Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
First Gun Mission Module Installed Aboard LCS 2
Source: US Navy
WASHINGTON --- The Navy installed the second gun mission module (GMM) aboard USS Independence (LCS 2) July 28 in Norfolk, Va.
The GMM is an integral part of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Surface Warfare (SUW) Mission Package used for counter-piracy, maritime interdiction and security missions. GMM consists of two MK 46 turret mounted, axis-stabilized, 30mm chain gun systems that can fire up to 200 rounds per minute.
Following installation, integration and end-to-end testing was conducted. "The GMM breaks the paradigm of traditional fixed weapons that require permanent installation into the ship," said Capt. John Ailes, program manager for Program Executive Office Littoral and Mine Warfare's (PEO LMW) LCS Mission Modules program office (PMS 420). "Traditional weapon system installations require the ship to be alongside the pier for an extended upgrade/repair period to accomplish any significant weapon system upgrades/repairs.
Ailes also said the SUW GMM can be upgraded separately from the ship and the updated GMM can then be installed quickly, greatly improving operational tempo.
He added that reverse flexibility of the system is also true, with the GMM capable of being removed and embarked on another LCS platform, reducing the need to procure two GMMs for each platform. The GMM is procured to warfighting requirements and not quantities of ships.
The LCS SUW Mission Package team, lead by Cmdr. William Guarini, PMS 420, installed the GMM on LCS 2.
GMM was the first module of the SUW Mission Package rolled out in July 2008, and consists of an MK44, Mod 2, 30mm automatic chain gun secured in an MK 46 turret. The gun can be fired in single, 5-round bursts and unlimited length bursts. Each GMM has a magazine capacity of more than 800 rounds and fires U.S. Navy 30 X 173mm ammunition. The weapon system is designed to counter small boat threats.
The first Engineering Development Model (EMD) was subsequently installed on LCS 1 and used during Freedom's recent deployment to the U.S. Southern Command's Area of Operations where LCS 1 successfully conducted narcotics trafficking interdiction missions.
Freedom also conducted testing of the GMM recently during the annual Rim of the Pacific Exercise near the Hawaiian Islands.
The team also installed the first EDM of the launcher for the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM) in the forward centerline weapon zone. LCS 2 is built with a center-line weapon zone and port and starboard weapon zones. Current planning for SUW employment has the 30mm GMM carried in the port and starboard weapon zones and the SSMM carried in the centerline weapon zone.
Raytheon Receives $13 Million for Aegis Modernization
Source: Raytheon Company
TEWKSBURY, Mass. --- Raytheon Company was awarded a $13.7 million U.S. Navy contract to upgrade the Aegis weapons system for several Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.
Under the Aegis modernization baseline contract, Raytheon will implement various ordnance alterations to enhance the weapons system's tracking performance and missile communication capabilities. The upgrades will improve radio frequency signal generation, allow missile data downlink for ballistic missile defense operations, and enable operation with current missile configurations.
"These upgrades will strengthen the capabilities of Aegis, improving the reliability and effectiveness of this frontline weapons system," said Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' (IDS) John Kelly, director of Sensor Systems. "Raytheon continues its legacy of radar systems expertise, serving a critical role in the modernization of Aegis and helping the Navy to remain ahead of sea-based threats."
Raytheon's AN/SPY-1 radar transmitters and MK99 Fire Control Systems have been in production for 30 years as part of the U.S. Navy's Aegis shipbuilding program. In addition to supporting Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the systems are also installed in Japan's Kongo-class destroyers and Spain's F100-class frigates. Raytheon's transmitter and fire control systems are vital to the Aegis weapon system's ability to track and defend against multiple threats, including aircraft and missiles.
This contract follows a recent $59.2 million award to Raytheon, under which the company will procure critical Aegis components for DDG 114 and DDG 115 – future Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Work on the Aegis program is performed at Raytheon IDS' Surveillance and Sensors Center, Sudbury, Mass., and at the Integrated Air Defense Center, Andover, Mass.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1812 - USS Constitution captures and destroys brig Adeona.
1918 - Secretary of the Navy approves acceptance of women as yeoman in U.S. Navy.
1942 - USS Cleveland (CL 55) demonstrates effectiveness of radio-proximity fuze (VT-fuze) against aircraft by successfully destroying three drones with proximity bursts fired by her five-inch guns.
1944 - Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., USNR, the older brother of John F. Kennedy, was killed with his co-pilot in a mid-air explosion after taking off from England in a PB-4Y from Special Attack Unit One (SAU-1). Following manual takeoff, they were supposed to parachute out over the English Channel while the radio-controlled explosive filled drone proceeded to attack a German V-2 missile-launching site. Possible causes include faulty wiring or FM signals from a nearby transmitter.
1957 - In first test of Automatic Carrier Landing System, Lt. Cmdr. Don Walker is landed on USS Antietam (CV 36).
1958 - USS Nautilus (SSN 571) arrives at Portland, England, completing first submerged under ice cruise from Pacific to Atlantic oceans.
Photo of the Day
The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) is underway off the coast of Colombia supporting Continuing Promise 2010.
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