Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
American Fleet Tug Museum
Today’s website is the American Fleet Tug Museum. The AMERICAN FLEET TUG MUSEUM in San Rafael, CA, was founded to provide an educational forum as well as to increase public awareness regarding the historic significance of our nation's fleet of ocean going rescue/salvage vessels and all those who proudly served aboard them. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1911 - The first Naval Appropriations Act that included funds for naval aviation is approved by Congress.
1925 - Congress authorizes restoration of USS Constitution.
1947 - Operation Highjump, air operations in Antarctica, ends.
1963 - A Navy Hercules aircraft completes a 12-day rescue operation of a critically-ill Danish seaman from a Danish freighter off the coast of Antarctica.
Threats at Sea Under Surveillance
Source: Safran Group
The Australian Navy has once again selected Sagem to supply its systems for the detection of flying or floating objects for use on combat vessels. The Vampir NG infrared search and track system is designed to work in conjunction with the existing radar.
Australia has consolidated its position as the number one client for the Vampir NG (New Generation Naval Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system), having decided at the end of 2008 to equip its future helicopter carriers and AWD (air warfare destroyers). The Navy was won over by the excellent operational cost-to-performance ratio and by the maintenance solutions proposed for this new generation equipment. Following a previous contract concerning Anzac frigates, the Australian Navy will ultimately be in possession of 25 of these systems.
Developed by Sagem (SAFRAN Group), the Vampir NG is the third generation of this Search & Track system. "Currently, the Horizon frigates of the French and Italian Navies are equipped with an older version of Vampir. They are due for retrofitting in order to benefit from the performance of this new-generation version," explains Pierre-Olivier Nougues, Sagem sales manager.
This infrared system offers detection capability that complements the existing radar. Equipped with an infrared camera that scans the horizon through 360°, the Vampir NG, thanks to its IRST (InfraRed Search and Track) capability, identifies hotspots and then focuses on the object to enable its precise identification. The image processing provides real-time information about the position and speed of the target. This information is then sent to the vessel’s combat system.
Multiple detection capacity
"The detection capacity of the Vampir NG is particularly adapted to the problems faced today," explains Pierre-Olivier Nougues. "It is capable of alerting the ship’s crew both to the approach of asymmetric threats such as drones, jet skis and the fast, small craft favored by pirates, as well as to symmetrical threats. In particular, it can detect incoming sea-skimming missiles, which radar cannot do." It is also capable of distinguishing moving targets on the coastline, and assisting helicopters in deck-landings.
Furthermore, with its gyrostabilized infrared sensors, the Vampir NG can detect aerial threats at a distance of up to twenty kilometers, by day or night. These optronics technologies are not meant solely for the naval armed forces.
Sagem is currently developing Virma, a civil solution designed to protect merchant vessels against sea piracy.
Antony Lays Keel of First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
Source: Indian Press Information Bureau
Defence Minister Shri AK Antony laid the keel of the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) at a simple ceremony at the Cochin Shipyard in Kochi today. Scheduled to be completed by 2014, the feat will catapult India as only the fourth nation in the world into the exclusive club of nations which have the capability of designing and building 40,000 tonne aircraft carriers.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Antony said “we are living in a world of uncertainty, conflict, threats from maritime terrorism, piracy, narcotics, smuggling and low-intensity conflict, perpetrated by state in some cases and with non-state players in others, are on the rise.” He hoped that the country will operate two to three aircraft carriers simultaneously in not too distant future.
The design and construction of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier was sanctioned by the government in January 2003. This is the most prestigious project, which the Indian Navy has taken up in-house so far. The design and construction of this ship is a technical complexity whose dimensions far outstrip any such challenge faced hitherto by the Indian Naval Designers. Indigenous Aircraft Carrier designed by Navy’s Design Organisation and being built at M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited would be capable of operating an aircraft mix of Russian MiG-29K, Ka 31 and indigenous LCA.
The ship has a length of 260 m and maximum breadth of 60 m. The ship will be propelled by two shafts, each coupled to two LM2500 Gas Turbines developing a total power of 80 MW, sufficient to attain speeds in excess of 28 knots. The ship has an endurance of around 8,000 NM and complement of 1600. The ship will have two take off runways and a landing strip with 3 arrester wires. It can carry a maximum of 30 aircraft with adequate hangarage capacity. The carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability.
The production of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier commenced in November 2006 and large numbers of blocks have already been fabricated, which are under erection. Major equipment to be installed in lower decks of the ship have been ordered. The ship is being constructed using high strength steel developed in-house with the help of DRDO and SAIL. Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR SAM) system with Multi-Function Radar (MFR) and Close- In Weapon System (CIWS) is envisaged for the carrier.
The ship will be equipped with the most modern C/D band early Air Warning Radar, V/UHF Tactical Air Navigational and Direction Finding systems. The carrier would also be having jamming capabilities over the expected Electro Magnetic (EM) environment, along with Carrier Control Approach Radars to aid air operations. Integration of all weapon systems onboard the carrier would be through an indigenous Combat Management System (CMS).The ship’s integration with Navy’s Network Centric Operations would provide force multiplication.
Design of this prestigious ship has been undertaken by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) which has an experience of over 40 years in successfully designing 17 different classes of warships, to which around 90 ships have already been built within the country. It is also pertinent to mention that DND is the only government organisation in the world today undertaking indigenous design of warships.
Delhi class destroyers are the biggest warships built so far by indigenous design. These ships are operating successfully over last 10 years and have demonstrated their design superiority when INS Delhi withstood extremely adverse weather conditions and high sea states while encountering typhoons during the ship’s passage in the South China Sea in 1995.
M/s CSL was chosen for building Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, based on its modern infrastructural facilities. Though this is the maiden venture for CSL in warship construction, the shipyard has been involved in commercial shipbuilding for the past three decades.
In order to optimize on build period of IAC, CSL has been provided with over Rs 200 Crores to augment infrastructure in areas such as large cranes, workshops, heavy duty machinery etc.
The ship construction is planned in two phases. The First phase covers work up to first launch in end 2010. The second phase would cover all balance work till delivery of the ship to the Navy in end 2014. Assistance for propulsion system integration and aviation aspects have been taken from M/s Fincantieri of Italy and M/s NDB of Russia respectively.
Photo of the Day
HMS Edinburgh, sailing up the River Clyde, passes the Royal Navy’s two new Type 45 destroyers, HMS Daring and Dauntless.
Gator
