Armée Américaine [USA]

[geronimo]

Military analyst spotted American F-117 Nighthawk in Reconnaissance Images of China

https://fighterjetsworld.com/2019/01/16 ... -of-china/

[malikos]

[geronimo]

US warships pass through Taiwan Strait amid China tensions

1440986-922261675.jpg

TAIPEI: The US sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday in the first such operation this year, the Taiwan government said, as it increases the frequency of transits through the strategic waterway to the concern of China.
The passage by the US ships will likely be viewed in Taiwan as a sign of support from US President Donald Trump’s government amid growing friction between the self-ruled island and Beijing.
US guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell and the USNS Walter S. Diehl conducted “a routine” Taiwan Strait transit “in accordance with international law”, US Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Commander Tim Gorman said.
China considers Taiwan its own and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement late on Thursday the ships were moving in a northerly direction through the waterway that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland and that their voyage was in accordance with regulations.
It said Taiwan closely monitored the operation to “ensure the security of the seas and regional stability.”
The US sent ships through the waterway three times last year.
Despite Chinese military technological advances that pose an increased threat to US warships, the US Navy has said it has not ruled out sending an aircraft carrier through the strait, something it has not done in more than 10 years.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China closely monitored the US ships through the waters, and had “expressed concern” to the US side, urging it to abide by the “one China” principle.
China has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsar Ing-wen, from the pro-independence ruling party, took office in 2016. It has regularly sent military aircraft and ships to circle the island on drills in the past few years.
Beijing sent several bombers and aircraft through the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, earlier on Thursday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a separate statement.
A similar Chinese operation was conducted on Tuesday, the ministry said, and both were monitored closely.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in early January China reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control. In response, Tsai vowed to defend the island’s democracy and called for international support to protect Taiwan’s way of life.
Trump recently signed into law the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act reaffirming the US commitment to Taiwan, including arms sales.
The US recognizes only “one China” and has no formal ties with Taiwan, but it is bound by law to help the island defend itself and is its main source of arms.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1441721/world

[geronimo]

China Panic - U.S. Air Force sends two B-52 bombers over East China Sea

[geronimo]

The US Air Force Has Won Control of the Space Force
Six months ago, service leaders said they were being cut out of the planning process. Now they’re being put in charge of it.

Detailed planning for the proposed Space Force is expected to be handed over soon to the U.S. Air Force, a sign that Pentagon leaders — many of whom opposed the notion of consolidating military space operations in a new organization — have found a version that they can support.

In coming weeks, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is expected to sign a memo asking Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to stand up a team that will figure out the bureaucratic nuts and bolts of the new space organization, according to a draft of the memo being circulated by top administration and military officials.

A spokesman for Shanahan, who is traveling in the Middle East, was not immediately available for comment.

The move brings the Air Force somewhat full circle on the new outfit. Last March, President Trump called rather vaguely for a “Space Force,” surprising Pentagon and service officials, many of whom had opposed more fleshed-out versions of the idea. In particular, leaders of the Air Force — which handles the majority of U.S. military space operations — evinced concern that those functions might be split off into a completely separate service branch.

https://www.defenseone.com/politics/201 ... reaking_nl

[Dragunov]

[Dragunov]

Chargement du vls de l'uss Oklahoma

IMG_20190318_015540.jpg

IMG_20190318_015543.jpg

IMG_20190318_015545.jpg

IMG_20190318_015547.jpg

[Dragunov]

F-35 de l'USAF dans le ciel de la Sierra Nevada (Californie,Nevada) le 28/02/2019

IMG_20190318_094239.jpg

IMG_20190318_094242.jpg

IMG_20190318_094248.jpg

IMG_20190318_094252.jpg

[Dragunov]

[Dragunov]

USS Wasp, Marines arrive in the Philippines for Balikatan exercise

32559130007_8251e03c5d.jpg

SUBIC BAY, Philippines - The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), with embarked Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) 4, led by 4th Marine Regiment, arrived in Subic Bay, March 30, in preparation for exercise Balikatan.

Balikatan is an exercise between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States, and also features participation from Australia. Balikatan is a Tagalog phrase for “shoulder-to-shoulder,” which characterizes the spirit of the exercise and represents the partnership between the U.S. and the Philippines.

“We are excited to visit the Philippines for the first time since Wasp was forward deployed to 7th Fleet,” said Capt. Colby Howard, Wasp’s commanding officer. “Balikatan is a great opportunity for the Navy, Marine Corps team and our allies from the Republic of the Philippines to learn from one another, and further improve our ability operate together.”

During Balikatan 2019, U.S. and Philippine forces will conduct amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, and counterterrorism response. All events will take place in Luzon and Palawan.

This will be the first Exercise Balikatan to incorporate the Wasp with the embarked United States Marines Corps’ F-35B Lightning II aircraft. Together they represent an increase in military capability committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Participating in Balikatan demonstrates their ability to quickly forward deploy in support of an ally should a crisis or natural disaster occur.

Balikatan 2019 will also bring together ASEAN members for an International Observers Program. The program aims to promote greater defense cooperation with ASEAN and other key allies and partners; show multinational coordination where the observers can mutually exchange meaningful ideas and best practices; and showcase the joint and combined air, sea and ground operation of the AFP-U.S. armed forces.

This year’s Balikatan focuses on maritime security and amphibious capabilities, as well as multinational interoperability through military exchanges. Exercises like Balikatan strengthen international partnerships and the participating militaries’ abilities to rapidly respond in unison to crises throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

USS Wasp is the flagship for the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group and is currently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to provide a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

32559128357_2c08840aed.jpg

32559128877_3e1c885fd5.jpg

https://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/130439

[Dragunov]

U.S. Army unveils new command post vehicles

5228118-1024x683.jpg

The U.S. Army has disclosed detail of the new command post vehicles as part of the Army’s modernization strategy to make Soldiers and units more lethal to win the nation’s wars.

Near-peer enemy threats can detect and target mission command nodes using modern assets such as Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). These command posts are especially vulnerable due to their physical and electromagnetic signature, in addition to the lack of speed and mobility.

The environment Soldiers will operate in will be “highly lethal,” and “unlike anything our Army has experienced, at least since World War II,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the Chief of Staff of the Army. With sensors everywhere, Soldiers in the future will have to operate with the understanding that, “the probability of being seen is very high. In a future battlefield, if you stay in one place for longer than two or three hours, you’ll be dead. That obviously places demands on human endurance … [and] on equipment.”

To counter this problem, the Army is currently experimenting with mobile mission command platforms, such as the M1087 Expandable Van Shelter, under the Command Post Directed Requirement Pilot Program and is integrating it into units such as the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team to assess different configurations. The units will then provide feedback on operational suitability and functionality.

“The general purpose of the command post directive requirement was to provide units with expandable vehicles and shelters in an effort to allow them to transition command post capabilities from the currently tent-based command post into vehicles and shelters,” said Jim Bell, who works with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM).

“This would give us a rapidly moveable and potentially more survivable option for our command posts,” said Col. Leo Wyszynski, commander of 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “It takes us about 30 minutes to tear down the new command posts, which is significantly less than what it takes us to tear down a tent. Our hope is to be able to jump and move in under 30 minutes as we practice and train with it.”

The purpose of the program is to develop equipment that will be more survivable, more mobile in order to protect the unit in the future battlefield and enable them to fight more effectively, Wyszynski said.

“We have two expando vans with us as our tactical command post in the Philippines and we had them in Thailand as part of Pacific Pathways,” he added. “We had several significant storms in Thailand and the expando vans provided a notable advantage over the other command posts that were setup next to us. We were able to continue our mission command functions flawlessly while their operations were degraded.”

The 1-2 SBCT recently held a design workshop with DEVCOM March 12-15, 2019, immediately followed by a command post exercise to assist in the platform’s implementation and provide feedback on optimal configurations.

“Forces Command gave broad latitude in determining what the specific requirements would be for inside the vehicles and how they would meet those requirements,” Bell said. “The vans are empty shells when they arrive to a unit; there is nothing really inside them except lighting and power distribution. The idea is to have the units work through a Soldier-led integration process of mission command capabilities into these vehicles and shelters.”

Each shop has specific details of what they want their command truck to do, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Carlos Enciso, the officer in charge of the vehicle modifications for 1-2 SBCT. His team takes those plans and tries to incorporate them the best they can into the vehicles. The DEVCOM team is there to look over those modifications.

The subject matter experts from DEVCOM are specialists in mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as integration, Bell said. They are there to show the units best practices and help troubleshoot their designs to make them more effective.

“There are challenges,” according to Bell. “Such as figuring out how to maximize workspace in order to have multiple items such as maps and monitors located in the same area.”

They have been manufacturing tables that fit in the center of the expando van and are incorporating side tables that fold down when the van is collapsed to maximize space, said Enciso. They are also mounting brackets so they can install monitors on the walls of different stations. This allows the expando van to collapse at a moment’s notice.

“Part of what I think the Army is trying to do with this program is to speed up the current acquisition process,” said Bell. “It may take us three or more years to engineer something that was close to perfect if we try to design the vehicles and shelters from a set of requirements in a lab. We may not have any idea if it truly met Soldier requirements until we got it in the field.”

This approach of involving Soldiers early and often in the development process really holds the potential of decreasing the amount of development time and improving the quality of the product Soldiers get, Bell added.

As this the development process continues, developers are collecting surveys from the units testing the equipment to ensure the platform can accomplish its intended task of making command posts more mobile.

“Our ability to quickly setup, move and to transfer control functions from one command post to the next is going to be vital for mission success,” said Wyszynski. “These vehicles will not only allow higher echelons to continue to help our units in contact but also allow us to continue to employ multiple assets against the enemy.”

https://defence-blog.com/army/u-s-army- ... icles.html

[sadral]

L’US Navy commande 24 E-2D.

La US Navy a passé commande à Northrop-Grumman un contrat d’achat d’une valeur de 3,2 milliards de dollars un total de 24 avions d’alerte avancée et de contrôle E-2D « Advanced Hawkeye ». Il s'agit du second contrat d'approvisionnement pluriannuel attribué à Northrop Grumman pour le E-2D. L'USN a attribué le premier contrat en 2014 pour la production de 25 avions E-2D, qui a ensuite été porté à 26 avions par le Congrès.

Le Hawkeye E-2D « Advanced » :

Les systèmes du E-2D représentent un bond de plusieurs générations dans la technologie des systèmes embarqués d’alerte lointaine et doit permettre de s’adapter aux menaces d’aujourd’hui et de demain, en s’intégrant totalement dans les nouveaux systèmes, mis en oeuvres par l’US Navy. Que ce soit en matière de bâtiments de surface que de nouveaux appareils tels : les Super Hornet et le F-35.

Le Hawkeye E-2D « Advanced » dispose d’un grand nombre de nouveautés avec un radar AESA AN/APY-9 qui remplace l’ancienne antenne de type mécanique, le radar permet une couverture totale à 360° et un suivi complet air et mer. L’appareil dispose également d’une nouvelle motorisation, soit le Rolls-Royce T-56-A-427A. Un cockpit entièrement numérique, d’un nouveau système d’identification ami/ennemi, de nouveaux postes de travail tactique, ainsi que d’une nouvelle architecture électronique et de communication couplée à une liaison de données.

1101899694.jpg

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/201 ... 67249.html

[sadral]

[malikos]

Massive Warship Expansion: Navy to Add 30 New Destroyers by 2034
Kris Osborn
by
Kris Osborn
Apr 1
-edited
Within the next 15 years, the Navy plans to add as many as 30 DDG 51 Destroyers

US Navy photo

Warrior Maven Video Above: How Will the Navy Get to 355 Ships by 2034? Submarines & Destroyers

By Kris Osborn - Warrior Maven

(Washington, D.C.) The Navy’s ambitious fleet-size expansion relies upon a massive increase in heavily armed Destroyers able to launch long-range attacks, fire interceptor missiles, defend carrier strike groups and engage in massive open blue water warfare.

Within the next 15 years, the Navy plans to add as many as 30 DDG 51 Destroyers, including 22 new, high-tech DDG 51 Flight III warships and eight state-of-the-art DDG 51 Flight IIA destroyers. Prioritizing such a large number of these warships offers an interesting analytical window into Navy thinking about the next five decades of ocean war.

In addition to adding 30 new destroyers, the Navy’ also seeks 15 LCS’, 18 of the new Frigates and as many as 32 new attack submarines in the next 15 years. While many new ships are now under construction, the current number of Navy ships is roughly in the high 280s, a number the Navy hopes to grow to 355 by 2034.

“Battle force inventory reaches 301 in 2020 and 355 in 2034,” Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers, told Warrior Maven.

Adding large numbers of new next-generation destroyers will substantially change the Navy's ability to conduct major maritime warfare operations by enabling surface forces to detect enemy attacks at much farther distances, launch long-range strikes with greater precision and destructive force and disperse offensive forces across much wider swaths of ocean.

The U.S. Navy has awarded deals for 10 new high-tech DDG 51 Flight III Destroyers and built in options to add even more ships and increase the "build rates" for construction of new warships Meanwhile, the Navy has already started construction on its first new Flight III DDG 51 surface warfare destroyer armed with improved weapons, advanced sensors and new radar 35-times more sensitive than most current systems, service and industry officials explained.

Navy Flight III Destroyers have a host of defining new technologies not included in current ships such as more on-board power to accommodate laser weapons, new engines, improved electronics, fast-upgradeable software and a much more powerful radar. The Flight III Destroyers will be able to see and destroy a much wider range of enemy targets at farther distances.

A new software and hardware enabled ship-based radar and fire control system, called Aegis Baseline 10, will drive a new technical ability for the ship to combine air-warfare and ballistic missile defense into a single system. The AN/SPY-6 radar, also called Air and Missile Defense Radar, is engineered to simultaneously locate and discriminate multiple tracks.

This means that the ship can succeed in more quickly detecting both approaching enemy drones, helicopters and low flying aircraft as well as incoming ballistic missiles.

The Raytheon-built AN/SPY-6(V) radar is reported by developers to be 35-times more powerful than existing ship-based radar systems; the technology is widely regarded as being able to detect objects twice as far away at one-half the size of current tracking radar.

​



US Navy photo

The farther away ship commanders can see approaching threats, across the spectrum of potential attack weapons, the faster they are able to make time-sensitive decisions about which elements of a ship’s layered defense systems should be used.

​The AN/SPY-6 platform will enable next-generation Flight III DDG 51s to defend much larger areas compared with the AN/SPY-1D radar on existing destroyers. The AN/SPY-6 is being engineered to be easily reparable with replaceable parts, fewer circuit boards and cheaper components than previous radars, according to Raytheon developers; the new radar is also designed to rely heavily on software innovations, something which reduces the need for different spare parts.

Service officials say the new ship uses newly integrated hardware and software with common interfaces will enable continued modernization in future years. Called TI 16 (Technical Integration), the added components are engineered to give Aegis Baseline 10 additional flexibility should it integrate new systems such as emerging electronic warfare or laser weapons, according to a Navy announcement in early 2018.

Last year at the Surface Navy Association, the ship’s program said that special technological adaptations are being built into the new, larger radar system so that it can be sufficiently cooled and powered up with enough electricity. The AMDR will be run by 1000-volts of DC power.

The AMDR is equipped with specially configured cooling technology. The Navy has been developing a new 300-ton AC cooling plant slated to replace the existing 200-ton AC plant, Navy developers have said.

Before becoming operational, the new cooling plant will need to have completed environmental testing which will assess how the unit is able to tolerate vibration, noise and shocks such as those generated by an underwater explosion, service officials said.

Through the course of several interviews, SPY-6 radar developers with Raytheon have told Warrior Maven that simulated weapons engagements have enabled the new radar to close what’s called the “track loop” for anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense simulations. The process involves data signal processing of raw radar data to close a track loop and pinpoint targets, Raytheon developers said.

The radar works by sending a series of electro-magnetic signals or “pings” which bounce off an object or threat and send back return-signal information identifying the shape, size, speed or distance of the object encountered.

The development of the radar system is hastened by the re-use of software technology from existing Navy dual-band and AN/TPY-2 radar programs, Raytheon developers added.

As a result, it is entirely plausible that AMDR or a comparable technology will be engineered onto amphibious assault ships, cruisers, carriers and other platforms as well.

Raytheon statements say AN/SPY-6 is the first truly scalable radar, built with radar building blocks - Radar Modular Assemblies - that can be grouped to form any size radar aperture, either smaller or larger than currently fielded radars.

Raytheon data on the radar system also cites a chemical compound semi-conductor technology called Gallium Nitride which can amplify high-power signals at microwave frequencies; it enables better detection of objects at greater distances when compared with existing commonly used materials such as Gallium Arsenide, Raytheon officials explained.

Raytheon engineers tell Warrior that Gallium Nitride is designed to be extremely efficient and use a powerful aperture in a smaller size to fit on a DDG 51 destroyer with reduced weight and reduced power consumption. Gallium Nitride has a much higher break down voltage so it is capable of much higher power densities, Raytheon developers said.

The DDG Flight III’s will also be built with the same Rolls Royce power turbine engineered for the DDG 1000, yet designed with some special fuel-efficiency enhancements, according to Navy information.

DDG 51 Flight III destroyers are expected to expand upon a promising new ship-based weapons system technology fire-control system, called Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air, or NIFC-CA.

The technology, which has already been deployed, enables ship-based radar to connect with an airborne sensor platform to detect approaching enemy anti-ship cruise missiles from beyond the horizon and, if needed, launch an SM-6 missile to intercept and destroy the incoming threat, Navy officials said.

Navy developers say NIFC-CA presents the ability to extend the range of attack missiles and extend the reach of sensors by netting different sensors from different platforms -- both sea-based and air-based together into one fire control system.

Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has a Masters in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.


https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/se ... CA3qcwGmg/

[FULCRUM]

Ils veulent faire face à la monter en puissance de la marine chinoise!