Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.



Feature - MSW Artist Profile ~ Filipe Ramires

Join managing editor Mark Smith in a one-on-one with modeler Filipe Ramires ( _Admiral_Fil) in this next segment of "MSW's Artist Profile" Series!
Feature


On Display - Bismarck, ala' Trumpeter

MSW Crew-mate Kostas Katseas (angeleyes) shares a batch of very realistic, artistic images of his 1/700 scale Bismarck, in this "On Display" Feature!
On Display




WWII Database

Today’s website is WWII Database. This is a very interesting site chronicling the last global war. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1821 - The schooner, Lynx, sails from St. Mary's, Ga. for the West Indes and disappears en route.
1954 - Launching of USS Nautilus (SSN 571), first nuclear submarine, at Groton, Conn.
1961 - USS George Washington completes first operational voyage of fleet ballistic missile submarine staying submerged 66 days.


Newest Guided Missile Destroyer Successfully Completes Combat Trials
Source: US Navy

SAN DIEGO --- USS Sterett (DDG 104), the Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer, returned from sea Dec. 16 after successfully completing a Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trial (CSSQT) with the newly implemented Aegis baseline 7.1R combat suite.



CSSQT is designed to test the operability of combat systems across all warfare areas while providing an opportunity for Sterett's crew to test the functionality of systems in live-fire tactical scenarios.

Sterett's newly upgraded SQQ-89A(V) 15 sonar system was the first tested with the prosecution of live expendable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training targets. Further tests incorporated a light-airborne multipurpose system equipped SH-60 helicopter, which dropped sonobuoys and coordinated live torpedo firings.

Additional demonstrations included six test firings of the ship's torpedoes while executing high-speed evasive maneuvers and testing of the Gun Weapon System (GWS).

During GWS tests, the 5-inch gun repeatedly hit a live, aircraft-towed drone, in addition to proving extremely effective as a "layered defense" against highly maneuverable surface threats. The MK38 25MM remotely controlled, gyro-stabilized gun systems, which were used in "layered defense" exercises, were also tested with a beach bombardment integrating Marine Corps spotters that proved highly effective.

"I am extremely satisfied with the gun's performance," said Sterett's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Brian Eckerle. "It has really performed exceptionally under the taxing demand of firing 582 rounds."

In addition to direct engagement systems, Sterett's Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities were tried, as were chaff countermeasures and the SPY-1D(V) air search radar. However, the centerpiece of the CSSQT was the live firing of 7 SM-2 missiles against air and ground launched drone targets.

Test objectives for the events, in addition to certifying Baseline 7.1R for tactical use in the fleet, included operability tests of the SM-2 Block IIIB Missile, which contains an infrared (IR) seeker head assembly in the guidance section. The missile has the ability for dual mode terminal homing and can start homing on RF energy, switching to IR homing if necessary for a successful intercept.

In a true testament to the warfighting ability of Aegis Baseline 7.1R, Sterett simultaneously directed four SM-2 engagements to prosecution, and the test was an enormous success. CSSQT was highly anticipated as a critical milestone toward the development and testing of future weapons capability for the next generation of surface combatants.

"Overall, CSSQT was a resounding success," said CSSQT Project Officer Joe Lara. "This is one of the most talented crews I've had the pleasure of working with."

Sterett is homeported San Diego where she arrived in September of 2008. She is the first to operate with Aegis baseline 7.1R: the latest and most capable Aegis operating system. The advanced system orchestrates functionality across the entire combat system suite to include the dual-beam capable SPY-1D(V) radar, an upgraded MK41 Vertical Launch System, integrated Naval Surface Fire Support capability, an upgraded sonar suite and the MK99 Fire Control System.


Six More Submarines of Class 214 for Korea
Source: ThyssenKrupp Technologies

South Korea will manufacture six additional Type 214 submarines under license from Germany. The second Korean Type 214 boat is seen here at delivery last month. (ThyssenKrupp MS photo)
HAMBURG/KIEL, Germany --- A contract for the delivery of six material packages to build Class 214 submarines for Korea was signed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW), a company of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG, and MarineForce International LLP (MFI). The contract was made between the HDW/MFI consortium and the South Korean procurement authority DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration).



This will provide Korea with a 2nd batch of boats in this successful class of submarines.

After studying the tenders produced by national Korean shipyards, DAPA selected Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering to build the first boat of the 2nd batch. Submission of tenders for the second boat is due to take place in summer 2009.

All six boats will be equipped with an air independent propulsion system on the basis of fuel cells. The 2nd batch of Class 214 for the Korean Navy is a further development of the already proven overall design for the first three boats. The new submarines will be almost identical to the 1st batch boats, which were ordered in 2000 and all three of which were built/are being built by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The first two boats of this class were delivered to the Korean Navy in December 2007 and 2008.

The contract further underlines the position of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as worldwide market leader in the field of non-nuclear submarines. It safeguards not only industrial core capabilities and jobs at the two locations of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Kiel and Emden but also several hundred jobs with subcontractors all over Germany for the coming years.

Main Characteristics of Class 214 submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy:
-- Length: approx. 66 m
-- Height: approx. 13 m
-- Displacement: approx. 1,800 t
-- Crew: 27




Boeing-Insitu ScanEagle Completes 1,500th Shipboard Sortie With US Navy
Source: Boeing Co.

ST. LOUIS --- The ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS), a joint effort of The Boeing Company and Insitu Inc., this week completed its 1,500th shipboard sortie in service with the U.S. Navy. ScanEagle has provided persistent, cost-effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to the Navy since July 2005.



The Navy has used ScanEagle aboard a variety of ships -- ranging from the destroyer USS Mahan to the amphibious vessel USS Whidbey Island -- as well as on support ships and small combatant craft. In addition, ScanEagle serves with other U.S. forces and with international customers in various theaters around the world.

"We've learned lessons from our extensive ScanEagle operations that have helped us refine the system into a mature ISR asset that is safe, dependable and easy to operate for our sailors,"said Don Iverson, ScanEagle U.S. Navy program manager for Boeing. "These 1,500 safe shipboard recoveries, along with numerous operational reports from our customers, show that ScanEagle has established itself as a critical capability for naval operations around the world."

The long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle UAS carries inertially stabilized electro-optical and infrared cameras that allow the operator to track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the platform provides persistent low-altitude ISR.

ScanEagle is launched autonomously from a pneumatic SuperWedge catapult launcher and flies either preprogrammed or operator-initiated missions. The Insitu-patented SkyHook system is used to retrieve the UAS, capturing it by way of a rope suspended from a 50-foot-high tower. The system makes ScanEagle runway-independent and minimizes its impact on shipboard operations, similar to a vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle.


Photo of the Day



The Navy, in conjunction with the Spatial Integrated Systems Incorporated, holds a demonstration of a fully autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV) at Fort Monroe.

Gator