Northrop Delivers 1st SEWIP Block 3 Jammer To Navy
The long-awaited jammer, a key defense against anti-ship missiles, will now enter land-based testing at Wallops Island, Va. But the Navy must do more, argues EW expert Bryan Clark.
Key Dems Question Biden Defense Budget; Ship Fight Likely
“The President’s Defense Budget Request is an outline and a starting point,” emphasizes Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Turning R&D into reality to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
Lasers: Beyond The Power Problem
Miitary lasers are getting more and more powerful, fast. But raw power isn't all you need for a workable weapon.
No More ‘Playing Defense’ For US Navy; Offensive Weapons Are The Play
“We’ve spent a lot of time over the past years playing defense,” Rear Adm. Ronald Boxall, director of surface warfare, said at the West 2019 conference here. "The best defense is a good offense, and the idea that we will go after the threat -- at range -- is something that we have to be able to do.”
Navy Rethinks 355-Ship Fleet: CNO Richardson
The Navy may back off its much-publicized call for a 355-ship fleet and look at new options like unmanned vessels, the Chief of Naval Operations said.
Robot Wolfpacks: The Faster, Cheaper 355-Ship Fleet
Smaller unmanned vessels will act as expendable scouts and decoys, larger ones -- over 50 meters -- will carry masses of missiles, while manned ships will carry both the largest systems and the human beings essential for rapid adaptation in combat.
The state of play in military space
The military space sector is evolving fast. Get the latest from Space Force and industry officials on what’s next for acquisition, policy and training in a new Breaking Defense eBook.
Destroyers Maxed Out, Navy Looks To New Hulls: Power For Radars & Lasers
ARLINGTON: The Navy has crammed as much electronics as it can into its new DDG-51 Flight III destroyers now beginning construction, Rear Adm. William Galinis said this morning. That drives the service towards a new Large Surface Combatant that can comfortably accommodate the same high-powered radars, as well as future weapons such as lasers, on […]
Navy Needs Plan To Update Old Ships’ Weapons: Hill Staff
"What's missing at this point is what the Navy's modernization strategy is," the staffer said. The ships in question have enough margin for growth that they could accommodate upgrades, but how much does it cost to keep upgrading old ships? How does the cost:benefit ratio of such upgrades compare to spending the same amount on new vessels? The Navy's plan is appealing "philosophically," the staffer said, "but the devil's in the details."
Keep Ships Longer To Boost Fleet Size: 355 Ships By 2035
Instead of growing from 284 ships now to 355 in 2052-2055, the timeframe officials cited in the past, the Navy could reach its goal in 2032-2035, said Vice Adm. Thomas Moore, chief of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
Navy Kludges Networks: $1M Per Carrier Strike Group, Per Deployment
SAN DIEGO: It takes a million dollars and at least 50 technical experts just to get a carrier strike group’s networks working right before a deployment, Navy officials said at the AFCEA-USNI WEST conference here last week. The Navy’s vision of future war against a major power — China or Russia — relies on secure, reliable, […]
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Voyager is accelerating access to space
After manifesting 1,400 payloads aboard the ISS, Voyager is applying its mission management expertise to the next generation of space stations, ensuring uninterrupted mission readiness and success from the ground to space.
Vice ADM Rowden: Scapegoat?
WASHINGTON: After a string of firings and retirements, the highest-ranking naval officer yet stepped down over accidents that killed 17 sailors. But was Vice Adm. Tom Rowden truly culpable in the summer 2017 collisions, or is he a scapegoat for deeper systemic problems? Our expert sources frankly disagreed. The argument against Rowden is simple. As […]
Top Gun For Warships: SWATT
SURFACE NAVY ASSOCIATION: As the overstressed surface fleet struggles to rebuild its readiness for great power war, it’s adding a whole new type of training exercise called SWATT. Modeled on the Top Gun program for naval aviators — itself created to rebuild dogfighting skills after heavy losses in Vietnam — Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training […]
Navy In Midst Of High-End War ‘Renaissance:’ Vice Adm. Rowden
UPDATED: Adds CNO Vision CRYSTAL CITY: Despite collisions this summer that killed 17 sailors and called into question basic seamanship skills, the Navy is undergoing a ‘renaissance’ in high-end warfighting capabilities, the commander of Naval Surface Forces says. New weapons, improved training, and a growing cadre of surface warfare specialists — veritable “Jedis” — are making […]
US Navy Is NOT Ready For Major War: Ex-Skippers, Bob Work
WASHINGTON: The US surface fleet may not be adequately trained for high-intensity combat, four experienced former skippers and the former deputy secretary of defense warned a US Naval Institute conference here on Monday. “Navigation and seamanship, these are the fundamental capabilities which every surface warfare officer should have, but I suspect if called to war, […]