Navies

The United States Congress gave its blessing for the US Coast Guard to transfer a second ship to the Philippine Navy on February 10.  This approval is in keeping with the increased emphasis the United States is placing on the Asia-Pacific region. Most US-Philippine cooperative efforts have in the recent past been primarily focused on fighting terrorists.  Now, the US...

One of the largest fleets in NATO, the German Navy appears to have escaped most of the recent cuts imposed by the government’s austerity plan, since construction of the new vessels and upgrades for existing platforms seems to continue. However, the planned reduction of 60 percent in its defense budget could have negative effect in the future, if the government decides to press on with the cuts.

2nd Article in the 2011 Flashpoint - Asia Series | A major player in the Asian scene is the Peoples Republic of China. This rising giant is already in the midst an immeasurable and unprecedented economic growth period, but creating perpetual insatiately need for a stable and secure oil supply. Beijing's main supply route is from the Persian Gulf, via...

Photo above: Tichonderoga class missile cruiser CG 67 Shiloh fires a Standard Missile 3 on a missile defense test. Photo: US Navy In recent years the U.S. has increased its missile defense capability, with the introduction of enhanced capability Patriot (PAC-3) missiles, offering improved point defense against Short Range Ballistic Missiles. Sensors are also improved with AN/TPY-2 X-band radars providing detection...

Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are competing on the technology development phase of the next generation Standard Missile-3 Block IIB (SM-3 IIB) ballistic missile interceptor. Designated 'Next Generation Aegis Missile' (NGAM), the new missile will be developed for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, becoming a key component of the Obama administration's Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense in...

Long Range Strike Missile The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth $157 million for the development of an advanced long range anti ship missile (LRASM). The new anti-ship missile and its associated systems will extend the effective attack range of Navy warships beyond current or projected enemy anti-air and anti-ship capabilities. The new...

Three companies were awarded development contracts in 2010 to demonstrate conceptual designs for the Next Generation Aegis Missile (NGAM) – Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. While Raytheon, the manufacturer of all Standard Missiles has not been mentioned in relation to this future program it is likely that they will again partner with Lockheed Martin for this development. The...

The U.S. Navy is proposing a change in its plan to acquire a new class of warship called the Littoral Combat Ship. Until this week, the plan of record was to select a winning design from one of two competing teams, with the victorious team producing ten ships and then another source being selected in 2012 to produce five...

As the U.S. Army recommends terminating the NLOS-LS Weapon System, the Navy will have to keep the program alive, securing the principal surface weapon system of the Littoral Combat Ship Above: The LCS-2 Independence - the Precision Attack Missile (insert) is the principal surface attack weapon of this vessel.Photos: General Dynamics and Raytheon Following a review of its precision fires capabilities...

Iran began today (April 22, 2010) a large scale exercise held in the Persian Gulf, south of the Hurmoz Straits. Public demonstrations held today simulated a naval assault on enemy landing craft. The assault began with a direct attack by a swarm of fast boats, attacking the target with anti-ship missiles and, by RPGs from very close range. This...

The U.S. Navy is considering fielding a stealthy unmanned combat aircraft as part of a carrier strike group, as early as 2018. The Navy has recently published a request for information (RFI), a precursor for an acquisition process, calling for information on such concepts, optimized for irregular and hybrid warfare scenarios. The Unmanned Carrier-launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS)...

Israel is interested in acquiring two corvette size ships to extend its naval operational capabilities. Fielding the new IAI Barak 8 Extended Range Air Defense Systems, the new vessels are expected to become the world's first 'air defense corvettes', providing the Israeli surface fleet independence of air-cover for the first time, enabling the Israeli vessels to deploy further away...

Israel is interested in acquiring two corvette size ships to extend its naval operational capabilities. After analyzing the U.S. Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Israel decided these vessels would be too costly. While each LCS would have cost $480, Israel was prepared to spend up to $300 per ship, which roughly corresponds with what the Malaysian Navy spent on a similar...

The Lockheed Martin built Freedom class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) is already in service, and could be deployed for its first mission as early as next year (early 2010) – two years ahead of its scheduled maiden deployment. The second vessel, USS Independence has completed builders sea trials last week and is awaiting inspection by the customer, prior to...