatic error checking.”

"There will be a final project assessment before it goes to the fleet," Everett said. The purpose of the final assessment is to verify that the device is usable under operational conditions, and to verify that it produces the same results as the paper tables.

The goal is to eventually outfit all Nimitz-class carrier flight deck crews with the calculator. During testing, the device will be used in parallel with paper notebooks to verify the electronic calculations, said Master Chief Charles Ziervogel, ONR's command master chief, who oversees TechSolutions. "The calculator is not yet certified for use by itself."

US ship to ‘bolster’ Europe’s missile defenses

The US military will send a warship to the Mediterranean next week as a first step in a defense shield to protect Europe from a potential strike from Iran's missile arsenal, a defense official said.

The USS Monterey, a guided missile cruiser equipped with Aegis radar designed to detect ballistic missiles, is due to depart next week from its home port in Norfolk, Virginia for a six-month mission, said John Plumb, principal director of nuclear and missile defense policy.

The ship's launch fulfills the US administration's goal of deploying military hardware for the shield in 2011.

After President Barack Obama announced a new missile defense policy in 2009, Plumb said "now here is our first concrete demonstration of our commitment to the missile defense of our deployed forces, allies and partners in Europe.

"We said we were going to do it, and now we're doing it."

The Ticonderoga-class ship, which will conduct exercises with US forces in the region, will form part of a planned "routine presence" by similar vessels supporting the system, he said.

Guided missile cruisers have been sent to the Mediterranean previously but this was the first time such a ship had been deployed to back up the missile defense system, he said.

The NATO alliance endorsed the shield at a summit in Lisbon last year but skeptics of the program have questioned the reliability of the anti-missile weaponry and whether more sophisticated interceptors will be ready on time.

Russia also has voiced opposition to the planned system, which will eventually include additional land-based radars and interceptors along with Aegis ships.

The United States plans to deploy land-based radars later this year in southern Europe but negotiations are still underway, said Plumb, without saying which countries might host the sites.

As part of the "phased" approach, land-based SM-3 interceptors are due to be deployed in Romania by 2015 and in Poland by 2018, with more advanced versions of the weaponry to be introduced at each stage.

The military is still developing a land-based model for the SM-3 interceptor, which is currently deployed on naval ships.

The Obama administration says the missile defense system is primarily aimed at the potential threat posed by Iran's nuclear program and its growing number of medium-range missiles.