Munitions, anti-tank rockets in next $2.6 bln US pledge for Ukraine -sources

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  August 5, 2019 | International, Naval

  U.S. Navy Commissions Littoral Combat Ship 15 (Billings)

  KEY WEST, Fla., Aug. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Billings (LCS 15) – the nation's eighth Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – in Key West, Florida. This milestone places the ship, built by the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) -led team into active service. "Billings was designed to operate and adapt to a rapidly changing environment," said Joe DePietro, vice president of Small Combatants and Ship Systems at Lockheed Martin. "She is equipped and ready for today's threats and easily modifiable to meet the threats we may not even be aware of yet. Our team is confident Billings will be what the Navy needs when the fleet needs it." Unique among combat ships, LCS is designed to complete close-to-shore missions and is a growing and relevant part of the Navy's fleet. It is fast — capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots. It is automated — with the most efficient staffing of any combat ship. It is lethal — standard equipped with Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) and a Mark 110 gun, capable of firing 220 rounds per minute. It is flexible — with 40 percent of the hull easily reconfigurable, integrating capabilities like the Longbow Hellfire Missiles, 30mm guns, and manned and unmanned vehicles targeted to meet today's and tomorrow's missions. "Having now commanded two freedom class LCS variants, I would like to report that these ships are truly impressive and will fit well in the niche they have been designed for," said LCS 15's Commanding Officer, Commander Nathan Rowan. "They are fast, maneuverable, and their weapon systems are some of the most accurate I've witnessed on any platform of which I've previously served." There are seven ships in various stages of production and test at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin, where the Freedom-variant LCS is built. The next Freedom-variant in the class is LCS 17, the future USS Indianapolis, which was delivered in late July. "On behalf of the proud 2,000 men and women who transform flat steel into a fast, agile surface combatant," said Jan Allman, CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine, "we are honored to support the U.S. Navy, and we congratulate the outstanding crew of the USS Billings." Multimedia assets are available here: Social media video: https://vimeo.com/351803068 B-roll: https://vimeo.com/351805414 Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143371902@N04/albums/72157710070352016 For more information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/lcs. https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-08-03-U-S-Navy-Commissions-Littoral-Combat-Ship-15-Billings

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  January 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  JUST IN: Defense Department to Stand Up New Counter-Drone Office

  By Yasmin Tadjdeh The Pentagon will soon stand up a counter-unmanned aerial system office that will be headed by the Army, said the Defense Department's top weapons buyer Jan. 14. Following the Dubai Air Show in November, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord visited numerous locations across the Middle East including U.S. military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The thing that was really top of everybody's mind were counter-UAS,” she said during a meeting with reporters hosted by George Washington University's Project for Media and National Security in Washington, D.C. “We see that small UAS are becoming a more popular weapon of choice ... [and] we need to be agile and pivot to that challenge.” Pentagon leaders recently decided to designate the Army as the executive agent for counter-drone technologies, Lord said. The new office will be stood up in Arlington, Virginia, in the Crystal City neighborhood. It will be staffed by around 60 people. “We are just finishing off on the policy that directs the activities,” she said. The office will examine the many counter-UAS efforts across the Defense Department and come up with three to five systems that are best for the military writ large and make sure they are effectively leveraged, Lord said. The Defense Department is bringing together a number of organizations, including the office of the director of operational test and evaluation and Defense Digital Service, to work on the effort. Robert Behler, the head of DOT&E, has a group conducting independent tests and evaluation of currently fielded systems, Lord noted. “Come April we will have that evaluation completed and written up. And that coincides [with] when we want to make some decisions about downselecting ... to the three to five systems that would be utilized,” she said. The department is examining a variety of sensor modalities and defeat mechanisms. “One size does not fit all,” Lord said. “You need a system with multiple sensors ... or defeat systems. And the key is really the command-and-control and then the communication across theater.” The office aims to thwart both small and large adversary UAS, she added. Countering rogue and enemy drones has long been an objective for the Defense Department, but recent high-profile events have thrown the technology into the spotlight. That includes an alleged Iranian attack on Saudi Aramaco facilities in September using unmanned aircraft. “One of the challenges is that we know that the adversary is very agile and updates their [tactics, techniques and procedures] ... very quickly,” Lord said. “We are looking at a very nimble system where we can push patches in the same day, if you will, so that we again can stay ahead of" the threat. The Pentagon is gung-go about tackling the issue, and senior leadership involvement and funding are increasing, she noted. In terms of the industrial base, counter-UAS is one of the acquisition and sustainment office's four key focus areas, Lord said. Others include microelectronics, 5G networks and hypersonics. The department plans to establish a hypersonics "war room." “We just decided last week that we would stand up a hypersonics war room to begin to look at the defense industrial base and begin to have different companies [come] in,” Lord said. The technology is the Pentagon's top research-and-development priority and it plans to buy large numbers of systems when they are mature enough to be fielded. Last week, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said missile manufacturers and other suppliers need to do more to boost their hypersonics manufacturing capability. “What we need to see is industry step up,” he said Jan. 10 during remarks at the Brookings Institution. “They've got to come forward and ... first and foremost, invest the time to work with our national lab network to understand how we've come forward with these technologies. But they're going to have to make investments to be able to produce these at scale.” https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2020/1/14/just-in-defense-department-to-stand-up-counter-drone-office

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  July 11, 2019 | International, Other Defence

  Carahsoft wins IT contract with US Department of the Navy

  Carahsoft Technology has received a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to distribute Symantec software, hardware and maintenance services to the US Department of the Navy (DoN) and affiliated branches. The contract was awarded by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific on behalf of the US DoN. Under the contract, Carahsoft and its authorised reseller partners will provide the above-mentioned services to DoN and the US Marine Corps, Navy and reserve components of each force. The company secured the BPA under the DoN's Enterprise Software Licensing (ESL) initiative, which is responsible for the management of enterprise commercial off-the-shelf IT agreements, assets, and policies. ESL seeks to consolidate, centralise and streamline IT acquisition and management processes. The BPA comprises five years of performance, including a one-year base ordering period and four one-year option periods. The contract will run until April 2024 and has a potential of $69.14m. Symantec Federal vice-president Chris Townsend said: “The navy's decision to expand its use of Symantec's Integrated Cyber Defense Platform throughout the enterprise aligns with Symantec's mission to consolidate and integrate assets on a common platform, driving down costs and complexity and creating a more secure environment. “This BPA will allow for more advanced cyber defence capabilities for the Department of the Navy, while providing a better value to the government agencies and taxpayers.” DoN and affiliated branches will have access to Symantec's Integrated Cyber Defense Platform and associated products and services, including advanced threat protection, along with security for email and networks, as well as information protection. Carahsoft Symantec team director Annie Marshall said: “Carahsoft and our reseller partners have supported the US Navy for 15 years, and we are proud to further simplify procurement across the entire navy through this BPA. “As the navy serves our nation, offering products from one of the leading cybersecurity vendors allows it to ensure that its personnel are operating in secure virtual environments, no matter the physical environment they operate in.” https://www.naval-technology.com/news/carahsoft-wins-it-contract-with-us-department-of-the-navy/