MARCH 2019 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


Recently, the U.S. Navy has shown an increased interest for the development of Laser Weapon Systems and now intends to mount such systems aboard guided-missile destroyers. The U.S. Navy has indeed awarded Lockheed Martin a $US 150 million contract in January for the procurement of two High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) systems.

US Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer decided to name a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG-131) in honor of a Korean War veteran and Navy Cross recipient, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, the secretary’s public affairs officer said in a March 26 release.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) announced on March 26 that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $US 1.47 billion, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract from the U.S. Navy for the detail design and construction of the amphibious transport dock Landing Platform Dock (LPD) 30. The ship will be the 14th in the San Antonio class and the first Flight II LPD.

French Company ECA GROUP introduces UMIS Containerised, a flexible and stand-alone unmanned solution. To meet navies' requirements and their logistic constraints, ECA GROUP designed specific storage and transportation equipment for each possible configuration. The containerized facility can be deployed in coastal areas, canals, ports and harbor entrances.

The Russian Navy is introducing an innovative system to train its pilots to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. This will include duel combat between pilots and submariners on special simulators which imitate real combat conditions. Anti-submarine aircraft crew members will therefore be trained in submariner centers.

A new look multi-cam uniform is being put to the test, for Navy, with trials of the sea-going variant taking place across the Fleet. The cut, design and pattern of the prototype Maritime Multi-cam Pattern Uniform (MMPU) is based on the Australian Multi-cam Combat Uniform, which is used by the Australian Army and Air Force.

Recently, the USA have taken the decision to redeploy B-52 bomber aircraft in Europe. Some of them took part to a joint exercise with European NATO allies and made several flights close to the Russian borders. This aerial threat could be armed with sea mines and thus be a problem for the Russian naval forces. Therefore, Russia could seek to increase its naval minesweeping capabilities.

The US Navy, through the past few years, has shown an increasing interest in the development of an unmanned underwater fleet. Among such unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), the Navy has tasked several companies for the designing and the development of two large UUVs, the Orca XLUUV and the LDUUV.

As part of the Belgian-Dutch Mine Counter Measures (MCM) contract awarded to the Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium, with a worth value of €2.2 billion, ECA Group is to win €450 million for the building and the procurement of a total of 100 drones (ROVs) to supply the 12 mine-hunting vessels.

On February 27, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned its second Asahi-class guided-missile destroyer, the JS Shiranui, in the Nagasaki prefecture. It comes one year after the JMSDF commissioned the JS Asahi, the first of the 25DD-class Asahi ASW destroyer.

Russian Navy (Voyenno-Morskoy Flot, VMF) is boosting its training activities, the head of the Naval Scientific and Research Center (Naval Academy) named after N G Kuznetsov (VUNTs VMF), Vice Admiral Vladimir Kasatonov told the official newspaper of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) Red Star (Krasnaya Zvezda).

The Indian Navy is scheduled to induct its second Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Khanderi, by early May, according to a defense source. As for the third Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Karanj, it appears to be in advanced stage of trials and could also be ready this year.

A Medal of Honor recipient from Michigan will have a guided-missile destroyer named after him, the United States Navy announced on Monday 18th of March. The future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, DDG 130, will be named in honor of Hospital Corpsman Master Chief William Charette, who fell on a grenade to shield a wounded Marine during a battle in North Korea on March 27, 1953.

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