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Navy Word of the Day ~ 09/02/09
Continuing on with your Naval education we bring you another installment of MSW’s Navy Word of the Day.
Word of the Day




HMS Iron Duke in Further Counter-Narcotics Success
Source: Royal Navy

Royal Navy Frigate HMS Iron Duke, which last month seized approximately three-quarters of a tonne of cocaine, has had further success, intercepting a cocaine shipment with an estimated UK wholesale value of £6 million, during a night operation in the Eastern Caribbean.

The Ship, patrolling in the Caribbean as part of a multi-national Task Force, was directed to a suspicious vessel by a patrol aircraft operated by the Caribbean Regional Security System. Identifying the boat as a “Go-Fast” often used to traffic drugs, HMS Iron Duke closed the contact at night and launched her Lynx helicopter and sea boat. With an embarked US Coast Guard team they closed the suspect vessel as its occupants threw the boat’s contents overboard. The quantity of drugs intercepted is estimated at 150 kgs of cocaine, and whilst it was not recovered as evidence on this occasion it highlights the Royal Navy’s role in the disruption of the drugs trade into the Caribbean islands as a staging post for Europe and the UK.

HMS Iron Duke’s primary task whilst on patrol in the Caribbean is to reassure and assist the UK Overseas Territories during the hurricane season. In addition, the Type 23 frigate conducts counter drugs operations as part of a multi-national task force. This particular operation was a coordinated effort with the UK’s Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

Iron Duke’s Commanding Officer, Commander Andrew Stacey said: “Coming so soon after our drugs seizure last month, this further success in disrupting the flow of drugs out of South America is clear proof that the Royal Navy is making a significant contribution to the international counter-narcotics mission in the region. All my sailors are determined to keep up the pressure on the traffickers and are hungry for further action.”


Experts doubt Russian military has moved Bulava production
Source: en.rian.ru

Russia cannot assign production of Bulava ballistic missiles to another manufacturer because there is only one plant in the country that makes solid-fuel ballistic missiles, Russian experts have said.

Chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said on Wednesday that production of the troubled Bulava missile had been moved to an alternative factory due to problems in the production cycle. He did not specify its name.

According to the Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper, Makarov's announcement took the Russian military and defense industry experts by surprise because only one plant in Russia - the Votkinsky Zavod in the Urals - makes solid-fuel ballistic missiles for Russia's Armed Forces, including the Topol-M, the Iskander-M, and the Bulava-30.

"Apparently, the media misinterpreted what Gen. Makarov said because there is nowhere to transfer Bulava production to from the Votkinsky plant," former chief of staff of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin, said in an interview with the NG.

"On the other hand, it is possible to change manufacturers of faulty components supplied to the plant. Here we have some options, but the choice is still limited," Yesin added.

The Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), which is being developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT), has suffered six failures in 11 tests. The general director of the institute has resigned over the failures, seen as a setback in the development of Russia's nuclear deterrent.

A final report on the causes of the previous faulty test launches is expected to be ready soon, but no date has been set for the next Bulava trial.

Makarov expressed hope on Wednesday that Russian industry "will tackle the problems and cope with the [production] task."

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) SLBM carries up to 10 MIRV warheads and has an estimated range of over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles). The three-stage solid-propellant ballistic missile is designed for deployment on new Borey class nuclear-powered strategic submarines.

Russia's top brass expects the Bulava, along with Topol-M land-based ballistic missiles, to become the core of Russia's nuclear triad.




Indian navy grounds Sea Harrier fighter fleet
Source: en.rian.ru

The Indian Navy has suspended flights of its fleet of carrier-based Sea Harrier fighter jets following a fatal crash of one of the aircraft off Goa last week, local media reported.

"The Sea Harriers have been grounded following the crash that left a fighter pilot dead," the Times of India newspaper quoted Navy officials as saying.

The 10 Sea Harrier jump jets will remain on an airfield in the Goa province until the probe into the crash is completed, the officials said.

The decision to ground the Sea Harriers leaves India's only aircraft carrier, the Viraat, practically without air power.

The 50-year-old Viraat recently left dry dock at the Cochin Shipyard following an 18-month comprehensive refit, and is expected to become fully operational in two months.

The Indian Navy has been forced to extend the service life of the ageing Viraat for another five years due to prolonged delays in the construction of its first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) and Russia's failure to deliver the refitted Admiral Gorshkov on schedule in 2008.

According to the paper, the 40,000-ton IAC, which is being built at the Cochin Shipyard, "will be ready only by 2015 at the earliest," while the 44,570-ton Admiral Gorshkov, which is undergoing an overhaul at the Sevmash Shipyard in North Russia, may be delivered to India by 2013.

However, New Delhi and Moscow are still in a deadlock over the final price of the original $1.5 billion 2004 contract, which includes delivery of 16 MiG-29K Fulcrum carrier-based fighters. Russia has claimed it underestimated the scale and the cost of the Admiral Gorshkov's modernization, and has asked for an additional $1.2 billion, which New Delhi said was "exorbitant."




Grey Funnel Line

Today’s website is the Grey Funnel Line. If you like post war Royal Navy subjects, this website is for you. Enjoy.
Website


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1918 - Navy ships and crews assist earthquake victims of Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan.
1940 - Destroyer for Bases Deal agreement struck between the United States and United Kingdom.
1944 - USS Finback (SS 217) rescues Lt. j.g. George Bush, who was shot down while attacking Chichi Jima.
1945 - Japan signs surrender documents aboard USS Missouri (BB 63) at anchor in Tokyo Bay. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz signs for the United States. In different ceremonies, Japanese forces on Palau Islands, Truk, and on Pagan Island and Rota in the Marianas surrender.


Photo of the Day



A MK-105 magnetic influence mine sweeping system is launched from the stern gate of the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5).

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