Defense of the Republic of the Philippines

The US Navy wants to find ships to kill using aerial drones launched from submarines

WASHINGTON – The name of the game in the Pacific is stand-off range. But with longer range torpedoes and anti-ship missiles in the arsenal, submariners are looking to a new domain to help them extend their deadly reach: The air.

In an October request for information, Naval Sea Systems Command’s Submarine Combat and Weapons Control Program Office asked industry for input into a “Submarine-Launched Unmanned Aerial System,” or SLUAS, currently in development.

The Navy has been interested in sub-launched drones for some time and has been testing prototypes, but the RFI shows the service is getting serious about the idea as it adds longer-range torpedoes and anti-ship cruise missiles to the arsenal of its attack submarines.

The idea for the SLUAS is an ambitious one.

The drone would launch from a submerged submarine out of a 3-inch ejector tube used for sonobuoys, flares and countermeasures among other things. The battery-operated UAS would then deploy its wings and operate for an hour, well beyond the range visible from just the low-in-the-water periscope.

Additionally, the UAS should have an “electro-optic capability with reliable target solution analysis,” the RFI said, adding that it should be able to “operate at ranges out to the line-of-sight radio horizon, and use a variable bandwidth encrypted datalink with at least 256-bit encryption strength.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/12/07/the-us-navy-wants-to-find-ships-to-kill-using-aerial-drones-launched-from-submarines/

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/12/08/macron-kicks-off-french-race-to-build-a-new-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier/

Macron kicks off French race to build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

The new aircraft carrier is expected to be the biggest warship France has ever built. Florence Parly, the armed forces minister, said in October that the ship, whatever its propulsion, would be designed to deploy the future combat aircraft system (FCAS) and today her ministry confirmed that the vessel would deploy about 30 of these aircraft “which will be bigger than the Rafales.”

The ministry said the ship would be in the 75,000 tonne class (82,673 tons), be around 300 meters long (984 feet) and be able to sail at 27 knots (31 mph), even bigger than the second aircraft carrier that Naval Group was working on in the early 2000s until that program was shelved by the government for lack of money. In comparison, the Charles de Gaulle is 261m (856 feet) long and weighs 42,000 tonnes (46,297 tons) fully loaded. The new ship will have a crew of about 2,000, including the air group.

< snipped >

It will have two K22 power generators each generating 220 megawatts (hence the 22) derived from the K15 (that generate 150 MW each) that currently power the Charles de Gaulle.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/12/03/israeli-navy-welcomes-new-generation-of-german-made-warships/


The first of four new Saar 6 ships, left, is docked in Haifa, Israel, on Dec. 2, 2020. Israel’s Navy has welcomed the first of four German-made warships that will be at the vanguard of the country’s efforts to protect its coastline and growing natural gas industry. (Heidi Levine/AP)

https://www.navaltoday.com/2020/12/07/video-1st-cape-class-patrol-boat-for-trinidad-and-tobago-launched/

Video: 1st Cape-class patrol boat for Trinidad and Tobago launched
December 7, 2020

Under a A$126 million contract awarded by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT), Austal is constructing two 58-metre boats for the TTCG, scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2021.

The new TTCG Capes are based on the 58-metre aluminium monohull patrol boat, first developed by Austal in Australia for Australian Border Force.

The vessels have a 4,000 nautical mile range and 28-day patrol cycle, with a crew of up to 22. Each Cape is equipped with two high-speed 7.3-metre rigid hull inflatable boats used for intercepting other vessels.

Photo: Austal

Austal Hull 398 - Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard Cape-class Patrol Boat Launch, November 2020
Dec 4, 2020
Austal

Video of the launch of the first of two 58 metre Cape-class Patrol Boats under construction at Austal Australia, for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard; Henderson, Western Australia November 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgWI3NERbKA

See Also: Wasp class LHD

=====

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a34837249/bonhomme-richard-navy-ship-scrapped-after-fire/


U.S. NAVYGETTY IMAGES
-

Firefighters fighting the blaze on the USS Bonhomme Richard, July 12, 2020.
U.S. NAVYGETTY IMAGES

https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/saar-6-class-corvettes/

The Sa’ar 6-class of corvettes includes a series of four new warships being built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) for the Israeli Navy.

Based on the German MEKO 100 patrol corvette, the Saar-6-class is designed to offer enhanced attack capabilities compared to its predecessor Sa’ar 5 class.

The warships will be used to conduct patrol duties in Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to protect the country’s gas reserves, shipping lanes and other strategic assets in the Mediterranean.

Sa’ar 6-class development

The Israeli Ministry of Defence placed an order with TKMS for four new patrol vessels in January 2015 and the order was finalised in May 2015.

The cost of construction is estimated at $480m, of which two-thirds will be paid by Israel and the German Government will subsidise the remaining amount with the Dolphin-class submarines.

The steel-cutting ceremony of the first ship was held in February 2018. The hull and superstructures of the ships will be built at TKMS’ shipbuilding facility in Kiel, Germany, while the outfitting of combat systems, sensors and other subsystems will be performed in Israel.

The four corvettes were christened INS Magen, INS Oz, INS Independence and INS Victory in April 2018.

The initial sea trials of INS Magen began in March 2020. The vessels are expected to be commissioned by the Israeli Navy between 2020 and 2022. In November 2019, Israel Shipyards received a contract from Israel’s Ministry of Defence and Navy for a floating dock with a ten years’ service agreement for maintenance and repair of Sa’ar 6-class corvettes and submarines.

infographics on the Saar 6. Image taken from navyrecognition.com

World War II Veteran Recalls Surviving Encounter in Pacific
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content May 25, 2020, at 11:19 a.m.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Justin Minor had just finished high school when Pearl Harbor was bombed.

The next year, in 1942, he was drafted. And his next three years would take him to two of the major theaters of World War II, including the now-famous Battle of the Bulge.

Minor is one of only about 300,000 World War II veterans who are still alive on this Memorial Day weekend, according to estimates from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs — just a fraction of the more than 16 million Americans who served in the war.

But even though many are now in their upper 90s, some still have vibrant memories of their time overseas.

Minor remembers being a dependable teenager when he joined the Army — his mother could set a clock by what time he would come home, he didn’t hang out on the streets, and he didn’t swear, he says.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/tennessee/articles/2020-05-25/world-war-ii-veteran-recalls-surviving-encounter-in-pacific

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/767249/us-donates-p1-38-b-worth-of-defense-gear-to-philippines-to-secure-borders/story/

US donates P1.38-B worth of defense gear to Philippines to secure borders
Published December 8, 2020 6:54pm

The United States defense department has donated P1.39 billion or $29 million worth of defense gear to the Philippine government to boost its efforts in securing borders, its Philippine counterpart said.

< snipped >

Miller also informed Lorenzana that one C130 military transport aircraft will be delivered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines on December 17.

< snipped >

The US defense department has also earlier transferred defense equipment to several special mission units of the AFP.

The DND said the new equipment will strengthen the AFP’s joint precision strike, sniper, riverine and counter-improvised explosive device capabilities.

US Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett also earlier handed over to the Philippine Navy a ScanEagle Unmanned Aerial System, while US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien donated P868 million ($18 million) in supplementary military equipment and training to the AFP. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/BM, GMA News