Haifa, Israel – Elbit Systems Ltd. announced Dec. 23 that its U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America LLC, has signed a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. for the acquisition of Sparton Corp. for $380 million.  

The transaction is conditioned on various closing conditions, including receipt of U.S. regulatory approvals, the pursuit of which could encompass a number of months.

Headquartered in De Leon Springs, Florida, Sparton is a premier developer, producer and supplier of electronic systems supporting Undersea Warfare for the U.S. Navy and allied military forces.

“The acquisition of Sparton will strengthen Elbit Systems of America’s capabilities and will enable expansion of activities in the naval arena,” said Bezhalel “Butzi” Machlis, president and CEO of Elbit Systems. “We believe this acquisition will be beneficial for both Elbit Systems’ and Sparton’s employees and customers.” 

ARLINGTON, Va.—Flying several thousand feet above the Pacific Ocean, an air crew and a scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tossed cylindrical floats from a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft. Packed with data-gathering sensors to measure underwater conditions, the floats fell fast before orange parachutes opened to ease splashdown.

The action marked the first time such sensor-laden profiling floats, also called buoys, were deployed from a Marine Corps aircraft. This will increase naval knowledge of the ocean battlespace — including the littorals (areas of water close to shoreline), which are crucial to expeditionary and amphibious operations.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsored the effort, which involved Woods Hole and the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) and occurred during this year’s Trident Warrior, a large-scale fleet exercise conducted by the Navy and Marine Corps to test technology and tactics.

NAVO collects global oceanographic and meteorological data to create ocean-prediction models to support naval operations.

“Deployment of these floats creates a more vivid picture of how the ocean and atmosphere interact, including wind speed and water temperature and salinity,” said Dr. Scott Harper, a program officer in ONR’s Ocean Battlespace and Expeditionary Access Department. “They’re critical for compiling an abundance of data for the most up-to-date prediction models.”

When dropped, the floats, which contain sophisticated scientific instruments, sink to a predetermined depth, rise to the surface, transmit data via satellite to NAVO and descend again. They do this repeatedly over multiple months.

Dr. Steven Jayne, a Woods Hole senior scientist, oversaw the float deployment, which originally was supposed to occur during this summer’s Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, RIMPAC dramatically scaled down its scope, and Jayne and his team had to wait until Trident Warrior in the fall to conduct their research.

Traditionally, oceanographic sensor floats are deployed in deeper water from naval ships or aircraft like C-130s or P-3s. But greater naval focus on the littorals in recent years sparked discussions about using Marine Corps assets like the Osprey.

“Ospreys go wherever Marines go,” said Jayne. “Using them for sensor deployment expands both the versatility of naval oceanographic tools and the expeditionary capabilities of the Marine Corps.”

The sensor floats will drift for several months and provide real-time data to NAVO, which is working with the Naval Research Laboratory to create ocean-prediction models for the Navy and Marine Corps.

In addition to the littorals, ONR sponsors Jayne’s research using sensor floats for hurricane forecasting and studying polar conditions.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded a production contract for 19 GQM-163A “Coyote” supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicles, the company said in a Dec. 22 release. The $57 million award could be worth up to $250 million with options for an additional 84 target vehicles. This brings the GQM-163A targets ordered to date to 200. 

“The Coyote is the only supersonic sea skimming target in production in the U.S.,” said Rich Straka, vice president, launch vehicles, Northrop Grumman. “This is our fourteenth full-rate production contract of reliable and proven threat representative targets.” 

The Coyote is a high performance, supersonic target missile used to test naval ship defenses. The company uses 3-D printing extensively to build mockups, tooling, and preliminary design modifications. The design integrates a solid-fuel, air-breathing ducted rocket propulsion system with high performance avionics capable of providing multiple threat scenarios. 

Northrop Grumman designed, developed and first flew the Coyote in 2003. The company has since delivered 124 targets to the U.S. Navy and successfully launched them 79 times. 

The Coyote program is managed by the Naval Air Systems Command at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. The Coyote provides the Navy with a cost-effective target to simulate advanced supersonic anti-ship cruise missile threats. It can be used as a Mach 2.5+ sea skimming target or as a Mach 3.5+ diving target from an altitude of 52,000 feet. 

The Coyote is designed and built at Northrop Grumman’s state-of-the-art launch vehicle production facility in Chandler, Arizona. 

The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest Legend-class national security cutter, Stone (WMSL 758), departed from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division Dec. 22, sailing to its homeport in Charleston, South Carolina, the company said. 

“I cannot think of a better ending to 2020 than seeing the look of pride on the faces of our shipbuilders as Stone sails away from our shipyard to join the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. “Our workforce has provided the Coast Guard with another state-of-the-art, highly capable national security cutter that will work for decades to come to ensure our nation’s maritime safety and security.” 

Stone will be commissioned in early 2021 in Charleston, which is also home to cutters Hamilton (WMSL 753) and James (WMSL 754). 

Ingalls is the builder-of-record for the Legend-class NSC program and has delivered nine cutters with one more under construction and one additional under contract. 

Stone is named to honor Coast Guard Commander Elmer “Archie” Fowler Stone, Coast Guard aviator number one, who made history in 1919 for being one of two Coast Guard pilots in the four-man air crew who completed the first trans-Atlantic flight in a Navy seaplane. 

The Legend-class NSC is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet, which enables it to meet the high demands required for maritime and homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions. NSCs are 418 feet long with a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The U.S. Navy has awarded L3Harris Technologies a five-year, $496 million contract to deliver prototype tactical jamming pods designed to extend U.S. air superiority, the company said in a Dec. 21 release. 

The Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) is a high-powered, high-capacity airborne electronic warfare system. L3Harris’ single-pod solution enables extended stand-off jamming capability, covers a broad spectrum and processes an increased number of threats. The system operates seamlessly with joint and allied forces and provides growth capacity for emerging threats. 

“The Next-Generation Jammer Low Band contract highlights L3Harris’ long-standing commitment to support the U.S. Navy’s mission to maintain superiority on land, sea and in the air,” said Dana Mehnert, president, Communication Systems Segment, L3Harris. “The selection of L3Harris demonstrates our company’s strength as a technology prime to provide a truly unique solution that meets the Navy’s need to address all contested environments.” 

The company will deliver eight operational pods to the Naval Air Systems Command for fleet assessment, and additional test assets for airworthiness and design verification. The NGJ-LB pods will be flown on the EA-18G Growler and continue the Navy’s plan to address operational gaps and replace the aging ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System pods operating in the low frequency spectrum. 

SAN DIEGO — The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) completed its sustainment exercise (SUSTEX) and began a scheduled deployment Dec. 23, the U.S. Third Fleet Public Affairs said in a Dec. 23 release. 

The TRCSG returned from a six-month deployment supporting maritime security cooperation efforts and regional stability in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in July 2020. 
 
“Our Sailors worked incredibly hard to make sure we set sail with a healthy, capable, and ready crew,” said Capt. Eric Anduze, Theodore Roosevelt’s commanding officer. “Our success is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of our team and the support of our families and loved ones. Our Sailors and their families represent the best of this great nation and I’m unbelievably proud to be a part of the best team, on the best ship, in the best navy in the world. 
 
“We are at the highest state of readiness to support America’s interests around the world at a moment’s notice.” 
 
SUSTEX is an integrated and comprehensive exercise designed to test the strike group’s ability to compete and win in a high-end fight. 
 
“Completing SUSTEX confirmed that Carrier Strike Group Nine is ready to sail west to preserve freedom of the seas, deter aggression, and if necessary, win against any competitor,” said Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, Commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine. 
 
“The entire strike group team came together during a challenging time to train and ultimately prove that it is ready to answer any call. From long-range strike, to information warfare, to air defense, to surface and subsurface warfare, the strike group proved it is a combat-credible force capable of controlling the seas in conflict, preserving maritime security, and extending American influence during peacetime.” 
 
Prior to leaving their respective homeports, the more than 5,500 Sailors assigned to the TRCSG completed a pre-deployment sequester (PDS) in accordance with U.S. Pacific Fleet guidelines. The purpose of PDS was to reduce the risk of COVID infection among the crew while establishing a COVID-free strike group bubble. 
 
The TRCSG consists of Carrier Strike Group 9, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), Destroyer Squadron 23, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS John Finn (DDG 113). 
 
Theodore Roosevelt’s embarked air wing consists of the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31, “Golden Warriors” of VFA-87, “Blue Diamonds” of VFA-146, “Black Knights” of VFA-154, “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115, “The Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75, “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 and “Providers” of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron (VRC) 30 Detachment 3. 
 
 

America’s merchant fleet and maritime industry are vital to the nation’s commerce. The six state maritime academies together produce more than 70 percent of U.S. Coast Guard licensed officers each year. Along with the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the schools are addressing the shortage of qualified seafarers for U.S.-flagged ships. 

The six state maritime academies (SMAs) rely on dedicated platforms for at-sea training in in engineering, seamanship and navigation. Each of the schools have training ships owned by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), but the ships are getting old and challenged by maintenance, repairs and obsolescence, and were never intended for the school-ship role in the first place.

MARAD has embarked on an ambitious effort to replace the fleet of training ships with the new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV).  

Construction of the first two NSMVs will replace training ships at SUNY Maritime Academy and Massachusetts Maritime Academy, ships which are both more than 50 years old.

Steel was cut for the first NSMV Dec. 15 in Philadelphia. The keel laying is expected in about a year,  with delivery anticipated for early 2023. The new ship will replace SUNY Maritime Academy’s current school ship, Empire State VI.

The current training ships are not representative of the types of vessels on which academy graduates may expect to serve. The NSMV will have a modern, efficient and environmentally compliant diesel-electric power plant and state-of-the-art navigation equipment, which is more typical in commercial shipping today. 

Currently, all of the SMAs operate hand-me-down ships that have been adapted for the training mission. With the adoption of the NSMV, the academies will have a standardized and purpose-built state-of-the-art training platform.

NSMV will be 524.5 feet long with a beam of 88.6 feet and a draft of 21.4 feet. It will displace 19,237 tons. The NSMV is equipped with berthing, classrooms and laboratories to train up to 600 cadets, but can also support humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HA/DR) missions with medical facilities, a helicopter deck, roll-on/roll-off and container storage capacity, and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people in times of a humanitarian crisis. The ship is compatible with pier length, draft restrictions and mooring limitations at each of the academies, as well as being able to call at austere ports to conduct HA/DR operations.

Congress authorized funding for the fourth ship on Dec. 21, approving $390 million to fund construction of a fourth NSMV, which will be assigned to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy at Texas A&M University at Galveston, and is expected to be delivered to campus in 2025.

“Having the ability to live, learn, and train together as a single unit is essential to meeting our mission in educating and training the next generation of merchant mariners who go on to serve in both our armed forces and the maritime industry,” said Col. Michael E. Fossum, vice president of Texas A&M University, chief operating officer of the Galveston Campus and superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy.  The new ship will replace the 224-foot, 1,900-ton TS General Rudder, which began her career in 1983 as the USNS Contender, an ocean surveillance ship for the U.S. Navy.

“While the ship will serve as a state-of-the-art classroom for the maritime program at Texas A&M University at Galveston, it will also provide a key mission capability for disaster response along the Gulf Coast – able to respond to emergencies in other states and U.S. territories – and will provide a needed emergency response resource to Texas and the gulf,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management and vice chancellor for disaster and emergency services.

Herbert Engineering Corp. of Alameda, California, was responsible for generating the preliminary specifications and design. In May 2019, TOTE Services LLC was awarded a contract to be the vessel construction manager for the NSMV program. In April 2020, TOTE Services awarded Philly Shipyard Inc. the contract to construct up to five NSMVs. TOTE Services is working with its design partners – Glosten Inc., Philly Shipyard, and Philly Shipyard’s subcontractors, including the design team at DSEC – to deliver the first NSMV in early 2023. Key ship equipment includes GE Wabtec engines and generators, GE Transportation main generator engines, Cummins USA emergency generator sets and Bronswerk air conditioning systems.

“This program will further advance excellence in American maritime education and reignite the jobs engine that is America’s shipyards,” said MARAD Administrator Mark H. Buzby.

Current Training Ships

TS Empire State VI, ex-S.S. Oregon, ex-Mormactide
State University of New York Maritime College
Fort Schuyler, Bronx, NY
Built 1962/Converted 1989
Modified C4-S-1u commercial breakbulk freighter

USTS Kennedy, ex-USTS Enterprise, ex-MV Cape Bon, ex-MV Velma Lykes
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Built 1966/Converted 2009
C4-S-66a break bulk cargo freighter

TS State of Maine, ex-USNS Tanner (T-AGS 40)/ex-Upshur, launched as ex-President Hayes 1952
Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, Maine
Build 1990/Converted 1997
Maury Class Hydrographic Survey Ship

T/S State of Michigan, ex- USNS Persistent (T-AGOS-6), ex-USCGC Persistent (WMEC-6)
Great Lakes Maritime Academy
Traverse City, Michigan
Built 1985/Converted 2002
Stalwart-class Tactical Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship (TAGOS

TS General Rudder (ex- USNS Contender (T-AGOS-2), ex-T/V Kings Pointer)
Texas Maritime Academy
Galveston, Texas
Built 1984/Converted 1992
Stalwart-class Modified Tactical Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship

TV Golden Bear (ex-USNS Maury T-AGS 39)
California Maritime Academy
Vallejo, California
Built 1989/Converted 1996
Pathfinder-class survey ship

TV Kings Pointer, ex-MV Liberty Star
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, New York
Built 1981/Converted 2013
MV Liberty Star, NASA-owned and United Space Alliance-operated vessel for solid rocket booster SRB recovery ship supporting space shuttle missions.

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Reliance returned to homeport in Pensacola Saturday, Dec. 19, after a 36-day Caribbean Sea patrol, the Coast Guard 8^th District announced Dec. 21.

During the patrol the Reliance crew performed counter-drug operations in support of the U.S. Government’s Joint Interagency Task Force–South, and intercepted three vessels attempting to smuggle more than 3,300 pounds of cocaine and detained a total of nine suspected smugglers. Additionally, the cutter crew received more than 8,875 pounds of cocaine that were interdicted by other U.S. law enforcement agencies. The patrol was also critical in allowing Reliance’s crew to work on shipboard training, qualifications and proficiency to maintain operational readiness.

“I’m proud of my crew and what they were able to accomplish during our interdiction operations,” said Cmdr. Robert P. Hill, commanding office of the cutter Reliance. “We are essentially saving lives in a different way by keeping these illegal drugs out of our country.”

The U.S. Coast Guard works alongside interagency and international partners to prevent and respond to dangerous and illegal maritime smuggling from Central and South America. Reliance supported these efforts by patrolling the Southwestern Caribbean Sea in an effort to detect and deter maritime drug smuggling in the region.

Reliance is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter, which recently shifted its homeport from Kittery, Maine to Pensacola, Florida with a crew of 77. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcing federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

LOCKPORT, La.  – Bollinger Shipyards LLC on Dec. 22 delivered the USCGC Robert Goldman to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. This is the 165^th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 42^nd Fast Response Cutter delivered under the current program.

The USCGC Robert Goldman is the second of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110-foot Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest overseas presence outside the United States.

“Bollinger is proud to continue enhancing and supporting the U.S. Coast Guard’s operational presence and ensuring it remains the preferred partner around the world,” said Bollinger President & C.E.O. Ben Bordelon. “It is our top priority to ensure that the brave men and women of the Coast Guard stationed in PATFORSWA have the most state-of-the-art, advanced vessels as they work to build and maintain the necessary regional alliances to ensure maritime security in the region. Building ships for the Coast Guard provides critical assets to bolster our national security and advance America’s interests, both at home and abroad.”

At a PATFORSWA change of command ceremony earlier in the summer, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. Steven D. Poulin emphasized the importance of the unit, saying, “During these historical times it is important, now more than ever, that we maintain maritime security operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. [PATFORSWA is] pushing forward into the unknown to protect American interests in the region.”

PATFORSWA is composed of six cutters, shoreside support personnel, and the Maritime Engagement Team. The unit’s mission is to train, organize, equip, support and deploy combat-ready Coast Guard Forces in support of U.S. Central Command and national security objectives. PATFORSWA works with Naval Forces Central Command in furthering their goals to conduct persistent maritime operations to forward U.S. interests, deter and counter disruptive countries, defeat violent extremism and strengthen partner nations’ maritime capabilities in order to promote a secure maritime environment.

The majority of the USCGC Robert Goldman build occurred despite the COVID-19 global pandemic and six named storms impacting the Gulf region, all of which affected Louisiana and two of which made landfall in the state as hurricanes, including Hurricane Laura,  a Category 4 storm and the strongest to hit the state since the Great Storm of 1856. Bollinger undertook precautions to ensure the health and safety of employees and not only maintained its schedule but delivered the vessel 3 weeks early.

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished himself or herself in the line of duty. Robert Goldman enlisted in the Coast Guard in October 1942 as a pharmacist’s mate. In 1944 he reported for duty aboard the Coast Guard-manned, 328-foot Landing Ship, Tank-66, taking part in a campaign to retake the Philippines from the Japanese. On November 12, 1944, a Japanese kamikaze plane flew straight for the men gathered on the starboard side of the LST’s stern. Goldman witnessed the enemy fighter crash into the deck and explode. Goldman’s back was on fire from the aviation fuel, his right leg received shrapnel from the crashing fighter, and he suffered severe shock from the sudden crash and resulting carnage. Disregarding his own injuries, Goldman courageously treated the wounded and dying. For his heroic deeds, Goldman received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals.

The U.S. Navy conducted and announced two high-profile ship movements in recent days, both intended to send messages to international rivals.

In the latest, the USS John McCain (DDG 56) “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Spratly Islands, consistent with international law,” 7^th Fleet public affairs announced Dec. 22.

One day earlier, the nuclear-power Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729), along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal (CG 73) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), transited the Strait of Hormuz entering the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 21, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced.

The Navy said the USS John McCain exercise was aimed at “challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan” in the South China Sea.

“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,” the 7^th Fleet said in a press release.

China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines claim sovereignty over some or all of the Spratly Islands. Of those, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan require either permission or advance notification before a foreign military vessel engages in “innocent passage” through the territorial sea, the 7^th Fleet noted.

“Under international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention, the ships of all States – including their warships – enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. The unilateral imposition of any authorization or advance-notification requirement for innocent passage is not permitted by international law, so the United States challenged these requirements. By engaging in innocent passage without giving prior notification to or asking permission from any of the claimants, the United States challenged the unlawful restrictions imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The United States demonstrated that innocent passage may not be subject to such restrictions.”

In what was widely seen as a show of capability to Iran, the Dec. 21 voyage of a heavily armed submarine and cruisers through the Strait of Hormuz, part of the U.S. 5^th Fleet area of operations, “demonstrates the U.S. Navy’s ability to sail and operate wherever international law allows,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a press release.

“As an inherently flexible maneuver force, capable of supporting routine and contingency operations, Georgia’s presence demonstrates the United States’ commitment to regional partners and maritime security with a full spectrum of capabilities to remain ready to defend against any threat at any time.”

SSGNS are equipped with superior communications capabilities, carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and can also be configured to host up to 66 Special Operations Forces.

The 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three chokepoints, which the Navy says are critical to the free flow of global commerce.