Category Archives: DARPA

The SBX Sucks

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ABM_SBX_Moving_lg

The LA Times took a really hard and in-depth look into the super expensive, super innovative Sea-Based X-Band Radar and what they found was not good:

If North Korea launched a sneak attack, the Sea-Based X-Band Radar — SBX for short — would spot the incoming missiles, track them through space and guide U.S. rocket-interceptors to destroy them.

Crucially, the system would be able to distinguish between actual missiles and decoys.

SBX “represents a capability that is unmatched,” the director of the Missile Defense Agency told a Senate subcommittee in 2007.

In reality, the giant floating radar has been a $2.2-billion flop,

The rest here

NASA planning to drop sub on watery moon

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NASA is working on a 3000-pound submarine to explore the huge Kraken methane seas of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. When you think about it, its a pretty bad ass concept. I emailed their Public Affairs people and suggested the name Nautilus. Just saying.

Canada goes all Colonial Marines

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Check this bad boy out:

“Developed with the Canadian Forces through the Soldier Integrated Precision Effects Systems (SIPES) project. A bullpup design that features the ability to install either a three round 40 mm grenade launcher, or a 12-gauge shotgun. The next phase will feature a TrackingPoint style system to automatically detect targets and assist in engaging them.When optimized, the integrated weapon prototype could weigh less than a C7 [Canadian Colt made M16A2) equipped with a M203 grenade launcher, reducing the burden on soldiers.”

Of course, the Canadian Forces are in the midst of the worst budget crunch since 1946 and are seriously overstretched in terms of new acquisition goals, so the odds of this working out are slim. The 5,000 Canadian Rangers are still stuck with WWII-issue SMLE .303s and a program to replace those has been stalled since 2011.

Navy wants to bring back the TASM, Now in a 2.0 version

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Thats gonna leave a mark...

Thats gonna leave a mark…

In the old Regan-era 600-ship Navy, the Tomahawk cruise missile was a be-all/do-all. Besides the land attack (TLAM) versions we know and love today, there were also tactical nuclear and anti-shipping versions fielded. Big Blue was so in love with these bad boys that they started to put them on everything from destroyers to subs and even retrofitted to cruisers. In fact, those of you who are battlewagon lovers, will recall that when the Iowas came back for their last hurrah in the mid-1980s, they carried 32 Tomahawks in 4-cell armored box launchers to help give them an effective combat radius far in excess of their 16-inch big sticks.

Well, post-Cold War the anti-ship version (TASM) and the nuclear tipped model were retrofitted to carry normal conventional warheads and reclassified as good old TLAMs.

Now, the Navy is doing t he reverse and testing an anti-ship capability for the Tomahawk Block IV TLAM.

“An unclassified video of the test, obtained by USNI News, shows the missile launch from guided missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG-100), fly for an unspecified amount of time and punch a hole through a shipping container on a moving ship target and skip across the ocean.”

Roll that beautiful bean footage:

Want to buy a Navy trials boat? Cheap?

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"Experimental Sea Slice The experimental Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull ship "Sea Slice" returns to its homeport of Naval Station San Diego, Calif., Nov. 30, 2005. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Zack Baddorf"

“Experimental Sea Slice The experimental Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull ship “Sea Slice” returns to its homeport of Naval Station San Diego, Calif., Nov. 30, 2005. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Zack Baddorf”

If you read this blog odds are you know what the LCS is (the Littoral Combat Ship) and that two versions of that frigate that isn’t and part time minesweeper exist. Well this is a trails ship from 1996 that was used as a testbed of sorts by Lockheed Martin. You see in the early 90s the original LCS concept was for a whole host of small, expendable ships, a street-fighter concept, that could go and get down and dirty in shallow water.

Aerial view of the experimental Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship Sea Slice, an experimental ship built by Lockheed-Martin, operating off the coast of Port Hueneme, CA., 3 August 2002, during Fleet Battle Experiment Juliet (FBE-J). Fleet Battle Experiment Juliet is a joint warfighting experiment combining both live field forces and computer simulation at various locations throughout the United States during “Millennium Challenge 2002” (MC-02). Millennium Challenge is the nation's premier joint integrating event, bringing together both live field exercises and computer simulations throughout the Department of Defense. Note; Sea Slice is carrying modular mission packages, which simulate the US Navy's proposed Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The modular mission packages provide a range of warfare capabilities, including Mine Countermeasures (MCM), Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW), Force Protection and Time Critical Targeting. Some of its weapons tested during FBE-J include the joint Lockheed Martin and Oerlikon Contraves 35mm Millennium Gun and the NetFires System and launcher, intended to launch Loitering Attack Munitions (LAM).US Navy photo #'s, 020802-N-2706D- by JO2 Terry Dillon

Aerial view of the experimental Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) ship Sea Slice, an experimental ship built by Lockheed-Martin, operating off the coast of Port Hueneme, CA., 3 August 2002, during Fleet Battle Experiment Juliet (FBE-J). Fleet Battle Experiment Juliet is a joint warfighting experiment combining both live field forces and computer simulation at various locations throughout the United States during “Millennium Challenge 2002” (MC-02). Millennium Challenge is the nation’s premier joint integrating event, bringing together both live field exercises and computer simulations throughout the Department of Defense. Note; Sea Slice is carrying modular mission packages, which simulate the US Navy’s proposed Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The modular mission packages provide a range of warfare capabilities, including Mine Countermeasures (MCM), Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW), Force Protection and Time Critical Targeting. Some of its weapons tested during FBE-J include the joint Lockheed Martin and Oerlikon Contraves 35mm Millennium Gun and the NetFires System and launcher, intended to launch Loitering Attack Munitions (LAM).US Navy photo #’s, 020802-N-2706D- by JO2 Terry Dillon. Via Navsource

The Navy tested a number of small-waterplane-area twin-hull (SWATH) designs that now continue as the Fast Sea Frame concept. One of these was the HSV Sea Slice

This would defeinatly turn a head at the local small craft harbor

How she looks today minus her teeth. This would turn a head at the local small craft harbor

While that company went with a more traditional mono-hull design for its successful entry to the program, you can see a lot of scaled down similarities in the Sea Slice, a 105-foot multihull that is for sale for a meager $180,000.

Stern

Stern

When you consider that your typical USCG 87-foot patrol boat runs some $3 million on the sticker price, this one-off ship, even though its 20 years old, seems a comparative steal. Gone however are the “35-mm Millennium Gun; NetFires missile launching system; FLIR Systems Inc. furnished Forward-Looking Infrared sensors; and a complete combat information center with the Lockheed Martin developed COMBATSS command and control core architecture system utilizing Q-70 VALIANT consoles as well as Time Critical Targeting technology for precision strike,” she carried a decade ago. 

Heck, it cost the Navy $15 milly to build.

This thing screams party barge

This thing screams party barge

Specs
LOA: 105 ft 0 in
Beam: 55 ft 0 in
Minimum Draft: 11 ft 6 in
Maximum Draft: 14 ft 0 in
Displacement: 472640 lbs
Dry Weight: 378560 lbs
Total Power: 6960 HP from 2 16V396TB94 MTU Pod drive diesels, 2 Cat 3606 gennies
Cruising Speed: 23 knots
Maximum Speed: 30 knots
Fresh Water Tanks: 2 (400 Gallons)
Fuel Tanks: (11112 Gallons)
Accommodations
Number of single berths: 12
Number of cabins: 5
Number of heads: 1
Seating Capacity: 149

All that's missing is a margarita machine

All that’s missing is a margarita machine

We’re breaking up! Head to the MOOSE!

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Those words have never been uttered by space travelers so far, but in the 1960s, it was at least spit-balled by a team of NASA and USAF engineers sitting around a drawing board burning lean muscle tissue into the night as they chain smoked unfiltered Camels and cleaned their horn-rimmed glasses on linen handkerchiefs.

MOOSE, or Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment 2

Designed by GE and dubbed the MOOSE, (either Man Out Of Space Easiest or Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment) it was the emergency bail out life-pod that was supposed to be able to drop an astronaut back to Earth from orbit ala Orbital Drop Shock Trooper-style if their craft was not going to make it.

MOOSE, or Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment 1

Looks legit…volunteers?

Navy has a 100-pound UUV dressed like a fake shark, no really

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From a release by the Navy Friday:

The U.S. Navy completed tests on the GhostSwimmer unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC-FS), Dec. 11.

GhostSwimmer is the latest in a series of science-fiction-turned-reality projects developed by the chief of naval operations’ Rapid Innovation Cell (CRIC) project, Silent NEMO.

141211-N-KE519-014 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Dec. 11, 2014) The GhostSwimmer vehicle, developed by the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell project Silent NEMO, undergoes testing at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story. Project Silent NEMO is an experiment which explores the possible uses for a biomimetic device developed by the Office of Naval Research. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Edward Guttierrez III/Released)

141211-N-KE519-014
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Dec. 11, 2014) The GhostSwimmer vehicle, developed by the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell project Silent NEMO, undergoes testing at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek – Fort Story. Project Silent NEMO is an experiment which explores the possible uses for a biomimetic device developed by the Office of Naval Research. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Edward Guttierrez III/Released)

Silent NEMO is an experiment that explores the possible uses for biomimetic, unmanned underwater vehicles in the fleet.

Over the past several weeks, Boston Engineering’s tuna-sized device has been gathering data at JEBLC-FS on tides, varied currents, wakes, and weather conditions for the development of future tasks.

“GhostSwimmer will allow the Navy to have success during more types of missions while keeping divers and Sailors safe,” said Michael Rufo, director of Boston Engineering’s Advanced Systems Group.

141211-N-KE519-009 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Dec. 11, 2014) A variant model of the GhostSwimmer vehicle developed by the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell project Silent NEMO, awaits testing during a demonstration at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story. Project Silent NEMO is an experiment which explores the possible uses for a biomimetic device developed by the Office of Naval Research. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Edward Guttierrez III/Released)

141211-N-KE519-009
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Dec. 11, 2014) A variant model of the GhostSwimmer vehicle developed by the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell project Silent NEMO, awaits testing during a demonstration at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek – Fort Story. Project Silent NEMO is an experiment which explores the possible uses for a biomimetic device developed by the Office of Naval Research. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Edward Guttierrez III/Released)

The GhostSwimmer was developed to resemble the shape and mimic the swimming style of a large fish. At a length of approximately 5 feet and a weight of nearly 100 pounds, the GhostSwimmer vehicle can operate in water depths ranging from 10 inches to 300 feet.

“It swims just like a fish does by oscillating its tail fin back and forth,” said Rufo. “The unit is a combination of unmanned systems engineering and unique propulsion and control capabilities.”

Its bio-mimicry provides additional security during low visibility intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and friendly hull inspections, while quieter than propeller driven craft of the same size, according to Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC).

The robot is capable of operating autonomously for extended periods of time due to its long-lasting battery, but it can also be controlled via laptop with a 500-foot tether. The tether is long enough to transmit information while inspecting a ship’s hull, for example, but if operating independently (without a tether) the robot will have to periodically be brought to the surface to download its data.…

The rest here

Navy releases more info on Ponce laser

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141116-N-PO203-042 ARABIAN GULF (Nov. 16, 2014) The Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS) while deployed to the Arabian Gulf. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

141116-N-PO203-042
ARABIAN GULF (Nov. 16, 2014) The Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS) while deployed to the Arabian Gulf. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

We have talked about the 30kW active laser on the USS Ponce, the converted old gator used as an afloat forward staging base with a hybrid 55-man USN/150 MSC crew conducting spec op/counter mine/counter-terr operations in the Persian Gulf several times.

Well it looks like the Navy is finally going full frontal with the deployed laser on board.

141116-N-PO203-134 ARABIAN GULF (Nov. 16, 2014) Chief Fire Controlman Brett Richmond, right, and Lt. j.g. Katie Woodard, operate the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS) installed aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) during an operational demonstration in the Arabian Gulf. Directed energy weapons can counter asymmetric threats, including unmanned and light aircraft and small attack boats. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

141116-N-PO203-134
ARABIAN GULF (Nov. 16, 2014) Chief Fire Controlman Brett Richmond, right, and Lt. j.g. Katie Woodard, operate the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS) installed aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) during an operational demonstration in the Arabian Gulf. Directed energy weapons can counter asymmetric threats, including unmanned and light aircraft and small attack boats. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

ARLINGTON, Va (NNS) — Officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced today the laser weapon system (LaWS) – a cutting-edge weapon that brings significant new capabilities to America’s Sailors and Marines – was for the first time successfully deployed and operated aboard a naval vessel in the Arabian Gulf.

The operational demonstrations, which took place from September to November aboard USS Ponce (AFSB[I] 15), were historic not only because they showed a laser weapon working aboard a deployed U.S. Navy ship, but also because LaWS operated seamlessly with existing ship defense systems.

“Laser weapons are powerful, affordable and will play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations,” said Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research. “We ran this particular weapon, a prototype, through some extremely tough paces, and it locked on and destroyed the targets we designated with near-instantaneous lethality.”

During the tests, LaWS – a collaborative effort between ONR, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Research Laboratory, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and industry partners — hit targets mounted aboard a speeding oncoming small boat, shot a Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) out of the sky, and destroyed other moving targets at sea.

Sailors worked daily with LaWS over several months since it was installed, and reported the weapon performed flawlessly, including in adverse weather conditions of high winds, heat and humidity. They noted the system exceeded expectations for both reliability and maintainability.

The system is operated by a video-game like controller, and can address multiple threats using a range of escalating options, from non-lethal measures such as optical “dazzling” and disabling, to lethal destruction if necessary. It could prove to be a pivotal asset against what are termed “asymmetric threats,” which include small attack boats and UAVs.

Data regarding accuracy, lethality and other factors from the Ponce deployment will guide the development of weapons under ONR’s Solid-State Laser-Technology Maturation program. Under this program, industry teams have been selected to develop cost-effective, combat-ready laser prototypes that could be installed on vessels such as guided-missile destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship in the early 2020s.

More here

Will Glock be the next U.S. military handgun?

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With the competition heating up on the Army’s Modular Handgun System bidding process, expected to garner as many as a half million new pistols to replace the military’ current stock of sidearms, the short list includes seems to include a certain polymer wonder from Austria.

In 2013, the U.S. Army requested bids for what they called their Modular Handgun System. This would be a commercially available off the shelf replacement for their current handguns, namely the Beretta 92F (adopted in 1986 as the M9) and the Sig-Sauer P-228 (adopted in 1990 as the M11). The former is used by all branches of the Department of Defense military (the Coast Guard uses P-229R pistols along with most of the rest of the Department of Homeland Security). Primarily investigators and military police use the M11.

What the Army wants to phase these guns out is an accurate handgun (at a range of 50-meters/164-feet, it has to have a 90% or better probability of hit on a 4 inch circle when fired from a test fixture). It needs an accessory rail and capability to have a threaded barrel to accept tactical lights, lasers, and sound suppressors as needed. It also should have enhanced ergonomics so that most females can handle it. Other requirements are an at least 35,000 round Service Life and the ability to provide up to 550,000 handguns with U.S.-based production after the third year of the contract.

Oh yeah, and it will likely not be a 9mm.

In an interview earlier this year with Army Times, Daryl Easlick, a project officer with the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga, said that the legacy round, adopted in 1986, is somewhat dead in the water.

“The 9mm doesn’t score high with soldier feedback,” said Easlick, explaining that the Army, and the other services, want a round that will have better terminal effects — or cause more damage — when it hits enemy combatants. “We have to do better than our current 9mm.”

Since .40S&W doesn’t suppress well, and service life of guns chambered in that round is not seen as being as long as that of .45ACP caliber weapons, the new round may be the good old .45– which is still in service with Marine special ops units and the SOCCOM commando’s Mk.23 offensive handgun.

norwegian commando with glock 17

Why Glock is a contender? Read more in my article at Glock Forum.

Old Ponce ready to zap badguys

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USS PONCE PAO SMALL CRESTThe USS Ponce (LPD-15/AFSBI-15)  the last ship standing of the 1960s era Austin-class amphibious transport docks, has been floating quietly in the Persian Gulf since 2012 as an “Afloat Forward Staging Base, Interim (AFSB-I) with a hybrid civilian (MSC) and Navy crew after she had been selected for decommissioning and began deactivation. Now supporting a fleet of Sea Dragon mine-sweeping choppers, random patrol boat crews (most of the Navy’s operational 170-foot Cyclone class PCs are in the Gulf as well as a few Coast Guard 110’s), and unnamed special ops characters, the elderly vessel also officially has an active laser weapon.

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As confirmed by Bloomberg, USS Ponce has been patrolling with a prototype 30-kilowatt-class Laser Weapon System since late August .

laser on ponceThe laser can be adjusted to fire anywhere from a non-lethal dazzling flash at an incoming vessel so they know it’s there or be turned up “all the way to lethal.”

The laser’s range is classified.

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