Navy Adm. Gary Roughead told the House Armed Services Committee that the service's current fleet of legacy F-18s from Boeing ( BA - news - people ) Co. is rapidly aging and will need to be replaced quickly. Those jets have seen substantial action supporting forces on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the rate of operating these aircraft, the number of our carrier-capable strike fighters will decrease between 2016 and 2020," Roughead said in prepared testimony.

He urged lawmakers to provide stable funding for Lockheed's new stealth jet, known also as the F-35, so the program stays on budget and can be delivered on time to the Navy by 2015.

Gaps in the number of the military's strike-fighters is a shared concern for both lawmakers and the Pentagon. The department acknowledges both challenges and risks in making a transition toward the Joint Strike Fighter.

BATS Real-Time Market Data by Xignite"We're taking some risk now," Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. "That's been a decision that's associated with this. And we need to really do the analysis to see how we're going to fill up these decks."

Both lawmakers and Boeing had hoped to see a multiyear deal to buy more Super Hornets included in the fiscal 2010 defense budget. Instead, the Pentagon will buy a total of 31 F-18 aircraft, of which only nine are Super Hornets for the Navy. The rest are EA-18G Growlers, an electronic attack fighter jet, also built by Boeing.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates explained to lawmakers that the Pentagon delayed the multiyear contract to buy more Super Hornets until the department completes its upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review. Only then will the service assess how many tactical aircraft the Pentagon needs for each service while weighing buildups from nations like China and Russia.

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GE Eyes More Powerful Engine For Super Hornets, Growlers

(AVIATION WEEK 14 MAY 09) ... Guy Norris

ITUSVILLE, Fla. - General Electric is testing a modified version of the F414 engine for the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and EF-18 Growler that could increase thrust by 20% while improving durability and reducing fuel burn.

Although full details are not yet available, it appears the U.S. Navy-supported development is a combined product of two F414-400 upgrade efforts. One of these was originally focused on increasing the baseline durability of the engine, while the other is an ongoing study aimed at increasing overall thrust.

The former effort, dubbed the enhanced durability engine, was begun to improve foreign object damage resistance, and includes specific fuel consumption (SPC) saving benefits that "will pay for itself over the life of the engine," says Bob Gower, Boeing vice president for F-18 programs.

In addition to this work, which principally concerns improvements to the high-pressure core, GE is also studying a new fan design "which could significantly increase thrust by around 20%," Gower adds. The thrust boost, thought to be produced by dramatically upping fan flow, is achieved without changes to the engine's outer mold line and "will be a form, fit and function replacement at this point," he adds. Gower also says the "the needs of the market will drive the need for increased thrust."

Boeing, Navy talking

News of the enhanced performance engine, as the augmented thrust variant is dubbed, comes as GE secures an additional $7.5 million Navy contract to demonstrate new fuel-saving technologies on the F414. This is in support of the Near Term Energy Efficiency Technology Demonstration and Research Project, and was awarded as part of the U.S. government's stimulus package under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The bulk of the work (more than 90%) will be performed in Lynn, Mass., while the balance will take place in Evendale, Ohio, and is expected to be completed in December 2010.

Gower adds that Boeing is still engaged in discussions with the Navy about a potential multiyear procurement (MYP) for additional Super Hornets, even though budget plans for FY 2010 cut the Super Hornet buy to 31 aircraft, including 22 electronic-warfare G models. So far the Navy has funded 485 Hornets through early acquisition contracting, as well as MYP 1 (210) and MYP 2 (213), plus another 20 aircraft funded with ostensible supplemental warfighting appropriations (four in '07 and 16 in '08). Deliveries of MYP 2 aircraft are to be completed by the end of 2011. Despite a planned reduction of carriers to 10, Boeing believes it is highly probable the Navy will require a further 89 aircraft (including 32 Growlers). This, it says, will be made up of 31 in FY '10, 34 in FY '11 and 24 in FY '12, including the possibility of an MYP 3 covering 149 aircraft total in five years.

'Fighter inventory shortfall'

Gower says that on top of the "fighter inventory shortfall" driven by the early retirement of current jets and the delayed introduction of the F-35, the Quadrennial Defense Review could include an additional 20-30 Growlers to satisfy joint expeditionary electronic warfare support needs. This requirement is likely to become more acute while the Navy accelerates the retirement of the EA-6B Prowler, which is to go by the end of 2012.

Gower also said the international sales potential remains buoyant in the wake of the export sales success to Australia, which will officially receive its first aircraft in a July 8 ceremony in St. Louis. The second tranche of 24 Australian F/A-18E/Fs will be built with wiring to support the G configuration. Beyond Australia, Super Hornet is competing in Brazil (with a final offer scheduled for June 2), India, Canada, Denmark, Kuwait and Japan.

=============================================================

Sitrep: Hawkeye Racking Up Flight Testing Hours In St. Augustine

(FLORIDA TIMES-UNION 14 MAY 09) ... Timothy Gibbons

The E-2D Hawkeye built at Northrop Grumman's plant in St. Augustine has reached the 1,000 hours of flight testing mark, the company said yesterday. This is means the program is on track for operational evaluation in two years.

Workers at the St. Augustine plane have been building variants of this plane for close to 30 years. The Advanced Hawkeye is the Navy's next generational surveillance plane. Flying about 25,000 feet above a carrier group during battle, it keeps track of other airplanes, cruise missiles and other activity in the area.

It's unclear what the future of the program will be after Congress cut its funding last year.

Pentagon Brass See Unmanned Aircraft Dominating Future Fleets

(DEFENSE DAILY 15 MAY 09) ... Emelie Rutherford

Pentagon leaders underscored their commitment to buying unmanned aircraft before a Senate panel yesterday, with the top uniformed officer saying the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) could be among the last manned aircraft of its kind.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Michael Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) during a fiscal year 2010 budget hearing that "we're in a real time of transition here in terms of future aviation."

"The whole issue of what's going to be manned, and what's going to be unmanned, what's going to be stealthy, what isn't, how do we address these threats... (is) changing, even from 2006," Mullen said. "From a warfighting perspective, I think this is at the heart of what we need to look at for the future, whether it's fighters or bombers, quite frankly."

Testifying with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Mullen spoke up after two Republicans questioned Pentagon FY '10 budget proposals to cancel a classified next-generation bomber program, and to end production of Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-22 stealth fighters after 187 are purchased.

The Department of Defense, Mullen said, "is very much focused on"

and "in the beginning of" this change in thinking regarding aircraft.

"There are those that see JSF as the last manned fighter,...bomber, or jet," Mullen said. "I'm one that's inclined to believe that. I don't know if that's exactly right. But this all speaks to the change that goes out...obviously decades, including how much unmanned we're going to have and how it's going to be resourced."

Lockheed Martin is developing the multi-service F-35 JSF.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) quizzed Gates on why he wants to cancel planning for a follow-on bomber, considering the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) directed the Air Force to build one by 2018.

Gates said more analysis for the bomber is needed in the new QDR and the Nuclear Posture Review, adding: "One of the things I think we need to think about is whether, for example, the follow-on bomber needs to have a pilot in it."

"The reality is that we have a lot more experience in the last two to three years with unmanned aerial vehicles than they had at the time that the last QDR was put together," Gates said.

The defense secretary noted buying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems-built Predator and Reaper is "one of the significant growth areas in the budget"

proposal, which calls for ramping up to build 48 Reapers a year and maxing out the Predator line.

"They have played such a vital role in both Iraq and Afghanistan and have such application in so many other places," Gates said about the UAVs.

The congressional budget hearing was Gates and Mullen's second in two days on President Obama's fiscal year 2010 proposals for a $533.8 billion base defense budget and separate war-related funding. Gates unveiled most of his proposed programmatic changes last month, before the budget's official transmission to Congress last week.

Lawmakers beyond Thune lamented Gates' recommendations on programs they support: Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) decried ending F-22 production after 187 jets are bought; Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) critiqued axing the manned-ground vehicle of the Army's Future Combat Systems program; Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Sen. Mark Begich (D-

Alaska) criticized cutting longer-range missile defense programs; and Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) questioned scaling back the L-3 Communications [LLL] Joint Cargo Aircraft and shifting it to Air Force oversight. Martinez also noted shipbuilding concerns, including the proposed production delay for the 11th LPD amphibious ship. And Sen.

Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) made a pitch for a multiyear buy of Boeing [BA] F-18 jets, an arrangement the Pentagon did not propose in the FY '10 budget.

The SASC also unanimously approved by voice vote President Obama's nominations of six civilian Pentagon nominees including Raymond Mabus to be Navy secretary, Robert Work to be Navy under secretary, and Paul Stockton to be assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and America's security affairs.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Future Of Military Aviation Lies With Drones

(AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 14 MAY 09)

WASHINGTON--Unmanned aircraft likely represent the future for U.S. military aviation, with next-generation bombers and fighter planes operating without pilots onboard, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.

"We're at a real time of transition here in terms of the future of aviation, and the whole issue of what's going to be manned and what's going to be unmanned," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate hearing.

"I think we're at the beginning of this change," Mullen said when asked about plans for developing a new bomber aircraft.

The use of drones has dramatically expanded just in the past few years, he said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the same hearing that military planners need to answer the question whether a new bomber would have a pilot in the cockpit or operate as unmanned aircraft.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mullen said Lockheed Martin Corp.'s (LMT) Joint Strike Fighter, now being built, could be the last manned fighter jet before robotic planes take over that role.

"I mean, there are those that see JSF as the last manned fighter," Mullen said of the F-35. "I'm one that's inclined to believe that."

The U.S. military and intelligence agencies now use thousands of drones, ranging from small, one-meter-long aircraft that can be thrown into the air by hand to the larger Global Hawk, with a wingspan of 35 meters, in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Although Gates has pushed for cuts in expensive weapons systems - including plans for expanding the fleet of F-22 fighter jets - his proposed budget for fiscal 2010 calls for increasing funding for unmanned drones, including Predators and the newer Reapers.

"This is one of the significant growth areas in the budget," Gates said.

The defense secretary's budget calls for spending $2 billion on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, with much of the money going to drones.

"We will ramp to build 48 Reapers a year during this budget," Gates said.

"We are really placing a major bet in this area."

Pentagon Halts Work on Presidential Copter

(THE NEW YORK TIMES 15 MAY 2009) ... Christopher Drew

Pentagon officials on Friday stopped work on a costly new presidential helicopter despite efforts by the contractors and their supporters in Congress to salvage part of the project.

The helicopters seemed destined for cancellation ever since President Obama described the project as “an example of the procurement process gone amok.”

The decision to cancel the program came after the projected costs for 28 helicopters doubled to nearly $13 billion.

But some defense experts and Congressional leaders who oversee military spending have said it would be cheaper to keep building a basic version of the helicopter than to scrap the project altogether. Congress could potentially overrule the Pentagon’s decision.

Ashton B. Carter, the new under secretary of defense for acquisitions, signed a memorandum Friday canceling the program. The Navy, which oversees the project, then issued its own order to the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, to halt work at its plant in Owego in upstate New York, where it has been conducting flight tests on several of the helicopters.

Representative Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York who represents Owego and who sits on the House defense appropriations subcommittee, criticized the decision as a waste of the $3.2 billion already been spent on the program.

Mr. Hinchey and Representative John P. Murtha, a powerful Pennsylvania Democrat who heads the subcommittee, are expected to question Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates about the decision when he appears before the panel next week.

But lawmakers from Connecticut applauded the Pentagon’s move, saying they want Sikorsky Aircraft, which is based in Stratford, Conn., to have another chance to bid for the huge contract.

Representative Rosa L. DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said the cancellation was “welcome news” and “a recognition of the slate of problems with the helicopter replacement program.”

Sikorsky, a unit of United Technologies, built the current fleet of aging helicopters used by the president. But it lost out to Lockheed Martin and a European company in 2005 after the Bush administration set out to create a futuristic craft that could fend off terrorist attacks and resist the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear blast.

The plan was to build five basic helicopters and 23 more sophisticated craft. The Pentagon stopped work on the advanced helicopters in late 2007 as the cost overruns mounted on them.

Mr. Gates has said that the basic ones, which were scheduled to go into service in 2011, were built to last only 5 to 10 years.

But AgustaWestland, the European company that builds the helicopters for Lockheed Martin, disputed his comments and offered to build a fleet of the basic craft for the $6.8 billion originally budgeted for the project.

Records show that while the Navy initially certified the helicopters for only 5 to 10 years of use, it had also budgeted money for fatigue tests commonly used to extend the expected lives of aircraft.

AgustaWestland has said that other versions of the basic helicopter have been rated for 30 years of use by the Federal Aviation Administration and civil and military authorities in several other countries.

Pentagon officials have said they were also concerned that the basic helicopters could fly only 200 miles without refueling, while the Bush administration wanted new helicopters that could fly nearly 300 miles.

But military experts say it would be expensive to customize any midsize helicopter to meet that goal. They said that the Bush White House wanted a craft large enough to carry 14 people, compared with 10 on the current helicopters, which date back to 1975, yet still small enough to land on the White House lawn without tearing up the Rose Garden.

Pentagon officials have said that they will review the requirements with the Obama administration before seeking new bids.

===========================================================
Navy Orders Work Stopped On POTUS Chopper

(THE HILL 15 MAY 09) ... Roxana Tiron

The Navy on Friday ordered Lockheed Martin and Agusta Westland to stop all work on the new presidential helicopter.

The stop work order comes after the Pentagon's weapons buying chief Ash Carter on Friday signed a memo formally canceling the new presidential helicopter program also known as the VH-71.

The decision to terminate the contract with Lockheed and Agusta is not a new one: Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the cancelation of the program last month when he previewed the Pentagon's 2010 budget request.

The decision to scrap the contract under which the defense contractor already built nine choppers does not sit well with several supporters in Congress, who are maneuvering to figure out a way to salvage the program. Lockheed's main operations related to the VH-71 are in New York state.

The Obama administration decided to cancel the program after its costs more than doubled from $6.8 billion to $13 billion and the program faced delays. A total of 23 helicopters were supposed to be built.

Dan Hill, vice president of Agusta Westland North America, which builds the helicopter, said in a statement last week that his company "is proud" of the helicopters it has delivered. The helicopters "meet or exceed all of the program specifications," he said.

Supporters of the program argue that the cost ballooned because of increasing requirements and specifications from the Secret Service, which protects the president and the Marine squadron that flies the presidential helicopters.

The Navy was in charge of the presidential chopper program. Carter directed the Navy to come up with options to replace the current decades-old presidential helicopters over the next 30 days.

In a statement issued Friday, the Navy said that the 2010 budget request includes money to extend the life of the current helicopters and to develop a plan to eventually replace them. The Navy said the budget request also covers the termination costs to the defense contractors. Those costs are, however, negotiated between the government and the contractors, so it's unclear as of now what those costs are. The Obama administration requested $85 million overall to cover the extension of the old helos, figure out the way forward and pay the cancellation costs.

The government also has to figure out what to do with the nine helicopters the contractors have already built. According to the Navy the options are to keep the helicopters for other Pentagon uses, sell them to other "interested parties" or have the contractors buy back the helicopters.

Commandant says Marines will field their own gunships

(CONGRESS DAILY 15 MAY 09) ... Otto Kreisher

The Marine Corps is pursuing a number of initiatives to give its units more fire support and more mobility to meet operational demands, with one near-term project being a less-sophisticated version of the Air Force's powerful AC-130 gunship, Gen. James Conway said on Friday.

The Marine Corps commandant said the service is working on a longer-term proposal to use the Navy's Littoral Combat Ships to provide high-volume fire support for Marine forces ashore. In addition, Marines are looking to modify their Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected vehicles to enable them to operate in Afghanistan's rugged terrain, Conway told a Center for Strategic and International Studies forum.

Conway said the Marines "have lusted for years" over the AC-130's capability but could not afford the sophisticated Air Force gunships. Instead, they are taking advantage of their KC-130J transport-tankers in a program called "Harvest Hawk," he said. It consists of a "roll-on, roll-off package" that can be installed in hours and gives the KC-130s the ability to fire a 30mm rapid-fire gun and Hellfire missiles in support of ground forces, Conway said. "I think you're going to see one in [Afghanistan] before the end of the calendar year."

A Marine spokesman said later that "this is not intended to be a gunship" but a response to an urgent need of Marines in Afghanistan who want persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. "The ISR is the priority, but we also want the capability to use some weapons against targets we can see," the spokesman said.

CBO Cites Enduring U.S. Air Superiority

(AVIATION WEEK 15 MAY 09) ... Graham Warwick

Congressional scorekeepers in Washington have issued their latest list of alternative plans for the U.S. military to meet tactical aircraft needs, from accelerating purchases to fill threatened “fighter gaps,” to letting inventories shrink and replacing lost capabilities with bombers and unmanned combat aircraft.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) based its analysis, distributed online May 14, on the Defense Department’s fiscal 2009 plans. But it attached a note that says the new FY ’10 budget request does not change much, except in slightly accelerating the retirement of some U.S. Air Force fighters and the ramp-up of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production (Aerospace DAILY, April 7).

The analysis begins by noting that under DOD’s 2009 procurement outline, fighter inventories will fall below the armed services’ stated inventory goals, peaking with gaps of 400 aircraft by 2025 for the Air Force and 125 by 2017 for the Navy and Marine Corps. But even if inventories fall, the tactical fighter force may still improve overall as new aircraft vastly outstrip older types.

For instance, CBO calculates that the Air Force’s aggregate ability to carry 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) would increase substantially under 2009 plans because of the F-35A’s greater payload and longer range compared to the F-16, as well as by the fact that air-to-air F-15C/Ds will also be replaced by bomb-carrying F-35s.

The Navy and Marines may see less of a jump, however, because their aircraft to be replaced by the JSF are all air-to-ground capable and the Marine Corps’ STOVL F-35Bs will not be able to carry the JDAMs internally. Moreover, while the ability to carry air-to-air missiles in stealthy configuration would “markedly increase” across all three services, total internal and external capacity would remain about the same as now, CBO says.

Among CBO’s suggested alternatives, three involve buying more fighters, faster. The first would accelerate and increase F-35 purchases; the second would buy new F-16Es for the Air Force and more F/A-18E/Fs for the Navy, reducing the number of F-35s needed; and the third would cancel the JSF program and replace it with F-16Es and F/A-18E/Fs.

The other CBO alternatives would substantially cut fighter inventories by procuring far fewer F-35s and making up for lost air-to-ground weapons capacity by either buying more than 1,000 MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft for all three services, or a mix of 250 stealthy medium-range bombers for the Air Force and 275 aircraft carrier-capable unmanned combat aircraft for the Navy and Marines.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said a month ago that the current tacair force “is significantly excess to the requirement” — a factor leading to the decision to his budget request to retire 250 of the oldest legacy fighters in its fleet in FY ’10 and halt F-22 production at 187 aircraft (Aerospace DAILY, April 8). The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, said the new force structure would be a high-medium-low mix of F-22s, F-35s and unmanned aircraft.

Many of the aircraft proposed to be retired will be F-16s and A-10s, according to defense and industry sources. Cartwright said they will be replaced partly with Reapers.

In recent testimony on Capitol Hill, Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have maintained the unmanned theme. Pressed by defense authorizer and Lockheed Martin aircraft supporter Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) over the need to overcome enemy surface-to-air missiles, Gates noted May 14: “I would say the only defense against surface-to-air missiles is not something that has a pilot in it.”

Mullen noted that some analysts and officials see the JSF as the last, new strictly manned fighter or bomber — and that he was one of them.

Fighter gap expands under latest estimate

New figure nearly doubles projected plane shortage

(NAVY TIMES 16 MAY 09) ... Andrew Tilghman

The Navy has vastly expanded its estimate of the size of the so-called “fighter gap,” putting the looming shortfall of fighter planes at 243 aircraft. Officials on Capitol Hill say it could exceed 300.

The new estimates show the Navy and Marine Corps have a shortage of about 15 aircraft this year. That figure will expand steadily to 50 next year and reach a peak of 243 in 2018, according to an April report from the Congressional Research Service, which cited numbers provided by the Navy.

That’s nearly double the Navy’s previous estimates, which put the peak shortfall at about 125 for the Navy and Marine Corps.

The gap comes as the aging fleet of F/A-18 Hornets wears out faster than new, next-generation F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters will arrive to replace them.

The Navy revisions came amid concerns that the Hornets will not be able to last until the 10,000 flight-hour point but instead will have to retire after about 8,600 flight hours, the report said.

The Hornets were designed to fly 6,000 hours, and the Navy extended that life span to 8,000. Stretching it to 10,000 will cost an additional $22 million per aircraft, according to the report.

The size of the pending shortage is driving the debate over whether to buy more Boeing-made F/A-18E/F Super Hornets or wait until the Lockheed Martin-made F-35C comes online, scheduled for 2015.

Navy officials have been reluctant to discuss the fighter gap, saying it will be resolved in the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, a militarywide strategic assessment.

Wide range of gap guesses

Estimates on the shortfall can vary dramatically.

Some legislators say the gap is roughly 50 this year and 312 at its peak. The Navy’s analysis does not consider the current cost-cutting measure of funding only 39 aircraft per wing rather than the Navy’s stated requirement of 44 per wing, a congressional staffer told Navy Times.

Meanwhile, a top-level Pentagon planner told lawmakers at a private briefing on April 7 that the Defense Department’s Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation has concluded that there is no strike fighter shortfall at all, the congressional staffer said.

Lawmakers were skeptical of that assessment.

“We said ‘OK, where’s the analysis?’ And they have yet to come up with it,” the congressional staffer said. “Basically, we want to see their homework.”

The Navy and top Pentagon leaders appear to be at odds over the future of the Navy’s fighter fleet.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he wants to step up purchases of the F-35C.

Meanwhile, many observers believe the Navy would rather purchase more Super Hornets and cut its buy of JSFs, although service officials say they are supportive of the JSF program.

Boeing has offered to sell the Navy 170 Super Hornets for about $49.9 million per aircraft.

Lockheed Martin said it also has the capacity to move up the schedule for the F-35C. “If asked, we do have the capacity to accelerate the production,” spokesman John Kent said.

However, there are no plans to accelerate the schedule, said Capt. Wade Knudson, the Navy’s Joint Strike Fighter program manager.

The Navy’s stated requirement for strike fighter jets — now and in the future — is 1,056, the congressional staffer said.

Allowing the strike fighter fleet to decline by more than 30 percent would have a massive impact on the Navy’s ability to maintain adequate carrier air wings to satisfy the needs of 11 carriers. By 2018, “you are looking at about five aircraft carriers with no airplanes,” said Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., whose home state includes Boeing’s headquarters.

“Either you are assuming that we are going to get by with fewer aircraft carriers or we’re not going to have a full 44-aircraft [wing] on an aircraft carrier,” Akin said at a May 13 hearing.

House Panel Chairman Backs Navy Carrier-Reducing Request

(DEFENSE DAILY 18 MAY 09) ... Emelie Rutherford

The head of a naval panel in Congress said he will support the Navy's request to temporarily drop its aircraft carrier tally from 11 to 10, a legal permission lawmakers rejected in the past but a senior service official said must be addressed this year.

House Armed Services Seapower subcommittee Chairman Gene Taylor

(D-Miss.) said he is now convinced extending the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) beyond its planned decommission date--an alternative to dropping the 11-carrier fleet down to 10 ships during a crucial 33-month period- -would cost too much and disrupt the refueling schedule, and thus availability, of other carriers.

"Since (Navy officials) have made what I consider to be a compelling case, and (considering) that this is a temporary situation that's going to be corrected when the (USS Gerald R.) Ford (CVN-78) is delivered (in 2015), then I think a waiver makes sense," Taylor told Defense Daily last Friday, after a hearing on Navy shipbuilding.

The service asked Congress this month for a waiver to dip below the legally required aircraft-carrier fleet of 11 between the time the Enterprise is scheduled to be decommissioned in November 2012 and the Ford is expected to be delivered in September 2015.

Defense authorizers have rejected this same waiver request in recent years. Yet Taylor said he was won over by the arguments described at the hearing by Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources.

McCullough said if the Navy is directed to keep the Enterprise in service past its planned inactivation, the service would have to "put her in the dock to do the maintenance required to continue that ship in service beyond 2012," which would "significantly" disrupt the refueling schedules for the remaining Nimitz-class carriers.

The first carrier impacted would be the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN- 72), he said, because it will be "out of gas" when it comes home from its last deployment before its currently scheduled refueling availability, the admiral said.

"So if we put Enterprise in the dock to do the maintenance availability on her to get her beyond 2012, not only do you have that aircraft carrier out of service, you can't get any more operational availability out of...Lincoln, because she's out of fuel," McCullough said. "And then each subsequent refueling would be delayed."

If the Enterprise were to go through a maintenance availability in

2012 to extend its life, it would have enough fuel for one more deployment. Yet McCullough said after that deployment the Navy wouldn't be able to schedule the Enterprise right away for an inactivation availability, because of the delayed refueling availabilities for the Lincoln and other carriers.

McCullough reminded the Seapower panel that because the Enterprise is a nuclear-powered warship, the crew must stay on it to maintain the propulsion plant.

"And so now we've got this carrier set aside with no operational availability added out of it, maintaining of a crew of around 2,000 people on it, which have to be there and can't contribute to the Navy elsewhere," McCullough said. "And we looked to taking those people out and putting them on a follow-on ship."

McCullough said it would cost the Navy "in excess of $2 billion" to extend Enterprise beyond November 2012. He insisted the Navy could mitigate the operational availability of the nation's carriers with only 10 in use.

Taylor told Defense Daily he could not justify spending more than $2 billion--a figure he cited as $2.8 billion--to garner just one additional deployment out of Enterprise when that deployment also would set "off a chain reaction of unintended and bad consequences for the Navy," as described by McCullough. Extending the Enterprise would, in effect, take the Lincoln out of service while awaiting refueling, the congressman noted.

"Given that it unfortunately would take the Lincoln out of service just to save the Enterprise for another 18 months, well then it's just a bad decision to refuel the Enterprise and a good decision to refuel the Lincoln on time," Taylor said.

Navy officials " have done a good job of making their case and I'm in agreement" with the waiver, Taylor said.

Asked why he supports the waiver after opposing it in the past, Taylor said. "The Navy's taken the time to explain the situation that they didn't before."

McCullough told reporters after the hearing, "We've got to make the decision this year" on the waiver request.

"Last year we had some maneuver space," the admiral said. "If we don't get a decision this year it'll impact how we fund Enterprise going into the future, whether we schedule her for a inactivation availability or we schedule her for a...continuation availability."

McCullough said the $2 billion-plus cost of keeping Enterprise in service would have to be carved out of the Navy's procurement account.

That's because the White House Office of Management and Budget has projected flatlined defense budgets for the coming years, while in the Navy manpower costs are rising and operations-and-maintenance demands are holding steady, he said.

Taylor said he will be keeping close watch over the Ford's delivery schedule, to ensure the next-generation carrier is not delayed. He called during the hearing for the Navy to closely monitor the progress of the Ford's new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System.

     SECDEF Announces Flag Nomination
     Story Number: NNS090527-23
     Release Date: 5/27/2009 4:14:00 PM

From the Department of Defense

     WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced May 27 that the president has
     made the following nomination:

    Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard has been nominated for reappointment to the grade of admiral and assignment
    as commander, U.S. Pacific Command, Honolulu, Hawaii. Willard is currently serving as commander, U.S.
    Pacific Fleet, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Admiral Robert F. Willard
Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Admiral Robert F. Willard is a Los Angeles native and a 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He possesses a master's in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University and is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology seminar XXI alumni.

A F-14 aviator, Willard served in a variety of fighter squadrons and aircraft carriers. He was operations officer and executive officer of Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and commanded the Screaming Eagles of Fighter Squadron 51(VF-51).

Following nuclear power training, Willard commanded the amphibious flagship, USS Tripoli (LPH 10) and the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

As a flag officer, Willard has twice served in the Joint Staff, was
deputy and chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, and commanded Carrier Group 5
aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and the U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan.

In March 2005, Willard became the 34th vice chief of naval operations. He assumed command
of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in May, 2007.

Willard's decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service
Medal, Legion of Merit and other various awards.

Carl Vinson One Step Closer to Launching Critical Flight Systems
Story Number: NNS090527-01
Release Date: 5/27/2009 8:43:00 AM

From Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class John Sampedro, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Operations Department began certification
on the ship's Precision Approach Landing System (PALS) in Newport News May 12.

PALS certification is an important step in preparing the ship for sea. The system is vital to the safe
landing of all aircraft onboard Carl Vinson.

"PALS is considered the most critical part of flight, we are responsible for a safe approach during a
terminal phase of flight," said Air Traffic Controller 3rd Class Kyle Eberhart. "PALS works by locking
onto the aircraft and verifying the needles, and it sends commands to land the aircraft safely."

Air traffic controllers operated two types of radar, the "Easy Rider" AN-SPN 46 and the "Bulls eye"
AN-SPN 41, for the certification.

The AN-SPN 46 radar locks onto the aircraft and uses three different modes to safely guide the pilot
back to the ship. Mode 1 takes complete control of the aircraft and its landing. Mode 1A takes
control of the aircraft and transfers control back to the pilot 30 seconds prior to the landing. Mode 2
allows for complete pilot control.

"One of the main things we had to accomplish was coordination. In the middle of a city we have to
coordinate with all the surrounding air traffic controllers at the nearby bases for permission to fly,"
said Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Michael Valli.

The Sailors assigned with maintaining PALS got underway on other carriers to get a better
understanding of how it works and what it takes to operate this system. Coordination and training
were essential to making all this possible.

"The AC's have been training in simulators and underway to be able to operate these systems," said
the Operations Assistant Air Officer, Lt. Britton Windeler. "This is the first time in four years anything
like this has happened on this ship, it's great to see it all come together."

Carl Vinson is completing its scheduled refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Northrop Grumman
Newport News shipyard. The RCOH is an extensive yard period that all Nimitz-class aircraft carriers
go through near the mid-point of their 50-year life cycle.

During refueling complex overhaul, Carl Vinson's nuclear fuel has been replenished and the ship's
services and infrastructure upgraded to make her the most state-of-the-art aircraft carrier in the
fleet and ready for another 25 years or more of service.

Chief Expects No Change In Shipbuilding Plan

(CONGRESS DAILY 29 MAY 09)

As the Navy reviews its 30-year shipbuilding plan, Chief of Naval Operations Gary Roughead Friday said he does not expect the Navy to cut the number of ships planned for the fleet.

"For me, I have not seen anything that indicates that 313 ships is still not going to be the floor," Roughead said in an interview at the Pentagon. "Our fleet is very, very busy today and I don't see that diminishing."

The Navy is required to send a shipbuilding plan to Capitol Hill with its budget submission each year but decided to hold off this year until after the Pentagon completes its Quadrennial Defense Review of military capabilities and needs, which is expected in early 2010.

"The QDR is going to ask some very fundamental questions," Roughead said. "To submit a shipbuilding plan now that tries to look out prior to a QDR that we're going to be working on over the next couple of months to me would be putting a plan on the Hill that really doesn't have the ... intellectual foundation that I think we need to be able to give Congress something that means something."

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USS Ronald Reagan Deploys

5/28/2009

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) departed San Diego May 28 on a deployment to the 7th
and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.

The carrier joins the other ships of its strike group which departed the day prior, including the guided-missile
cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), and the ships of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, which include the
guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Howard (DDG 83) and USS Gridley (DDG 101), and
the guided missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43). Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 is embarked aboard Ronald
Reagan.

"I'm proud of these Sailors, and I'm proud of their families - proud of their commitment, their excellence and
their dedicated service," said Rear Adm. Scott Hebner, commander, Carrier Strike Group 7. "They understand
the importance of their mission and the challenges ahead of them - they have worked hard, and they are ready."

Friends and family members of Sailors aboard Ronald Reagan bid their Sailors farewell from the pier on Naval
Air Station North Island.

"Be safe and strong. We are here to support them. It's a tough job, and we are proud of them," said Pam Ortiz-
Martin, a wife of a Sailor aboard Ronald Reagan.

The deployment is the fourth for the San Diego-based Ronald Reagan, which recently received its second
Battle "E" award for being the most combat-efficient carrier in the Pacific Fleet. The Ronald Reagan/CVW-14
team also received the Ramage Award for most efficient carrier-air wing team in the entire Navy.

During its last deployment, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group performed a humanitarian assistance
mission, supporting the armed forces of the Philippines delivering more than 519,000 pounds of fresh water,
rice and medical supplies to people affected by Typhoon Fengshen. Additionally, CVW-14, staging from
Ronald Reagan in the Gulf of Oman, flew more than 1,150 combat sorties in support of coalition troops in
Afghanistan, while the ships of DESRON 7 supported maritime security operations in the 5th Fleet Area of
Operations.

The squadrons of CVW-14 include the "Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, the "Fist of the Fleet"
of VFA-25, the "Stingers" of VFA-113, the "Eagles" of VFA-115, the "Black Eagles" of Airborne Early Warning
Squadron 113, the "Cougars" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 139, the "Providers" of Carrier Logistics
Support 30, and the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4.

Ronald Reagan is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 7 and the ninth of 10 Nimitz-class nuclear-powered
aircraft carriers. The ship is named for the 40th president; its motto, "Peace through Strength," was a recurring
theme during the Reagan presidency.

Boeing Says US Crimping Its Fighter-Jet Market

(REUTERS 03 JUN 09) ... Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON,- A senior Boeing Co executive said Wednesday his company was
refraining from full competition with rival Lockheed Martin Corp in the lucrative international
fighter-jet market at U.S. government behest. Boeing, maker of F-15 Strike Eagle and F/A-
18E/F Super Hornet fighters, is "not actively marketing" these to Lockheed's eight F-35
Joint Strike Fighter co-development partners, Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing's military
aircraft division.

"Now, we are providing them information," he told reporters at a company news briefing. "
A lot of them are asking questions. And we want to let them know they do have an
alternative. It's called the Super Hornet, or if they wanted to go in the F-15 direction."

Chadwick said he would like to see the U.S. government "unequivocally let international
customers know that, no matter what capability or product they would like, the U.S.
(government) stands behind it and will support their decision as a sovereign country."

"That would make my week," he added. But "that's just not the approach they take in the
international arena." He said it would take time for the new administration of President
Barack Obama to "really engage" on "what in the end is a fairly small piece of their overall
responsibilities."

Boeing, the top U.S. exporter and the Pentagon's No. 2 supplier by sales, is battling to stay
in the fighter market as the U.S. government puts more and more of its eggs in the F-35's
basket.

Chadwick said keeping a "warm" domestic production line for aircraft such as the Super
Hornet was critical to overseas sales. The Navy is seeking nine fewer F/A 18s than called
for last year as it embraces the F-35.

Three radar-evading F-35 versions are under development by Lockheed, the Pentagon's
top contractor: a conventional version for the Air Force, a short-takeoff-and-vertical landing
model for the Marine Corps and a third for the Navy's aircraft carriers.

The F-35 is co-financed by the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey,
Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. Other projected early buyers include Israel and
Singapore.

For potential fighter buyers other than the F-35 co-development partners, Chadwick said
Washington was declaring its neutrality and making clear it would respect any choice they
made.

He named India, Japan, Brazil and Saudi Arabia as among the potential fighter buyers to
whom this level playing field applied.

In addition, he said the U.S. government was "pretty agnostic" on the choice to be made
by Israel, which has gone further than any consortium member toward acquiring the F-35.
It plans to buy an initial 25 F-35s in fiscal 2012 for delivery starting in 2014 with an option
for 50 more.

"The reason Israel has slowed down the JSF is because of the price," Chadwick said,
citing newspaper reports that it would top $100 million per plane.

"The worst time you can buy a fighter is during the initial stages because the capability
comes along later and the learning comes along later," he said.

Chadwick said Boeing was speaking to companies in the United States and abroad about
co-funding development of a new F-15 version aimed at Asian and Middle East markets
that would incorporate coatings to help avoid detection by radar.

Boeing unveiled plans for the "Silent Eagle" in March, pegging its projected cost at roughly
$100 million per, including pilot training, spares and support equipment.

Marine Corps Brigadier General David Heinz, the Pentagon's program executive officer
for the F-35, told reporters Tuesday that Boeing's work on reducing the frontal radar
signature of the F-15 Silent Eagle would give it an edge over other fighters of its
generation, but said it was no match for the next-generation F-35's all-aspect "stealth."

"You put (the planned new F-15) against a fifth-generation guy, the second he turns, he
looks just like the Goodyear blimp," Heinz said.

From airforce-magazine.com Thursday June 04, 2009

Burning Down the Risk: The General Accounting Office and some members of Congress are skittish about
concurrency—testing aircraft while building more at the same time—in the F-35 stealth fighter program, but they
shouldn't be unduly worried. That's the word from Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Heinz, the new F-35 program
executive officer. Heinz told reporters at his offices Tuesday that the program made "over $2 billion in up-front
investments" in computer-aided design tools "to burn down risk so we could have that concurrency." He
acknowledged that flight testing has been slow to build up, but flight tests so far have largely confirmed what
was predicted by the computer models. The test program, he said, is about "validation, not discovery." He
added that "I simply don't believe we will have" a major problem pop up in flight test akin to the wing drop issue
found on the F/A-18E/F earlier in the decade. However, he's certain that flight test will turn up small issues such
as "things we need to seal" and other minor manufacturing corrections.

Sleepless in Crystal City: What keeps the new F-35 program manager up at night? Cuts in production, which
would have the effect of unraveling major threads of the program, says Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Heinz,
whom the Senate confirmed on May 21 for his second star to take over the F-35 shop from Air Force Maj. Gen.
Charles Davis. In fact, more than any technical challenge, maintaining the procurement schedule is the biggest
risk to the program, Heinz told reporters Tuesday. "I worry about these economic times driving a short-term
mindset that says 'just flatten the ramp,'" he explained. Doing that, he said would start a vicious cycle that
raises cost, throws the international partnership akimbo, disrupts suppliers, and wrecks schedules, he said.
The F-35 is affordable because it was started with "an affordability mindset," said Heinz. Concurrency (see
above), and building test aircraft on actual production tooling was all calculated to bring the aircraft in at the
lowest cost. If Congress decides to order continued production of F-22 or some other project, "now we're back
to arguing over how much is available in the top line and how much of it is available to F-35," Heinz said.

Plenty of Room: F-35 program manager Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Heinz says there's plenty of room to expand production of the F-35 should the Pentagon want to steepen the curve of production and build more aircraft sooner. "There's no reason" why the program can't produce as many as 250 F-35s a year by the Fiscal 2015 timeframe as long as subcontractors can be kept up to speed with plans and produce parts when they're needed, he told reporters Tuesday (see above). Early aircraft have cost more in part because some parts weren't ready for them when they were supposed to be installed, meaning that some larger assemblies had to be dismantled to make room for them later. Heinz said that has affected the schedule and deliveries will be three months late until late 2011, at which point the parts will be delivering "in sequence" and synched with the production line. "I'll be caught up" then, said Heinz.

VP-8 Crew Comes Home to Jacksonville

Release Date: 6/2/2009 By Aviation In-Flight Technician Airman Scott Beach, Naval Air
Station Jacksonville Public Affairs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- Families gathered at Naval Air Station (NAS)Jacksonville May
27 to welcome the first crew of the Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 to its new duty station when it
returned from deployment.

Six months ago, the "Fighting Tigers" of VP-8 bid farewell to their families at NAS
Brunswick, Maine as they deployed to the Middle East and Japan.

Friends and families awaiting the afternoon arrival found it difficult to contain their
anticipation. Every P-3 flying over the base excited them as they hoped it was "their crew."
Then, precisely at 1 p.m.– VP-8 Orion number 295 landed and taxied down the ramp with
an American flag flying from the overhead hatch of the cockpit.

After cutting engines and securing the aircraft, VP-8 Executive Officer Cmdr. Jiancarlo Villa
led his crew down the ladder to a historic homecoming.

"This is exciting," said Villa after he greeted his family. "We're just trying to get everyone
settled into the routine of a new duty station. The families sacrificed greatly to move from
Maine to Florida during deployment. For us, it's exciting to be some of the first to get down
here. We're all really looking forward to integrating with the other squadrons and becoming
part of the Jacksonville community."

After Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class Scott Wagner hugged and kissed his wife, Stephanie,
she introduced him to their daughter, Grace, who was born during his deployment.

"I've never felt like this – it is an amazing feeling to come home from a successful
deployment and finally see my daughter," said Wagner. "Maine is a beautiful place, but
I'll take warmth over snow any time. It's definitely going to be a great lifestyle down here."

The Fighting Tigers are in the process of moving into their new spaces at Hangar 511, a
home it will share with VP-5, VP-16, VP-62 and VPU-1.

"In the first two weeks of June, we'll be welcoming our maintainers' airlift, plus, three
more P-3s," said Villa.

As part of the BRAC 2005 realignment, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11 will assume the
administration, operations and oversight for three squadrons - VP-8, VP-10, VP-26 - moving
to NAS Jacksonville. NAS Brunswick is scheduled for closure in May 2011.

The May issue of USNI “PROCEEDINGS” featured a ‘scare-‘em’ article about the Chinese possibly developing
an anti-carrier weapon. The magazine cover featured a sensationalist painting of a carrier being attacked. The
article, however seemed to be based a lot on speculation.

That speculative article has been answered in the current, Jun, issue:

Proceedings Magazine

Issue: June 2009 Vol. 135/6/1,276

On the Verge of a Game-Changer

(See A. S. Erickson and D. D. Yang, pp. 26-32, May 2009 Proceedings)

Rear Admiral T. A. Brooks, U.S. Navy (Retired)—The article by Erickson and Yang concerning the
   Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile is, in itself, relatively well-balanced. Unfortunately, the title of the article and
   the lead, "Chinese Carrier Killer," on the cover only contribute to the hyperventilation being seen in naval circles
   concerning a weapon system concept that is not even new and a threat that is considerably less than meets the
   eye.

In the 1970s, the Soviets experimented with the SSN-X-13 antiship ballistic missile. They spent a fortune on the
development program and on fielding a satellite-borne radar ocean reconnaissance satellite to provide
targeting data. The U.S. Navy was very concerned about the vulnerability of our carriers.

But by the early 1980s, the Soviets had scrapped the system. There were a number of reasons for doing so,
but among these were:

· To be effective, the system required a nuclear warhead option, and thus the very launch of an SSN-X-13 could bring on nuclear war.

· It was found that space-based systems could not be relied on to locate carriers. They could be spoofed.

· Inasmuch as close-range tracking and targeting would still be required, it was far more effective to arm the tracking unit (e.g., SSGN) with a short-time-of-flight supersonic cruise missile to attack the carrier.

True, today's multiple warhead and terminal guidance technologies were not available to the Soviets, but neither
   was today's Aegis antimissile technology available to us. On balance, the Chinese DF-21E—if it ever becomes
   operational—will have the same problems as the SSN-X-13, with an important additional shortfall being that we
   can probably defend the carrier strike group against incoming ballistic warheads today whereas we could not
   do so in the era of the SSN-X-13.

The authors state: "We should probably assume that at least a large portion of articles published [by the
Chinese] are intended to influence U.S. perceptions." Over-hyping the threat ensures that the articles do,
indeed, influence U.S. perceptions. This commentator would offer that the DF-21E will be a game changer only
if we make it one!

[Admiral Brooks is a former director of Naval Intelligence.]