Free Republic

Review raises doubts about launch capacity, other vital systems in new vessel WASHINGTON — The US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, a multibillion-dollar behemoth that is the first in a next generation of carriers, is beset with a number of performance problems, even failing tests of its ability to launch and recover combat jets, according to an internal assessment by the Pentagon. The early tests are raising worries that the USS Gerald R. Ford, christened in honor of the 38th president in November, may not meet the Navy’s goal of significantly increasing the number of warplanes it can quickly launch —...

It was a sight to behold. As India’s newest aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya entered the Indian Navy’s area of operation in north western Arabian Sea, accompanied by three other vessels, it was rendezvoused — in Naval parlance RVed — with the Western Fleet that had gone all the way from Mumbai to receive it. INS Vikramaditya, which was accompanied by INS Trikand, which is a Talwar class frigate, INS Delhi which is a Delhi class destroyer and INS Deepak, the fleet tanker, fired ceremonial guns to salute the flag of the fleet commander Rear Admiral Anand Chawla, who was leading...

The MiG-21 FL was the force multiplier that allowed other IAF aircraft to go in for the kill without having to watch their back during the 1971 War, thereby hastening the fall of the Pakistani military The MiG-21 may be the only aircraft in aviation history to have forced a nation to surrender. The devastating attack on the Governor’s House in Dhaka in East Pakistan by MiG-21s proved to be a turning point in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. India’s blitzkrieg strategy against the Pakistani military had brought the Indian Army to the outskirts of Dhaka within just nine days. Holed...

Past fears that carriers were vulnerable to new technologies weren’t proven right… nor were they proven wrong. Over at The National Interest this week, former Naval Diplomat shipmate — U.S. Marines say there are no former Marines, just Marines; are there former shipmates? — Bryan McGrath wades into the debate over Tom Ricks’s Washington Post column urging the U.S. military to get smaller to get better. Let me wade in as well; the water’s fine. Ricks takes aim at the U.S. Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in particular. He cites the expense of CVNs, but Bryan zeroes in mainly...

‘No-Drama Option:’ Navy Celebrates 35 Years of the F/A-18 and Derivatives By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Navy and Boeing officials celebrated the 35th anniversary of its carrier-based strike fighter in an event held at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.,where the first F/A-18 Hornets were put through their service test program. Addressing an audience Dec. 9 in the atrium of the Moffett Building, the headquarters of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the Navy’s F/A-18 and EA-18G program manager, Capt. Frank Morley, and two of his predecessors praised the aircraft and the contributions it has made...

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with funding from SwampWorks at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Department of Defense Rapid Reaction Technology Office (DoD/RRTO) demonstrated the launch of an all-electric, fuel cell-powered, unmanned aerial system (UAS) from a submerged submarine. "Developing disruptive technologies and quickly getting them into the hands of our sailors is what our SwampWorks program is all about," said Craig A. Hughes, Acting Director of Innovation at ONR. The successful submerged launch of a remotely deployed UAS offers a pathway to providing mission critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to the U.S. Navy's...

New Delhi, Dec. 3: The Indian Navy is designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that it wants in its fleet, costs permitting. An indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, the Arihant, is now in trials in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Navy “desires” to have three operational carriers in its fleet but the only one in use currently, the INS Viraat, is rusting away faster than it would like. “The INS Viraat is ‘long in the tooth’ (outdated and too expensive to maintain),” the chief of naval staff, Admiral D.K. Joshi, said here today. Naval headquarters is gradually beginning to take the view...

On November 2, Russia and Japan held their first-ever “two plus two” meeting, which brought together their respective foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo to discuss security cooperation. The meeting grabbed few headlines, but was far from routine: such gatherings are typically reserved for close allies, and for most of their modern history, Moscow and Tokyo have been anything but. Now, however, the two countries find themselves linked by a shared predicament in the Asia-Pacific. Both are secondary players in a region overshadowed by an increasingly assertive China, which has not hesitated to push against the boundaries of its neighbors....

India wants a greater stake in the development of a Sukhoi T-50-variant Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft. India and Russia have been long-term collaborators on defense technology. The two countries together produced the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile — the fastest cruise missile in production. The relationship hasn’t always been balanced in India’s favor, however, and this has come to light recently with India’s stake in the development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, based on the Russian Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA). According to Defense News, India has conveyed its displeasure to Russia over its “low level of participation in the joint...

US Navy considers extending F/A-18 procurement into fiscal year 2015 The US Navy is considering ordering additional Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft in fiscal 2015, despite current plans to cease procurement in the current 2014 fiscal year, which ends on 30 September. In a pre-solicitation notice posted on FedBizOpps.gov, the Naval Air Systems Command says it “intends to solicit and negotiate a fixed-price” contract with Boeing for up to 36 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler aircraft in FY2015. The notice comes amid concern about ending F/A-18E/F production in a time of uncertainly about the readiness of the Lockheed Martin...

Here’s a penny for your thoughts: One red cent could’ve landed you the Navy’s first supercarrier, the decommissioned Forrestal. The U.S. Navy sold the 1,067-foot behemoth to a Texas company, All Star Metals, to be dismantled, scrapped and recycled, Navy officials announced. It's an inauspicious fate for a ship with a colorful — and tragic — history. It's perhaps best known for a 1967 incident in which stray voltage triggered an accidental explosion that struck a plane on the flight deck whose cockpit was occupied by a young John McCain. A chain reaction of blasts and fires ultimately killed 134...

A long, in-depth, and superb article on the importance of naval carrier aviation, going back to the mistakes made in the Ford and Carter administrations, and why today the Navy needs 15 carriers. A must read. Link below...

The US Navy has stood up its first official Lockheed Martin F-35C squadron in order to train aviators to operate the aircraft. The squadron, VF-101, has been formed using two F-35s, and more will be delivered. Four additional F-35Cs are at NAS Patuxent River for aircraft testing. The F-35C is scheduled to be the final version of the aircraft put into service, with an initial operating capability expected in 2019. Lockheed expects to deliver a total of 15 aircraft to VF-101.

Air strike with SU-25, from chechen war SU-25 used FAB 500 (1102.31 lbs) bomb, and NURS

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TexasNaval Air Station Corpus Christi, also known as Truax Field, is a naval base located six miles southeast of the central business district of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas, USA.The general command assignment at MAS Corpus Christi is pilot training. The Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), headquartered here, oversees the entire training operation. Under CNATRA's command are five training air wings, 16 training squadrons, over 14,000 Navy and civilian personnel, the Naval Aviation Schools Command and the National Museum of Naval Aviation. Established in...

Third (and final) Elevator Installed on USS Gerald R. Ford, CVN-79 3rd Elevator Installed on USS Gerald R. Ford World Maritime News Newport News, VirginiaHuntington Ingalls Industries: Huntington Ingalls announced yesterday that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division installed the third and final aircraft elevator on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The elevator, which is used to move aircraft from the hangar bay to the flight deck quickly and safely, is located on the starboard side of the ship. It measures 85 feet long and 52 feet wide and weighs 120 tons, akin to a steam...

From NavSource Online, John C. Driskill - "In 1972, I was stationed on the Lexington (CVT-16) as a PH3. President Richard Nixon asked Don Garlits to do a "Fly Navy Promo" with his car the Swamp Rat 16. We photographers mates were allowed to photograph the scene while assisting the photographers from "Hot Rod" Magazine. We had to swear we would not sell the photographs we took to any other magazines. This is my shot of the Swamp Rat 16 on the flight deck of the Lexington," [ready to race an A-7E Corsair II of VA-81 "Sunliners."] William Carter Fields...

Notice how the Russian VDV Airborne Paras jump without d-bags dangling outside the aircraft such that they can jump IN FRONT OF IL-76 JET ENGINES! By using drogue chutes they exit the plane clean and can have timers delay openings for HIGH ALTITUDE mass tactical jumps without trying to teach everyone belabored civilian skydiving stable body position skills. This means more Paras can jump from more doors and land closer together near their BMD light tank/APC to get into action far faster than U.S. Airborne equipment and techniques. And the VDV can jump with their IL-76 jets not having to...

Russian-built aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya ready to sail, finally It is without doubt the largest warship ever to be operated by the Indian Navy. But if there is a record for the longest time spent by an Indian warship in a shipyard, the INS Vikramaditya would hold that too. After a long a painful process of renegotiations, price escalations and delays, India's new aircraft carrier finally seems to be on its way home. The refurbished ship — it was originally the Gorshkov, launched in 1982 — is currently undergoing an exhaustive series of trials in the Barents Sea to test...

USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH, at sea (NNS) -- The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator completed its first-ever carrier-based arrested landing on board USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia July 10. "By evolving and integrating new technology like the X-47B and the unmanned aircraft to follow, carriers will remain relevant throughout their 50-year lifespan," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Today's demonstration was the first time a tailless, unmanned autonomous aircraft landed on a modern aircraft carrier. This test marks an historic event for naval aviation that Navy leaders believe will impact...