WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced Oct. 13 that a future guided-missile destroyer and Virginia-class attack submarine will be named USS John F. Lehman (DDG 137) and USS Barb (SSN 804), respectively. 

The future USS John F. Lehman will honor the 65th Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman who served under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1987, and the future USS Barb will carry the name of two storied submarines, (SS 220) and (SSN 596). 

“Our future success depends on leveraging the stories of those who sailed into harm’s way, to teach and inspire the service of those who now wear the uniform,” said Braithwaite. “Those two namesakes carry a great legacy that will be continued when these warships take to the fleet.” 

Lehman, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native, spent three years in the Air Force Reserves before accepting a commission of Ensign in the Naval Reserve in January 1968, where he advanced to the rank of captain. During his tenure as SECNAV, Lehman advocated for a 600-ship Navy that would provide the United States with “unquestioned naval superiority.” His bold Maritime Strategy to surge U.S. naval power into the Soviet maritime domain sent a strong signal to the Soviet Union that President Reagan’s “peace through strength” motto was no empty phrase, thus hastening the end of the Cold War. He also paved a path to engagement with China, leading to the first U.S. ships entering Chinese waters in more than 30 years. 

The first USS Barb, a Gato-class submarine (SS 220), was commissioned in 1942 and joined Submarine Squadron 50 in the Atlantic as part of Operation Torch in World War II. In 1943, the vessel was redeployed to the Pacific Fleet. There, conducting missions under Commander Eugene “Lucky” Fluckey, she would earn four Presidential Citations, a Navy Unit Commendation, and eight battle stars for her outstanding World War II service. She was decommissioned in 1954. 

The second USS Barb, a Permit-class nuclear submarine (SSN 596), was commissioned in 1963. Based at Pearl Harbor, she was the designated flagship for the Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and took part in special operations in Vietnamese waters in 1971 as part of Task Group 77.9. The vessel served as a test platform for the Tomahawk cruise missile in 1977 and 1978. She was decommissioned in 1989. 

“These naval combatants, and many others named after historic leaders and battle-tested namesakes are one of the key components of our great Naval culture and heritage,” said Braithwaite. “The other are the men and women who volunteer to serve this great nation above self, adding to the fabric of honor, courage and commitment which guides our great Navy each and every day.”   

SALT LAKE CITY — Sarcos Defense, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sarcos Robotics, has been awarded a contract by the Office of Naval Research to develop a remote-controlled variant of the upper body of the innovative Sarcos Guardian XO wearable exoskeleton robot, the company said in an Oct. 13 release.  

The new, platform-agnostic, upper-body variant will be adapted to attach to a variety of mobile bases, such as wheeled or tracked vehicles that can operate at height. These include boom lifts, scissor lifts, and bucket trucks to address maintenance and logistics needs. Leveraging more than 30 years of technology development from prosthetic arms and humanoid robots to powered, full-body exoskeletons, the Guardian DX defense robot variant and the Guardian XT commercial robot variant will provide unparalleled strength, dexterity, precision, and versatility at human scale, enabling the robot to perform difficult tasks in dangerous environments while keeping the operator safe and out of harm’s way. 

This contract award follows a recent announcement with the U.S. Air Force for a contract to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) system that would enable robotic platforms, like the Guardian DX robot, to learn how to perform tasks with human-like movement through positive reinforcement and imitation machine learning (ML) technologies, known as Cybernetic Training for Autonomous Robots (CYTAR). The CYTAR system furthers the Sarcos vision of robotic systems that augment rather than replace humans by reducing the system operator’s cognitive load for basic tasks, yet still relying on human intelligence, judgment, instincts, and reflexes to manage more complex tasks. 

“The Navy is very focused on improving readiness rates,” said Steve McKee, lead for the Naval Enterprise Sustainment Technologies Team (NESTT). “A key factor in achieving this objective is the deployment of new technologies that improve the turnaround time for maintenance activities, while also increasing the safety and effectiveness of our workforce. We are very excited to work with Sarcos Defense to productize the Guardian DX robot because it addresses a significant gap that the Navy has identified. Additionally, in my role as NESTT lead, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues from the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Army regarding the Guardian DX robot, and it appears it can address a number of readiness and sustainment needs across the Department of Defense.” 

“Similar to our teleoperated Guardian GT robot for heavy, dexterous work, but designed at human scale, the Guardian DX robot can be teleoperated to perform intricate tasks that require human-like dexterity,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and chief executive officer, Sarcos Robotics. “Examples of such tasks include the use of portable sensors for non-destructive structural testing and inspections, the use of portable power tools for grinding, cutting and welding at height, as well as lifting and manipulating heavy components weighing up to 200 pounds. Because the Guardian DX robot is kinematically equivalent to the upper body of humans, operators are able to manage the Guardian DX robot intuitively at typical human speeds by relying on their reflexes, instincts, and judgment to perform complex tasks in unstructured, often hazardous environments that historically have only been able to be completed by people directly.” 

The Guardian XT commercial robot version is expected to begin shipping to industrial customers in late 2021. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s top admiral envisions the next-generation large surface combatant as the next-generation guided-missile destroyer, or in his term, “DDG-Next.” 

The Future Large Surface Combatant is to be one of several new surface combatant vessels in the Future Surface Combatant Family Vessels that also will include the Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel and the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel. 

“When you talk about large surface combatants, people in their mind’s eye, they’re thinking ‘battleship,’ said CNO Adm. Michael Gilday, speaking Oct. 13 in a Defense One webinar and responding to a question from USNI News.  “That’s not where we’re going. We’re talking about a ship that’s probably going to be smaller than a Zumwalt [guided-missile destroyer]. I don’t want to build a monstrosity. 

“But, I need deeper magazines on a manned ship than we have right now [on the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers],” Gilday said, noting that the Navy “is limited with respect to DDG[51] Flight IIIs in terms of what additional [systems] we could put on those ships. … [We] can’t put much more on those hulls.” 

The CNO said the plan was to design “the next destroyer, one that would be a new hull. “What we would leverage is existing technologies to put on that hull … and to update [and] modernize those capabilities over time.” 

Gilday compared the design concept of DDG-Next to the process that produced the DDG 51 class, one of a new hull with existing reliable, proven technologies such as the Aegis Combat System. 

“That’s why I call it DDG-Next … smaller than a Zumwalt but packing some power,” he said. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The chief of naval operations (CNO) said that the future naval fleet will need some sort of aviation-capable ship in the 2045 time frame, but the form of that capability is not yet in focus. 

Speaking Oct. 13 in a Defense One webinar, CNO Adm. Michael Gilday addressed in general terms the forthcoming 2045 Future Naval Force Study for Battle Force 2045 to be released soon by the Defense Department. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaking Oct. 6 at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Analysis, said that Battle Force 2045 would include a force of eight to 11 aircraft carriers for the high-end fight — equipped with the carrier air wing of the future. The Navy will study the possibility of building up to six light carriers — equipped with short takeoff/vertical landing strike aircraft — to free up the super carriers for the high-end fight. 

Gilday said “the hidden point that need to be drawn out is the comparison — or not — to light carriers. … Whether or not the aviation platform of the future looks like the [USS] Gerald R. Ford or the Nimitz class is questionable. It’s largely going to be driven by payload.” 

The CNO said that considering 0 to 6 light carriers in the study “allows us to do much more deeper analysis about what type of functions in a distributed maritime fight across the spectrum of conflict might we want a smaller aviation combatant to do. One example might be IRS&T [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting].” 

He said that the Navy had a gap in IRS&T capability and asked if that gap could be closed with something smaller than a supercarrier, not necessarily taking on the carrier’s role of long-range strike, but supplementing the capabilities of a super carrier. 

Gilday said that studies of large carriers versus smaller carriers in the past jostled with issues such as nuclear propulsion versus conventional propulsion, sortie rate, sustainability, “that leads to a fait accompli that the smaller carrier just doesn’t compete with the supercarrier. 

“I think that’s just a set of false choices,” he said. “The United States Navy needs to take a look at where we’re going to go in the future, which there is a requirement — which I think is likely — to deliver effects down range from the sea through the air, I think that some type of aviation combatant is going to be required.” 

GROTON, Conn. — General Dynamics Electric Boat, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has been awarded a $327.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification for fiscal year 2020 for lead yard support, development studies and design efforts for Virginia-class submarines, the company said in an Oct. 13 release.   

Under the contract modification, Electric Boat will undertake development studies and other work related to Virginia-class submarine design improvements, including incorporation of new technologies. The work will engage Electric Boat’s engineering and design organization, which comprises more than 5,000 employees. These employees work on all facets of the submarine life cycle from concept formulation and design through construction, maintenance and modernization, and eventually to inactivation and disposal.  

“Over the life of the Virginia program, the shipbuilders of Electric Boat have made improvements to the design of each ship,” said Kevin Graney, president, General Dynamics Electric Boat.  “This lead yard services contract will fund critical research and development work to further advance the stealth, capability and superiority of the Virginia class, providing our sailors with a greater advantage in the undersea domain.” 

MOBILE, Ala. – The future USS Mobile (LCS 26) successfully completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico Sept. 25, Austal USA said in an Oct. 12 release. LCS 26 is the third Austal-built ship for the U.S. Navy to complete acceptance trials in 2020. 

“I am proud of how the Austal team has come together again, in the middle of this pandemic, only a week after a Cat 2 hurricane made landfall in our backyard, completing another major milestone for one of our Navy ships – especially one so near and dear to us, named after our great city of Mobile, Alabama,” Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle said. “This is proof of what happens when we work together with our Navy teammates to form an incredibly strong team that just gets the job done and done the right way!”   

Acceptance trials involve the execution of intense comprehensive tests by the Austal USA-led industry team while underway, which demonstrate to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment. This is the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship.  

The Independence-variant LCS is a high-speed, shallow-draft, focused-mission ship capable of operating independently or in a group. These ships are designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance along coastal waters, yet capable of open-ocean operation. A fast, maneuverable and networked surface-combatant, LCS provides the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute focused missions such as surface warfare, mine warfare and anti-submarine warfare. USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) recently completed a successful deployment with the Pacific fleet and ten other Independence-variant LCS are homeported in San Diego. 

The LCS program is at full-rate production and continuing its momentum at Austal USA, with five ships currently under construction including Mobile. The future USS Savannah (LCS 28) has launched and is preparing for trials. Final assembly is underway on the future USS Canberra (LCS 30) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32). Modules for the future USS Augusta (LCS 34) are under construction in the module manufacturing facility.  

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services will recycle five retired U.S. Navy ships as part of a new scrap sales contract to save taxpayer money and protect the environment, Jeff Landenberger, DLA Disposition Services, wrote in an Oct. 5 article on the DLA website. 

The five ships are: the ex-USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), the ex-USS Barry (DD 933), -the ex-USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29), the ex-USS Hawes (FFG 53), and the ex-USS Ticonderoga (CG47). 

The winning bid for recycling the ships was $240, according to DLA Disposition Services Public Sales Division Chief Carlos Torres. The important takeaway for taxpayers is that the contract allows the U.S. Navy to avoid per-ship disposal costs that can add up to millions of dollars. 

Torres said DLA and the Navy partnered in writing the contract. Navy officials then reviewed technical proposals and ensured that companies bidding could meet the requirements. 

The ships’ final destination will be Brownsville, Texas, where full dismantling will commence and 98% of all removed materials are expected to be recycled.  

Thousands of sailors served on the five ships while they were part of the active fleet. Ron Tucker was new to the Navy in 1982 when he joined USS Ticonderoga’s crew. It was still under construction in the shipyards of Pascagoula, Mississippi, awaiting commissioning, designating him a “plank owner.”  

“Looking back, we were the center of attention with regards to the Navy and DoD,” Tucker said. “The Washington Post carried some articles, they called the ‘Star Wars’ ship.” 

Tucker said that, at the time, he did not understand the significance of his new ship being the first to deploy the Aegis weapons system. Today, that system is a standard in the fleet. 

After ships are decommissioned, the Navy places them in reserve, or, what is often referred to as the “Mothball Fleet.” Some are retained in case they are needed in an emergency. But as newer ships are moved into the reserve fleet, the older ones are released to make room and reduce the Navy’s maintenance costs. 

“It’s part of the Navy experience to have to say goodbye to a ship, they don’t last forever,” said Tucker. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has exercised a contract option for more production DVS-1 Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) systems. 

The Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Panama City Division has awarded Arete Associates an $18 million contract option for additional COBRA Block 1 systems, the Oct. 8 Defense Department contract announcement said. The quantity of systems to be ordered was not announced. Work on the option is expected to be completed by September 2021. 

The COBRA is a mine- and obstacle-detection multispectral sensor that is a modular component of the mine warfare mission package for the Navy’s littoral combat ships. It is designed to detect mines from the beach through the surf zone. In March 2009, COBRA Block I was rated mature enough to enter Low-Rate Initial Production. The COBRA was successfully tested on an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle in October 2010. Initial Operational Capability was achieved in July 2017. Operational testing was completed in April 2018.  

Two upgrades to the COBRA are planned. Block II will add night operation capability and full-detection capability in the surf zone. Block III will add buried-mine line-detection capability and near-real-time on-board processing capability.  

STUART, Fla. — SeaRobotics Corp. has been awarded a contract to supply multiple SR-Surveyor M1.8 Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) to the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to help the Department of the Navy develop its advanced autonomy research program, the company said in an Oct. 8 release.  

The SR-Surveyor M1.8 is a tightly integrated, 1.8-meter long ASV designed to streamline logistics and optimize data acquisition in shallow and hard-to-navigate waters. The platform is specifically purposed to be versatile and rapidly deployable for users that require high quality, reliable data capture in remote and restricted waters.  

Leveraging the highly reliable SR-Surveyor M1.8 ASV, SeaRobotics optimized the platform for multi-vehicle collaborative behavior development. This custom configuration provides an innovative and cost-effective system for various research activities. 

“While we have developed a number of unmanned systems for marine defense application in the past, this is the first truly man-portable asset for multi-vehicle deployment,” said SeaRobotics president Don Darling. “This contract award supports the continued commitment to the advancement of autonomy research for naval operations and we are excited that the SR-Surveyor M1.8 will play an instrumental role.” 

The first SR-Surveyor M1.8 is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020, with staged deliveries bi-weekly to follow and scheduled to be completed early in the first quarter of 2021. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy apparently had deployed the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor pod on F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters currently deployed in the Persian Gulf region. 

An Aug. 16 photograph of an F/A-18F of Strike Fighter Squadron 94, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 17 on board the USS Nimitz, was posted on the Navy’s website, clearly showing the IRST pod mounted on the centerline pylon of the aircraft. 

The AN/ASG-34 IRST is a passive, long-wave infrared sensor mounted in the forward section of a centerline fuel tank that detects and tracks aerial targets at extended ranges. Its high angle accuracy allows it to passively track closely spaced targets at maximum ranges, enabling the Super Hornet to track without using its APG-79 radar. The aft section of the pod contains fuel for the aircraft. 

The IRST system began flight testing on F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in February 2014 and was approved for Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in December 2014. However, Full-Rate Production was deferred in favor of development of an improved version, IRST Block II, which is under development by contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin and planned for fleet service in late 2021.