Lockheed Martin, United Defense Developing Single-Cell Launcher
By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor
Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems (LM NE&SS) and United Defense LP have teamed together to develop a new modular missile-launching system as an affordable option to meet the self-defense requirements of aviation ships and small surface combatants.
The Single-Cell Launcher (SCL) is being developed for ships: (a) such as frigates and corvettes that are too small to accommodate the proven eight-cell Mk41 Vertical Launching System (VLS); and/or (b) configured so as to be unable to accommodate the Mk41--e.g., aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships.
The SCL--designed with technologies developed for the Mk41--includes the latest launch control system, the Baseline VII, and other commercial-off-the-shelf technologies. The Mk25 quad-pack canister, capable of launching four RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles (ESSMs) from one cell, already has been integrated into the Mk41 and also will be integrated into the SCL.
"The SCL modularity will be unmatched by any current U.S. Navy missile system and will provide the flexibility needed to meet missile launcher requirements for a variety of ship classes," said Jim Tucker, director of launching systems for LM NE&SS.
The SCL--originally conceived as a deck-edge launcher for the DD 21 competition and now being proposed for installation on the last Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, CVN 77--can be backfitted on older aircraft carriers. The SCL also is being proposed for the Japanese DDH program.
The two companies said they plan to complete a prototype of the SCL later this year and to conduct what they described as a "restrained" test firing in late 2002 or early 2003.
Northrop Grumman Completes Integration of Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding is now a fully integrated sector of Northrop Grumman Corporation after being acquired last year by the defense corporation that, through acquisitions, became the nation's largest shipbuilder in less than a year.
The Newport News sector, which builds and overhauls nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, is now one of Northrop Grumman's six business sectors, but is expected to be folded into the company's Ship Systems sector by late 2003. Until then, company officials said, Newport News will "work closely with Northrop Grumman Ship Systems sector and other corporate elements to drive future cost savings and to achieve synergies in shared services and common procurement practices."
"Northrop Grumman employs a rigorous methodology involving several hundred process steps for the integration of acquired business," said Ronald D. Sugar, president and chief operating officer of Northrop Grumman. "The stand-up of the Newport News sector was accomplished without a hitch."
Thomas C. Schievelbein, a corporate vice president of Northrop Grumman, is president of the Newport News sector.
In other developments, the Newport News sector has been awarded a multiyear Naval Sea Systems Command contract valued at approximately $150 million for nonpropulsion work on Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at Naval Base Coronado, Calif. Newport News will lead a team that also includes National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Pacific Ship Repair and Fabrication Inc., Southwest Marine Inc., and Continental Marine.
Newport News also has been awarded a $42 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract modification for continued preparations for the refueling and comprehensive overhaul (RCOH) of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. RCOH of the Carl Vinson will begin in 2004 after her sister ship, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, completes its RCOH, which will extend the service life of the ship to 50 years.
Lockheed Completes Gear Testing Of Seventh-Generation Aegis
The latest upgrade of the Aegis Combat System, Baseline 7.1, has completed equipment testing by Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems (LM NE&SS) in Moorestown, N.J.
The Baseline 7.1 upgrade includes installation of a new radar, the SPY-1D(V), and the first complete commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Aegis computing architecture. The SPY-1D(V) will enable the Aegis system to "operate more effectively in littoral environments," company officials said, and provides "enhanced electronic countermeasures ... [that can be used] against advanced threats." The transition to COTS computing architecture will allow for easier introduction of future new features and upgrades to the Aegis system.
"The entire surface Navy will benefit from this tremendous increase in capability," said Fred Moosally, president of LM NE&SSSurface Systems. "This is a significant stride forward, providing advanced capabilities for the U.S. Navy fleet using a COTS environment."
The first production Baseline 7.1 system is being dismantled and shipped to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss., for installation in the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer Pinckney (DDG 91), which is scheduled to begin sea trials in August 2003. SPY-1D(V) radars are slated to be installed on a total of 18 Arleigh Burke-class DDGs.
In a related development, LM NE&SSSurface Systems has been awarded a $172 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract modification for multiyear requirements for development and production of the Aegis Weapons System through fiscal year 2005. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would raise the contract value to more than $884 million. LM NE&SS officials also have announced developments in the COTS-based Baseline 7.2 system, which will be retrofitted into an unspecified number of Aegis ships. The Baseline 7.2 improvements will include the Common Tactical Picture, the Joint Composite Tracking Network, the Aegis LEAP Intercept capability, and the SPY-1E S-band solid-state Aegis radar. Under the Navy's Cruiser Conversion Program, the SPY-1E could be retrofitted to ships equipped with Baseline 7.1.
LM NE&SS officials estimate that the reduced life-cycle costs expected from the Baseline 7.2 upgrade will result in $10 billion in savings for the Navy over the life of its Aegis fleet.
San Antonio Profile Changes Avondale Skyline
Construction of the lead ship of the new LPD 17 class of amphibious transport dock ships, the San Antonio, has progressed to the point where its structure can be seen along the banks of the Mississippi River.
The San Antonio, being built at the Northrop Grumman Avondale Operations shipyard in New Orleans, was nearing the 20 percent completion milestone at the beginning of April. Naval Sea Systems Command officials said that the LPD 17 design team also is "nearing completion of the detailed design, finalizing the computer modeling that will streamline production."
Northrop Grumman also has procured, ahead of schedule, all of the ship's four main diesel engines and three of her five service diesel generators.
The San Antonio is scheduled to be delivered in 2004. Prefabrication of LPD 18, the New Orleans, began in February 2002; her keel laying is scheduled for September 2002. The General Dynamics Bath Iron Works yard in Bath, Maine, is continuing prefabrication work on LPD 19, the Mesa Verde.
The San Antonio-class ships were designed and are being built by a team led by Northrop Grumman that also includes Bath Iron Works, Raytheon Company, and Intergraph Corporation.
Raytheon ESSMs Intercept Vandal, Harpoon in Sea Tests
RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles (ESSMs)--built by the Raytheon Company--successfully intercepted a supersonic target and actual cruise missiles for the first time during two recent at-sea tests.
On 27 March an ESSM--fired from the Navy's Self-Defense Test Ship (SDTS), the former destroyer Decatur--intercepted a Harpoon antiship cruise missile flying a low-altitude trajectory. The ESSM was launched in the HAW (home all the way) guidance mode, and its warhead destroyed the Harpoon after the ESSM's proximity fuze detected the target.
Earlier, on 6 March, an ESSM was launched against an MQM-8G ER Vandal low-altitude supersonic target simulating an antiship cruise missile. Upon detection the Vandal was assigned to the ESSM, which was fired using inertial mid-course guidance. The missile acquired the target, switched to terminal guidance, and intercepted the target. The missile's proximity fuze detected the target and detonated the ESSM's warhead.
"The primary reason for developing [the ESSM] ... is to defend against the modern supersonic threats," said Gary Hagedon, ESSM program director for Raytheon. "This test shows that the missile can intercept this type of antiship target."
The ESSM--an advanced ship self-defense missile designed to protect ships from antiship missiles that fly at low altitude and maneuver during their terminal approach--is in low-rate initial production for the U.S. Navy and nine of the 11 nations of the NATO SeaSparrow Consortium.
The ESSM firings--carried out off the coast of southern California--were the third and fourth successful tests of the ESSM since November 2001. On 6 February an ESSM intercepted a maneuvering, low-altitude, subsonic BQM-74E target. A firing on 25 January at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico was the third test conducted to verify the ESSM's compatibility with the Aegis Weapons System.
Lockheed Martin Array Completes TECHEVAL
The TB-29A towed acoustic array--designed by Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems-Undersea Systems--has completed the Navy's Technical Evaluation (TECHEVAL).
Navy officials said that the submarine's towed array "performed flawlessly" in Phase I, the warm-water test conducted on a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), according to Lockheed Martin officials. The array was successfully deployed and recovered and demonstrated its ability to discriminate signals in a cluttered undersea environment.
Phase II of the TECHEVAL, carried out in January and February 2002, evaluated the array's performance in cold water; analysis of this phase had not been completed by the end of March.
The TB-29A--assembled at the company's facility in Syracuse, N.Y.--is a 2,700-foot composite-material thin-line array streamed from a 1,200-foot tow cable stowed in a drum in the stern of a submarine. The array features 416 acoustic channels, a number large enough to permit the fixing of a target with considerable accuracy.
"These acoustic arrays will provide the Navy with the best possible capability for the foreseeable future," said Frank DeBritz, president of LM NE&SSUndersea Systems. "We believe the TB-29A is a significant improvement over previous arrays and, along with producing this array, we will continue to pursue improvements for future introduction."
LM NE&SS is under contract for 11 TB-29A arrays, three of which had been delivered by April 2002. The company was awarded a $10.6 million contract modification in March 2002 for engineering and technical development of the TB-29A. The Navy is expected to issue a low-rate initial production contract for several more TB-29As as early as the summer of 2002. L3 Communications is a major subcontractor for the system. Operational evaluation of the TB-29A is expected to take place in 2003.
The U.S. Navy has a requirement for 117 TB-29A arrays, which will be installed first in Los Angeles-class SSNs and later in Seawolf- and Virginia-class SSNs. LM NE&SS has been authorized by the U.S. Navy to discuss details of the program with the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence.
Raytheon's SEARAM Fired For Structure Tests
The SEARAM weapon system--designed by Raytheon Company--has successfully completed a series of tests designed to evaluate the structural integrity of the launcher and the ability of the system's sensors to withstand launch stresses.
Raytheon and Navy officials determined that the four blast test vehicles (BTVs) launched from the system experienced no rocket motor effects that could affect the system's infrared sensor. Three BTVs were launched in quick succession to demonstrate the SEARAM's salvo capability.
SEARAM is a combination of the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM)--built by Raytheon and RAMSYS of Germany--with the sensors of the Phalanx Block 1B close-in weapon system. The SEARAM is designed to deploy RAMs, fired from an 11-round launcher, to destroy sea-skimming antiship missiles.
"This success validates the merging of two proven weapons, Phalanx and RAM," said Troy Oberg, program manager for SEARAM at Raytheon. "The firings are another indication that SEARAM is a low-risk development and will make a significant impact on the future of ship self-defense systems worldwide."
Defense Industry Notes
Raytheon Company has been awarded a Naval Air Systems Command contract modification valued up to $350 million for the remanufacture of Tomahawk cruise missiles to the Block III configuration and for associated support services. Tomahawk missiles in Royal Navy stocks are included in the remanufacture program. Teamed with Raytheon in the contract are Williams International, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, and Atlantic Research Corporation.
FN Manufacturing Inc. of Columbia, S.C., has been awarded a $29 million Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division contract to provide 2,500 7.62mm lightweight machine guns and associated support equipment. Delivery of the weapons to Navy SEAL teams is expected to be completed by 2007.
EDO Corporation has been awarded a $6.3 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract to provide SQS-53C sonar transducer arrays for Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyers. Options, if exercised, could increase the value of the contract to approximately $58 million. Initial deliveries of the SQS-53C--a component of the SQQ-89 undersea warfare combat system--under the contract are scheduled for 2005.
Boeing Space and Communications has formed a team to pursue a contract to produce the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), a satellite-based mobile communications system designed to succeed the Navy's UHF Follow-On satellite system, which is providing tactical global communications for all U.S. forces, including those engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom. Boeing officials said that the MUOS "would provide warfighters with a key interoperable link to an integrated battlespace of networked terrestrial, airborne, and satellite communications systems." Teamed with Boeing are ViaSat, Hughes Network Systems, TRW Inc., Harris Corporation, and Science Applications International Corporation.
SAFE Boats International of Port Orchard, Wash., has been awarded a $10 million Department of Transportation contract under the 2002 Emergency Supplemental Act for 18 ports and waterways response boats for the Coast Guard. The boats--intended to enhance the security of U.S. waterways--will be deployed to Coast Guard stations throughout the United States for use by Coast Guard maritime safety and security teams.
Wide Band Systems Inc. of Rockaway, N.J., has been awarded a $9.65 million contract to provide modification kits for WLR-1H(V)7 electronic countermeasures receiver sets for the Navy and Coast Guard. The kits will be used to upgrade the current WLR-1H(V)5 sets on board Navy aircraft carriers and six Hamilton-class Coast Guard high-endurance cutters. New-production sets will join engineering development models on board the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy and the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan.
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