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TerraN_EmpirE

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Analysts predict A-10, U-2 retirements in FY15
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC14 hours ago
Some of the US Air Force’s most venerable aircraft will likely head to the boneyard in fiscal year 2015, victims of projected military funding cuts, budget analysts predict.

Lockheed U-2s, Fairchild Republic A-10s, McDonnell Douglas KC-10 tankers and Beechcraft MC-12 surveillance turboprops will likely be retired next year, says Mackenzie Eaglen from public policy group American Enterprise Institute.

“I expect all of those to be near entirely retired, or most of the fleets,” Eaglen says on 6 February at a defence conference in New York City hosted by investment company Cowen Group.

The Defense Department has so far avoided widespread aircraft retirements because Congressional spending bills in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 have largely mitigated the wider cuts known as the sequester, she notes.

But wider budget slashing is expected in coming years, likely forcing the Defense Department to retire entire aircraft fleets, she says.

Eaglen notes that the USAF “completely folded” to political pressure against the service’s desire to retire its Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks.

“They are done,” Eaglen says of the USAF’s efforts. “They are not going to fight it anymore. It’s over.”

USAF officials have said Block 30 Global Hawks cost more to develop and sustain than flying U-2s.

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Against political opposition, the USAF has sought to divest Global Hawks in favor of manned U-2 missions.

Unmanned Block 30s cost $6,710 hourly, while manned U-2's cost $2,380, according to the air force's total ownership cost database.

Todd Harrison from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments told conference attendees that the “sheer size” of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme makes it a target.

Not that the programme will be cancelled, but the Defense Department could cut orders, he says.

The budget will likely prevent other new projects from advancing, and those behind schedule risk cancellation, adds Harrison.

SOME GOOD NEWS: CRH

Eaglen notes the fiscal year 2014 budget bill “elevated” the $7 billion combat rescue helicopter (CRH) programme, which calls for 112 aircraft over 14 years, to a “special interest item.”

That’s likely a veiled Congressional request for the Defense Department to include CRH funding in next year’s budget proposal, which the White House plans to release on 4 March, says Eaglen.

Sikorsky, with partner Lockheed Martin, is the only CRH bidder and has proposed the CRH-60, a modified version of Sikorsky’s UH-60M Black Hawk.

Despite receiving more than $300 million in fiscal year 2014 for the project, Sikorsky and the USAF say CRH depends on future years’ funding.

UNIQUE DOWNTURN

Analysts say the current budget cycle is different than previous cycles.

The defence booms leading to the Korean and Vietnam wars left the US military with more troops and flush with new, modern equipment, says Harrison.

When those booms ended, troop levels and procurement declined, he notes.

But the number of active US military personnel remained roughly flat during the spending boom of the 2000s, Harrison notes.

And much of the military’s investment during the buildup was for what Harrison calls “expendable” equipment, like mine–resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs) used in Iraq.

The Pentagon is now reportedly shredding up to 2,000 MRAPs rather than ship them back, Harrison notes.

Much of the spending also paid for “consumables” like fuel and food for troops, Eaglen adds.

“We are starting with a military that is about the same size as it was when the buildup began, and we are starting with a military that did not recapitalise,” says Harrison. “We are smaller, we are older and we are just more expensive... That’s the big problem here.”
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the waste of it all.
AeroVironment teams with Lockheed Martin on Global Observer
By: STEPHEN TRIMBLEWASHINGTON DC18:23 07 Feb 2014
AeroVironment has teamed up with Lockheed Martin to pursue international customers for the liquid hydrogen-powered Global Observer, a high-altitude, ultra-long endurance unmanned air system (UAS).

The Global Observer agreement was announced on 6 February at the Defense Expo in New Delhi as part of a wider plan to also “potentially develop integrated solutions for the unmanned systems market”, says Paul Lemmo, Lockheed’s senior vice-president of corporate strategy and business development, in a news release.

Roy Minson, a senior vice-president and general manager at AeroVironment, describes the arrangement as focused on developing “atmospheric satellite systems built around Global Observer”.

The deal breathes new life into a Global Observer programme since a 2011 crash destroyed the first prototype, which was funded by the US military. The US Department of Defense closed the demonstration programme the following year.

AeroVironment has quietly continued development and built a second prototype.

In November, AeroVironment chief executive Timothy Conver described the Global Observer as a major growth opportunity for the company in about five years.

The Global Observer can fly for a week at altitudes above 60,000ft. The liquid hydrogen fuel packs more energy by volume than aviation-grade kerosene, but it is also more difficult to store and handle because of its volatility.

By operating in the stratosphere, the Global Observer is designed to function much like a geosynchronous satellite, providing communications or surveillance over a wide area over several days. By rotating vehicles, the Global Observer could provide long-term persistence.

“We’re increasingly optimistic about it,” Conver said during a corporate earnings call in November.

The Global Observer will compete for orders with the Boeing Phantom Eye, another liquid hydrogen-powered UAS with ultra-long endurance capability.
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Jeff Head

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
B.I.B. said:
Looks like a pregnant goldfish Perhaps the .designer had a hand in designing the Jetsons or recent kiddies carton movie about planes
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Actually, the X-32 had some very decent performance and stealth characteristics, in some ways, for an attack aircraft, better than the F-35. However, it was also less a contender in the air to air role, and had some other issues that caused it to lose out to the F-35.

Boeing got help from old Vought Aeronautics, who has a lot of experience in Naval aircraft. The front end clearly calls one back to the A-7 and F-8 from Vought. Boeing of course has a lot of aircraft experience too.

So yes, it was pretty funky looking, but looks can also be deceiving.
 
asif iqbal

asif iqbal

Lieutenant General
Two US warships are in the Black Sea for Sochi Winter games

They are USS Mount Whitney and USS Taylor here are pics of them transiting the Turkish straits

Also USNS Spearhead is in the Aegean

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a846600c1db55673d75e31c51e86a957_zps80808d7a.jpg
 
asif iqbal

asif iqbal

Lieutenant General
This is in the 6th fleet area of responsible why add another 4 DDG? Ships are rotated in and out theres always a permanent presence in the Mediterranean

I guess the key part is "forward deployment" having a prescence is not the same as forward deployment

Shame there isn't enough Type 45 DDG to go around, if there was 12 one could permanently be based aboard, there is talk of adding BMD to them in the future

Btw how many of the Ticos and Burkes are BMD equipped and what's the timeline to add BMD to the existing fleet? Something like 30
 
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Jeff Head

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
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OPC-USCGConcept-01.jpg

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Bloomberg Business Week said:
Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) — General Dynamics Corp. BIW has been awarded one of three initial contracts in a $12 billion U.S. Coast Guard ship program, with competitor Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. shut out.

Huntington, the government’s No. 1 shipbuilder, had bid on the design contracts for the offshore patrol cutters, which will replace older ships. The Coast Guard’s decision is “a significant setback for Huntington Ingalls,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based research organization.

“It is also a significant breakthrough for General Dynamics, which is likely to ultimately build the next Coast Guard ship,” Thompson said in a phone interview. General Dynamics is the No. 2 shipbuilder for the U.S. government, according to Bloomberg Industries.

Huntington Ingalls is “disappointed by the Coast Guard’s decision,” said Bill Glenn, a spokesman for the Newport News, Virginia-based contractor.

The company “offered the Coast Guard a strong, fully compliant proposal to provide a very capable, cost effective offshore patrol cutter design,” Glenn said in an e-mail. “Our proposal offered commonality in many systems and construction processes already proven in the National Security Cutter program.”

A spokeswoman for Falls Church, Virginia-based General Dynamics didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment on the Coast Guard’s announcement.

General Dynamics was selected along with Bollinger Shipyards Lockport LLC and Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc., both closely held. Each will receive design contracts valued at between $21 million and $22 million for the offshore patrol cutters.

The new vessels will have increased range and endurance, larger flight decks and improved surveillance capabilities, according to the Coast Guard.
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This is big news. Twenty-five Frigate-sized vessels are at stake. A HUGE order.

Huntington Ingalls is the US Military's largest shipbuilder but their submittal was not selected. Huntington/Ingalls is building the US Navy San Antonio Class LPDs, the US Coast Guard Legend Class National Security Cutters, the US Navy's America Class LHAs, one of two yards building Arleigh Burke Class AEGIS DDGs, and their Newport News subsidiary is building the US Navy's Ford Class aircraft carriers and is one of two yards building the Virginia Class SSNs.

Ingalls presented a design that would have been compatible in many systems, sensors, and procedures with the eight National Security Cutters that they are already building.

General Dynamics is the number two military shipbuilder and was selected as one of the three finalists. Genral Dynamics Electric Boat yards is one of two yards building the Virginia Class SSNs, it's Bath Iron Works is building the Zumwalt Class DDGs and is one of two yards building the Arleigh Burk class AEGIS DDGs, its NASSCO shipyards build the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) vessels for the US Navy, and through its affiliation with Austral, is building the Independence Class Littoral Combat Ships.

Eastern shipbuilding has yards in Florida and has built over 300 commercial vessels, and has also built 15 Hornbeck and Bravante Offshore Supply Vessels and is recognized as a very capable and efficient modern shipbuilder.

Bollinger is currently building all of the U.S. Coast Guard's fifty-eight "Fast Response Cutters."

The Offshore Patrol cutter, of which twenty-five will be built, at about 2,500-3,000 tons, will fit in between the larger National Security Cutter, or Legend Class, of which eight are being built (at 4,500 tons) and the Fast Response Cutter, or Sentinel Class, of which fifty-eight are being built (at about 500 tons).


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US Coast Guard National Security Cutter (Legend Class) Built by Huntington Ingalls.

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US Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter (Sentinel Class) Built by Bollinger.
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The various concept designs by the three finalists include:

Bollinger Concept Design, partnering with Damen Shipyard


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Eastern Shipbuilding Concept Design


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General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works Concept Design


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