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Virginia-class Attack Boat Illinois Completes Alpha Trials

The latest Virginia-class nuclear attack boat has completed its first set of trials during its first open ocean voyage, builder General Dynamics Electric Boat announced on Monday.

The $2.5 billion Illinois (SSN-786) is the 13th ship in the Virginia-class and the third in the Block III configuration of the attack submarine.

The submarine’s “alpha sea trials included a range of submarine and propulsion-plant operations, submerging for the first time and high-speed runs on and below the surface to demonstrate that the ship’s propulsion plant is fully mission-capable,” read the statement from EB.

“The sea trials were directed by U.S. Navy Adm. James F. Caldwell Jr., director – Naval Nuclear Propulsion. Also participating in the sea trials were Capt. Jeffrey Heydon, supervisor of shipbuilding in Groton, and Jeffrey S. Geiger, president of Electric Boat.”

The previous ship in the class – USS John Warner (SSN-785) – was commissioned last year and delivered three months early.

The 7,800-ton Virginia-class is arguably the Navy’s most successful shipbuilding program with ship deliveries coming in ahead of schedule. The Block III configuration of the ship was redesigned to accommodate a new water-backed Large Aperture Bow (LAB) sonar array and the addition of two Multiple All Up Round Canisters that can each hold six Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM).

Illinois is set to commission in October

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FORBIN said:

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

They both lack the logistics to use them.
There are some gaps where a new lighter craft would be fine. to supplement F35 and take some of the Job of A10 but really the Job of A10 is dead.

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US Air Force Air Combat Command chief Gen Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle doubts the need for a new, low-end close air support aircraft when he foresees fewer more contested environments in the future.

During a media briefing announcing initial operational capability for the F-35A, the USAF’s stealth aircraft designed to take on combat zones populated with surface-to-air-missiles, Carlisle expressed skepticism over the possible acquisition of a new light-attack aircraft that would operate in permissive environments.

Over the past month, discussions have swirled within the service around OA-X, the cheap, commercially available aircraft the air force could order as early as next year. The service is examining two fully developed aircraft, Beechcraft’s AT-6 and Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano.

“The idea of a low-end CAS platform that’s being discussed inside the air force, it’s one that I’m struggling with a little bit,” Carlisle says. “Given the evolving threat environment, I sometimes wonder what permissive in the future is going to look like or if there’s going to be any such thing with the proliferation of potential adversaries out there and the threats.”

Carlisle is still weighing whether the low-end CAS aircraft would be a viable plan for future combat operations. Although the air force still flies counter-insurgency missions today in places such as Afghanistan where there is little threat from ground fire, those environments could change if state sponsored terrorists acquire new weapons, he said. Carlisle’s comments echoed Lexington Institute analyst Dan Goure, who recently told FlightGlobal he was unsure of which operating environment the OA-X would fit.

Robert Farley, a professor at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, refutes the idea that light-attack aircraft will not be viable in a future fight. He argues the Taliban in Afghanistan would need clear,state-sponsored funding to procure an anti-air capability and would not be able to secure enough of those weapons on the black market. Farley also notes the USAF is delivering and training Super Tucanos to the Afghan Air Force today.

“The US is supplying Afghanistan with Super Tucanos because we know how useful they’re going to be,” he said. “But it’s not surprising for that to come out with the air force, because the air force thinks that resources spent on CAS are fundamentally misspent [and] that national priorities tend to favour high tech machines like F-35 and Long Range Strike Bomber.”

Even if the OA-X programme does come to fruition, other priorities could push out the aircraft. Following Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James’ recent comments over where funding would come from for the OA-X programme, Carlisle expressed similar concerns on 2 August.

“I don’t know where the money would come from and if we got extra money, in my opinion there’s other things that I would do first to increase our combat capability before I go to that platform right now,” he says. “I think it’s the right thing to do to examine it and that’s what we’re doing right now, but we’re looking at it in that context.”

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FORBIN said:

New Virginia for this year, the 13th, next years up to 2023 minimum two by year.

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Keel-laying Ceremony is Held for Future USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams

SAN DIEGO — General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a keel-laying ceremony Aug. 2 for the future USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams, the U.S. Navy’s second expeditionary sea base (ESB), the company announced in an Aug. 3 release.

The ship’s namesake, Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, spoke at the ceremony, and his two daughters, Travie Ross and Tracie Ross, welded their initials onto the keel of the ship. Williams, a retired U.S. Marine, received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. He is the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor from that battle.

Many dignitaries and fellow Medal of Honor recipients attended the ceremony, including retired Marine Corps Col. Robert Modrzejewski, a Medal of Honor recipient recognized for his conspicuous gallantry during the Vietnam War; Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward Byers Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient recognized for his efforts during a hostage rescue in Afghanistan; and Brig. Gen. William M. Jurney, commanding general, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.

“The story of Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams is remarkable. It’s a story of valiant devotion, extraordinary courage and American heroism,” said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics NASSCO. “We have the distinct honor of constructing a ship that will reflect the strength and fearlessness of its namesake and will provide global, advanced capabilities for future generations of Marines and sailors to come.”

The 784-foot-long USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams will serve as a flexible platform to support a variety of missions, including air mine countermeasures, counter-piracy operations, maritime security and humanitarian missions.

The ship will provide for accommodations for up to 250 personnel, a 52,000-square-foot flight deck, fuel and equipment storage, and support MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters with an option to support MV-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The ship is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018.

General Dynamics NASSCO has delivered three ships in the class to the Navy: USNS Montford Point (ESD 1), USNS John Glenn (ESD 2) and USNS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 1). USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams is the fourth ship to be constructed by NASSCO shipbuilders under the program and a fifth ship is currently under contract for advanced procurement.

NASSCO maintains a bicoastal ship maintenance and repair operation with locations in San Diego; Mayport, Fla.; Norfolk, Va.; and Bremerton, Wash.

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Jura said:

USAF Air Combat Command chief skeptical over new aircraft for permissive environments

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The US Air Force is deliberating if and how to replace its close-air support workhorse, the A-10, and may have a better picture of their path forward later this year, the service’s top civilian said Wednesday.

During an interview with Defense News, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she and other top service leaders — such as Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein — will be briefed on various options for replacing or augmenting the A-10 Warthog this fall, as the service begins to build its next five-year budget plan.

“Any of these types of possibilities would likely come up in the fall to me and the chief during this planning choices forum. And that's when we would discuss and we could make some recommendations,” which could then flow into the budget cycle, she said.

Air Force officials recently briefed a group of analysts and aerospace experts on a proposed plan that would involve buying two close-air support (CAS) aircraft. In the near term, the service would procure an existing light-attack aircraft to augment the A-10 during CAS missions in permissive environments. This OA-X would likely be an existing aircraft with a low flight-hour cost, such as the Beechcraft AT-6 or Embraer A-29 Super Tucano. Further down the road, the Air Force would purchase an A-X2 — which could be an existing or new design — that would replace the A-10. That jet would operate in slightly more sophisticated, medium-threat environments.

However, James stressed that other options, such as re-winging the A-10 or buying a single aircraft to replace the Warthog, were still on the table.

Although not all Air Force leaders have been briefed on the various proposals, some top officials — including James — have questioned the viability of the dual-aircraft plan. On Wednesday, she reiterated that if the Air Force were to add a CAS aircraft to its already crowded procurement budget, another program would have to take a hit in funding.

“Everything has a price tag,” she said. “If something goes in, something else has to fall out."

Although the exact cost of the program would depend on the service’s requirements and planned procurement quantities, a new-start program could entail spending “tens of billions” of dollars, Todd Harrison, a defense budget analyst at the Center of Strategic and International Studies, said during an event Tuesday.

The Air Force will consider all available funding sources, including the Overseas Contingency Operations account used to pay for wartime expenses, James said, but using the OCO account might not be the best choice for paying for certain options. Aircraft procurement and development, for instance, are multi-year endeavors that need a steady, reliable stream of funding, while OCO is primarily used to pay for one-time or very short-term outlays.

Air Combat Command chief Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle has said he’s unsure if buying a low-end CAS platform is the best use of taxpayer dollars. In a Tuesday briefing, he referenced the Air Force’s modernization bow wave, a period in the early 2020s during which the service will bear the cost of a plethora of expensive platforms, including the F-35, B21 bomber, KC-46 tanker and various nuclear and space systems.

“If you look at the things within the combat Air Force portfolio that I'm responsible for in modernization and taking care of those systems, I don't know where the money would come from,” he said. “And if we got extra money, in my opinion, there's other things that I would do first to increase our combat capability before we go to that platform.”

He also raised concerns about whether a low-end CAS platform would be quickly rendered obsolete as adversaries become increasingly able to access surface-to-air missiles and other munitions capable of taking down less-advanced aircraft.

"Given the evolving threat environment, I sometimes wonder what permissive in the future is going to look like and if there's going to be any such thing, with the proliferation of potential adversaries out there,” he said. “The idea of a low-end CAS platform, I'm working my way through whether that's a viable plan or not given what I think the threat is going to continue to evolve to, to include terrorists and their ability to get their hands on, potentially, weapons from a variety of sources.”

James said it's “prudent” for the Air Force to explore its options, given congressional interest and a changing threat environment that has made close-air support a more urgently needed capability.

“Having additional capacity, if we're able to afford that capacity, is not a bad thing,” she said. “Additional capacity in view of changed world conditions could be helpful.”

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Jura said:

USAF Air Combat Command chief skeptical over new aircraft for permissive environments

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SEAPOWER said:

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps will send the F-35B Lightning II strike fighter on deployments onboard amphibious assault ships in 2018, the Corps’ top aviator said.

Speaking to an audience July 29 at the American Enterprise Institute, Lt. Gen. Jon M. Davis, deputy commandant for aviation, said that the first operational F-35B squadron, Marine Fighter Attack 121 (VMFA-121), will deploy F-35Bs onboard an amphibious assault ship in summer 2018.

VMFA-121, currently based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Ariz., will move to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, in January with 10 F-35Bs. In accordance with the Marine Corps Aviation Plan, VMFA-121 will receive six more F-35Bs next summer. Reaching full strength of 16 aircraft, the squadron will be able to deploy a six-aircraft detachment in 2018 onboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, which is based in Sasebo, Japan.

The second operational F-35B squadron, VMFA-211, also based in Yuma, is slated to send an F-35B detachment to sea onboard an amphibious assault ship, Davis said.

VMFA-122, an F/A-18 squadron, will become the third operational F-35B squadron and move from MCAS Beaufort, S.C. VMFA-314, also an F/A-18 squadron, will receive the F-35C in 2019 and deploy with that aircraft onboard an aircraft carrier in 2020, Davis said.

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