| Tactical
Tomahawk Begins Final Test Phase
By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor
A Block IV Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile--built by Raytheon Missile
Systems--has been launched for the first time from an operational surface
combatant equipped with the Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control System. The
test, conducted in the Naval Air Systems Command sea range off southern
California, marked the beginning of the final phase of government evaluation
of the new missile.
The missile--launched from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer
USS Stethem--was the first of four scheduled for launch from ships and
submarines during the missile's operational test phase. During the 5 April
test, the missile "established a satellite link with its launch platform
and passed numerous tactical messages to demonstrate its real-time command
and control communication capability," according to a Navy statement.
The missile flew 780 nautical miles to its target while using the Global
Positioning System to update its navigation.
A test flight conducted on 21 March at the White Sands Missile Range,
N.M., marked the first live test of the Penetrator variant of the Tactical
Tomahawk. This variant--developed under an Advanced Concept Technology
Demonstration sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
and the Naval Air Systems Command--is designed to defeat weapons of mass
destruction. The Penetrator variant is fitted with a Hard Target Smart
Fuze, also developed under DTRA sponsorship.
The 21 March test "demonstrates the significant versatility of the
Tactical Tomahawk to support a variety of payload options that can be
delivered at extended ranges, making it a highly effective weapon choice,"
said Louise Francesconi, president of Raytheon Missile Systems.
Among the improvements incorporated in the Tactical Tomahawk are systems
that upgrade the missile's in-flight-retargeting, tactical-loiter, and
battle-damage-assessment capabilities, as well as mission planning on
board the launch platform and the ability to transmit in-flight health
and status reports.
In a related development, Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance
Systems has been awarded a $13.8 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract
to continue work on integration of the Tactical Tomahawk with the Mk41
Vertical Launching System as part of the Navy's Cruiser Conversion Program--an
effort to upgrade 22 of the 27 Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers
with enhanced combat capabilities.
The Tactical Tomahawk is scheduled to reach initial operational capability
in mid-2004. Raytheon officials say that the cost of the Block IV will
be less than half that of the current Block II and III versions of the
Tomahawk.
NGSS Awarded Contracts For Deepwater Cutter
Design
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS) has been awarded two contracts from
Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) for detailed design and long-lead
material procurement for the first National Security Cutter (NSC).
The two contracts, totaling $129 million, mark a major step forward in
the development and delivery of the new class of cutters, which are intended
to replace the Coast Guard's current fleet of high-endurance cutters.
The NSC is the only mandated component of the Integrated Deepwater Program,
the Coast Guard's recapitalization initiative to modernize and replace
its rapidly aging ships, aircraft, and systems.
ICGS, prime contractor for the Deepwater Program, is a joint venture
of NGSS and Lockheed Martin.
NGSS will begin detailed design of the NSC at the New Orleans Engineering
Center of Excellence, where the company completed its preliminary and
contract design phase for the new cutter. NGSS expects to begin fabrication
of the first NSC in mid-2004 and to deliver the ship in 2006.
"We are extremely pleased with this announcement, as it supports
our design effort in the U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater Program," said
Philip A. Dur, president of NGSS and corporate vice president of Northrop
Grumman. "These contracts will provide the means necessary to produce
a detailed design and allow us to purchase long-lead materials for the
first ship.
"Now more than ever, the Coast Guard needs a modern force of National
Security Cutters to defend our interests against those who would threaten
the security of our homeland," Dur said.
Lockheed Martin SPY-1 Mods Succeed in Tracking
Tests
Two new-generation variants of the SPY-1 radar--a major component of
the Aegis Weapon System designed and built by Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics
& Surveillance Systems (LM NE&SS)--have completed tests involving
the tracking of live targets.
The first production SPY-1D(V) radar--a feature of the seventh generation
of the Aegis system--has demonstrated its ability to track live air tracks
during the first live shipboard testing of the new radar. The SPY-1D(V)
is designed to enhance operation of the Aegis system in a littoral environment
and to more effectively defeat electronic countermeasures.
The upgraded Aegis system--which is the first to incorporate complete
commercial-off-the-shelf Aegis advanced processing computer architecture,
and represents a major step toward an open architecture--will be introduced
to the fleet when it is installed on the 41st Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyer, USS Pinckney (DDG 91), which is scheduled for sea trials in
August 2003. A total of 22 DDGs are expected to be equipped with the SPY-1D(V).
The newest SPY-1 variant, the SPY-1F, also has successfully demonstrated
its ability to track live air targets. The SPY-1F is planned for installation
on five Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates being built by IZAR (of Ferrol,
Spain) and Lockheed Martin for the Royal Norwegian Navy. The first SPY-1F
will remain at the LM NE&SS facility in Moorestown, N.J., through
2003 and eventually will be installed in the lead ship of the class.
Boeing Proposes Data Link For Harpoon Missile
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems--which has successfully marketed the
Harpoon Block II cruise missile to nine foreign nations--has proposed
an enhancement to the Block II that would improve its strike capability
by increasing its precision and flexibility. The upgraded version, designated
Harpoon 21, would include a data link to permit targeting updates while
the missile is en route to its target.
The Harpoon cruise missile, which added a potent blue-water cruise-missile
capability to ships and aircraft of the U.S. and allied Navies, was given
a littoral and coastal land-attack capability with the introduction of
the precision Block II version. The upgraded missile has a range greater
than 67 nautical miles and can reach a target 60 nautical miles away in
less than eight minutes. The Global Positioning System (GPS), integrated
with the missile's inertial navigation system, improved the missile's
accuracy sevenfold in terms of target-to-ship selectivity and tenfold
in terms of target-to-shore selectivity.
The integration of a data link in the Block II is designed to allow in-flight
target updates transmitted from airborne platforms such as an SH-60B or
MH-60R helicopter or an unmanned aerial vehicle. The updates would reduce
the search area to a search point and enable the crew to either retarget
the missile or abort the attack. Feedback from the missile--GPS coordinates
or radar video, depending upon customer requirements--would allow a bomb-impact
assessment.
The Harpoon 21 is based on the Block II version of the missile and includes
a data-link transmitter/receiver and its associated antenna. Link 16 is
among the link systems being considered.
Boeing officials point out the compatibility of Harpoon 21 with network-centric
warfare and the Sea Strike pillar of the Sea Power 21 strategy advocated
by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark.
The cost estimate of Harpoon 21 is evolving, said James W. O'Neill, general
manager for naval weapons with Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The
company has invested more than $90 million in development of the Block
II version. Boeing officials also point out that the current inventory
of Harpoon Block 1Cs could be remanufactured into Harpoon 21s at relatively
low cost.
ESSM Completes OPEVAL With "Flying Colors"
The Raytheon-built RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) has completed
the Navy's operational evaluation and awaits final assessment by the commander
of the Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force.
"Preliminary data indicates it will be a positive assessment,"
said Capt. Ken Graber, the Navy's ESSM program manager, at the Navy League's
Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Washington, D.C.
The ESSM passed the evaluation "with flying colors," said Neil
King, domestic launcher programs manager for Lockheed Martin, which builds
the Mk41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) that will serve as the ESSM launcher
in many U.S. Navy and foreign ships.
In March, the ESSM passed the Navy's technical evaluation, conducted
in the form of two test firings from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyer (DDG) USS Shoup.
The RIM-162 ESSM--a kinematic upgrade to the RIM-7P NATO SeaSparrow--is
designed to defend against faster, lower-flying, highly maneuverable antiship
cruise missiles.
The ESSM--scheduled for initial operational capability in 2006--is being
developed by a consortium of 10 nations, seven of which also are participating
in the development of a system that can launch the ESSM from a quadpack
inserted in a Mk41 VLS. The international nature of the ESSM program is
expected to reduce the cost of the program by 50 percent.
Because the ESSM is manufactured on the same Raytheon production line
as the Standard surface-to-air missile, economies of scale can be achieved
more easily by interspersing production of the two missiles according
to the requirements of the customers.
The Baseline IV and later configurations of the Mk41 VLS will be capable
of launching the ESSM from DDG 79 and subsequent Arleigh Burke-class DDGs.
The ESSM Mk41 launching system also will be retrofitted in Ticonderoga-class
guided-missile cruisers CG 52 though CG 73 as part of the Cruiser Conversion
Program.
Raytheon Team Broaches BUBL
An advanced submarine payload launcher has been successfully tested in
water, according to the Raytheon Company, leader of the four-member Forward
Payloads and Sensors for Submarines (Forward PASS) consortium.
The Broaching Universal Buoyant Launcher (BUBL) has recently demonstrated
"hydrodynamic stability and
hydrostatic robustness," according to Steve Brecken of Raytheon's
Media Relations.
The BUBL concept envisions a universal weapon encapsulation capability
that would permit any payload--
including present and future missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles--to
be deployed from any submarine under any operating conditions. The BUBL
program--which encompasses the construction of prototype capsule structures,
electronics, sensor, and power subsystems--is expected to culminate in
the launch of an Army missile airframe. If the program is successful,
initial operational capability of the BUBL could be achieved by 2007,
depending on the payloads selected.
"The successful BUBL demonstration and test is a true testament
to the value of focus and collaboration," said Richard Buchanan,
vice president of submarine and undersea systems for Raytheon Integrated
Defense Systems. "The Forward PASS consortium is a model partnership
with the cooperative teaming on government and industry talents working
together to bring the best possible products to the fleet."
Teamed with Raytheon in the Forward PASS consortium are Electric Boat
Corporation--a General Dynamics company--and TPI Composites. The Naval
Undersea Warfare Center's Newport Division in Newport, R.I., is providing
support for the program.
Defense Industry Notes
* Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems has been
awarded a $164.2 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract for engineering
the Aegis Weapon System for a Kongo-class guided-missile destroyer of
the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force under the Foreign Military Sales
program.
* Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove has signed legislation authorizing
proceeds from the sale of $48 million in bonds to help Northrop Grumman
Ship Systems (NGSS) expand and modernize the company's Ingalls Operations
in Pascagoula, Miss. NGSS also is allocating $96 million of its own capital
to the expansion of Ingalls and its Gulfport Operations in Gulfport, Miss.
Among the planned improvements at Ingalls are the addition of new blasting
and painting halls, a state-of-the-art automated steel processing panel
line, additional technology design and procurement space, and an increase,
of more than 400,000 square feet, in the ship construction area available
for the Navy DD(X) and Coast Guard Deepwater programs. Gulfport Operations
is scheduled for a three-year conversion into the first primary composite
combatant-ship manufacturing facility.
* Vision Systems International--a joint venture between EFW Inc. and
Rockwell Collins--has been awarded a $60.1 million contract from Boeing
for a third low-rate initial production batch of more than 300 Joint Helmet-Mounted
Cueing Systems (JHMCSs). The JHMCS provides the pilots of Navy and Marine
Corps F/A-18 strike fighters and Air Force F-15 and F-16 fighters with
accurate weapon and flight symbology (projected on the helmet's visor)
to enable head-up, eyes-out operation during air-to-air and air-to-ground
strike missions.
* Isotta Fraschini--an Italian company with a North American subsidiary,
Isotta-FDGM in Chesapeake, Va.--provided engineering support for U.S.
Navy mine warfare ships staged in the Persian Gulf during the war in Iraq.
The Navy's minehunters and minesweepers are powered by Isotta Fraschini
non-magnetic diesel engines. The company has established full-service
support facilities for the Navy's mine warfare ships in Ingleside, Texas;
Sasebo, Japan; and Bahrain.
* Electric Boat Corporation--a General Dynamics company--has been awarded
a $59.3 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract for lead yard services
in support of the construction of Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack
submarines.
* Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems has teamed with Advanced Acoustic
Concepts to pursue the Navy procurement contract for the Surface Ship
Torpedo Defense program. The team's concept includes acoustic sensors
to detect incoming torpedoes; decision aids to classify, identify, and
localize targets; and command-and-control technology to engage countermeasures
and/or launch an anti-torpedo torpedo.
* DRS Technologies has been awarded Naval Sea Systems Command contracts
worth a total of $66.4 million to provide power electronics and control
equipment for several classes of Navy combatant ships, advanced design
work for the next-generation DD(X) destroyer and CVN 21 aircraft carrier
programs, and engineering and technical services for surface combat system
computer networks.
* Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has delivered the 39th Arleigh Burke-class
guided-missile destroyer to the Navy two months ahead of schedule. The
Mustin (DDG 89)--the 18th ship of the class built at NGSS Ingalls Operations
in Pascagoula, Miss.--is scheduled for commissioning on 26 July 2003 in
San Diego, Calif.
* Raytheon has been awarded a $45.5 million Naval Sea Systems Command
contract modification for Block 1B upgrades to the Mk15 CIWS (Close-In
Weapons System) deployed on many Navy ships.
* The commissioning of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan--originally
scheduled for 10 May 2003--has been postponed because of construction
delays. The CVN--built by Northrop Grumman Newport News Operations--is
now scheduled to be commissioned on 12 July 2003.
* The System 3000 high-resolution side-scan sonar--built by Klein Associates
Inc.--has been employed by the Navy Supervisor of Salvage and by Phoenix
International in the search operation for debris from the space shuttle
Columbia. The sonar has been deployed to conduct searches of four lakes
in Texas. *
|
