Gun Systems News

My first visit in 2007 to the American Society of Naval Engineers’ (ASNE) Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) was an eye-opener. Having built a naval architecture career with frigates, destroyers and other large naval and commercial ships, I was eager to learn of the smaller craft used by the U.S. Navy and other government and military bodies. As my flight into Norfolk, Va. descended over Chesapeake Bay, I gazed in amazement as a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) raced toward Virginia Beach, slowed, glided up the beach and into its shore base.

The U.S. Navy has accepted delivery of future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the lead ship of the Navy's next-generation of multimission surface combatants, May 20. DDG 1000 is tailored for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack, and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. Ship delivery follows extensive tests, trials and demonstrations of the ship's hull…

Irving Shipbuilding of Canada has awarded BAE Systems a contract to deliver up to six modified 25mm Mk 38 Machine Gun Systems for the Royal Canadian Navy’s Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) program. The award also covers spare parts, technical support, and long-term field support services. Irving Shipbuilding is the prime contractor for the ships and will build them at its Halifax shipyards. “We will be working very closely with Canadian industry on this program,” said Joseph Senftle, vice president and general manager of Weapons Systems at BAE Systems.

L-3 KEO announced  it has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract option from the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) for nine MK 20 Electro-Optical Sensor Systems (EOSSs). L-3 KEO will build and test the systems, as well as perform engineering services activities, over the course of the next two years in its Northampton, Mass. facility. This is the final contract option from a sole-source NAVSEA contract that was awarded to L-3 KEO in 2011 and raises the total number of MK 20 EOSSs ordered to 61. The MK 20 EOSS is an integral part of both the MK 34 and MK 48 Gun Weapon Systems (GWSs) and provides highly accurate, three-dimensional…

In accordance with the agreed planning in the contract for the construction of a Damen SIGMA Frigate for the Indonesian Navy, the keel laying ceremony has taken place on April 16, 2014 at the PT PAL (Persero) Shipyard in Surabaya, Indonesia. The construction of the four modules that are going to be built at PT PAL (Persero) Shipyard Surabaya and the two modules that are being built in Vlissingen, are proceeding according to schedule. The construction and testing of the modules…

In June 2012, the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia and Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) signed the contract for the first SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) Frigate. In accordance with the agreed planning for the construction of this frigate, the Steel Cutting Ceremony took place simultaneously on 15 January 2014 at PT PAL (Persero) Shipyard in Surabaya (Indonesia) and DSNS in Vlissingen (the Netherlands). DSNS will build two modules and subsequently ship them to the yard in Surabaya.

At 270 feet and weighing in at 1,646 tons, Coast Guard Cutter Thetis is equipped with the necessary equipment to perform law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security and national defense missions. To stay mission ready, the ship’s equipment requires routine maintenance usually handled by the crew, but occasionally more attention is needed. Cue the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Md. One of the many specialized groups working at the yard is the ordnance shop’s MK75 planned depot maintenance team.

Capt. Jim Downey, DDG-1000 program manager at Naval Sea Systems Command, explains. DDG-1000 is a multi-mission destroyer. It covers surface, sub-surface, as well as air warfare areas. Its real focus is in the littorals, providing volume fire support in the littorals, as well as support to special operations areas. Volume fire support comes from significant gun systems on the ship to provide support right to ground forces and precise targets ashore to help the Navy and those ground forces in that type of combat area.

The PKR will be built for the Indonesian Navy, TNI AL, and is to be delivered in 2016. The main missions and tasks of the SIGMA PKR 10514 will be in the domains of naval warfare as well as Maritime Security missions and tasks. Also, the ship may be used for humanitarian support tasks. The ship will be built according to the successful SIGMA modular building strategy, as a sequel to the earlier built four SIGMA Corvettes for TNI AL. This means that modules of the frigate will be built in Europe as well as locally at PT PAL in Surabaya Indonesia. The assembly and trials of SIGMA PKR 10514 will take place in and from Surabaya, Indonesia. Extensive Air, Surface and Sub-Surface Surveillance capabilities. Also, the SIGMA PKR 10514 will be able to carry an organic helicopter.

Four Naval Sea System Command (NAVSEA) warfare center scientists and engineers were among those recognized, July 23, at the annual Top Navy Scientists and Engineers of the Year award ceremony at the Pentagon. As NAVSEA field activities, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) and Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) are the Navy's principal research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), analysis and assessment activities for ship and submarine platform, including machinery technology for surface combat systems, ordnance, mines, and strategic systems products and support. "Our men and women do some truly incredible, important work," said Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy, commander NAVSEA. The award was named in honor of Dr. Delores M.

One of the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) most advanced Type 23 frigates has re-entered operational service, fitted with Thales’s Sonar 2087 system, following a period of sea trials. HMS Sutherland has been declared fit for operational service after trials of its major sonar and defensive systems, and now becomes the sixth Type 23 frigate to be upgraded with the Sonar 2087 system. In November 2008 the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that HMS Sutherland had left Rosyth dockland for the trials after a multi-million pound refit that included major upgrades to its sonar…

“It isn’t everyday we get to sign a contract to begin construction of a lead ship, but on Feb. 14, we met in my office and did exactly that, twice! Not one but two lead DDG 1000 ships will now begin construction,” said Rear Adm. Vic Guillory, the director for Surface Warfare. Two identical lead ships will be built by Bath Iron Works (General Dynamics) and Ingalls (Northrop Grumman). Bath Iron Works will build DDG 1000 and Ingalls will build DDG 1001. Other prime contractors include BAE Systems and Raytheon. Delivery of the lead ship is expected in the late 2012 to early 2013 time frame.

Despite a parceling of marine business to the Far East, the British commercial and naval marine construction base has fought to maintain an edge in certain niches. VT Halmatic has been one of the more progressive and aggressive British companies in maintaining a strong hold on commercial and military marine business, with the production of some outstanding boats for pilot, patrol, marine security and naval operations. Noting the 60 to 70 percent of the company's production is for export, Sebastian Freeman, commercial controller, said, "that's how we survive." While the client list is diverse, VT Halmatic's "bread and butter" is the pilot and workboat markets, and despite the fact that the majority of is boats are sent abroad, the Royal Navy is still its biggest customer for RIBs.

GE Transportation is a long-standing equipment supplier to navies in the Asia/Pacific region, such as the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China, India and Indonesia. In fact, 29 navies throughout the world have selected GE’s proven LM aeroderivative gas turbines. In the Asia/Pacific region alone, nine navies use 200 LM gas turbines, primarily for naval marine applications. Currently there are more than 1,200 GE LM2500 gas turbines in marine service worldwide. The engine is rated at 33,600 shp with a thermal efficiency of 37% at ISO conditions. The LM2500 has an outstanding 99.6% availability rate: out of every 10,000 hours of service, engines have required an average of only 40 hours of corrective maintenance.