July 2, 2024 | International, Naval, Security
July 30, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
Congress looks to gut funding for the Corps’ futuristic sea drone
By: Shawn Snow
In the latest version of the annual defense legislation Congress has gutted nearly $14 million for the Corps' futuristic expeditionary sea drone known as the MUX.
The original funding request was $25,291,000, but the approved funds are only $11,291,000, that's more than a 50 percent slash.
But the steep cuts pale in comparison to the $100 million Senators originally approved in their mark-up of the Senate version of the annual defense authorization bill in late June.
House members argued in a report there were a number of capabilities and platforms across the services that could “likely mitigate” the Corps' identified shortfalls.
“The committee believes the Marine Corps underestimates the required communications, data link, launch, mission execution and recovery infrastructure, or the human capital resources required to train, operate, maintain and sustain such a system,” the House Armed Services Committee, or HASC, said in a report that followed their version of the defense bill in May.
“The Marine Corps also underestimates the necessary human capital resources required to meet current deployment-to-dwell policy and guidance issued by the Secretary of Defense," the report added.
The HASC also called for a report from chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council by February 2019 on how existing capabilities across the services can plug the Corps' perceived gaps.
“The committee also directs the Secretary of the Navy to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services, not later than February 5, 2019, that explains the acquisition and funding strategy of the Marine Corps to affordably develop and field an unmanned capability of this nature, and then personnel, funding, infrastructure, and mission-execution resources that would be needed to viably sustain and support this capability, the report reads.
The Corps is amid plans to develop a futuristic group five drone capable of landing on amphibious ships at sea. The Corps wants its high-tech platform to conduct electronic and kinetic strikes and come with an early airborne warning capability.
The airborne warning feature will afford Marine Expeditionary units the ability to operate independent of aircraft carriers. Carriers deploy the E2D Hawkeye for early airborne warning.
The MUX will also have long-range networking capabilities allowing the drone to patch into and cue weapon systems from other ships and aircraft.
The Corps held a conference with industry leaders in early June to hash out its wish list for the MUX.
Currently, the Marines do not operate a large group five drone. To make up for the lack of experience, the Corps has been sending Marines to work with the Air Force.
Marines do operate smaller tactical surveilance drones like the RQ-21 Blackjack.
The House passed the latest version of the defense bill on Thursday. The Senate is expected to vote on it early next week.
Inside Defense first reported the potential cuts to the MUX.
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Taiwan to start building first indigenous submarine before end of November
by Gabriel Dominguez & Matteo Scarano The Republic of China Navy (RoCN) has announced that construction work on Taiwan's first locally designed and developed diesel-electric attack submarine (SSK) will begin before the end of November. The RoCN said in a 2 November statement that the island's new submarine-building facility, located in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, will become operational this month, with local naval shipbuilder CSBC Corporation expected to hold a ceremony to mark the beginning of production of the first of eight planned submarines. According to Taiwanese media, the first boat is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2024, with sea trials and commissioning scheduled for 2025. The boats will be built under the Indigenous Defence Submarine Programme, also known as the Hai Ch'ang programme. CSBC Corporation (formerly the China Shipbuilding Corporation) is Taiwan's largest shipbuilder and is partly owned by the state. It had broken ground on the new facility in May 2019 in a ceremony presided over by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who was quoted at the time as saying that the facility had become necessary because international submarine manufacturers “no longer dared sell” Taiwan submarines because of pressure from China, which regards Taiwan as a break-away province. As Janes reported, the corporation – and its development partner, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) – were awarded a contract in 2017 to design and construct the submarines. The project is supported by a submarine development centre that CSBC inaugurated in 2016. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/taiwan-to-start-building-first-indigenous-submarine-before-end-of-november