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



Feature – HMS Warspite (R03)
MSW Crewmember Katseas Kostas (angeleyes) brings us another beautiful build with the HMS Warsptire R03.
Feature




SS John W. Brown (Liberty Ship)

Today’s website is the SS John W. Brown (Liberty Ship). A non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Liberty Ship S.S. JOHN W BROWN as a living Memorial to the men and women who built the great Liberty Fleet and to the merchant seamen and Naval Armed Guard who sailed the ships across all oceans of the world. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1846 - Sailors and Marines from USS Congress capture Santa Barbara.
1858 - First trans-Atlantic cable completed by USS Niagara and British ship Agamemnon.
1944 - 5th Fleet carrier task forces begin air attack against Iwo Jima and the Bonin Islands.
1947 - Birthdate of the Medical Service Corps.
1964 - USS Turner Joy (DD 951) and USS Maddox (DD 731) report being attacked by North Vietnamese PT boats in Gulf of Tonkin.


SELEX Galileo Wins 15 Million Euro Contracts for the Italian – French FREMM Programme
Source: SELEX Galileo

SELEX Galileo was awarded orders worth 15 million Euro for its sensors solutions for the FREMM frigates of the Italian Navy, the Marina Militare.



The total participation of SELEX Galileo, Finmeccanica group, in the programme is now valued at more than 42 million Euro, with the initial contracts dating back to 2007.

The latest contracts cover the supply of subsystems for SELEX Sistemi Integrati’s RASS surface radar. SELEX Galileo has a long tradition in the development and production of X band radar successfully operated by Italian and International navies.

Within the FREMM programme, SELEX Galileo is responsible for the Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) Navigation radar, a mission critical feature of the modern multi-mission frigates providing them with operational stealthyness. The LPI SPN-730 Radar was selected by the Marina Militare for its innovative ability to operate in silent and navigation modes simultaneously and without any impact on its performance.

SELEX Galileo participation in the FREMM programme also includes the SASS (Silent Acquisition Surveillance System) for surveillance and Infrared tracking entirely developed by SELEX Galileo. In collaboration with other Finmeccanica companies, SELEX Galileo is responsible for: the Phased Array Antenna with electronic scanning and stabilisation for the new generation of IFF produced by SELEX Sistemi Integrati; the DAVIDE illuminator in Ka band, used in the OTO MELARA STRALES system; and the ST-2A seeker used in the anti-ship defence missile TESEO which was developed by MBDA.


Second Type 45 Destroyer Dauntless Completes Sea Trials Ahead of Schedule
Source: BVT Surface Fleet

GLASGOW, United Kingdom --- Dauntless, the second of the Type 45 destroyers being built by BVT Surface Fleet for the Royal Navy, has today returned from sea trials, having successfully completed extensive platform and combat system trials ahead of schedule.



Over the last 23 days, Dauntless has travelled 4500 nautical miles in the Clyde and North Channel and operated with other military and civilian surface units.

The combined BVT and Royal Navy crew have successfully demonstrated the ship's capability across the three key areas of Power, Propulsion and Combat. During her time at sea, Dauntless also undertook communication trials, integration trials and a number of customer acceptance activities.

Commenting on the ship's return, BVT's UK programme director, Angus Holt said; "I am delighted with the results that have been achieved by the BVT staff, Royal Navy personnel and our partners who have crewed the ship for the last 3 weeks."

"The team work has ensured that she has not only returned to Scotstoun ahead of schedule with all trials achieved but also that we remain on course to hand her over to the Royal Navy in December."

The Type 45 Anti-Air Warfare Destroyers are the most advanced ships of their type in the world to date and will provide the backbone of the Royal Navy's air defences for much of the first half of the 21st century. As well as providing a specialist air warfare capability, they will also afford the fleet a general-purpose multi-role platform capable of performing tasks from peace support and defence diplomacy through to high-intensity warfare.




Dynamic Tests Validate Design and Structural Integrity of X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System for Carrier Operations
Source: Northrop Grumman

SAN DIEGO --- Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed a series of static and dynamic proof load tests to validate the design and structural integrity of the U.S. Navy's first X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for aircraft carrier launches, recoveries and at-sea operations under the UCAS Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program.



"Arrested landings, catapult launches, high winds, pitching deck, subsonic speeds, you name it - the operating environment of the carrier air wing is unforgiving," said Scott Winship, vice president and program manager of the Navy UCAS program for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector. "The X-47B was built for these conditions, and as the results of the rigorous proof test show, the design of the aircraft is structurally sound for all aspects of carrier operations."

Conducted over a two-month period with NAVAIR involvement and oversight, the first X-47B underwent a series of progressive structural, functional proof and calibration tests to verify the integrity of all flight control surfaces, major structural load paths, main landing gear structure and tailhook assembly.

According to Northrop Grumman's air vehicle integrated product team lead, Tom Soard, "Past experience in the Navy shows these tests are the only way to verify the design and the tools used to estimate the load paths. This test proved that our latest finite element models are indeed very accurate. The results match our predictions very well."

To conduct the tests, over 200 electro-hydraulic assemblies were attached to the major components of the X-47B. Pressure was applied to simulate aircraft flight conditions. Each test condition was reviewed and the results approved by the X-47B airframe team before the next series of tests were initiated. Reported results confirm that the X-47B meets the design requirements outlined by the U.S. Navy for a jet-powered, fighter-sized aircraft to demonstrate autonomous launches and recoveries from a carrier.

The X-47B aircraft, now designated with Navy Bureau Number 168063, will undergo engine integration and taxi tests through the fall in preparation for first flight and carrier trials. The second aircraft is currently being assembled and will begin proof load tests later this year.

On schedule and cost, the Northrop Grumman UCAS-D program is committed to maturing critical technologies, reducing unmanned air system carrier integration risks and providing necessary information to the U.S. Navy for a potential follow-on acquisition in support of the Naval Aviation Master Plan. The period of performance for the UCAS-D contract is through 2013.


Photo of the Day



USS Maddox (DD 731) at sea.

Gator