WASHINGTON — The State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Canada of Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IIIC missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $500 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a release.  

The Government of Canada has requested to buy 100 Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IIIC missiles and 100 Mk13 Vertical Launch System canisters modified to employ the SM-2 Block IIIC missile.  

The proposed also would include “obsolescence engineering; integration and test activity associated with production of subject missiles; canister handling and loading/unloading equipment and associated spares; training and training equipment/aids; technical publications and data; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support; and other related elements of logistical and program support, the release said. 

This proposed sale will provide Canada with SM-2 Block IIIC missiles for installation on its planned 15 Canadian Surface Combatant ships, ensuring its ability to operate alongside U.S. and Allied naval forces against the full spectrum of naval threats.  

The principal U.S. contractor will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, Arizona. 

The U.S. Navy Department’s Education for Seapower Strategy is on track to roll out its first major project in 2021, a community college to improve intellectual development and military professionalism among enlisted personnel.

The U.S. Naval Community College (NCC), aimed at turning enlisted members of the sea services into critical thinkers as well as better warfighters, is preparing to launch a pilot program in January with upwards of 500 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.

The pilot will work with civilian universities and colleges to deliver distance learning in subjects such as nuclear engineering, cybersecurity, data analytics, ethics and leadership. Eventually, the NCC will offer a common core of Naval/Maritime studies to provide participants with a similar grounding to the standardized naval science courses taught at the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval ROTC programs, according to NCC President Randi Cosentino.

“The idea is that we will deliver the naval and warfighting components of our academic programs, and we will partner with top colleges and universities that deliver exceptional online programs and outcomes in the program areas in which they excel,” Cosentino explained in a recent email exchange with Seapower.

More than 100 institutions have expressed interest in working with the NCC. The goal is to narrow that down to six to 10 core college and university partners, explained Cosentino, who was appointed NCC’s first president in April. Prior to that, she was chief academic officer at Guild Education, which works with Fortune 500 companies like Disney and Walmart to provide college-level education and training to their workforces.

Cosentino, who has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A from Harvard University, said the pilot has two purposes, first to place naval students in the best online programs in the country delivered over modern learning systems. Secondly, to learn about successful course and program completion as the USNCC matures.

A second pilot, with as many as 5,000 students, is planned for 2022, with classes to begin in the Summer/Fall timeframe. That pilot will enroll students in targeted associate degree programs at several partner institutions. Feedback from that pilot will help finalize NCC’s approach to student support, partnerships with colleges and universities and delivery mechanisms to make sure the new school can achieve its mission.

That mission “is to produce graduates steeped in naval traditions and values, who have sound ethical decision-making abilities, possess improved critical thinking skills, and possess a deeper understanding of the complex global maritime environment in which they operate,” Cosentino told Seapower.

Following the lead of the 2018 National  Defense Strategy, which declared professional military education has “stagnated,” both Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger’s Planning Guidance and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday’s January 2019 Frago (fragmentary change) order  stressed the need for learning as a warfare enabler.

OTTAWA – General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada announced today it has been awarded the Halifax-class Combat Systems (HCCS) in-service support contract, valued at $182 million over six years.

General Dynamics will support the Royal Canadian Navy’s operational readiness and sustainment objectives, providing support to six Combat Systems on 12 Halifax-class ships, RCN Fleet Schools, Fleet Maintenance Facilities and the Naval Electronic Systems Test Range Atlantic and Pacific.

“General Dynamics has a long and proud history of working closely with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Navy – building on 30 years of support to the Halifax-class ships,” said David Ibbetson, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission Systems–International. “With this contract, we are proud to maintain technology-driven careers from Halifax to Ottawa and Victoria for years to come.”

This ISS contract will help ensure the RCN’s HCCS Equipment Group, which largely includes radar systems, are ready for any mission. General Dynamics is also upgrading and maintaining underwater sensors on the Halifax-class ships via the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade contract, further contributing to technologies that generate economic impact for Canada.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, supporting the U.S. Air Force, has awarded L3Harris Technologies an order for nearly 1,000 Falcon IV AN/PRC-163 two-channel handheld tactical radios that will provide Air Force personnel with Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) airmen with advanced communications capabilities, the company said in a Nov. 9 release. The order is part of a five-year Navy Portable Radio Program IDIQ contract received in 2017. 

The AN/PRC-163 is a multi-channel, software-defined radio that meets the Air Force’s requirements for a small, multiband, multifunction and multi-mission tactical radio. The radio’s enhanced interface is easy-to-use, and the flexible software-defined architecture enables users to quickly add new waveforms and capabilities such as Mesh ONE. The addition of mission modules allow tailored applications for specific missions such as ISR full-motion video.  

L3Harris’ Falcon IV radios are integrated network systems that can simultaneously communicate over multiple channels and crossband between those channels. They are capable of satellite communications, VHF/UHF/L/S-band and multiple mobile ad-hoc networking waveforms including ANW2, WREN and U.S. Army tactical waveforms. 

Air Force TACPs can now access mission-critical information at a glance via interface with the Special Warfare Assault Kit, which enables blue force tracking and supports coordination of air-to-ground and ground-to-ground fires using multiple NSA type 1 waveforms. Situational awareness is advanced through the ISR mission module’s full motion video capabilities. 

“L3Harris’ AN/PRC-163 provides the TACP community with the most advanced, interoperable handheld radios for the Joint Terminal Attack Controller mission,” said Dana Mehnert, president, Communication Systems, L3Harris. “The radios deliver maximum flexibility in the joint domain and are a critical enabler of the future of the Advanced Battle Management System communications network. The AN/PRC-163 is being fielded by USSOCOM and the U.S. Army, which provides critical networking capability to the JADC2 architecture.” 

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc., has been selected to continue to provide the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps with fleet fighter jet training support services under the Fighter Jet Services (FJS) program, the company said in a Nov. 9 release.  

ATAC will provide up to 8,500 flight hours per year of fleet support air training services for approximately five years under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, worth up to $441 million. The training will be provided by ATAC’s fleet of Mirage F1, F-21 Kfir, and Mk58 Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft and is expected to commence in the spring of 2021.  

“ATAC is proud to continue providing tactical flight training support services to the U.S. Navy and its allies and partners, further cementing the company as the leader in the contracted air services industry,” said Scott Stacy, ATAC General Manager. “We look forward to adding additional years to our two decades of established Navy and Marine Corps support of fleet exercises, ship services, fleet replacement squadron syllabi, fleet squadron adversary requirements, Joint Terminal Attack Controller training and Research, Development, Test and Evaluation flights. With additional ATAC aircraft and pilots coming online, we are well positioned to continue to expand our flight operations.”  

In addition to the Navy Fighter Jet Services program, an ATAC-led team trains Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) under the U.S. Navy’s Terminal Attack Controller Trainer (TACT) program. ATAC has also recently won significant contracts to provide adversary air training for three U.S. Air Force bases and JTAC training services to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command under the U.S. Air Force Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support (CAF CAS) program.  

ATAC is the global leader of tactical airborne training, having pioneered much of what are now contracted air services industry standards with a fleet of over 90 aircraft, over 65,000 flight hours, and 20 years of operating experience. ATAC has provided a wide range of contracted air support capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense in locations world-wide, including the Continental United States, Hawaii and the Western Pacific region. ATAC has helped train crews from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps and regularly operates out of as many as 25 different air bases per year. 

SAN DIEGO — General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) recently completed the first phase of a maintenance and operational support contract awarded by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), the company said in a Nov. 6 release.  

The first phase of the contract provided for the maintenance of Navy NMQ-1B remoted piloted aircraft (RPA) located at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California. The second phase will involve operational training support for pilots to operate the NMQ-1s, which will be used as targets in Navy training scenarios.  

“We look forward to further collaboration opportunities with the U.S. Navy,” said Barton Roper, GA-ASI senior vice president of Strategic Development. “Our Predator-series RPA have a proven record of success as assets for military training and real-world operations.” 

Phase 2 of the contract is expected to be executed in early 2021, culminating with a Navy NMQ-1B operational evaluation flight. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy is sailing full speed ahead on its Columbia ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) program with a $9.47 billion contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat for the full construction of the future USS Columbia (SSBN 826) — the lead ship of the class — and for advance procurement, advance procurement, and coordinated material buys for the second boat of the class, the future USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827).

The Naval Sea Systems Command contract, announced Nov. 5 in a virtual press conference with reporters by James F. Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, was ready in waiting for the execution of the fiscal 2021 defense budget, but the Navy obtained authority from Congress to make the award as an exception to the limitations of the current continuing resolution.  

The Columbia program, a recapitalization of the Navy’s strategic deterrent nuclear submarine force, is the service’s No. 1 acquisition priority. The Navy plans to build “at least 12” Columbia SSBNs to replace its fleet of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs, according to Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, program executive officer for the Columbia program, also speaking at the conference. The Columbia will carry the same Trident D5LE ballistic missile type as the Ohio class. 

Geurts said the Columbia program was on track and stressed the importance of keeping it that way. He praised the efforts of Electric Boat and the Navy’s program team and their workers for the hard work in keeping the program on schedule. 

Pappano said the Columbia will be delivered in fiscal 2027 and will be on patrol early in fiscal 2031. The SSBN likely will serve into the 2080s.  

Capt. Scott Rucker, the Columbia program manager who also spoke at the conference, noted that the last start of a new SSBN occurred in the 1970s. He said the Columbia, over the last decade, has gone through numerous design reviews and production reviews and is in a high state of design completion.   

Rucker said the Columbia program had more than 5,000 suppliers in 48 states. 

Geurts, noting that the Columbia design was more mature “than any other sub we’ve ever done,” said that the next major program event would be the full construction contract for the Wisconsin in 2024. 

He said that early efforts had “burned off” much of the technological risk but that the Navy was hawking the program continuously to protect the margin in the schedule. 

Pappano said the program used large-scale land-based prototyping and construction prototyping to shake out the design and processes and reduce risk. Some advance construction he noted included the missile tube compartment, with 13 tubes delivered to date, 11 of which have been completed for the Columbia and the Royal Navy’s new class of SSBN. He and that he was confident of the boat’s new nuclear reactor and permanent magnet motor.   

Rucker said the cost for the lead boat would be $7.44 billion in calendar 2017 dollars. Congress has set a threshold of $8 billion in 2017 dollars for the average cost of subsequent boats, noting that the cost includes government-furnished equipment. He said congressional authorities in the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund were leveraged for the program.  

Rucker said the first quad pack of missile tubes for the Columbia would be competed in February 2021. Huntington Ingalls’ Newport News Shipbuilding has started construction on the stern, which will “come out” in spring 2021 and “the bow will go in.” He said that large sections of the ship already are in construction. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) is now in full production mode for the propulsion sections of the U.S. Navy’s Mk48 submarine-launched torpedo, a company official said. The company also plans to bid on components for an upcoming Foreign Military Sales contract for the torpedo. 

In a Nov. 4 interview with Seapower, Steve Rigdon, vice president for Programs at SAIC, said the company currently is building and delivering 260 after-body tail cones for the torpedoes, which contain the propulsion system and the propeller. In August 2020 the Navy exercised the fourth and final option of the contract for $84.8 million for the torpedo’s production, which includes torpedoes for Australia and Taiwan. Deliveries under this option are scheduled to begin in October 2022 and be completed by October 2023. 

The Navy has restarted procurement of the Mk48 torpedo to shore up its inventory for its submarine force. Earlier production of the torpedo — originally built by Gould — had ceased in the mid-1990s. SAIC received a contract to build the after-body tail cones. Lockheed Martin builds the guidance-and control section. The Navy is providing the fuel tanks and warheads for this production run of weapons. 

Rigdon said the Naval Sea Systems Command has issued a Request for Proposals for a new seven-year contract for procurement for both after-body tail cones and fuel tanks for the Mk48. 

“We also recently won a fuel tank contract from NUWC [Naval Undersea Warfare Center] Keyport, [Washington], and that is for FMS purposes,” he said. “We’re currently building fuel tanks as well.” 

Navies other than the U.S. Navy that have procured the Mk48 include those of Australia, Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, and Turkey.   

Rigdon said that has been one of the biggest challenges has been reinvigorating the supply chain. 

“We were working off of a [technical] data package that was pretty old and there were some technical challenges as well as getting the supply chain back up and delivering the assemblies and components that we need,” he said. “It’s been an engineering challenge; it’s a challenge we’ve been up to.” 

He also said his facility has maintained full-rate production despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the program management and engineering staff have been working remotely.  

SAIC has received accelerated funding under the CARES Act for the torpedo program, receiving 90 percent of incurred cost rather than the pre-pandemic arrangement of 80 percent. 

SAIC is building the torpedo assemblies with about 25 production workers at its facility in Bedford, Indiana, located adjacent to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, The final assembly and testing of the torpedoes is conducted by the NUWC Keyport. 

“Every single one [after-body tail cones] will go through multiple in-water runs before it’s deemed a war-shot [torpedo],” Rigdon said, noting that the Navy’s Intermediate Maintenance Activity in Keyport completely disassembles, cleans, and re-assembles the tail cones after every in-water run.  

“A lot of the success in this program is because of the partnership between the Navy and SAIC,” He said. “Our singular focus is delivering these after-bodies to the best submarines in the world so that they have the best weapons in the world.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy on Nov. 2 announced F-35C modifications to the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) under a contract structure now in place to deliver the second USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) aircraft carrier, employing a single-phase acquisition strategy, instead of two-phase, as originally planned. 

“Shifting to single phase and incorporating the F-35C modifications will enable the delivery of a more capable and lethal carrier,” said James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. “Initiating this work now will build on the lessons learned from USS Gerald R. Ford to maintain the optimal construction timeline for the shipyard and to avoid inefficiencies. 

“From the shipbuilder’s and Navy’s perspective, this is the most efficient and effective way to get this capability quickest into the hands of our warfighters,” Geurts added. 

In early February, Geurts approved a request by the program executive officer for aircraft carriers, Rear Adm. James P. Downey, for a single-phase delivery strategy that would deliver CVN 79 from the current construction period with its warfare system and F-35C capability. 

When future USS John F. Kennedy entered construction in June 2015 at Huntington-Ingalls Industries–Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) the Navy pursued the two-phase delivery approach to align construction with development of the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) suite. The EASR is replacing the dual-band radar deployed on the lead ship of the class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). 
 
Progress on the ship’s warfighting system supports the single-phase contract — as well as a path to fleet operations that meets warfighting requirements outlined in the National Defense Strategy. 

“Everyone, from shipyard workers to the design engineers to the crew, is looking forward to fully incorporating the new warfare system and the F-35C modifications,” said Capt. Philip E. Malone, program manager for the John F. Kennedy. “The U.S. Navy and the shipbuilder have made a commitment to deliver JFK in 2024, and the team is delivering on that promise every day.” 

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) awarded a modification to the construction contract for the second ship in the Ford class of aircraft carriers to HII-NNS Nov. 2.  The award delivers the CVN 79 from the current construction period with its warfare system installed and incorporates F-35C Joint Strike Fighter modifications. 
 
This contract modification supports legislative requirements for CVN 79 to be capable of deploying with the F-35C Lightning II strike fighter before the ship completes its post-shakedown availability. Congress had mandated the change in Section 124 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-92). 

USS John F. Kennedy was christened and launched last December and is completing system construction, outfitting, and testing pierside in Newport News. 

AT SEA — The Independence Class Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) is conducting enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of operations and has seen great success since arriving on station in October, the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet Public Affairs Office said in a Nov. 4 release.

The ship has proven to be an invaluable asset through strengthening partnerships while also improving interoperability with U.S. forces in the region. 

“U.S. Fourth Fleet is refining globally relevant processes supporting forward deployment,” said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander U.S. 4th Fleet/U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. “This team is partnered across the Navy testing new approaches that can refine and improve LCS operations.  These concepts are expanding LCS operational reach, increasing operational availability, and enhancing engagement with our partners.” 

Gabrielle Giffords recently completed a routine Planned Maintenance Availability executed by 24 Sailors from the Maintenance Execution Team deployed onboard the USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10), an afloat staging base deployed as a testbed to support new concepts for expeditionary LCS maintenance and support.  Several concepts show promise. 

“We are able to demonstrate our capabilities on a daily basis,” said Cmdr. Rion Martin, USS Gabrielle Giffords’ commanding officer. “I’m extremely proud of our efforts. This week, we were able to demonstrate our advance warfighting capabilities with the use of our Mk110 57mm gun when we conducted a sinking exercise on an unmanned vessel that was determined to be a hazard to navigation.” 

To date, Gabrielle Giffords, with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team, has seized over 2,200 of suspected cocaine worth an estimated wholesale value of $83.2 million dollars supporting enhanced counter-narcotics operations. 

Additionally, Gabrielle Giffords conducted at-sea replenishment with a partner nation oiler, and a cooperative deployment with five ships from the Salvadoran Navy in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Their operations enhanced maritime domain awareness and warfighting partnership. 

Gabrielle Giffords also worked with the “Winged Warriors” of 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment to complete MH-60L Black Hawk flight deck landing qualifications in support of Joint Task Force-Bravo’s mission, ready to support humanitarian and civic assistance, counterdrug, contingency and disaster relief operations in Central America. 

Both Gabrielle Giffords and Burlington will participate in the upcoming UNITAS LXI exercise hosted by Ecuador, the longest-running multinational maritime exercise in the world, building and exercising regional maritime readiness.  UNITAS brings together like-minded nations to hone warfighting skills and ensure readiness to quickly assemble an effective team in a crisis.