NEW ORLEANS, LA. – Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, announced Sept. 9 the successful fly-away of its first two next-generation air cushion vehicles, Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) Craft 100 and LCAC 101, on Sept. 2. 

The two craft departed Textron Systems’ New Orleans, Louisiana, shipyard, where they liaised with U.S. Navy asset Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 091 – built by Textron in 2000 – for the last leg of their journey to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Florida. 

Prior to this milestone, Craft 100 and LCAC 101 completed Builder’s and Acceptance Trials, followed by formal acceptance by the U.S. Navy customer. Craft 100 is intended to serve as a test and training asset for the customer, while LCAC 101 is the first craft for operational use. Currently, twelve additional SSCs are in progress at Textron Systems’ shipyard. 

“We are proud of the achievement that this fly-away represents as we strive to equip the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps with the unmatched capability set of the SSC,” said Henry Finneral, senior vice president of Textron Systems. “The SSC will provide the versatility needed to transport critical personnel, weapon systems, equipment and cargo the last mile, even in the most challenging environments.” 

The SSC stands ready to replace the existing legacy fleet as a true upgrade for the LCAC forces at Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4, ACU 5 and Naval Beach Unit 7. The craft can travel at a sustained 35 knots and has an increased payload capacity and a service life of 30 years. 

SSC’s similar configurations, dimensions and clearances to the legacy LCAC make it compatible with existing well deck-equipped amphibious ships, as well as Expeditionary Transfer Dock and Expeditionary Sea Bases. The SSC’s expanded capability set, versatility and built-in compatibility promise a smooth transition for users. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — One of the big challenges facing the U.S. Navy in the future deployment of unmanned systems is how to obtain and use them effectively on a global scale, the Navy’s top acquisition official says.

Unmanned systems are already a key part of the force, whether in the air, on the surface or under it,  but “how do we scale that to take advantage of the unique opportunities” they provide the Navy, James “Hondo” Geurts asked in a Sept. 8 livestreamed keynote address to the Unmanned Systems Defense, Protection, Security virtual conference.

“We need to be bold in trying new things,” said Geurts, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Research, Development and Acquisition, “but disciplined in how we scale that so we don’t get into exquisite fragility, where we have systems in one specific niche for one specific set of conditions.”

Geurts said scale and balance are two key attributes going forward. He noted Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday’s unmanned systems campaign plan seeks to move from a collection of  systems, often treated as unique, into an integrated capability that share command and control, concepts of operations and data systems and avoid reinventing the wheel for every platform.

A key challenge is “how we’re going to communicate with all these different systems and how they can come in and out of our network,” Geurts said. It will take technology that can cut across multiple platforms, to align technical, business, programmatic and operational architectures, he said.

Geurts was asked if large unmanned surface vessels (LUSVs) should be counted as ships, an issue that has roiled the debate over how to increase the Navy’s size to 355 ships.  Geurts said he was “less interested in what numbers we count in what column.” He is more interested in a vessel’s capability, and when they prove they have the capability “appropriate for what we consider right now a battle force ship, then we’ll  put them in the right column,” Geurts said.

“In the end we have to get away from manned vs, unmanned. It’s manned and unmanned together, that will enable us to be the most successful,” he added.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet is planning a Fleet Battle Problem next year that will feature unmanned systems in air, surface, and undersea domains, a Navy admiral announced, noting that “an unmanned Fleet Battle Problem is a pretty new concept.” 

“We’re going to issue a PlanOrd [Planning Order] next week that we’re going to order an unmanned fleet battle problem,” said Rear Adm. Robert Gaucher, director, Maritime Headquarters, U.S. Pacific Fleet, speaking Sept. 8 at the Defense, Protection, Security virtual conference sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.  

Gaucher explained that Fleet Battle Problems are run “to get after one of these key operational problems. We’re going to do two for early 2021 to be able to run a Fleet Battle Problem centered on unmanned. It will be on the sea, above the sea and under the sea … as we get to demonstrating how we can align to the [Indo-Pacific Command] directives to use experimentation to drive lethality.” 

The admiral said “we haven’t worked out all the details. I know there will be a command-and-control aspect to it as we build and figure out what the best command-and-control is, working with [Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm.] Lorin Selby and seeing what his options are for some of the payloads and sensors that we can bring in, as well as demonstrating some autonomy in an actual fleet problem, run by either the shore and, at points, ships at sea as we try to press the advantage against our adversaries.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has placed an order for two versions of the H-1 helicopter from Bell Textron for the Czech Republic, the Defense Department said in a Sept. 4 release.  

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Bell Textron a $272 million fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract for the production and delivery of eight UH-1Y Venom and four AH-1Z Viper helicopters for the government of the Czech Republic under the Foreign Military Sales Program.  

The UH1-Y and AH-1Z both are front-line helicopters used by the Marine Corps. The production of 160 UH-1Ys for the Corps was completed in 2018, while production of 189 AH-1Zs continues. Pakistan also has received 12 AH-1Zs and Bahrain has been approved for 12 AH-1Zs. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy is increasing the berthing on its fourth and fifth expeditionary sea base ships (ESBs) to meet the increasing operational demand this class of ships has experienced since it first deployed.  

The Navy’s supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath, Detachment San Diego, San Diego, California, awarded National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California, a $35.6 million fixed-price-incentive modification to previously-awarded contract to incorporate a modification to the ships’ forward house Habitability Modification in support of Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) 6 and ESB 7, the Defense Department said in a Sept. 4 announcement.  

“This Engineering Change Proposal is applicable to ESB 6 and ESB 7 to modify the existing ESB class berthing requirement to support an additional 100 military crewmembers and is deemed essential to Fleet operational requirements planned for this class of ships,” the announcement said. 

The Navy has forward-deployed its first two ESBs. USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) has been in the Persian Gulf and has supported mine countermeasures and special operations forces, among other roles. The USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) deployed this year to the Mediterranean Sea. The third ESB, Miguel Keith (ESB 5) has been delivered to the Navy. 

Work is expected to be completed by January 2024. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has selected six shipbuilders or naval architect companies for design studies for the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) program, according to a Defense Department (DoD) announcement. 

The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded a total of $42 million in contracts to Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi; Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Maryland; Bollinger Shipyards Lockport LLC, Lockport, Louisiana; Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin; Gibbs & Cox Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and Austal USA LLC, Mobile, Alabama. 

Each contract is valued at approximately $7 million.  

The LUSV is to be the largest unmanned vessel in the Navy’s planned family of USVs. It is expected to be armed with vertical launch cells with surface-to-air missiles as well as sensors. 

Capt. Pete Small, speaking Sept. 8 at the Defense-Protection-Security webinar sponsored by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, said the Navy is focused on making the LUSV an “affordable, capable, reliable platform.”  

“Each contract includes an option for engineering support, that if exercised, would bring the cumulative value for all awards to $59,476,146,” the DoD announcement said. “Work will be performed in various locations in the contiguous U.S. in accordance with each contract and is expected to be complete by August 2021 and if option(s) are exercised, work is expected to be complete by May 2022.” 

KEY WEST, Fla. — The Coast Guard interdicted five Cuban migrants Sept. 5 approximately 35 miles south of Marathon, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a Sept. 8 release. 

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a notification of a 6-foot rustic vessel with five people aboard traveling 30 miles south of Marathon and launched a Coast Guard Station Marathon 33-foot Special Purpose Craft—Law Enforcement crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans (WPC-1110) crew to the scene. Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders authorized the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew. 

The cutter Raymond Evans crew safely embarked all five adult male Cuban migrants and transferred them to the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump (WPC-1111) crew. The cutter William Trump crew repatriated the five migrants to Cuba. 

“These illegal ventures attempting to immigrate to the United States are extremely dangerous, especially during the hurricane season when weather and sea conditions can dramatically and rapidly change in minutes putting migrants in danger of being lost at sea,” said Lt. Kelsey Freeman, commanding officer cutter of the Raymond Evans. “The Coast Guard and our partner agencies’ first priority is safety of life at sea and these voyages in ill-equipped vessels aren’t safe. The Coast Guard and our partner agencies maintain their focused and coordinated efforts to interdict and stop these unlawful migration attempts into the United States.” 

Approximately 35 Cuban migrants have attempted to illegally enter the U.S. via the maritime environment in fiscal year 2020 compared to 327 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2019.  These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean, and Atlantic. 

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdiction, Coast Guard crew members were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. There were no migrants in this case reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) returned home Sept. 7 to Alameda following a three-month, 15,000-mile, multi-mission patrol, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a release. 

Munro’s crew began their patrol in the Bering Sea and spent 37 days enforcing fisheries regulations from Alaska to the maritime boundary line separating U.S. and Russian waters. 

Munro’s crew boarded 11 commercial fishing vessels to ensure compliance with U.S. fishery and safety regulations. In addition to patrolling the Aleutian Islands, Munro patrolled the maritime boundary line to prevent foreign fishing vessel incursions into U.S. waters. The cutter joined a Russian Border Guard vessel to conduct the joint border patrol to promote both countries’ economic security. 

Following their Alaska Patrol, Munro represented the Coast Guard by participating in an at-sea-only iteration of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2020 exercise Aug. 17-31, in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands. 

RIMPAC encompassed 10 nations, with a total of 22 ships, one submarine and multiple aircraft. Munro conducted formation steaming exercises, communications drills, maritime intercept operations and live-fire training alongside partner nations. Munro’s crew demonstrated their interoperability with the U.S. Navy promoting maritime governance in support of national defense. RIMPAC provided a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain cooperative relationships critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s interconnected oceans. 

The at-sea-only construct for RIMPAC 2020 was developed to ensure the safety of all military forces participating and Hawaii’s population by minimizing shore-based contingents while striking a balance between combating future adversaries and the COVID-19 threat. 

Munro’s patrol included the embarkation of a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter and aircrew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, nicknamed the “Blackjacks” during RIMPAC. 

Over two weeks, Munro and the Blackjacks conducted 380 flight evolutions, 55 touch-and-go landings, 34 vertical replenishment evolutions transferring cargo by helicopter, and multiple helicopter in-flight refuels. 

“This has been an extremely rewarding patrol,” said Munro’s Commanding Officer Capt. Blake Novak. “This was Munro’s first Alaska Patrol. It was an incredible opportunity to patrol as far north as the Arctic Circle to protect our borders and natural resources, and then transition to leveraging our DOD partnership with RIMPAC exercises. Conducting two distinctly different missions within the same deployment is what makes the Coast Guard unique and why I chose this service. COVID has been a challenge, but we met that challenge by establishing processes to maintain readiness and operate safely. Munro’s success is attributed to the young women and men that make up our diverse crew. While we have enjoyed our time at sea, and are proud of our accomplishments, we are excited to return home to our loved ones.” 

To ensure the safety of Munro’s crew deploying during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the crew conducted pre-deployment COVID-19 testing, followed by a 14-day monitoring period. Throughout their patrol, Munro’s crew maintained strict health precautions during all interactions with the public, including wearing N95 respirators at all times and undergoing intensive decontamination procedures following the completion of each boarding. 

Commissioned in 2017, Munro is the Coast Guard’s sixth 418-foot Legend-class national security cutter and one of four homeported in Alameda. National security cutters have a crew of more than 150 and are among the largest and most technologically sophisticated vessels in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The cutters can operate globally in the most demanding open ocean environments, from the North Pacific’s hazardous fishing grounds to the Eastern Pacific’s vast approaches, where its crews battle transnational crime. 

Even a pandemic doesn’t stop the Navy and Los Angeles from celebrating “Fleet Week.”

So much is different now due to COVID, but, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, “Certain values never change … our commitment to serve the people who serve us.”

Each year, the popular celebration that marks the end of summer brings huge crowds to the San Pedro port to experience the U.S. Navy up close. This year’s Fleet Week festivities begin today (Friday, Sept. 4, 2020), but many of the activities are occurring virtually, such as remarks by Mayor Garcetti and U.S. Third Fleet Commander Vice Adm Scott D. Conn. 

Most Angelenos know that the Navy Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) came to the city’s aid early in the COVID-crisis. LA Fleet Week President Jonathan Williams noted that this virtual LA Fleet Week will give the community a chance to learn much more about their Navy. 

Throughout the weekend, there will be virtual ship tours of the amphibious ships USS Comstock (LSD 45) and  USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), minesweeper USS Scout (MCM 8), nuclear attack submarine USS Iowa (SSN 797), and guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), as well as U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams, U.S. Marines and with performances by the Navy Band Southwest.

Many of the events will be anchored around Battleship Iowa, moored at the San Pedro port and one of the Los Angeles area’s top visitor attractions. A reprise of past performances by big-name entertainers and fireworks will also be viewable on the LA Fleet Week virtual platform.

Because so much of the Fleet Week festivities are virtual, anyone can attend, no matter where you are.  See the schedule of events at https://www.lafleetweek.com/.

The North Atlantic Council met Friday, Sept. 4 to address the assassination attempt on Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny.

Last month, Navalny was hospitalized after getting sick during a Russian flight. He was later evacuated to Berlin, where experts said he was poisoned, and not by a “non-state actor.”

Germany briefed allies on the toxicology findings of their specialist laboratory.

“There is proof beyond doubt that Mr. Navalny was poisoned using a military-grade nerve agent from the Novichok group,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a press conference today.

According to a NATO statement, all NATO allies condemned the attack and called on Russia to cooperate with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on an impartial, international investigation.

Stoltenberg called on Russia to provide “complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the OPCW.”

Stoltenberg called the assassination attempt on Navalny “appalling,” and said “the use of such a weapon is horrific.”

“Any use of chemical weapons shows a total disrespect for human lives, and is an unacceptable breach of international norms and rules,” he said.

“Time and again, we have seen opposition leaders and critics of the Russian regime attacked, and their lives threatened. Some have even been killed. This is not just an attack on an individual, but on fundamental democratic rights; and it is a serious breach of international law, which demands an international response,” Stoltenberg said.

The secretary general said the allies were united in condemning the attack, and will continue consultations and consider the implications of this incident.

“Those responsible for this attack must be held accountable and brought to justice,” Stoltenberg said.