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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Aircraft Carrier News

26 Mar 2024

FMD Acquires AMMCON

Image courtesy FMD/AMMCON

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has acquired AMMCON Corp., a Jacksonville- based fittings and assembled components manufacturer. The defense contractor’s acquisition continues its expansion and commitment to providing critical components to the U.S. Navy and other marine defense customers.“Fairbanks Morse Defense is working to build fully integrated products and services that will meet every need of maritime defense


21 Feb 2024

Newport News Begins Topside EMALS Testing on John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)

(Photo: HII)

HII announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding division (NNS) recently began topside testing of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).EMALS, first integrated into USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), replaces the existing steam catapults currently in use on the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.Following successful “no-load” testing on catapults one and two, known as the ‘bow cats,’ the NNS team, alongside the John F. Kennedy crew, has now started “dead-load” testing.

08 Feb 2024

Littoral Combat Ship USS Kingsville Complete Acceptance Trials

(Photo: Austal USA)

Last week, on January 31, the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) returned pier side after successfully completing acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico for the U.S. Navy, Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced.During acceptance trials, comprehensive testing is conducted on the ship’s major systems and equipment in order to demonstrate their successful operation and mission readiness. The U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey participates throughout the trials to validate


03 Jan 2024

China Unveils New Images of its Aircraft Carrier Newbuilding

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year message via China Media Group and the Internet in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) (Source: China Military)

Chinese state media unveiled new images of China's most advanced aircraft carrier yet, including next generation launch tracks that can catapult a wider range of aircraft from its deck.First shown to the public in June 2022, the Fujian was entirely designed and built domestically.Yet to conduct its first sea trials, the aircraft carrier is larger and technologically more advanced than the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, and the Liaoning, which China bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted domestically.On state television late on Tuesday


08 Nov 2023

Newport News Shipbuilding Opens Additional Site in Norfolk

(Photo: HII)

HII announced its Newport News Shipbuilding division has begun production at an additional campus in Norfolk, Va. to support the shipyard’s continued progress toward more effective and efficient shipbuilding.The Newport News Shipbuilding Norfolk Campus is located on land leased from Fairlead in the Lambert’s Point area, at a development known as Fairwinds Landing. NNS shipbuilders have worked at the site for several months constructing steel panels that will eventually make up units of Gerald R.

25 Sep 2023

Taiwan Expects to Deploy Two New Submarines by 2027

© Norman Chan / Adobe Stock

Taiwan hopes to deploy at least two new, domestically developed submarines by 2027, and possibly equip later models with missiles, to strengthen deterrence against the Chinese navy and protect key supply lines, the head of the program said.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has made the indigenous sub program a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty.President Tsai Ing-wen


05 Sep 2023

Repairs to Carrier's Anchor Windlass Completed in Record Time

Sailors aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) complete work on the carrier's anchor during an availability in 2015 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Kofonow)

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility employees and ship’s force worked together to repair the anchor windlass on USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in about a third of the time it took previously.The anchor windlass is comprised of motors, gears and other parts responsible for the controlled lowering and raising of the chain and anchor, which can weigh up to 200,000 pounds on a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. It's a difficult job that requires much planning and complicated execution.According to Shawn Carragher and Zac Malone


21 Aug 2023

David Clark Company: An American Success Story

David Clark digital and wireless communication systems provide clear boat crew communications on patrol, offshore and fire/rescue craft. (Photo: David Clark Company)

David Clark Company is best known within the marine market for its wireless and digital headset workboat crew communication systems – the Series 9900 Wireless Marine Headset System and the Series 9100 Digital Marine Headset System. The company has over 20 years of experience designing and manufacturing boat crew communication solutions for a variety of workboats, e.g., patrol boats, fire/rescue craft, and offshore service vessels.But you may not know that David Clark Company started


25 Jul 2023

Energizing Naval & Coast Guard Missions

US Navy’s DDG 1000 destroyer (image credit, US Navy)

Moises DelToro at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business, discusses how deploying a Ship’s Electric Grid is a flexible way to accommodate growing energy demands for naval and coast guard vessels.A new age of electrificationWe’re in a new naval era and it is reshaping views about fleet mixes and capabilities. Modern fleets need to be mission-configurable, highly capable for military advantage, adaptable for technology insertion, but still affordable. The growing demand for vessel power is increasingly an enabler for mission systems, not just for platform propulsion.

24 Jul 2023

HII Awarded Contract for Aircraft Carrier Maintenance

(Photo: HII)

HII announced Monday that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy to support maintenance of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in San Diego. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ), cost-plus incentive and award contract has a potential value of $528.4 million over five years, if all options are exercised.The contract covers maintenance, repair and modernization efforts for Nimitz- and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers home-ported in and visiting the San Diego area.

20 Jul 2023

First Force Supply Ship Delivered to French Navy

Photo Credit: Iannis Giakoumopoulos - REA - Naval Group

During a ceremony organized on July 18, 2023 in Toulon, its home port, the Jacques Chevallier, the first of the four force supply vessels (BRF) of the "Logistics Fleet" program (FlotLog), was received by the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) for delivery to the French Navy.Launched in 2019 and built in Saint-Nazaire by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Naval Group, the Jacques Chevallier returned to its home port of Toulon in March 2023 to carry out a sea trial campaign dedicated


24 Jul 2023

The Need for [U.S. Navy Shipbuilding] Speed

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steams in the Adriatic Sea, June 23, 2023.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)

The Navy wants, and needs, more ships; but it can’t build them fast enough.While the U.S. Navy aims to achieve a 355-ship fleet, it is decommissioning older (and some not so old) ships at about the same rate it's adding new ones.A Congressional Research Service report stated that, as of April 17, 2023, the Navy included 296 battle force ships. "The Navy projects that under its FY2024 budget submission, the Navy would include 293 battle force ships at the end of FY2024 and 291 battle force ships at the end of FY2028."But there is progress


18 Jul 2023

U.S. Navy Shipbuilders & Disaggregated, Dispersed Production

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, USS Columbia (SSN 771) moors alongside the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) in Apra Harbor, Naval Base Guam, Jan. 4.  (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua M. Tolbert)

With a lame-duck CNO, a divided Congress and the impending launch of the next Presidential election cycle, America’s naval market is locked into something of a fragile and fearful autopilot, cruising inexorably towards whatever excitement 2024 might bring.Materially, don’t expect much change: The demand for naval platforms will continue to outstrip available funding, meaning there will be little movement or growth in America’s major shipbuilding programs of record. The procurement outlines are already set.

27 Jun 2023

Naviris, Eurosam -MOU for Horizon Frigate Upgrades

During the recent Paris Air Show, representatives of France and Italy signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) of the four Horizon frigates of the Italian and French Navies. The modernization will be entrusted to Naviris, the 50/50 joint venture of Fincantieri and Naval Group, and to Eurosam, a consortium formed by MBDA and Thales.The cooperation will cover the overall modernization of the frigates, with particular attention to the anti-aircraft defense system (including radars, weapons and their command and control), the combat platform and system, and the electronic warfare system which will be common to both nations.The Horizon frigates were originally built between 2000 and 2010 as part of a joint program between Fincantieri and the Naval Group


21 Jun 2023

USS Nimitz Records 350,000th Arrested Landing

U.S. Navy Capt. Craig Sicola, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), front seat, and Cmdr. Luke Edwards, commanding officer of the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, make an arrested landing in an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-22 marking the 350,000th time the carrier has landed a fixed-wing aircraft on its flight deck. (Source: US Navy)

USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the oldest-serving U.S commissioned aircraft carrier in the world, successfully completed its 350,000th arrested aircraft landing recently while sailing in the South China Sea, a milestone nearly 48 years in the making.Nimitz’s first arrested landing was conducted in 1975, the same year of the ship’s commissioning. Since commissioning, Nimitz has sailed 30 deployments and served in countless operations and missions. It serves as the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) which is currently on a regularly-scheduled deployment in the U.S.

24 May 2023

World's Biggest Aircraft Carrier Sails into Oslo for NATO Exercises

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford © U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins (File Photo)

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, sailed into Oslo on Wednesday, a first for such a U.S. ship, in a show of NATO force at a time of heightened tension between NATO and Russia over the war in Ukraine.The ship and its crew will be conducting training exercises with the Norwegian armed forces along the country's coast in the coming days, the Norwegian military said."This visit is an important signal of the close bilateral relationship between the U.S.

05 May 2023

China's Aircraft Carriers Play 'theatrical' Role But Pose Little Threat Yet

©PictMotion/AdobeStock

When China sailed one of its two active aircraft carriers, the Shandong, east of Taiwan last month as part of military drills surrounding the island, it was showcasing a capability that it has yet to master and could take years to perfect.As Beijing modernizes its military, its formidable missile forces and other naval vessels, such as cutting-edge cruisers, are posing a concern for the U.S. and its allies. But it could be more than a decade before China can mount a credible carrier threat far from its shores


04 May 2023

Spanish Warship Set for Propulsion Refit

Spanish Navy amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos I (Photo: ABB)

ABB said it has secured a contract with the Spanish state-owned Navantia shipbuilding company to retrofit the Spanish Navy flagship Juan Carlos I with an electrical propulsion system based on dual ABB Azipod units. Due completion in 2025, the project is the first of its kind on a naval ship.The contract follows a study undertaken by ABB in 2020 to determine the feasibility of installing new propulsors on the ship. The study identified ABB Azipod as a solution to meet the vessel’s requirements for reliability


11 Apr 2023

Chinese Aircraft, Ships Remain around Taiwan After Drills end

Chinese warplanes and navy ships were still in the waters around Taiwan, the island's defense ministry said on Tuesday after the end of three days of war games, as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen criticized Beijing for its "irresponsible" behavior.China began the exercises on Saturday after Tsai returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.China, which warned the U.S. not to allow Tsai to visit or meet McCarthy, has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under Beijing's control.

10 Apr 2023

Turkey Launches Its First Amphibious Assault Ship

(Photo: Turkish Naval Forces)

Turkey launched its first amphibious assault ship on Monday, aiming to extend its drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations amid increased regional tensions as war rages in Ukraine on the other side of the Black Sea.The TCG Anadolu can handle only light aircraft, chiefly helicopters and jets that can take off from shorter runways. It is 232 meters long and 32 meters wide, and can carry some 1,400 personnel - one battalion of soldiers - combat vehicles and support


06 Apr 2023

Taiwan Watching Chinese Movements After Beijing Denounces US Speaker Meeting

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in formation with the Japanese destroyer JS Umigiri (DD 158), South Korea's destroyers ROKS Yul Gok Yi (DDG 992), ROKS Dae Jo young (DDH 977) and ROKS Choi Young (DDH 981), combat support ship ROKS So Yang (AOE 51), and the U.S. destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the East China Sea on April 4, 2023. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

Taiwan was keeping a close watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier and threats to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Beijing condemned a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.McCarthy - the third highest ranking official in the U.S. leadership hierarchy - and other Republican and Democratic lawmakers met Tsai on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.The meeting took place at a low ebb of U.S.-China relations and despite threats of retaliation from Beijing


13 Mar 2023

Tom Cruise Visits Aircraft Carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Tom Cruise addresses the crew on the 1MC during a visit to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), March 3, 2023. (Photo: Samuel Wagner / U.S. Navy)

One of Hollywood's biggest stars recently paid a visit to U.S. Navy sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).Top Gun: Maverick producer and star Tom Cruise was joined by writer and producer Christopher McQuarrie, and editor Eddie Hamilton, along with Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, for the stop. The team led a Top Gun: Maverick viewing in the ship’s hangar bay and took time to visit with sailors aboard the ship, which has been deployed since departing Naval Station Norfolk in August 2022.“I know our sailors will never forget that night in the hangar bay


06 Feb 2023

Brazil Scuttles Decommissioned Aircraft Carrier Despite Environmental Concerns

Sao Paulo (File photo: Brazilian Navy)

Brazil sank a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off its northeast coast, the Brazilian Navy said, despite warnings from environmentalists that the rusting 1960s French-built ship would pollute the sea and the marine food chain.The 32,000-tonne carrier had been floating offshore for three months since Turkey refused it entry to be scrapped there because it was an environmental hazard and the ship was towed back to Brazil.The carrier was scuttled in a "planned and controlled sinking" late on Friday