USA Armed Forces

[SKB]

[xav]

[VIDEO] U.S. Navy's Strike Weapons: LRASM, HALO, Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles

Interview with Rear Admiral Steve Tedford, the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO U&W) during the Navy League's Sea Air Space 2023 maritime exposition.

We focused on future and current strike weapons. RDML Tedford, PEO U&W, discussed the following topics:

00:40 - Introduction of PEO U&W
01:22 - LRASM Long Range Anti-Ship Missile program update
02:57 - HALO Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface program
04:30 - Tomahawk cruise missile program
05:20 - Tomahawk for US allies (UK Royal Navy, Australia, Japan... and the Netherlands)
06:14 - Harpoon anti-ship missile program

[SW1]

Giving an idea of the distances involved US MH-47s conducted a 1600 mile round trip evacuation of their embassy in Sudan overnight staging thru Ethiopia and conducting multiple air to air refuelling

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/s ... from-sudan

In all, more than 100 SOF troops took part in the rescue of fewer than 100 embassy personnel, Sims and Bass said. The Associated Press reported that about 70 people were evacuated in total. That included members of the Marine Corps Embassy Support Group Region 6, who had been guarding the embassy.

“I'd also like to take this opportunity to shine an especially appreciative light on the incredible duty carried out by the U.S. Marines who have been protecting and defending the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum,” said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Chris Maier. “The Marines who protect many of our embassies overseas do not often get the credit they deserve. Their courage under duress represents America at its best again in this instance.”

The rescue began at 9 a.m. Eastern, when “a contingent of U.S. forces lifted off from Djibouti and landed in Ethiopia,” Sims said. “The aircraft, including three MH-47 Chinooks, refueled in Ethiopia before flying approximately three hours to Khartoum. The evacuation was conducted in one movement via rotary wing. The operation was fast and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum. As we speak, the evacuees are safe and secure.”

The flight was about 800 miles each way, Sims said.

[Halidon]

Prepare for Interesting Times
https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display ... -platform/

[xav]

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced in Paris June 29, 2023 that a future Constellation-class guided-missile frigate will be named USS Lafayette (FFG 65).

[SW1]

Certainly did have this on the bingo card for 2023 new aircraft, now where was those plans for the Sunderland kept….

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a ... y-aircraft

Florida company plans to turn an iconic World War II seaplane design into a modern aircraft it claims can perform airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
Dubbed the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, the aircraft is based on the historic Consolidated PBY 5 Catalina that provided maritime patrol, light transport, and search and rescue, among other duties.

[SW1]

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/ ... em-pacific

The U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) has conducted a successful test of the Rapid Dragon pallet system as part of its massive exercise across the Pacific, as the command wants to include the system in all of its planning.

The command, when asked about the Rapid Dragon’s involvement in the Mobility Guardian 2023 exercise, said that it “in coordination with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command successfully conducted a palletized effects test.”

The Rapid Dragon system, initially developed by Air Force Special Operations Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), uses an air-dropped pallet to launch cruise missiles or other systems.

The system, first tested in 2021, originally focused on the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Missile (JASSM), though the service has expanded the system to other munitions and systems, such as cargo-delivering drones. The system has completed three phases of testing: demonstration on the C-130 and C-17 with JASSM, command-and-control testing for retargeting, and validated deployment systems. The system is currently undergoing a phase of testing focused on high-altitude drop, jettison and deconfliction of “operationally relevant payloads and is working toward powered flight tests,” AFRL says.

[Little J]

Certainly did have this on the bingo card for 2023 new aircraft, now where was those plans for the Sunderland kept….

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a ... y-aircraft

Florida company plans to turn an iconic World War II seaplane design into a modern aircraft it claims can perform airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
Dubbed the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, the aircraft is based on the historic Consolidated PBY 5 Catalina that provided maritime patrol, light transport, and search and rescue, among other duties.

Wouldn't the Japanese try and sell them the US-1 (they did change their laws to sell more didn't they)?

It would be cool to see more seaplanes in service in more countries...

[SW1]

Certainly did have this on the bingo card for 2023 new aircraft, now where was those plans for the Sunderland kept….

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a ... y-aircraft

Florida company plans to turn an iconic World War II seaplane design into a modern aircraft it claims can perform airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
Dubbed the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, the aircraft is based on the historic Consolidated PBY 5 Catalina that provided maritime patrol, light transport, and search and rescue, among other duties.

Wouldn't the Japanese try and sell them the US-1 (they did change their laws to sell more didn't they)?

It would be cool to see more seaplanes in service in more countries...

Well they could try but the the US politics rarely allows such things they protect there defence manufacturing base vigorously. Look what happened when we tried to sell them a330mrtt and assemble it in mobile!

[Tempest414]

Certainly did have this on the bingo card for 2023 new aircraft, now where was those plans for the Sunderland kept….

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a ... y-aircraft

Florida company plans to turn an iconic World War II seaplane design into a modern aircraft it claims can perform airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
Dubbed the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, the aircraft is based on the historic Consolidated PBY 5 Catalina that provided maritime patrol, light transport, and search and rescue, among other duties.

Wouldn't the Japanese try and sell them the US-1 (they did change their laws to sell more didn't they)?

It would be cool to see more seaplanes in service in more countries...

Well they could try but the the US politics rarely allows such things they protect there defence manufacturing base vigorously. Look what happened when we tried to sell them a330mrtt and assemble it in mobile!

yes one of the few times was Harrier for the USMC

[SW1]

Certainly did have this on the bingo card for 2023 new aircraft, now where was those plans for the Sunderland kept….

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a ... y-aircraft

Florida company plans to turn an iconic World War II seaplane design into a modern aircraft it claims can perform airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
Dubbed the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, the aircraft is based on the historic Consolidated PBY 5 Catalina that provided maritime patrol, light transport, and search and rescue, among other duties.

Wouldn't the Japanese try and sell them the US-1 (they did change their laws to sell more didn't they)?

It would be cool to see more seaplanes in service in more countries...

Well they could try but the the US politics rarely allows such things they protect there defence manufacturing base vigorously. Look what happened when we tried to sell them a330mrtt and assemble it in mobile!

yes one of the few times was Harrier for the USMC

Yes indeed but it didn’t take them long to get MD to start developing harrier 2!

[SW1]

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... k-battery/

JLTV unmanned vehicle has another string to its bow after having naval strike missile integrated now tomahawk. As this is in effect a mk41 cell that would mean it could also have camm quad packed. Quite the potential capability

[SW1]

https://www.navaltoday.com/2023/08/02/h ... estroyers/

They just keep building them maybe there’s a lesson there instead we junk our designs off and start again at the earliest opportunity

[Repulse]

https://www.navaltoday.com/2023/08/02/h ... estroyers/

They just keep building them maybe there’s a lesson there instead we junk our designs off and start again at the earliest opportunity

Agreed - the argument is that we need to keep our design skills, but if the ship meets the requirement then why no enjoy the economies of scale. T26 is the way to go, between the UK, OZ and Canada we should be able to get @50 in the water.

[new guy]

https://www.navaltoday.com/2023/08/02/h ... estroyers/

They just keep building them maybe there’s a lesson there instead we junk our designs off and start again at the earliest opportunity

Agreed - the argument is that we need to keep our design skills, but if the ship meets the requirement then why no enjoy the economies of scale. T26 is the way to go, between the UK, OZ and Canada we should be able to get @50 in the water.

I don't think it will ever reach 32, let alone 50. And there really isn't per say any effort right now to unite the ++ GCS supply chains.

[Ian Hall]

[SW1]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... plane.html

Marine Corps investigators have launched an inquiry after one of their pilots ejected from an F-35 fighter aircraft over South Carolina on Sunday afternoon.

A spokesman for Joint Base Charleston said the pilot was in a Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort F-35 when the 'mishap' occurred.

He was found alive and taken to a nearby medical center after parachuting into South Kenwood Drive just a few hundred yards from the airbase in North Charleston

[Ian Hall]

The ships are among other Freedom-class littoral combat ships the Navy axed ahead of the end of fiscal year 2023. The Navy also decommissioned the Milwaukee in September after less than 10 years of service and the Sioux City in August after less than five years of service.

The Freedom-variant class of ships has been plagued with a defect that would require replacing the combining gears. Regardless of cost to solve the problem, service officials claim that the ships are not equipped to go head-to-head against China.

Still, Navy Times’ sister publication, Defense News, determined that decommissioning the ships early adds up to a nearly $7 billion loss, based on data from the Congressional Budget Office.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... k-to-back/

[SW1]

https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-REL ... terranean/

TAMPA, Fla. – The United States has begun moving USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean. This includes the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80). We have also taken steps to augment U.S. Air Force F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. The U.S. maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this posture if required.

"USCENTCOM stands firmly with our Israeli and regional partners to address the risks of any party seeking to expand the conflict," said General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, Commander, U.S. Central Command.

[SW1]

https://x.com/sentdefender/status/17139 ... q02bHexwZA


Reports that the Bataan amphibious ready group and the 26 MEU repositioning into the Eastern Mediterranean.

[Tempest414]

Lets hope China sends a Amiphb group with 1 x Type 075 , 2 x type 071 , 2 x Type 055 , 3 x Type 054A and 2 x type 093 just to spice thing up a bit and not let the US have it all its own way

[SW1]

Further developments in the Middle East

https://x.com/cavasships/status/1715090 ... q02bHexwZA

Pentagon just confirmed that today 19 Oct US destroyer CARNEY DDG64 in the Red Sea intercepted and shot down 3 land-attack cruise missiles launched by Houthi forces in Yemen. Spox BGEN Pat Ryder noted the targets of the missiles and drones are not certain. Engagement is "ongoing"

[Halidon]

5" Mk45 got in on the action

[SW1]

This is what global expeditionary looks like not sound bites

https://x.com/space_osint/status/171860 ... q02bHexwZA

This Sunday morning's USAF () airlift to and from the Middle East and European hubs: twenty-nine C-17 aircraft, three C-5Ms and six KC-135s.

This is just an illustration of the scale of the air bridge. It excludes non-USAF flights and probably includes some unrelated flights.

[new guy]

This is what global expeditionary looks like not sound bites

https://x.com/space_osint/status/171860 ... q02bHexwZA

This Sunday morning's USAF () airlift to and from the Middle East and European hubs: twenty-nine C-17 aircraft, three C-5Ms and six KC-135s.

This is just an illustration of the scale of the air bridge. It excludes non-USAF flights and probably includes some unrelated flights.

but also not all of them.