Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Russian subs patrolling off East Coast
Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Two nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines have been patrolling in international waters off the East Coast for several days, in activity reminiscent of the Cold War, defense officials said Tuesday.
U.S. Northern Command would not comment on the Russian submarines' movement. But in a prepared statement, Northern Command spokesman Michael Kucharek acknowledged the patrols and said the U.S. has been monitoring the two submarines.
Two senior U.S. officials, however, said the submarines had been patrolling several hundred miles off the coast and so far had done nothing to provoke U.S. military concerns. The officials provided details on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence reports.
While the incident raises eyebrows, it did not trigger the more intense reaction by the U.S. military that Russia prompted when two of its bombers buzzed an American aircraft carrier in the western Pacific in February 2008. U.S. fighter planes intercepted the two Russian fighters, including one that flew directly over the USS Nimitz twice at an altitude of about 2,000 feet.
The event did not escalate beyond that, but it signaled a more aggressive military agenda by Moscow.
The latest incident, which was first reported by The New York Times, comes amid increased Russian military activity in the region, and as the Obama administration works to thaw tense relations with Moscow over plans for a missile defense system in Central Europe.
Just last week a senior Pentagon official said the administration is looking at options for the plan, which would install 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. Assistant Secretary of Defense Alexander Vershbow told Congress members that the Obama administration is looking at various configurations as part of its review of missile defense plans.
Russia, meanwhile, conducted naval exercises with Venezuela last year in the Caribbean and sent one of its warships through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II. The exercises with Venezuela were the first deployment of Russian ships to the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War.
Officials said they became aware of the most recent submarine activity off the East Coast early on through intelligence sources and were not notified by Moscow in advance of the patrols. They said the submarines have not crossed into U.S. waters, which extend 12 miles out into the ocean.
The statement issued by Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command said, "We have been monitoring them during transit and recognize the right of all nations to exercise freedom of navigation in international waters according to international law."
Northrop Grumman Awarded Navy Contract to Study Air and Missile Defense Radar Concepts
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.
LINTHICUM, Md. --- Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $10 million firm-fixed price U.S. Navy contract to analyze and provide system concept studies for the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR), a next generation radar system planned for the U.S. Navy's CG(X) and Future Surface Combatant platforms.
"Northrop Grumman's unique approach on AMDR results from applying our proven active electronic scanned array technology developed for airborne and surface based platforms, as well as recent advancements demonstrated on a large S-Band aperture and the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar program," says Steve McCoy, vice president of the Advanced Concepts business unit for the company's Electronic Systems sector.
"As a premier supplier of active radars for the U.S. Department of Defense, our modular, open architecture approach to the AMDR provides the ability to scale to multiple ship classes and protect our fleet for the next forty years."
Designed as a scalable, multi-mission radar system, AMDR is comprised of an X-band, S-band and Radar Suite Controller (RSC). The AMDR is intended to provide unprecedented situational awareness to easily track and detect ballistic missiles in high clutter environments.
Northrop Grumman is a leading integrator of shipboard electronics. The corporation has delivered more than 500 S-Band radar systems and is currently the supplier on a large S-Band aperture for the Navy.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace, and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Super Hornet Cleared to Fly at Higher Altitudes, Reducing Fuel Costs
Source: US Naval Air Systems Command
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - The Navy has certified the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to fly higher, between 29,000 and 41,000 feet.
These altitudes were usually reserved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for commercial airliners in airspace called Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) airspace. This certification culminates a three-year process involving numerous agencies; military, federal and private industry.
The certification process reached its conclusion during a certification ceremony held Nov. 4 when Capt. Ralph Portnoy, Air Combat Electronics program manager here, signed the document certifying that all Super Hornets produced from Lot 22 and beyond, approximately 340 aircraft, are RVSM qualified. The authorization to file and fly RVSM was delayed until July 9 to ensure training and Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) manuals were appropriately updated.
“It’s great seeing all of the hard work done by the 209/265 Government/Industry Team get implemented. This effort will directly support our warfighters by addressing a clear operational need. RVSM certification saves precious fuel and reduces Fleet operating costs which is exactly the direction we all need to be heading,” said Capt. Ralph Portnoy, Air Combat Electronics program manager, PMA-209.
The Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) estimates that this certification to fly at these altitudes could save the Navy approximately $250,000 per year per squadron in fuel costs.
RVSM qualification efforts for the entire F/A-18 community continue. The team, lead by Mr. Dave Staso, PMA-209 Communication, Navigation Systems/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Integrated Program Team Lead and by PMA-209's Navigation and Sensor Deputy Program Manager, Mr. Walt Gillette, is currently working the certification for the EA-18G Growler and the F/A-18C/D Hornet. Plans are also in place to certify the F/A-18A+.
The RVSM technical requirements are defined in a Functional Requirements Document (FRD) authored and published by the CNS/ATM Integrated Program Team in Air Combat Electronics.
The first step in the certification process involved a Boeing Company evaluation of the Super Hornet to satisfy the rigors required by the FRD. Their analysis was published in late 2006 acknowledging the precision of the altimetry system. The successful completion of the analysis led to step two in the process, the development of Air Frame Bulletin (AFB) 637.
AFB 637 was used to validate and verify the configuration of the Super Hornets that were required to complete step three of the process, FAA-monitored flights that verified the accuracy of the altimetry system.
CNAF designated the aircraft to be inspected and monitored and operational squadrons flew the missions. Unfortunately, operational commitments precluded an adequate number of monitoring flights. At this point, the Hornet/Super Hornet program office (PMA-265) and Air Combat Electronics (PMA-209) visited the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), St. Louis, Mo., to request their help in order to complete the necessary monitoring flights.
Of the 29 required flights, DCMA flew the final three during Super Hornet delivery flights. The FAA evaluated every monitoring flight, thereby confirming the Boeing analysis and verifying the accurate altimetry system of the Super Hornet.
In 2005, the FAA reduced the separation between aircraft flying in opposing directions from 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet at altitudes between 29,000 and 41,000 feet. Based on FAA regulation, aircraft flying in this reduced separation airspace require dual altimetry systems, a rule that nearly eliminated all military fighter aircraft.
The Department of Defense, realizing a drastic increase in fuel consumption for the fighter community, negotiated certification authority for aircraft with single altimetry systems provided that stringent technical requirements are satisfied. Based on FAA permission, the Navy began the certification process to prove the Super Hornet did indeed meet the technical requirements.
RVSM certification is just one of many civil requirements affecting naval aircraft that need the capability to fly in civil airspace throughout the world.
DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum
Today’s website is the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum. The DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum opened in 1995 on Fenwick Island in Delaware, and thousands of visitors have passed through her doors. Now that the collection has a permanent home at the Museum and through traveling displays to other museums, the artifacts can now again finally tell their stories. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1832 - Frigate Potomac is first U.S. Navy ship to entertain royalty, King and Queen of Sandwich Islands, Honolulu.
1864 - Rear Admiral David Farragut wins Battle of Mobile Bay, sealing off last Confederate port on Gulf Coast.
1882 - Authorizing of first steel warships, beginning of the modern Navy.
1915 - First air spotting for shore batteries at Fort Monroe, Va.
1921 - Yangtze River Patrol Force established as command under Asiatic Fleet.
1953 - Exchange of prisoners of war of Korean Conflict (Operation Big Switch) begins.
1967 - Operation Coronado III begins in Rung Sat Zone, Vietnam.
1990 - Navy and Marine Task Force -- USS Saipan (LHA 2), USS Ponce (LPD 15) and USS Sumter (APA 52) -- begin evacuation of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals from Liberia during civil war.
Photo of the Day
Rear Admiral David Farragut, victor of the Battle of Mobile Bay in the US Civil War.
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