WASHINGTON — The Navy Strategic Systems Programs successfully conducted a second test of the First Stage Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Oct. 28 in Promontory, Utah, as part of the development of the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive hypersonic strike capability and the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), the Navy’s Office of the Navy Chief of Information said Oct. 29. The offensive weapon systems will enable precise and timely strike capability against deep inland targets in contested environments. 

”Today’s successful test brings us one step closer to the design validation of our new hypersonic missile that will be fielded by both the Navy and the Army,” said Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe Jr. director, Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs, which is the lead designer for the common hypersonic missile. ”We are on schedule for the upcoming flight test of the full common hypersonic missile. Our partners across government, industry, and academia are continuing the excellent work that is essential to providing a hypersonic capability to our warfighters as quickly as possible.” 

This SRM test is part of a series of tests validating the newly developed common hypersonic missile. This live fire test follows previous tests of the First and Second Stages on May 27 and August 25, 2021. This static fire test marked the first time the First Stage SRM included a thrust vector control system. The thrust vector control system is a key component of the missile booster that allows the rocket motors to be maneuverable in flight. 

U.S. peer competitors are weaponizing and fielding hypersonic capabilities, creating warfighting asymmetry that must be addressed. These tests are vital in developing a Navy-designed common hypersonic missile that the Navy and Army will field. The common hypersonic missile will consist of the first stage SRM as part of a new missile booster combined with the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB). 

The Navy and Army are on track to test the full common hypersonic missile that will be a catalyst for fielding the CPS and LRHW weapon systems. The services are working closely with government national laboratories and industry to continue developing and producing the common missile. 

“This test continues to build momentum to deliver hypersonics capability for our warfighters in support of the National Defense Strategy,” said Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood, director of Hypersonics, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisition. “Fielding hypersonic weapons is one of the highest priority modernization areas the Department of Defense is pursuing to ensure our continued battlefield dominance, and the joint team did a tremendous job executing this test and keeping us on schedule.” 

Information gathered from ongoing tests will further inform the services offensive hypersonic technology development. Hypersonic weapons are capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), are highly maneuverable and operate at varying altitudes. The common hypersonic missile design for sea and land-based applications provides economies of scale for future production and relies upon a growing U.S. hypersonics industrial base. 

SOUTH CHINA SEA — Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Murasame-class destroyer JS Yudachi (DD 103) and Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) operated bilaterally in the South China Sea, said Lt. Cmdr. Lauren Chatmas, U.S. Navy, Destroyer Squadron Seven Public Affairs. 

Joining to form a Surface Action Group (SAG) while transiting, the ships practiced a range of surface warfare tactics to include flight operations, communications drills and coordinated tactical maneuvering, all designed to enhance interoperability and enabling the ships to practice bilateral tactics in close proximity to one another. 
 
“Meeting our JMSDF allies in the South China Sea allowed both of our teams to build readiness as we sail in the Indo-Pacific,” said Cmdr. Michael Root, Jackson Gold Crew commanding officer. “The complex maneuvering and operations we accomplished without meeting face-to-face reflects the strong friendship and maritime professionalism that our nations and navies share.” 
 
Coming together with partners and allies at sea allows the U.S. Navy to operate closely with other navies and in ways shore exercises do not allow. It further provides the crews with real-life situations to practice their everyday watchstanding and communication skills with foreign vessels. 
 
“On our way to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to engage counter piracy mission, we met with USS Jackson, and conducted various tactical training,” said Cmdr. Wakushima Hidetaka, JMSDF JS Yudachi commanding officer. “Despite COVID-19, Japan and U.S. naval forces are working closely in any sea area, making full use of the characteristics of the naval force.” 
 
Attached to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, Jackson is on a rotational deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the region, and to work alongside allied and partner navies to provide maritime security and stability, key pillars of a free and open Indo-Pacific. 
 
As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed destroyer squadron in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Singapore, functions as Expeditionary Strike Group 7’s Sea Combat Commander, and builds partnerships through training exercises and military-to-military engagements. 
 
Under commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 

BAE Systems has received a $26 million contract to equip the U.S. Navy’s Constellation class frigates with the fully automatic 57mm Mk 110 naval gun, the company said in an Oct. 28 release. 

The contract, awarded earlier this month, includes engineering support and calls for two Mk 110s for the USS Constellation (FFG 62) and USS Congress (FFG 63). The new Constellation class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates is designed to operate in blue water and in the littorals, for an increased forward naval presence. 

The Mk110 gun system, known internationally as the Bofors 57 Mk 3, is the deck gun of choice for the Constellation class. It is a multi-mission, medium-caliber shipboard weapon, effective against air, surface, or ground threats without requiring multiple round types. The system is capable of firing up to 220 rounds per minute at an effective range of more than nine nautical miles using BAE Systems’ six-mode programmable, pre-fragmented, and proximity-fused (3P) ammunition. 

“The selection of the Mk 110 for the U.S. Navy’s Constellation class frigates signifies confidence in the gun system and its ability to meet current and future needs in shipboard defense,” said Brent Butcher, vice president of the weapon systems product line at BAE Systems “The Mk110 gun system provides this next-generation frigate with the continued performance that our surface fleet has come to expect from its intermediate caliber guns.” 

This contract also includes providing a Mk110 system to the U.S. Coast Guard’s third Argus Class Offshore Patrol Cutter, USCGC Ingham. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2023 under the contract with Naval Sea Systems Command Integrated Warfare Systems 3C (NAVSEA IWS).  

The 57mm Mk 110 is currently in service on the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship and the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter. To date, BAE Systems is providing 39 Mk110 guns to the Navy and 15 to the Coast Guard. Worldwide, 103 Mk110/57 Mk 3 naval gun systems are under contract with nine nations. 

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — BAE Systems has been awarded a five-year Systems Engineering and Integration Support Services contract to continue supporting the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office, the company announced Oct. 27. The contract, worth up to $478 million, was awarded in September 2021. 

“We are proud to continue providing full system-level lifecycle capabilities to SSP that will help advance their digital engineering strategy to ensure the readiness of the Navy’s strategic missions,” said Lisa Hand, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions. “BAE Systems brings extensive systems integration expertise to a wide range of defense initiatives that support two-legs of the nation’s nuclear triad.” 

The SSP oversees the Strategic Weapons System and Attack Weapons System on-board current U.S. Ohio and U.K. Vanguard class submarines, as well as on future U.S. Columbia and U.K. Dreadnought class submarines. 

CLARKSBURG, Md. — Thales Defense & Security Inc. has serviced more than 1,300 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) subsystems over the past eight years, a key milestone in the primary sustainment activities for ALFS, the company announced Oct. 28.

For more than 20 years, Thales Defense & Security Inc. has been the primary sustainment service provider for ALFS, demonstrating a continued commitment to onshore maintenance in the United States. 

Thales, a leader in antisubmarine warfare (ASW) systems, continues to support the U.S. Navy and various countries eligible for Foreign Military Sales program via production, maintenance, and logistics support of the ALFS. 

For more than 20 years the U.S. Navy has deployed the ALFS system which is based on the FLASH (Folding Light Acoustic System for Helicopters) dipping sonar family of products. 

Onboard the U.S. Navy and other navies’ ASW MH-60R helicopters, the ALFS anti-submarine warfare system is capable of detecting and classifying submarines. 

Thales Defense & Security Inc. is increasing its U.S. based sustainment capabilities by bringing additional repair operations onshore to further increase the throughput of repairs already performed in the U.S. These new processes bring a majority of the repairs closer to the Navy providing shorter turnaround times that enhance readiness. Additionally, this will enable the development of new skills and create more U.S. jobs. 

This further supports the recent contract Thales signed with Lockheed Martin RMS for additional ALFS system deliveries and for continued sustainment support under Seahawk Performance-Based Logistics. 

“We are very proud to expand our domestic U.S. support to the U.S. Navy for the ALFS systems,” said Mike Sheehan, president and CEO, Thales Defense & Security, Inc. “It is a decisive advantage to be closer to our customer and reaffirm our commitments to providing U.S. based capabilities.”   

“Thanks to this new achievement, Thales strongly raises its ability to support the U.S. Navy from the USA whilst providing the best of breed antisubmarine warfare operational systems and technology for the benefit of the U.S. Navy,” said Gwendoline Blandin-Roger, managing director, underwater systems. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy is facing a bow wave of fiscal challenges as it launches or proceeds new major ship, aircraft and shipyard programs as it seeks to build the fleet the nation needs, the Navy’s budget director said.  

“The elephant in the room is, of course the availability of funding,” said Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Budget (FMB) and director, Fiscal Management Division, N82, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, speaking in a webinar sponsored by the Navy League of the United States and Huntington Ingalls Industries and moderated by Dr. Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and vice president of the Telemus Group. 

“Here we are in 2021, and we’re looking at our Columbia-class [ballistic-missile submarine] coming on line, consuming large values in R&D [research and development] as well as our SCN [Ship Construction, Navy] appropriation; and at the same time trying to invest in the next large surface combatant R&D [DDGX], SSNX [Next-Generation Attack Submarine] R&D, and also the Next-Generation Air Dominance at the same time,” Gumbleton said. “[Plus] the extra ‘bonus’ of trying to recapitalize our century-old dry dock facilities, so, essentially, reinvesting in a modern shipyard. 

“All these are Navy challenges and our cross to bear so to speak, but, in a capital-intensive service, where you’re trying to keep production of destroyers, frigates, aircraft carriers [going], it just speaks to the enormous challenge of trying to do this in a smart fashion within a topline granted,” the admiral said. 

Asked about the Navy’s force structure — which currently is a subject of a Defense Department global force review — Gumbleton said a range in the number ships may be more useful for planning rather than a fixed number.  

“Any plan — you put any number out there, is guaranteed to be wrong,” he said. “It is helpful to say, ‘How precise can we be?’ We introduce the capabilities that these platforms may need to bring to bear and what type of mix — manned or unmanned, etc. — and what that might mean to a future force structure. An incredibly complex effort. I think a range speaks to the assumptions that underly any study. So, if we were to assume that we were going to have a manned/unmanned mix, that they have very different capabilities, that implies that there might be a future state where this range can reflect what choices we take with those assumptions.”  

WASHINGTON — The future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), the Navy’s 12th San Antonio class-amphibious transport dock ship, conducted builder’s sea trials Oct. 26, Team Ships Public Affairs said Oct. 27. 

Builder’s trials consist of a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations that allow the Navy and the shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, to assess the ship’s systems and readiness prior to acceptance trials and delivery to the Navy. 

“The completion of builder’s trials is a great first step in ensuring operational readiness of the vessel and the capabilities it will soon bring to the fleet,” said Capt. Scot Searles, San Antonio Class Program Office, program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The collaboration between the Navy and our industry partners ensures that we’ll have a capable and ready ship for our Sailors.” 

The San Antonio-class is designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing Marines and their equipment by conventional or air-cushioned landing craft. The ship’s capabilities are further enhanced by its flight deck and hangar, enabling the ship to operate a variety of Marine Corps helicopters and the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Because of the ships inherent capabilities, they are able to support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations, expeditionary warfare, or disaster relief missions, operating independently or as part of Amphibious Readiness Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups or Joint Task Forces. 

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Division is currently in production of the future USS Richard S. McCool (LPD 29) and the future USS Harrisburg (LPD 30). LPD 28 and 29 will serve as transition ships to LPD 30, the first LPD 17 Flight II ship. 

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain — U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) completed exercise New Horizon, the first at-sea evolution for its new unmanned task force, the command’s public affairs said Oct. 26. 

During the two-day training exercise, Task Force 59 integrated and evaluated new MANTAS T-12 unmanned surface vessels (USV) that operated alongside manned U.S. patrol craft and Bahrain Defense Force maritime assets. 

This marked the first time NAVCENT integrated USVs with manned assets at sea in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. New Horizon was also the first time for NAVCENT’s integration of USVs with manned assets at sea alongside partner forces. 

“Working with our regional partners on unmanned systems integration is crucial to enhancing collective maritime domain awareness,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “Bahrain, as our first regional partner to collaborate with Task Force 59 during an at-sea exercise, demonstrates the strengthening of our strategic relationship.” 

The first phase of New Horizon, conducted Oct. 20, featured operators controlling the USVs aboard patrol coastal ship USS Firebolt (PC 10), while the vessels conducted high-speed maneuvers in formation. 

The final phase on Oct. 26 brought together a larger force of manned and unmanned maritime and aerial assets from NAVCENT, the Royal Bahrain Naval Force and Bahrain coast guard. Participating units also included patrol boat USCGC Maui (WPB 1304), an MH-60S helicopter, a V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle and Bahrain naval force patrol craft. 

Both U.S. and Bahraini forces practiced operating the vessels in formation to strengthen mutual understanding and interoperability. 

“This is a significant milestone for our new task force as we accelerate the integration of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence into complex, cross-domain operations at sea,” said Capt. Michael Brasseur, commander of Task Force 59. “Real-world evaluation is essential.” 

NAVCENT established the task force Sept. 9 to focus U.S. 5th Fleet efforts on unmanned systems and artificial intelligence integration. 

The U.S. 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 21 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen. 

TYSONS, Va. — CORAS, an enterprise decision management software company in Tysons, Virginia, has won a prototype project agreement under the other transaction authority with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic for the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP).

The focus of the prototype is to improve and troubleshoot shipboard information technology systems. As part of this effort, CORAS will leverage artificial intelligence and natural language processing software from Plasticity Inc. Other transaction authority refers to the authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototypes, research, and production projects.

The combined efforts of the IWRP team, Advanced Technology International, the manager of the IWRP consortium, and CORAS staff were critical in the speed of awarding the PPA.

CORAS President Dan Naselius said, “We are excited to expand CORAS’ footprint within the U.S. Navy. Implementing Plasticity’s superior AI/NLP capabilities within CORAS’ FedRAMP High Cloud security will help the Navy leverage data and root cause analysis to run tactical systems expediently and efficiently, and simultaneously gather and identify more information.”

Alexander Sands, Plasticity cofounder, said, “Natural language processing is driving even deeper insights from data to power government and commercial decision-making. We’re excited to integrate Plasticity into CORAS’ OTA effort to bring secure, state-of-the-art NLP to a tactical DoD environment.”

Plasticity provides NLP and machine learning software to companies across a variety of industries including government, finance, commerce, and healthcare. Plasticity’s software is used by more than 200 companies for semantic language understanding, question answering, and entity extraction, as well as in machine learning pipelines.

LONDON — The USS The Sullivans, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has departed the U.K. Carrier Strike Group after a five-month contribution to the global deployment, the U.K Ministry of Defence said Oct. 26. 

Having worked with the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) for the last 13 months, USS The Sullivans has departed from the group after seven months deployed alongside Royal Navy vessels.   

The destroyer and its 280-strong crew have made a significant contribution, both in the pre-deployment exercising off the coast of Scotland last spring and throughout the CSG’s deployment since May.  

USS The Sullivans played a key role in numerous exercises from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and back, including countries like Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore, as well as NATO. Such exercises develop interoperability between militaries, enhancing regional stability and security. 

“The Sullivans’ ship’s motto says everything about the special relationship between the U.K. and U.S. navies: ‘We stick together,’” said Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey. “I’d like to thank all of her ship’s company for their outstanding contribution to the Carrier Strike Group deployment.” 

Commissioned in 1997 and named after the five Sullivans brothers who tragically lost their lives when their ship was sunk in World War II, USS The Sullivans is one of the escort ships providing air defense to aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth during its inaugural global deployment.  

“USS The Sullivans have been tremendous representatives of the United States during Carrier Strike Group 21,” said Brig. Gen. Simon Doran, U.S. senior national representative for the CSG. “From the North Sea to the South China Sea, from supporting combat operations in Operation Inherent Resolve to more than a dozen exercises with foreign Navies, the sailors on The Sullivans embodied their ship’s namesake — we stick together.” 

In a tangible demonstration of the United Kingdom’s closest defense and security relationship, U.S. involvement in this deployment has significantly contributed to development of the UK carrier strike capability. In June, the UK CSG operated alongside French carrier Charles De Gaulle in a landmark moment for NATO.  

“I am immensely proud of every Sailor on The Sullivans for consistently providing an integrated multi-domain capability to Carrier Strike Group 21 in support of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden deployment,” said Cmdr. James R. Diefenderfer Jr., commanding officer of USS The Sullivans. “We gained a tremendous amount of respect for our CSG21 counterparts as we sailed together across the globe demonstrating our shared commitment to uphold freedom of navigation of our seas, and it was impressive to be a part of their seamless integration with many other allies and partners along the way.” 

“We could not have operated as well as we did without the genuine support of Commodore Moorhouse, Brig. Gen. Doran, and the ship’s crews and squadron personnel that made up CSG21,” the CO said. “Everyone was exceedingly welcoming every step of the way, and all were true partners in every theatre of operation going all the way back to our first operation together in the North Sea in the fall of 2020.” 

The CSG has covered over 40,000 nautical miles through the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Philippine Sea. The main body of the group is currently visiting India in a powerful demonstration of the U.K.-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.  

USS The Sullivans will return to national tasking in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean over the coming weeks.