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"ORKA's first flight test took place in December 2015 and was fin stabilized only (no canards) to check aerodynamic stability" said Charlie McCullough, Director of business development, maritime weapons at BAE Systems. McCullough explained that maneuvering tests with canards would take place this summer.

ORKA follows a U.S. Navy requirement to give more lethality to Littoral Combat Ships, especially against swarming types of attacks.

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Raytheon is currently developing a Millimeter Waver Radar seeker for the Excalibur N5 projectile, Navy Recognition has learned during the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium held last week near Washington DC.

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After three years of unsuccessful attempts to retire the A-10, the U.S. Air Force is apparently opting to keep the Cold War-era gunship in the inventory, for now anyway.

Marcus Weisgerber at Defense One

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. My colleague, Richard Sisk, reported the news

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:

The U.S. Air Force is reportedly scrapping what has become an annual attempt to retire the A-10 Thunderbolts from the fiscal 2017 budget request being drawn up.

Maj. Melissa J. Milner, an Air Force spokeswoman on budget matters, said Wednesday she could not comment on the Defense One report that the Cold War-era attack aircraft had been spared indefinitely, but boosters of the plane affectionately known to ground troops as the “Warthog” hailed the move to keep them in the inventory.

“It appears the administration is finally coming to its senses and recognizing the importance of A-10s to our troops’ lives and national security,” said Rep. Martha McSally, a Republican from Arizona and a retired Air Force colonel who flew the A-10.

“With A-10s deployed in the Middle East to fight ISIS, in Europe to deter Russian aggression, and along the Korean peninsula, administration officials can no longer deny how invaluable these planes are to our arsenal and military capabilities,” said McSally, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, also known as ISIL.

The service

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it would save more than $4 billion over five years by sending the slow, low-flying gunship to the boneyard. But a recent budget deal in Congress gave some financial relief to the Defense Department by increasing spending caps over the next two years.

Boeing Co. has received defense contracts to outfit the aircraft with new wings and other improvements.

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Equation said:

This just came in. Lets hope those 12 missing will be found safely.

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Marine Corps officials have identified the four officers and eight enlisted Marines missing after their two CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters crashed off the coast of Hawaii's Oahu late Thursday night.

Search efforts for the two heavy-lift helicopters and the 12 men aboard continue to be hampered by a high-surf warning. Rescuers battled waves up to 30 feet Saturday, which dispersed debris and complicated the search.

"It makes finding things incredibly difficult," Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr said.

Initial reports from the Coast Guard indicated that the helicopters had collided, but Marine officials say the incident remains under investigation.

The Marines and the aircraft are assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 based out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. They 12 missing men have been identified as follows.

...

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Jura said:

Friday at 6:47 PM


but they haven't been found yet :-(
12 missing Marines identified after helicopters crash in Hawaii

... pictures follow in the source:

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Jura said:

Friday at 6:47 PM


but they haven't been found yet :-(
12 missing Marines identified after helicopters crash in Hawaii

... pictures follow in the source:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

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Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) was showcasing a scale model of the T-AO(X) scale model during the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium held last week near Washington DC. We asked a company representative some details about the design. The U.S. Navy’s T-AO(X) program is an effort to replace its 15 existing fleet oilers (T-AO 187 Henry J. Kaiser class).

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According to L-3 KEO, the next generation MK20 Mod X is designed from the ground up to provide superior operation and surveillance in a lightweight, lower cost package while supporting both Grade A and B shock requirements: L-3 representatives told us at the show that unlike most naval EO systems available on the market, the MK20 Mod X can take hits because it is rugged.

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During the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium held last week near Washington DC, Lockheed Martin unveiled on the last day of the show a new scale model showing the configuration of the new Freedom variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Frigate.

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WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson participated in a video teleconference (VTC) January 19 with his Chinese counterpart, People's Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA(N)) Commander Adm. Wu Shengli to discuss the state of relations between the two navies.

The two-hour discussion was the third time Richardson has engaged with Wu over the VTC, the last being in October 2015. Conversations between the two heads of navy serve to establish a dialogue that reduces risk of miscalculation between their two forces.

"I value these discussions--face-to-face interaction and frank exchanges help build a personal connection that benefits both our navies now and into the future," said Richardson.

Richardson and Wu highlighted progress in the relationship between the U.S. Navy and PLA(N), noting successful exchanges and visits that occurred during 2015. Each conveyed willingness to build on that progress in 2016.

Of note, both admirals discussed upcoming opportunities to meet in-person for the first time later this year.

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U.S. SECNAV Names 4th Expeditionary Sea Base Ship T-ESB 4 USNS Hershel "Woody" Williams

The United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the U.S. Navy's newest Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship, T-ESB 4, will be named USNS Hershel "Woody" Williams during a ceremony in Charleston, West Virginia, Jan. 14.
Hershel "Woody" Williams, the ship's namesake, was born in West Virginia and joined the Marine Corps following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1944, after serving in Guadalcanal and Guam, he joined the campaign in Iwo Jima. Two days after arriving on the island, Williams picked up a 70-pound flamethrower and walked ahead of his infantry's tanks for four hours clearing their path of enemy machine gun fire. President Harry S. Truman awarded him the Medal of Honor two years later for his actions.

Williams served during the Battle of Iwo Jima until he was wounded in March of 1945. He returned to the United States, was awarded a Purple Heart and released from active duty. Later, he served in the Marine Corps Reserves for 17 years.

Williams is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Formerly known as ASFB ( Afloat Forward Staging Base) the ESB modifications add a 52,000 square-foot flight deck, fuel and equipment storage, repair spaces, magazines, mission planning spaces and accommodations for up to 250 personnel. The ship is capable of supporting multiple missions including Air Mine Counter Measures (AMCM), counter-piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions and Marine Corps crisis response. The ship is designed to support MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters, and will be upgraded to support MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft.

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USAF faces cost conundrum with F-35, KC-46 and LRS-B

• 20 January, 2016
• BY: James Drew
• Washington DC

In 1986 during the so-called Reagan Build-up, $12 billion delivered 387 new combat aircraft to the US military. Today, that amount buys fewer than 80.

[...]

This month marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm – arguably the greatest display of combat airpower in history. Now, the air branch is reminiscing about how mighty it once was.

“At the time of Desert Storm, we had 134 combat squadrons in the US air force. Today we have 55,” says service secretary Deborah Lee James at a CSIS conference in Washington DC last week. “That’s 134 to 55 in 25 years. We had 8,600 aircraft. Today, it’s 5,400 aircraft. Yet, I would submit that we’re busier than we’ve ever been because we’re all over the world, globally engaged.” ...

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