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Northrop Grumman has been selected by the Office of Naval Research to develop a new cost-effective atom-based magnetic sensor, or magnetometer, for antisubmarine warfare operations. The highly sensitive magnetometer will be part of a magnetic anomaly detection system mounted on helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles or submarines. Whether in the air above the ocean or underwater as part of a towed array, the magnetometer will sense disturbances in the earth's magnetic field due to metallic objects in the vicinity, indicating a nearby submarine. Under a three-year $1.75 million contract, Northrop Grumman is being tasked to develop a magnetometer that is smaller,...

Seoul to Deploy Sub-Killer Torpedoes The Navy will deploy Korean-made Hongsangeo (Red Shark) "submarine-killer" torpedoes on the Navy's top-end Aegis destroyer this month, it emerged on Sunday. "The Navy installed a torpedo launch system on the King Sejong the Great late last month and began the final sea acceptance test on Aug. 8," a military source said. "The tests are going well, so it'll be possible to deploy the torpedoes on the destroyer sometime late this month." The Hongsangeo is an anti-submarine missile that is launched vertically to avoid detection by enemy submarines and to increase its range. It is...

India to get anti-submarine torpedoes from US Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, June 28, 2011 India will get lightweight anti-submarines torpedoes to arm the eight P-8I maritime patrol aircraft it is buying from the US, with the Obama administration notifying the potential sale to the US Congress on Tuesday. The news was welcomed by the US embassy in New Delhi, which said the sale of Mk -54 torpedoes reflects the mutual benefits of the India-US security relationship. The Pentagon has "officially notified" the potential sale of Mk-54 lightweight torpedoes to the Indian Navy. The Mk-54 is the most advanced lightweight...

Pakistan has now lost two of its three Orion aircraft Sabir Shah Monday, May 23, 2011 LAHORE: Of just the three P-3 series Orion anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft that Pakistan had acquired from the United States in 1996, two have now been lost. According to the website of the Pakistan Navy, one of these planes (bearing serial number 83) was lost due to an accident while carrying out routine exercises over the coastal waters of Pasni (Balochistan) on October 29, 1999. This was one of the 46 Pakistani aircraft that had crashed between 1996 and 2000, and one of...

Asians Look To Counter Chinese Submarine Presence May 20, 2011 By Leithen Francis SINGAPORE — Concerns over China’s growing submarine fleet are leading Asian nations to invest in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability. The Malaysian Navy uses six Westland SuperLynx helicopters for ASW, but wants ASW helicopters with more capability and plans to buy six, a senior official from the navy tells Aviation Week on the sidelines of this week’s Imdex naval defense show in Singapore. The government has included the requirement in the country’s 10th Malaysia Plan 2011-2015, he says. The official says the navy wants medium-lift helicopters that have...

British Anti-Submarine Warfare Force In Flux Jan 21, 2011 By Robert Wall YEOVIL, England — Concerns are mounting in the U.K. that anti-submarine warfare (ASW) skills are beginning to erode because of competing operational demands and equipment decisions. The fear, voiced by government and industry officials, goes beyond the decision last year to cancel the Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft project. Some high-end skills to hunt submarines are no longer getting adequate training, warns an industry official. Additionally, the community is having to contend with the evolution of the threat and the emergence of diesel-electric submarines operating near the coast...

Remember about a couple of years ago when news of drug smugglers using so called “semi-submersibles” was all the rage? Those craft can almost completely submerge themselves to evade interception. Still, the vessels don’t go all the way underwater and can be spotted from ships or aircraft and have been intercepted a number of times. Since then, the high seas cat-and-mouse game between governments and drug smugglers has become more intense now that the cartels have built actual submarines. It sounds like these vessels are capable of staying underwater long enough to warrant the use of P-3 subhunters to find...

The U.S. Navy took delivery in January of 10 newly configured P-3C Orions installed with an upgraded acoustic system — the Acoustic Receiver Technology Refresh (ARTR) — that enhances the aircraft’s ability tenfold to receive and analyze sonobuoy data, a basic P-3C mission requirement. The upgrades will help bridge the technology gap between the Orion and the service’s next generation maritime patrol and anti-sub warfare (ASW) aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, creating a more common and efficient fleet. The Navy also is establishing common signal processing code and hardware for the two fleets. The acoustic technology upgrades are vital for the...

Running Silent, Running Deep Around Taiwan Tag it:Written by Jens Kastner and Wang Jyh-Perng Thursday, 06 January 2011 Anti-sub capability gives the Chinese navy the ability to escape into blue water With Chinese naval nuclear-powered submarines beginning to slip unchallenged through American and Japanese surveillance cordons, China appears well on its way to gaining absolute control over everything that lies within a 500 nautical miles radius of its coasts, military analysts say. A major part of the reason for that, they say, is that Taiwan’s surveillance capability is woefully inadequate. That means not only will US Navy carrier battle groups...

The first of a dozen anti-submarine aircraft are set to go into service in Taiwan next year, local media reported Sunday, as East Asian governments look to counter an increasingly assertive China. Washington agreed in 2007 to sell the refurbished P-3C Orion patrol aircraft, along with three non-operational machines for spares, and "the first ones will be delivered beginning next year," the Taipei-based China Times said. "The surveillance range of Taiwan's anti-submarine fleet will expand tenfold after the P-3Cs join the navy," it quoted an unnamed military source as saying. Taiwan's navy declined to comment on the report. The P-3C...

Navy asked to explain apparent ship plan delay BLAST FROM THE PAST:：A KMT legislator wondered whether an apparent lack of determination to complete a project was the result of the Lafayette frigate scandal By Rich Chang / Staff Reporter Tue, Dec 14, 2010 - Page 3 The navy yesterday was asked to justify an apparent decision to delay plans to launch a program to build submarine chasers to increase the nation’s coastal defense capabilities. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林�方) told a Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting at the legislature that while the navy had assigned budgets...

Romeo likely to be navy's new helicopter December 14, 2010 - 2:29PM .AAP Australia's new naval helicopter is likely to be one which is used extensively by the US Navy - the Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin MH-60R (Romeo), a new study says. Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Andrew Davies said the government could announce a final decision between the Romeo and the European NFH-90 (Nato Frigate Helicopter) early next year. Dr Davies said since the tender competition was launched in February, events had tended to favour the Romeo, with 76 aircraft in US Navy service flying more than 50,000 hours with a...

Two Russian ASW jets interrupt U.S.-Japanese drills Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft © RIA Novosti.Vitaliy Ankov A joint U.S.-Japanese military exercise in the Sea of Japan was suspended when two Russian Il-38 May anti-submarine aircraft flew over the area, the NHK channel said on Wednesday citing the Japanese defense ministry. The biennial Keen Sword drills were suspended amid fears that the Russian aircraft may obtain top-secret data, the channel reported. Around 34,000 Japanese military personnel with 40 warships and 250 aircraft joined more than 10,000 U.S. troops with 20 warships and 150 aircraft in the drills in the Sea of Japan, off...

The first P-3 Orion aircraft modified by Airbus Military for the Brazilian Air Force was inspected today by Brazilian Minister of Defence, Nelson Jobim, during his official visit to Spain. The aircraft is the first of a fleet of nine which will undergo a complete systems modernization programme, including the installation of Airbus Military´s Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS). As well as FITS, the aircraft will benefit from a powerful new suite of mission sensors, communications systems, and upgraded cockpit avionics. The engines are being updated and, depending on the condition of each individual aircraft, the structures are being renovated...

Pakistan Navy Inducts Advanced Chinese Anti-Submarine Helicopters Monday, 08 November 2010 18:20 Defence Supplied by China, the helicopter is configured to carry torpedoes and is fitted with state-of-the-art pulse compression radar, low frequency dipping sonar, radar warning receiver and Doppler navigation system. KARACHI, Pakistan—The second batch of four Z9EC Anti Submarine helicopters, and the first Information and Electronic Warfare Jet aircraft were formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Aviation fleet on Thursday. The induction ceremony was held at PN Aviation Base PNS Mehran. Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral, Noman Bashir was the chief guest. The Z9EC helicopters have been acquired...

South Korea and the United States will stage large-scale anti-submarine drills in the Yellow Sea after the United Nations takes action against Pyongyang for sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, Yonhap news agency said. "The joint drills will be carried out after the U N Security Council takes measure against North Korea," the agency quoting Col. Lee Bung Woo said. The United States’s 97,000-ton USS George Washington, an Aegis-equipped destroyer, and a nuclear-powered submarine are reportedly participating in the joint naval drills and a 4,500-ton destroyer, a submarine and F-15K fighter jets will take part from the South Korean...

US and Japanese naval forces have successfully completed the Undersea Warfare Exercise (USWEX) in the western Pacific Ocean. The American nuclear-powered super carrier, USS George Washington (CVN 73) participated in the exercise held from June 21 to 25. The exercise was conducted by elements from Commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet (CTF 70), Commander, Patrol & Reconnaissance Force, 7th Fleet (CTF 72), Commander, Submarine Force, 7th Fleet (CTF 74), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and components from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). "This year during USWEX we continued to strengthen interoperability between the US Navy and...

US aircraft carrier will join a major anti-submarine naval exercise with South Korea next week in a show of strength to North Korea after the sinking of a warship, reports said Wednesday. South Korea, which accuses the North of torpedoing its ship Cheonan in March with the loss of 46 lives, is also mounting a diplomatic drive at the United Nations but indicated it would not seek new sanctions. The USS George Washington will leave its base in the Japanese port of Yokosuka around Saturday and arrive in the Yellow Sea early next week, Yonhap news agency quoted a military...

War tensions have been high since last week's announcement by the South Korean government that a 60-foot North Korean submarine fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean corvette and killed 46 sailors at the end of March. The South Koreans stated that a Yeono-class (alternatively spelled "Yono") midget submarine fired the torpedo in March. (They also field a larger midget submarine, the Sang-O, that fits 15 sailors. At least one of these subs was also on patrol when the attack happened, according to an international team of investigators looking into the incident with South Korea.) The attack occurred in...

Airbus Military successfully conducted the first torpedo launch from one of its C295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA). This represents an important milestone in the development of the antisubmarine version of the C295 MPA. It is also a significant entry for Airbus Military into the market of Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft, currently dominated by veteran aircraft such as the P-3 Orion and the Atlantique. The C295 MPA/ASW includes two under-wing pylons for the installation of torpedoes and other external loads. It also incorporates a Store Management System (SMS), integrated with the Airbus Military Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS), to control...

Meanwhile the South Korean military plans to beef up security in the waters near its maritime border with North Korea. Reports indicate the South Korean Navy will conduct more anti-submarine drills in the West Sea where a warship sank in March. claiming the lives of 46 sailors. Seoul's National Defense Ministry also plans to request government funds to improve underwater surveillance by modernizing sonar devices and naval radar systems. And more joint anti-submarine warfare exercises between South Korean and US forces could take place in the East and West Seas. In a report to President Lee Myung-bak South Korean defense...

Russia could build a satellite for the detection and tracking of submarines from space, a defense industry spokesman said on Thursday. Vladimir Boldyrev, of the Kosmonit science and technology center, said the group had developed a space satellite module that could carry out remote sensing of the sea and "detect submerged submarines." "Hopefully, it will be tested in space as early as 2011," he said, adding that work on the module started over a decade ago. He offered no indication as to when the new satellite would enter service with the Russian Armed Forces. Boldyrev added that the dual-use module...

"Four ships of this class are under construction at GRSE, Kolkata. The first ship is expected to be commissioned by mid-2012 and will be closely followed by the other three ships with the last expected to be commissioned by early 2015," a naval official said. The corvette, a small fast-moving ship, was ordered in 2003 and the production is delayed by two years. The official said the 3,100-tonnage ship would be fitted with the latest indigenously developed sonars to detect submarines. "The torpedo tubes, and scutter (torpedo decoys) launchers contribute to its anti-submarine punch. In addition, the ship will also...

A mixed task force from the Russian Pacific Fleet started on Wednesday a series of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) drills in the Sea of Japan, a fleet spokesman said. "Two task forces comprising missile destroyers and diesel-powered submarines are taking part in the drills in line with a regular training program," Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov said. The exercises involve a number of search-and-destroy missions, simulated torpedo attacks and live-fire drills with on-board artillery and air defense systems. The Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov destroyers, which carried out patrol missions in the Gulf of Aden as part of international efforts to...

Those splendid brainboxes at DARPA - the Pentagon's in-house bazaar of the bizarre - have outdone themselves this time. They now plan an entirely uncrewed, automated ghost frigate able to cruise the oceans of the world for months or years on end without human input. The new project is called Anti-submarine warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), and is intended to produce "an X-ship founded on the assumption that no person steps aboard at any point in its operating cycle". The uncrewed frigate would have enough range and endurance for "global, months long deployments with no underway human maintenance", being...

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has disclosed plans for a deep ocean sensor network that could provide a long-range anti-submarine surveillance capability sufficient to protect 'blue water' Carrier Strike Group operations. This new initiative, which envisions a distributed system of sensors and sources on or near the ocean floor, harks back to the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) deep-water long-range detection capability deployed by the US Navy during the Cold War. It also signals a revival in interest in blue-water anti-submarine warfare (ASW), an area that has largely taken a back seat in the two decades since the...

Pakistan Navy acquires ASW helicopters from China KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has acquired Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters Z9EC from China. The induction ceremony was held here on Wednesday at Naval Aviation Base. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir was the chief guest on the occasion. This is the first batch of the series of six helicopters to be procured as per the contract signed with M/s China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC). The Z9EC helicopters have been built according to the specific requirements of Pakistan Navy and are capable to detect and destroy submarines. The...

Chinese Naval Buildup Surprising, But Not Yet Alarming, Says AdmiralDefense Daily, June 8, 2006 The pace of Chinese naval expansion is faster than expected, but is not alarming yet, although Chinese intentions are not evident, a U.S. Navy admiral said last week. "Clearly...we kind of continue to be surprised by the growth of the Chinese Navy," said Rear Adm. Joseph Walsh, director of Submarine Warfare (N77), on June 1 during a speech on the future of the U.S. Navy at a symposium in Washington, D.C. "That is clearly something we watch." Walsh said the Chinese are focusing on fielding surface...

Helicopter technology is coming to a point of near perfection. But the current generation of Helicopters do not have the speed (300 mph vs 200 mph) and cargo capability of the V-22 Osprey. SAR is Search and Rescue. Speed and cargo capacity can mean the difference between life and death. The V-22 could contain an emergency medical facility plus arrive at the scene 50% faster than a heliocopter. Let us assume there is an emergency 120 miles from the position of a helicopter and V-22 -- taking off at the same time. The V-22 will get there in 24 minutes....

The CBO States: http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=4130&sequence=4 Helicopter HangarsGenerally, the most effective weapon against quiet diesel-electric submarines and small, fast boats armed with torpedoes or cruise missiles is a helicopter equipped with missiles. Counting the number of helicopter hangars on surface ships reveals the number of helicopters that the Navy could have available to counter such threats. The more hangars available on-station during peacetime or in-theater during a war, the more flexible the surface combatant force is, and the better equipped it will be to perform its missions, particularly defeating antiaccess threats. During both peacetime and wartime, Option I would outperform the other...

Russia and China hope to sign a massive arms deal after staging joint exercises for the first time RUSSIA will show off its most modern bombers to its best military customer and China will have a chance to demonstrate that it is a force to be reckoned with when the giant neighbours hold their first joint military exercises this month. The decision to hold the drills off the east China coast in the Yellow Sea came after a disagreement over Beijing’s initial desire for the games to take place further south, opposite the island of Taiwan — which it hopes...

.S. military officials said yesterday they will be watching closely as China and Russia prepare for unprecedented joint military exercises later this month to be staged on a Chinese province close to the Korean Peninsula. Dubbed "Peace Mission 2005," the Aug. 18 to 25 exercises between the two Cold War rivals will involve about 10,000 troops, as well as Russian fighter planes and paratroopers and China's growing nuclear submarine fleet. .... The exercises, seen as hard evidence of a warming alliance between the two powers against U.S. influence in Asia, have sparked concern across the region, particularly in Taiwan, which...

Anti-Submarine Missile to Debut by 2007The Korea Times, August 5th, 2005, p. 1 By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter A state-run defense research institute said Thursday it plans to develop a sophisticated long-range anti-submarine missile on its own by 2007 as part of programs to build up a ``cooperative self-reliant'' defense capability. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) said it has set aside a total of 100 billion won ($990 million) a year to build the anti-submarine missiles, which are being planned to equip 4000-ton-class destroyers. Last May, the Navy launched its fourth 4,000-ton-class destroyer, ``Wang Geon,'' which is capable...

ABOARD USS TARAWA IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC (NNS) -- Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 conducted a successful anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) July 25-26 off the coast of Hawaii. .... During the exercise, Tarawa and Cleveland acted as the high value units operating in a sea base, while Chosin, Ingraham, Santa Fe and the JMSDF destroyers practiced detection and prosecution of the fast-attack submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754), which simulated an enemy diesel sub. ....

IRABU, Okinawa Prefecture-An airstrip on the islet of Shimojijima, far southwest of Okinawa's main island, has been swept up in the United States' geopolitical strategy to transform its armed forces. Besides the U.S. military, the maneuverings involve the Self-Defense Forces, town council intrigue, local fear of Chinese submarines and a mysterious negotiator promising money from the central government. As for the island's strategic value, no one seems quite sure. What is certain is that little progress is being made on construction of an offshore heliport near Henoko in Okinawa's Nago. The facility is intended to replace the U.S. Marine Corps...

St. Louis, April 28, 2005 – The U.S. Navy's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program has successfully completed its second major review since contract award and received approval from the technical review board (TRB) to proceed toward the design phase. "The MMA team was extremely well prepared," said Stu Young, chairman of the System Functional Review (SFR) review board and technical director for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems division. "The TRB had no reservations about general preparedness to proceed to preliminary design. This team is setting the standard by which others should be judged. Their progress since award...

China’s top offshore oil and gas producer, CNOOC Ltd., will begin operations this year at a gas field in the East China Sea despite a territorial dispute with Japan. ..CNOOC Chairman Fu Chengyu told reporters on Tuesday he expected the Chunxiao field, located south of Japan, to begin operations in August and September... ....On Monday Japanese media reported Japan had demanded that China halt construction at the Chunxiao natural gas field. Hydrocarbon deposits were found in the early 1970s... In 2004 China’s construction of the Chunxiao natural gas production plant 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the disputed area aggravated tensions...

China National Offshore Oil Corporation is considering a nearly $14bn (£7bn, €10.6bn) takeover of Unocal of the US. Sinopec, another Chinese state-controlled oil group, has struck a $70bn deal to buy Iranian crude oil and liquefied natural gas over three decades. China has sent $6bn to Rosneft, the Russian company that bought the main production unit of the embattled Yukos oil group, as advance payment for oil supplies. India has just reached a $40bn agreement to import LNG from Iran and develop Iranian oilfields, and is promoting pipeline projects to bring oil and gas across neighbouring countries to supply its...

PARIS - Europe has angered the United States with talk of canceling its arms embargo against China - but governments and companies on the continent have for years delivered weapons and other equipment to Beijing and its rapidly modernizing People's Liberation Army. In Germany, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG says it is supplying diesel engines for Chinese submarines. And there's been a surge in European export licenses to China for goods - about $550 million in 2003 alone - that are designed for war or could have military and civilian applications, a gauge of Europe's growing willingness to profit from...

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese navy was mobilized on Wednesday for the first time in five years after an unidentified submarine was spotted in waters off Japan. The intrusion was brief and no warning shot was fired, the government said, but the mobilization was a rare display of the country's military capability, long constrained by a pacifist constitution. A navy P3C patrol plane spotted the submarine near the Okinawa islands, 1,600 km (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo, in an area close to another series of islets at the heart of a territorial dispute between Japan and China. A second P3C...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy on Monday awarded Chicago-based Boeing Co. a multibillion dollar deal to design a replacement for the Navy's fleet of submarine-hunting P-3 aircraft, congressional sources said.