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



TiVo Alert – Military Channel “At Sea”
The Military Channel begins a three part series on today’s US Navy. The series kicks off Sunday, Aug. 9 with Naval Aviation then follows with Surface Warfare on Aug. 10 and Submarine Warfare on Aug. 11. All three programs begin a 10:00 pm EST/9:00 pm CST.
At Sea




USS Slater

Today’s website is the USS Slater DE766. Moored on the Hudson River in Albany, New York, the USS Slater has undergone an extensive ten-year restoration that has returned the ship to her former glory. The Slater is the only Destroyer Escort still afloat in the US. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1804 - American Squadron, including USS Constitution, attacks Tripoli.
1812 - Frigate Essex capture British brig Brothers.
1861 - Construction of USS Monitor authorized.
1861 - First manned ascent in a balloon from a ship, gunboat USS Fanny, to observe Confederate artillery position at Hampton Roads, Va.
1942 - Mildred McAffee (Horton) becomes the first woman officer commissioned into the Naval Reserve.
1950 - First Marine Corps aviation mission against North Korea by VMF-214, from USS Sicily (CVE 118).
1950 - First helicopter evacuation in Korea by VMO-6.
1958 - USS Nautilus (SSN 571) is first ship to reach the geographic North Pole while submerged.
1970 - USS James Madison (SSBN 627) conducts first submerged launching of Poseidon nuclear missile off Cape Kennedy.


India Launches Nuclear Powered Submarine for Trials
Source: Voice of America

India has launched its first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine capable of firing ballistic missiles. The submarine, once in service, will give the country the capability to fire nuclear weapons from sea besides land and air.

The Indian navy flooded a dry dock in the southern port city of Visakhapatnam to send out the nuclear-powered submarine named Arihant, for extensive sea trials in the Bay of Bengal.

Indian PM Manmohan Singh speaks during the launch ceremony of India's first nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant at Vishakhapatnam in India, 26 Jul 2009
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who launched the submarine, called it a "historic milestone in the country's defense preparedness.

It has taken India nearly two decades to develop the Arihant, which means "Destroyer of Enemies." It has been built with technical assistance from Russia.

Defense officials say Arihant is powered by a nuclear reactor, and will be armed with ballistic missiles. It will carry a crew of about 100 men.

New Delhi-based National Maritime Foundation director Uday Bhaskar says the launch is an important technological step putting India in a small group of nations capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines.

But he stresses that it could be several years before the submarine is inducted into the Indian navy.

"My sense is that it would take India anything between three and five years if everything moves as per plan and design to have a submarine that would be deemed operationally credible with nuclear propulsion," said Bhaskar. "What is significant about the launch is that India now has publicly acknowledged its quest to acquire a nuclear submarine and has shown it has the ability to design and build such a platform."

India already has fighter aircraft and missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. If all goes well with the trials, the Arihant will give India an underwater ballistic missile capability after the tests are conducted.

After launching the submarine, Prime Minister Singh said "we do not have any aggressive designs nor do we seek to threaten anyone." But he said that the sea is increasingly becoming relevant in the context of India's security interests, making it necessary to "re-adjust our military preparedness to this changing environment.'

The Arihant puts India in a small group of five nations which have built nuclear submarines. These are the United States, China, Britain, France and Russia.

India plans to build a fleet of five nuclear-powered submarines. Defense experts have estimated that India has between 50 and 100 nuclear warheads.


Rockwell Collins Selected to Provide Ad-hoc Networking for Canadian Navy
Source: Rockwell Collins

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The Canadian Department of National Defence has selected Rockwell Collins to provide Sub-Net Relay Controllers (SNC-2050), High Speed Modems (HSM-2050) and Very High Speed Modems (VHSM-3000) for the Sub-Net Relay (SNR) program. The contract is valued at $7 million.

The SNR technology makes it possible to establish ad-hoc, Internet-Protocol (IP) networks used for tactical data exchanges, enhanced situational awareness and collaborative planning by the Canadian Navy and coalition navies. Features of the SNR program include built-in text chat, comprehensive signal display and a remote control graphic user interface.

"The Canadian Navy joins a growing list of international military users of Rockwell Collins' modems for SNR that now includes the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy," said Bruce King, vice president and general manager of Surface Solutions for Rockwell Collins. "Our modems will help provide modernized, secure networked communication systems for the military that mirror the type of IP-based technology we've become accustomed to in our daily lives."

SNR was developed to permit the deployment of ad-hoc, self-configuring tactical IP networks with inherent relay capabilities for communication between users. Line-of-sight radio assets, primarily in the VHF and UHF bands, are used to give tactical commanders a data networking system under their local control.

The contract calls for the initial delivery of 83 SNR systems, along with training and support. Future contract provisions include the completion of technical studies along with a potential order of up to additional 53 SNR nodes. Work will be performed at the Rockwell Collins facility in Ottawa, Canada.




Lockheed Martin Unveils First Stealth Fighter for U.S. Navy
Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

FORT WORTH, Texas --- A ceremony today at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant marked the rollout of the U.S. Navy's first-ever stealth fighter, the F-35C Lightning II. The aircraft will enable the Navy to possess 5th generation fighter capabilities at sea, extending America's reach and reducing the timeline from threat to response.

Top Navy leadership, signal flags and a crowd of employees, including reserve and retired Navy personnel, were on hand to celebrate the strike fighter's unveiling. Adm. Gary Roughead, the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations, welcomed the new aircraft to the fleet.

"The JSF will show the world that our Sailors will never be in a fair fight because this airplane will top anything that comes its way," Roughead said of the F-35. "It will give our Sailors and pilots the tactical and technical advantage in the skies, and it will relieve our aircraft as they age out."

Tom Burbage, a former Navy test pilot and the vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration for Lockheed Martin, thanked Navy leadership for being fully engaged in the F-35's development and "actively working to define joint and coalition tactics that will exploit this platform in ways we've never envisioned. We at Lockheed Martin are both proud and humbled by the trust the U.S. Navy has placed with us to lead the development and introduction of the Navy's newest stealthy, supersonic strike fighter."

The first F-35C, known as CF-1, will undergo a wide-ranging series of ground tests before its first flight, scheduled for late 2009. CF-1 is the ninth F-35 test aircraft to be rolled out, and joins a fleet of F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing) and F-35B (short takeoff/vertical landing) variants that have logged more than 100 flights.

The F-35C is on schedule to meet the Navy's Initial Operational Capability in 2015, and represents a leap in technology and capability over existing fighters, combining stealth with supersonic speed and high agility. The Lightning II employs the most powerful and comprehensive sensor package ever incorporated into a fighter.

The F-35C possesses uncompromised carrier suitability and low-maintenance stealth materials designed for long-term durability in the carrier environment. The Lightning II's operational and support costs are forecast to be lower than those of the fighters it will replace.

The F-35 and F-22 are the world's only 5th generation fighters, uniquely characterized by a combination of advanced stealth with supersonic speed and high agility, sensor fusion, network-enabled capabilities and advanced sustainment. The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation strike fighter. Three F-35 variants derived from a common design, developed together and using the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide, will replace at least 13 types of aircraft for 11 nations initially, making the Lightning II the most cost-effective fighter program in history.

Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.


Photo of the Day



USS Nautilus (SSN 571) is first ship to reach the geographic North Pole while submerged.

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