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



Office of Naval Research Achieves Milestone in Free Electron Laser Program
Source: US Navy

ARLINGTON, Va. --- Scientists at Los Alamos National Lab in Los Alamos, N.M., have achieved a remarkable breakthrough with the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) Free Electron Laser (FEL) program, setting the stage for a preliminary design review scheduled Jan. 20-21 in Virginia.

Researchers demonstrated an injector capable of producing the electrons needed to generate megawatt-class laser beams for the Navy's next-generation weapon system Dec. 20, months ahead of schedule.

"The injector performed as we predicted all along," said Dr. Dinh Nguyen, senior project leader for the FEL program at the lab. "But until now, we didn't have the evidence to support our models. We were so happy to see our design, fabrication and testing efforts finally come to fruition. We're currently working to measure the properties of the continuous electron beams, and hope to set a world record for the average current of electrons."

Quentin Saulter, FEL program manager for ONR, said the implications of the FEL's progress are monumental.

"This is a major leap forward for the program and for FEL technology throughout the Navy," said Saulter. "The fact that the team is nine months ahead of schedule provides us plenty of time to reach our goals by the end of 2011."

The research is a necessary step for the Department of the Navy to one day deploy the megawatt-class FEL weapon system, revolutionizing ship defense.

"The FEL is expected to provide future U.S. naval forces with a near-instantaneous laser ship defense in any maritime environment throughout the world," said Saulter.

ONR's FEL project began as a basic science and technology program in the 1980s and matured into a working 14-kilowatt prototype. In fiscal 2010, it graduated from basic research to an innovative naval prototype, earning the backing needed by senior Navy officials to ensure its evolution to advanced technology and potential acquisition.

The laser works by passing a beam of high-energy electrons generated by an injector, through a series of strong magnetic fields, causing an intense emission of laser light. ONR hopes to test the FEL in a maritime environment as early as 2018.


BAE Systems to Build Gun Systems for U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ships
Source: BAE Systems

ARLINGTON, Virginia --- As the country's leading naval guns producer, BAE Systems will provide the primary gun systems on 10 U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) to be built by the Lockheed Martin-led team. BAE Systems will equip the 10 ships with 57 millimeter Mk 110 gun systems.

"We're very happy to be part of the LCS program," said Gary Slack, president of BAE Systems U.S. Combat Systems. "We look forward to furnishing these dynamic new ships with the absolute best in naval gun technology."

BAE Systems will also provide a digital fire control system that allows the Mk 110 to accurately fire automatic salvos of the highly lethal 57-mm Mk 295 ammunition at a firing rate of 220 rounds per minute and a range of up to nine miles.

"BAE Systems' 57mm gun brings a new level of versatility against an ever-expanding range of threats, thereby matching the multi-mission requirements of the LCS program," said Mike Smith, managing director of weapons programs for BAE Systems. "We pooled the best technologies from sources around the world in order to create the most advanced weapon system of its kind."

The 6-mode programmable 57-mm Mk 295, pre-fragmented and proximity-fused (3P) ammunition allows the system to perform against either an aerial, surface or ground threat without requiring multiple round types. Sailors can switch from warning to live fire to engage a target in seconds, and the servo-controlled electro hydraulic gun laying subsystems provide robust endurance and extreme pointing accuracy, even in high sea-state conditions.

The system requires minimal manpower for operation and maintenance, and affords a high availability due to a redundant architecture design, built-in test functions, ready component access, and onboard tools and spares.

Work on the contract will take place at BAE Systems' facilities in Louisville, Kentucky; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and in Karlskoga, Sweden. Production of the gun systems is expected to run through calendar year 2017.




Samuel Lee Gravely Jr.

Today’s website is the biography of Samuel Lee Gravely Jr.. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1944 - A U.S. amphibious landing takes place on Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
1961 - Lt. Cmdr. Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. becomes the first African-American to command a combat ship, USS Falgout (DER 324).
1981 - The era of enlisted naval aviators ends when the last pilot retires.


Photo of the Day



The first of class, HMS Al Riyadh (812), was commissioned in July 2002.

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