14 August 2014 naval-technology.com

Remotec, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, has been awarded a contract by the US Navy to repair and upgrade 103 Mk3 series remote ordnance neutralisation systems (RONS), which will boost the potential and availability of explosive ordnance disposal robots.

Awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Centre, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, the value of the IDIQ contract could reach $12m if all options are exercised.

The RONS IDIQ contract includes the provision of depot-level repair support, modernisation of the Mk3 Mod 0 and Mod 1 version systems, as well as the implementation of government-approved configuration management conversions and engineering improvements.

The contract also offers the US Navy an option to buy a new RONS robot under a separate agreement if upgrades or overhauls are not cost-effective.

Northrop Grumman Remotec director James Heverin said: "Remotec is pleased to build upon the relationship we have had with the navy since 1988 and [is] proud to continue providing unmanned ground vehicle capabilities that keep our military bomb techs safe.

"The RCT and RONS story is an excellent example of how the partnership between government and industry can leverage the government investment in systems while providing new capabilities to users."

The RONS robotic system offers army and Marine Corps explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams with safe and secure site access. It also executes missions, including reconnaissance, diagnosis, render-safe procedures and the disposal of ordnance and improvised explosive devices.

Capable of being controlled through a fibre-optic cable or radio, the system integrates a chassis with articulators and wheels for improved mobility, a powerful manipulator, five cameras and an operator control unit.

Heverin added: "As we plan for the next-generation of military EOD robots, we can continue to provide RONS with new capabilities to meet evolving threats well into the future.

"Without a doubt, everyone's aim is ensuring our bomb techs have the best equipment possible to keep danger at a distance."

The navy's Indian Head facility is responsible for the development and procurement of EOD equipment to meet joint service needs.

August 14, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued August 13, 2014)

-- BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $7,900,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical, cost, and risk assessments against select requirements for technology integration refinement that leverage the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) technology development phase assets for potential incorporation for a Future Fighting Vehicle (FFV) system.
Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 12, 2015.
One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,871,000 are being obligated at the time of the award.
Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-C-0128).

-- General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $7,900,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical, cost, and risk assessments against select requirements for technology integration refinement that leverage the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) technology development phase assets for potential incorporation for a Future Fighting Vehicle (FFV) system.
Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 12, 2015.
One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,871,000 are being obligated at the time of the award.
Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-C-0135).

MSV Maritime Support Vessel project

August 14, 2014: Strategy Page

The U.S. Navy SEAL commandoes used to have a near-monopoly on launching raids and other special operations missions from the sea. But now MARSOC (Marine Corps Special Operations Command) and U.S. Army Special Forces (which includes Delta Force) operators are also training to launch operations “from the sea”. The SEALs will probably retain their monopoly on scuba type operations because the SEALs already have a lot of training and regular practice in this specialized area. But given the shift of U.S. attention to the Pacific and the greater probability that more commando missions will be launched from the sea, more of the existing American commando force needs this kind of training.

To support this increase need for seaborne commando operations the navy is building special commando support ships and having more surface combat ships prepare to support commando operations. These preparations increasingly involve bringing in SEALs, MARSOC or Special Forces operators for training exercises. The commandos can be delivered via small transports to carriers and thence by helicopter to smaller ships (destroyers, amphibious carriers or the new LCS) for the actual mission (via a smaller boat that goes to a nearby beach.) The commandos also practice going in via low-flying helicopter or, if they are SEALs, via the specialized mini-subs that most American SSN (attack subs) can carry on their deck.

The navy and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) have been planning this shift for several years now and it includes creating some special commando support ships. In late 2013 the U.S. Navy began converting a 30,000 ton container ship to serve as a seagoing base (MSV or Maritime Support Vessel) for SOCOM commandos and support troops. Over $100 million is being spent to do the conversion. What’s interesting about this is that it’s an old idea.

Back in 2004 the U.S. Navy was asked by SOCOM to look into the idea of modifying a container ship for use as seagoing base for Special Operations troops (Special Forces and commandos). This idea was apparently inspired by incidents in the past decade where SOCOM forces had been based temporarily on navy ships. Off Haiti in 1996 and Afghanistan in 2001 the Navy provided an aircraft carrier with most of its air wing withdrawn and replaced with Army or Special Operations helicopters and personnel. While this tactic demonstrated tremendous flexibility on the part of the navy it could not be done on a regular basis because it tied up one of the most valuable navy assets (carriers and their crews.) Then in 2001 the navy began converting four SSBNs (ballistic missile firing nuclear subs) to carry 154 cruise missiles as well as SOCOM (so far mainly SEALs) commandos.  This includes commando equipment and special boats to get them ashore.

The conversion concept had several major advantages over the traditional approach of building a new type of military ship. Commercial vessels, even ones the size of aircraft carriers (large tankers and container carriers), typically require crews of less than fifty rather than thousands for military ships of the same size. A large container ship used for military purposes could be operated by fewer than a hundred sailors compared to 1,100 on an LHD or 3,200 on a Nimitz-class carrier. It would also be easier to upgrade, as the modules could be removed and replaced independently.

The Military Sealift Command (MSC) would own and operate these ships using civilian crews. The navy would keep one or two of these ships ready at all times plus a reserve of special containers ashore for use on additional MSC-owned ships or those leased from commercial users.

The current MSV project uses a smaller (30,000 ton) container ship and will handle a few hundred SOCOM operators and support troops and less than a dozen helicopters plus some small commando boats.

Aug 12, 2014 ASDNews Source : Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Turkey for AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $320 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on August 11, 2014.

The Government of Turkey has requested a possible sale of 145 AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), 10 missile guidance sections, and 40 LAU-129 launchers, containers, support equipment, spare and repair parts, integration activities, publications and technical documentation, test equipment, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor logistics, engineering and technical support, and other related elements or logistics and program support. The estimated cost is $320 million.

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Aug 12, 2014 ASDNews Source : Naval Air Systems Command

The Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard in Newport News, Virginia is all abuzz as below deck-testing of the Navy’s newest aircraft launch system begins aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

Following months of large-scale hardware deliveries containing critical components of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and shipboard installation by HII, teams from the government and industry partner General Atomics completed installation of the software — the brains of the new system. Below deck-testing began Aug. 11 with the Launch Control Subsystem, the first of many subsystem assessments on the path toward EMALS shipboard certification.    

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August 14th, 2014 By Army News Service- defencetalk.com

The F-35 Joint Program Office has selected the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center to perform independent software safety analyses of the next-generation strike aircraft commonly called the Joint Strike Fighter.

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CARPINTERIA, Calif., Aug. 13, 2014 – Northrop Grumman Corporation

Thirteen lightweight antennas that self-deploy in 200 milliseconds have been delivered to support Canada's RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) by Astro Aerospace, a strategic business unit of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC).

The highly configurable antennas are stored energy monopoles that deploy quickly and will be a critical part of the RCM Earth Observation satellites. The antennas will be integrated into the Automatic Identification System payload that will be used to provide an advanced maritime identification capability; enabling ship identification, position, course and speed data. The antennas were delivered to prime contractor, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA).

"We are pleased to provide an affordable and reliable antenna solution to the next generation of RADARSAT to support the Canadian Space Agency," said Dan Johansen, RCM program manager, Northrop Grumman Astro Aerospace. "Our continued emphasis on breakthrough engineering has resulted in a 100 percent success rate on more than 1,000 units on satellite missions."

The antennas have an adaptable and reliable design that can be easily tailored to specific applications and have been used in the Gemini and Apollo missions and in the most recent U.S. Air Force GPS satellites.

The stowed package is one of the smallest available and most compact for a deployable antenna of a given size. For example, the 13 antennas used in the RCM stow in a low mass and compact 4-inch by 4-inch by 2.5-inch canister.

The versatile antennas are available in monopole diameters from one-half inch to 1 3/8 inches and any length up to 25 feet.

For more information about Astro Aerospace products

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

8/12/2014 Strategy Page

Crew members conduct final inspections on a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response July 26, 2014, before it takes off from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, to provide support to a military-assisted departure from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya. The U.S. Department of Defense, at the request of the U.S. Department of State, authorized U.S. Service members to support in the evacuation of U.S. Embassy personnel from Libya. (DoD photo by 1st Lt. Maida Kalic, U.S. Marine Corps)

Aug. 12, 2014 – Defense News (AFP)

SYDNEY — The United States stressed Tuesday it welcomes the rise of China and wants to work constructively with Beijing as it signed a deal to deploy 2,500 Marines to Australia as part of its “rebalance” to Asia.

China bristled when the agreement to deploy Marines to the northern city of Darwin was first announced by President Barack Obama in 2011.

But after signing the deal at the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Sydney, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington was not interested in conflict with the Asian powerhouse.

“We welcome the rise of China as a global partner, hopefully as a powerful economy, as a full participating constructive member of the international community,” he said.

“We are not seeking conflict and confrontation. And our hope is that China will likewise take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of it and be that cooperative partner.”

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop earlier defended the deal to bring US Marines and Air Force personnel to the Northern Territory, denying it was aimed at China which is embroiled in maritime disputes with neighbors.

“That’s not what it is directed to do at all. It’s about working closely with the United States to ensure that we can work on regional peace and security,” she told a radio program.

“The United States is rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific so it’s ways we can work together to support economic development as well as security and peace.”

After the talks Bishop, who also hosted US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said the discussions were broad — ranging from tensions on the Korean peninsula to the crisis in Ukraine and to conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Gaza and Afghanistan.

Threat of Foreign Jihadists

The threat of foreign jihadist militants fighting in these conflicts and then returning home radicalized was also explored. The US and Australia agreed to raise the issue at the United Nations.

Kerry said this problem, highlighted by images in local media of the seven-year-old son of an Australian jihadist in Syria holding a severed head, underscored the degree to which Islamic State fighters were “so far beyond the pale.”

“This image, perhaps even an iconic photograph, is really one of the most disturbing, stomach-turning, grotesque photos ever displayed,” Kerry said.

“It’s no accident that every country in the region is opposed to ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).”

Bishop made no comment about the prospect of an increased US military presence beyond the Marines, some 1,200 of whom are already in the country.

But a communique issued after the talks said that enhanced aircraft and naval cooperation was discussed, while the allies would also examine options for Australia’s contributions to ballistic missile defense in the region.

Bishop said there existed between Australia and the United States “a clear instinct for collaboration across a wide area of endeavor.”

“There is a desire to share the burden of implementing regional and global peace and prosperity, security and stability,” she said.

Bishop added that there was no more important security partner for Australia than the US and their longstanding alliance “had never been stronger.”

But she said Canberra did not envisage Australian troops would return to Iraq, where the US is carrying out air strikes and humanitarian airdrops to try to combat jihadist fighters.

However, Australia has offered support for humanitarian relief.

Kerry also ruled out sending troops to Iraq.

Speaking at the start of the talks at Sydney’s harborside Admiralty House, he said the Australia-US relationship was “essential to the stability of the Asia-Pacific region.”

“We do face new challenges,” he said, citing North Korea and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft takes off from the USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) on June 20. (Staff Sgt. Lukas Atwell Marine Corps)

Aug. 13, 2014 - By ANDREW TILGHMAN – Defense News

US helicopters and MV-22 Ospreys are on the ground in northern Iraq and operating from a secure airfield protected by Kurdish forces, the latest sign of an expanding Iraq mission that now includes about 1,000 US troops, defense officials said Wednesday.

The Ospreys arrived overnight Tuesday as they ferried about 130 additional US troops into the airfield, which is in or near the Kurdish city of Irbil, said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

“They will stay there until they are no longer required,” Warren said of the aircraft. “There is no timeline.”

The new US troops include more than 80 Marines and dozens of special operations soldiers. Those troops were deployed from other locations within US Central Command, Warren said.

The expanding Iraq operation, which has no assigned name, comes as the White House is considering a more aggressive humanitarian mission to rescue the estimated 40,000 Iraqi Yazidis who are trapped on a nearby mountain, surrounded by Islamic State militants and on the verge of starvation.

The precise number of US aircraft on the ground in northern Iraq is likely to fluctuate, but for now includes about four MV-22 Ospreys and several rotary-wing aircraft, defense officials said.

The aircraft will support the 130 new US troops authorized by President Obama on Tuesday night. Their mission is limited to conducting intelligence assessments on Islamic State forces and helping to prepare possible recommendations for an expanded humanitarian assistance mission to help the Yazidis. Among those 130 new troops are some aircrew personnel and maintainers, Warren said.

About 1,000 US troops are now in Iraq, including about 200 in Irbil, which is under assault from Islamic State forces. In total, about 900 troops are providing security for US personnel and conducting intelligence assessments. About 100 more are on permanent assignment to the US Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq and arrived before the militants began seizing large swaths of Iraq territory in June.

On Wednesday, a White House official reiterated Obama’s vow to keep US troops out of direct combat. “What he’s ruled out is reintroducing US forces into combat on the ground in Iraq,” said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser.

However, the precise definition of “combat” is unclear. At the Pentagon, Warren said he did not want to get into “the whole debate over, ‘When does an action become combat?’ ”

“Make no mistake ... these personnel are in Iraq where there is unrest and there is an active enemy. That said, their purpose is [to] assess ... options for humanitarian assistance [in Irbil]. In Baghdad, their purpose is to assess the capability of the Iraqi security forces,” Warren said.

14 août 2014 Romandie.com (AFP)

Washington - Les Etats-Unis ont jugé mercredi beaucoup moins probable d'organiser une mission d'évacuation des réfugiés yazidis du mont Sinjar, dans le nord de l'Irak, après avoir constaté que ces derniers étaient beaucoup moins nombreux et vivaient dans de meilleures conditions qu'attendu.

Sur la base de cette évaluation, les agences ont déterminé qu'une mission d'évacuation était beaucoup moins probable mais que les Etats-Unis continueraient à fournir une aide humanitaire aux réfugiés restant, a affirmé dans un communiqué le porte-parole du Pentagone, le contre-amiral John Kirby.

Une vingtaine de soldats américains qui ont effectué mercredi une mission de reconnaissance sur place ont rapporté qu'il y avait beaucoup moins de Yazidis sur le mont Sinjar que craint auparavant et qu'ils vivaient dans de meilleures conditions qu'attendu précédemment.

Les Yazidis sont moins nombreux car chaque nuit depuis quelques jours plusieurs milliers d'entre eux ont réussi à quitter la montagne, a expliqué M. Kirby, qui a aussi souligné l'utilité des largages d'aide humanitaire et des frappes aériennes contre l'Etat islamique (EI), menés quotidiennement par les Etats-Unis depuis vendredi dernier.

Les réfugiés restant continuent d'avoir accès à la nourriture et à l'eau que les Etats-Unis larguent par avion, a-t-il assuré.

Un responsable du Pentagone avait évoqué précédemment cette mission de reconnaissance menée par des Bérets verts, une force spécialisée dans la formation et le conseil des armées locales. Elle n'a pas été engagée dans des opérations de combat et est revenue depuis à Erbil, la capitale du Kurdistan irakien, a précisé le Pentagone.

Plus tôt mercredi, Ben Rhodes, conseiller adjoint à la sécurité nationale de Barack Obama, avait évoqué la possibilité d'établir des couloirs, de procéder à des évacuations par voie aérienne des réfugiés qui doivent supporter des conditions climatiques extrêmes et ont dû tout abandonner face à l'avancée des combattants sunnites.

Mais en soirée, M. Rhodes affirmait lui aussi sur Twitter qu'une mission d'évacuation était désormais beaucoup moins probable.

13 août 2014 US Navy