Littoral Combat Ships

[tbm3fan]

Asked to respond to questions and observations from the ship tour and other research, Pat Dolan, a spokeswoman for Naval Sea Systems Command, calls the Aviation Week observations of shipboard and program issues “a collection of speculation, outdated or incorrect information, third-party anecdotes, opinions, and outright irrelevancies.”

Lockheed spokesman Keith Little says questions raised by the Aviation Week ship tour and related research “appear to be based on selective information that is outdated or inaccurate, and has largely been previously reported.”

How dare you print the obvious!

Followed by the typical but,

He notes, “As the lead ship in a totally new class, the USS Freedom is providing important lessons that are being incorporated into future ships, and the Navy and contractors extensively test these lead ships purposely to obtain insight only possible through usage.”

Maybe Lockheed should stick to satellites.

[JRT]

LCS in the news ...

LCS Completes First Stage of Surface Warfare Developmental Testing
SAN DIEGO - June 28, 2012

(AP) - The U.S. Navy completed the first stage of developmental testing for the Littoral Combat Ship surface warfare mission package, June 24.

USS Freedom (LCS 1), the first ship of the class, conducted tests and demonstrations of key mission package components, including the MK 46 gun weapon system, 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats and an MH-60R helicopter outfitted with a Hellfire missile simulator and .50-caliber and 7.62mm machine guns.

"The capabilities included in the surface warfare mission package will project power and presence in key overseas environments," said Rear Adm. James Murdoch, program executive officer Littoral Combat Ships. "An LCS outfitted with these capabilities, teamed with the ship's inherent speed and maneuverability, will provide a capability in a single platform never before available to the U.S. Navy."

The LCS program's modular approach allows the Navy to rapidly reconfigure each ship with focused mission packages to meet warfighter requirements. To ensure these mission package systems are able to meet their missions, the Navy has implemented a rigorous test and risk mitigation program.

The primary function of the surface warfare mission package is to provide fleet protection from small boats and other asymmetrical threats. The package can also be used to provide operational security in interdiction missions against terrorist suspects and high seas pirates, and can provide defense against shore attacks while operating in the littorals.

"Although data collected during testing remains under analysis, the systems accomplished each of the challenging test scenarios," said Capt. John Ailes, program manager for LCS Mission Module Integration. "The LCS program continues to mature and demonstrate that this ground-breaking concept of operations works and works well."

Test results will provide an operational snapshot, allowing the Navy to continue to review the performance of these systems. Phase two developmental testing is currently scheduled for August 2013 and, upon completion of developmental testing, the mission package is scheduled to enter initial operational test and evaluation, in January 2014. The mission package is scheduled for initial operational capability and delivery in fiscal year 2014.

Currently 55 ships of the LCS class are planned, along with 24 surface warfare mission packages, 24 mine countermeasures mission packages and 16 anti-submarine warfare mission packages.

Warship Freedom passes key weapons test
6/28/2012 --- San Diego Union Tribune

Sailors aboard Freedom, the first of the Navy's new littoral combat ships, successfully completed the first phase of testing a package of weapons designed to enable the ship to do everything from shield larger vessels from the enemy to protecting itself from attacks in shallow coastal waters, the Navy says.

Freedom, which operates out of San Diego, was evaluating its so-called "warfare package," one of the packages the ship can carry to perform a specific type of mission. The Navy says the package included, "The MK46 gun weapon system, 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats and an MH-60R helicopter outfitted with a Hellfire missile simulator and .50-caliber and 7.62mm machine guns."

Rear Adm. James Murdoch, the executive in charge of the LCS program, said in a statement, "The capabilities included in the surface warfare mission package will project power and presence in key overseas environments. An LCS outfitted with these capabilities, teamed with the ship's inherent speed and maneuverability, will provide a capability in a single platform never before available to the U.S. Navy."

San Diego is currently home to two LCS vessels, Freedom and Independence. The construction of both ships has run hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, and each have had serious structural or developmental problems, according to independent reviewers. Freedom's problems have included a small crack in its hull and breakdowns in its propulsion system.

[JRT]

U.S. Navy Boosting LCS Core Crew Up to 50%

More news about LCS...

U.S. Navy Boosting LCS Core Crew Up to 50%

Defense News

7/2/2012

Years after sailors and planners realized the crew size of littoral combat ships was too small, the U.S. Navy has decided to increase the number of sailors on the ships.

The changes will be made on the first LCS, the Freedom, starting in July — in time to beef up the crews for next year’s 10-month deployment to Singapore.

Twenty additional berths will be permanently installed onboard Freedom — two for officers, two for chief petty officers and 16 for other enlisted — but the final manning plan has yet to be decided, Rear Adm. Thomas Rowden, the director of surface warfare, said during a June 26 interview at the Pentagon. The ship right now has a core crew of 40, but because there is no manning plan, it’s still unclear how many sailors will be added to the crews.

The added billets “will run the gamut, from support to engineering to operations to boatswain’s mates,” Rowden said. “We’ve got to get the right skill set and the right seniority.”

Among the known manning deficiencies is the need for more junior sailors, Rowden said. LCS crews tend to be more senior, reflecting the need for sailors with multiple qualifications in a small ship.

Sailors also could be added to the mine warfare mission module, he said, in addition to the core crew.

Separate from the new manning plan is a recently begun pilot program that added three fresh-cut ensigns to each crew “to start expanding our experience base,” Rowden said. “That started with the graduation of the most recent classes.”

A final decision by Rowden on Freedom’s revised manning plan is expected before October, when the ship is to wrap up a maintenance period and begin preparing for the Singapore mission.

LCSs were intended to operate with a core crew of 40 sailors, plus a mission module detachment of 15 and an aviation detachment of 25. Each LCS class — the Freedom (LCS 1) class from Lockheed Martin, and the Independence (LCS 2) class from General Dynamics/ Austal USA — was designed with a total of 75 or 76 berths, or racks in Navy parlance. The absence of overflow space means the ships frequently embark containers fitted out with racks, known as berthing modules and carried on the ships’ mission decks.

Accommodations on Freedom are particularly spacious, and all racks in the ships were originally limited to two-high arrangements. Designers of both LCS classes, however, anticipated an increase in berthing, and the racks were built to be convertible to three-highs.

No decision has yet been made about Independence, said Chris Johnson, a spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

The manning plan for the LCS is relatively complex. Initially, each ship will have two 40-person crews — dubbed blue and gold — alternating about every four months. As the number of ships increases, a shift will be made to rotational crews, three for every two ships.

In addition to increased berthing arrangements on Freedom, Johnson said, the three-month work package beginning July 9 will include upgrades to the Aqueous Film-Forming Foam system, improvements to stern ramp fender stanchions, and additional fire suppression sprinklers, tank level indicators and pipe hangers. The ship’s retractable bitts will be removed to reduce weight.

In May, Freedom completed a “special trial” assessment by the Board of Inspection and Survey, or INSURV, and now is engaging in a brief period of trials and operations to certify and qualify systems and the crews’ ability to operate them.

The first stage of developmental testing for the ship’s surface warfare mission package was completed June 24, according to NAVSEA. Among the systems tested were the Mark 46 30mm gun system and smaller .50-caliber and 7.62mm machine guns, an MH-60R helicopter and an 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boat.

“Although data collected during testing remains under analysis, the systems accomplished each of the challenging test scenarios,” Capt. John Ailes, program manager for LCS Mission Module Integration, said in a statement.

A second phase of surface warfare package testing is scheduled to begin in August of next year, with operational test and evaluation to begin in January 2014. The system is to be fielded later in 2014.

Freedom will be pierside at the 32nd Street Naval Station in San Diego beginning July 9 for the second and last part of its post-shakedown availability (PSA). No further significant maintenance periods are scheduled after the PSA’s scheduled completion Oct. 19, when the ship’s blue and gold crews and the mission detachments will need to begin concentrated work-ups prior to heading for Singapore in the spring.

New problems for troubled warship Freedom

7/2/2012 --- San Diego Union Tribune

Three news organizations have raised fresh concerns about the design, construction and operability of the San Diego-based littoral combat ship Freedom, a new type of Navy vessel that has had problems virtually from the start.

The Navy convinced Congress to support the LCS program, in part, by promising to build a ship that operated with a core crew of about 40 people. Navy officials confirmed that figure to U-T San Diego during a meeting last year. The staffing -- again in part -- was meant to make the LCS far less expensive to operate than the ships it will replace, Perry-class frigates, which have a crew of about 210.

But Defense News reported on July 2 that, "Twenty additional berths will be permanently installed onboard Freedom — two for officers, two for chief petty officers and 16 for other enlisted ... the final manning plan has yet to be decided, Rear Adm. Thomas Rowden, the director of surface warfare, said during a June 26 interview at the Pentagon. The ship right now has a core crew of 40, but because there is no manning plan, it’s still unclear how many sailors will be added to the crews."

The added billets 'will run the gamut, from support to engineering to operations to boatswain’s mates,' Rowden said. “We’ve got to get the right skill set and the right seniority."

It wasn't immediately clear whether berths also will be added to LCS Independence, which also is home-ported in San Diego.

The Defense News report comes about two weeks after Aviation News published a story saying that the "special trial" that Freedom underwent at sea in May did not go as smoothly as suggested by the Navy.

Aviation Week said it obtained documents that show that "components that created issues during the special trials ... include the following: heat, flame, smoke and flood alarms; hydraulic power unit systems, airborne mission zone lift hoist and platform; lifting capstan; gypsy winch; oily water separator and transfer pump; reverse osmosis system; watertight doors, degaussing system, gas-turbine intake plenum space; and blow-in doors."

The ship also appears to be minus one of its four engines, upon which repair and reassembly work was started this month, according to the documents. The Navy would not provide any additional information about these problems and the nature of their seriousness.

An internal Freedom review document obtained by Mother Jones magazine said that the ship had been at "high risk" of not passing the special trial.

An Aviation Week investigation published earlier in May said, "The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) USS Freedom is plagued by extensive corrosion and manufacturing issues more recent and serious than anything the Pentagon or prime contractor Lockheed Martin has publicly acknowledged thus far."

Previously, U-T San Diego has reported that Freedom is running hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, and that it has had problems with its hull and propulsion system. BAE San Diego Ship Repair also was enlisted to expand window space in the bridge of Freedom, a shortcoming that was not detected during design.

[surfgun]

Fort Worth has departed Wisconsin and is headed for Texas for commissioning. I hope at the ceremony, that they would take up donations to patch up BB 35 Texas.Navy.mil - View Image

[surfgun]

LCS 3 is reportedly broken down in Halifax.

Update Aug 20:
She is scheduled to Depart at 1500 today.

UPDATE 2: She Failed to Sail as Scheduled. Tim Colton at Maritime Memo's reports "The word is that LCS 3's main propulsion diesels are out of action and she's running on her gas turbines"

Her Stay in Halifax may have been extended due to the propulsion problems.

Halifax Shipping News

[surfgun]

"LCS 3 is now alongside a pier in Halifax. See the report in the Halifax Shipping News here. 1230, August 18, 2012.
Still tied up at the Canadian Navy base in Halifax. 1830, August 19, 2012.
Still there. 0630, August 20, 2012.
Leaving the pier in Halifax, with the tugs Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Willow. 1600, August 20, 2012.
Tugs gone back to base, LCS 3 heading south at about 12 knots. 1700, August 20, 2012.
About 200 miles east of Cape Cod, chugging along at about 13 knots. 0630, August 21, 2012."
Maritime Memos, Tim Colton, US shipbuilding, US shipping, US marine industry

Looks like she is underway after an extended stay.

[Stitch]

"LCS 3 is now alongside a pier in Halifax. See the report in the Halifax Shipping News here. 1230, August 18, 2012.
Still tied up at the Canadian Navy base in Halifax. 1830, August 19, 2012.
Still there. 0630, August 20, 2012.
Leaving the pier in Halifax, with the tugs Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Willow. 1600, August 20, 2012.
Tugs gone back to base, LCS 3 heading south at about 12 knots. 1700, August 20, 2012.
About 200 miles east of Cape Cod, chugging along at about 13 knots. 0630, August 21, 2012."
Maritime Memos, Tim Colton, US shipbuilding, US shipping, US marine industry

Looks like she is underway after an extended stay.

Still think the LCS-2 is a better overall design . . . . .

[JRT]

"...Tugs gone back to base, LCS 3 heading south at about 12 knots. 1700, August 20, 2012.
About 200 miles east of Cape Cod, chugging along at about 13 knots. 0630, August 21, 2012."

Looks like she is underway after an extended stay.

Looks like they didn't get the bugs out of LCS-3...

Navy's LCS-3 Spider Infested
by Mike McCarthy
August 29, 2012 - Defense Daily

[ABOARD THE FUTURE USS FORT WORTH] - They can deal with the occasional busted part or software glitch, and the hard work that accompanies resolving it. But one thing the sailors on the latest Littoral Combat Ship are getting a little fed up with is the big, ugly and menacing-looking spiders dangling around the new warship.

And there are many. The future USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) is infested with them. Some larger in diameter than golf balls, the brownish spiders show up in droves around sunset, spinning webs around railings to catch prey, or greet crew by suddenly pirouetting down from overhangs.

Their presence stems from prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] partner for building the ships, Marinette Marine. The Wisconsin shipyard on the shores of Lake Michigan gets overrun with the spiders this time of year as they seek the fresh water to prey on insects, the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Randy Blankenship, said. It didn’t take long for them to get aboard the ship ahead of sailing Aug. 7.

“They inundated the crap out of the ship,” he said. “We’ve been thinking about going out and getting a big extermination kit.”

The critters aren’t harmful, he says, nor do they appear to have penetrated living quarters like the mess room and bunks. But the arachnids are--at the very least--a nuisance around the mission bay, bridge and deck areas of the ship.

“It’s annoying. It’s annoying as can be,” Blankenship said, adding he wants the ship to be a presentable as possible during its Sept. 22 commissioning ceremony in Galveston, Texas.

Blankenship predicted their population will dissipate at sea as food sources dwindle. There were even more when the ship initially got underway, when measures taken by the crew to rid themselves of the creatures proved fruitless.

“We were out there with friggin’ water hoses. Fire mains. 50 PSI going after those suckers,” Blankenship said. “Those little resilient bastards came right back.”

An extension entomologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Phil Pellitteri, said the spider’s presence will dissipate because they’ll run out of insects to eat at sea. Even if they make it to laying eggs, the newborns will have nothing to feed on and will quickly die.

“When they hatch, they’re in big trouble,” he said.

By examining a grainy cell phone photo sent through email, Pellitteri identified them as belonging to the orb weaver family of spiders and confirmed they’re harmless. The large webs they spin could have easily allowed them to be picked up by wind and blown onto the ship, he said.

The orb weaver is a “late summer” spider, Pellitteri said, meaning they could have infiltrated the ship after it was delivered to the Navy in early June and remained at Marinette before its departure earlier this month. Michael Draney, an entomologist at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, said the orb weavers on the ship could be of the Larinioides sclopetarius species, which is also know as the "bridge spider" because it's the "only spider in our region that is usually willing to spin its orb web on metal."

Lockheed Martin said it was unaware of the problem. "We weren't aware of a spider issue on board LCS-3," a company spokeswoman said. "We can work with the Navy on a solution if needed."

Regardless of when or how the spiders came aboard, the crew wasn't thrilled about their unwanted shipmates.

“The ship’s (bleeping) infested with them,” said one sailor. “We’ve got to live with them, I guess,” added another one before dropping a few expletives and concluding with: “It’s ridiculous.”

For some members of the crew, the spiders can be a source of entertainment during long night watch shifts. With food becoming scarce at sea, the spiders start going at each other, as one of the vessel’s chiefs noted.

“They’re awesome. They are fighting right now because they don’t have any food. We stand six-hour watches and it can be boring, and (spider brawling) takes up a good four hours,” Chief Matthew Moore said before reminding himself of his captain’s presence. “We’re still being vigilant, of course, but we can’t help it because they’re right there.”

Pellitteri said attempting to eat each other could be one reason for the fighting, but it may also have to do with their “brutal way of mating.”

[gunnut]

This ship took so long to build she has cobwebs all over...

[Gun Grape]

Coming soon to an LCS near you. (being tested on a DD)

Lasers.

I have my doubts about sea based lasers, but they seem to be getting pretty far along. It will be great if they work as advertised.

[surfgun]

GG, any idea if the laser would go into a mission module station or replace the 57mm?

[JRT]

GG, any idea if the laser would go into a mission module station or replace the 57mm?

How big is the weaponized laser by itself, when pared down to bare essentials? Could a weaponized laser replace an 11-cell RAM launcher in the SeaRAM, replace the 20mm rotary canon on the Phananx Block 1B CIWS? To me, the weaponized laser seems like a natural evolution of that ship depense system.

But also, the laser is line of sight, so high mounting would significantly extend range against low altitude targets. Water particles of various size likely disrupt the beam, and that high mounting would likely help with that also. So maybe mounting the laser separately, high on the ship's mast, might be the way to go.

Phalanx and SeaRAM both have the ability to control external RAM launchers, external to the CIWS mount. So the SeaRAM configuration that places the RAM launcher on the CIWS mount is not necessary.

The Navy wants to use the Griffin B guided missile on LCS. Earlier this year, a RAM launcher for the RIM-116 rolling airframe missile was used to fire Raytheon's Griffin B missile, so maybe that is the inteded use, a mixed load of RIM-116 RAM and Griffin B missiles in the launcher.

The Mk-144 Guided Missile Launcher (GML) unit weighs 5,777 kilograms (12,740 lb) and stores 21 missiles, and should fit in the locations that were intended to hold a quad-pack of the now-cancelled Netfires NLOS-LS vertical cell box of missiles.



























20mm Phalanx is likely adequate for punching holes in thin skinned go-fasts. It is both radar and FLIR directed. And fast bursts enable the engagement of more targets in similar brief time intervals.

So maybe a pair of faster operating 20mm Phalanx might be better than the pair of 30mm chain guns used in the current surface warfare package. On LCS-2, place a pair of Phalanx Block 1B 20mm CIWS systems up top on the two pads where the 30mm Mk46 guns are supposed to be fitted. Place a 21-cell RAM launcher in between those, where SeaRAM is supposed to be fitted. Add another 21-cell RAM launcher forward where the quad-pack of NLOS-LS was to be fitted. And maybe add a mast mounted weaponized laser. The laser would likely need a big space claim for a generator and power supply.

Below are links to Raytheon's marketing cut sheets for SeaRAM and Phalanx, the associaed text extracted, reformatted to wider columns, and quoted below for your convenience.

SeaRAM Evolved Ship Defense

The SeaRAM Anti-ship Missile Defense System is an evolved MK15 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) comprising key attributes of both the Phalanx CIWS and the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Guided Weapon System. The MK15 Mod 31 SeaRAM extends the inner layer battlespace and enables the ship to effectively engage future high-performance, supersonic, and subsonic threats at greater distances. The system provides the highest level of ship self-protection with extended keep-out range capability and the ability to engage multiple targets. These important features strengthen the ship’s ability to sustain its mission in the most challenging littoral environments.

Technology from the MK15 Phalanx CIWS and RAM integrates elements of each system into the self-contained SeaRAM system. An 11-missile round RAM launcher assembly, loaded with RAM guided missiles, replaces Phalanx’s 20 mm gun. SeaRAM combines RAM’s superior accuracy, extended range and high maneuverability with the Phalanx Block 1B’s high resolution search-and-track sensor systems and reliable, quick-response capability.

SeaRAM is an affordable capability upgrade — an especially attractive option for those navies that have already deployed the Phalanx CIWS. SeaRAM fits the exact shipboard installation footprint of the Phalanx, uses the same power and requires minimal shipboard modification.

SeaRAM is well suited to new construction and requires minimal system integration because of its self-contained features. The integration risk is minimized because RAM and Phalanx are already being deployed as a part of the U.S. Navy’s integrated Ship Self-Defense System.

The SeaRAM system is a complete and autonomous weapon system with its own sensor suite, combat system and weapon. Like the Phalanx, only power and cooling water are required from the ship. Evolved from the Phalanx Block 1B system, SeaRAM includes the latest version Ku-band search and track radar and a new forward looking infrared (FLIR) imaging system. SeaRAM’s sensor suite provides multispectrum search and targeting capabilities for daytime and nighttime operations. Below decks, the SeaRAM system uses the same control panel and consoles that are deployed as part of Phalanx 1B upgrade; thus, no changes in equipment space or footprint are required. The local and remote consoles provide the operator with video images from the FLIR for threat detection and track.

The operator can establish positive identification of precisely where or what the system is tracking. Each console contains a display, keyboard and joystick handle. For low-velocity threats the operator is able to move the mount, designate and engage the target. The local control station houses the unique SeaRAM electronics and provides an interface to the SeaRAM.

The local control station also provides the necessary FDDI, NTDS or 1553 interface to the ship’s combat system, should it be required or desired.

Currently, both Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics have selected SeaRAM as a key component of their respective U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship designs.


RAM Specifications:
• Length: 9.3 ft (2.83 m)
• Diameter: 5 in (12 cm)
• Speed: Supersonic
• Wingspan: 17.5 in (43.75 cm)
• Guidance: Dual Mode
• Warhead: 22.1 kg (10 kg)
• Weight: 162 lb (73.5 kg)


SeaRAM Weapon Group

Sensors
• Search Radar: Ku-band, Digital
• Track Radar: Ku-band, Pulse Doppler, Monopulse
• FLIR: LWIR
• ESM: Integrated with ship’s ESM or optional self-contained (optional)

Physical Specifications
• Elevation: –10º to +80º
• Above-Deck Weight: 15,520 lb (including missile rounds)
• Train: ± 155º
• Below-Deck Weight: 1,575 lb
• Working Circle: 137 in
• Capacity: 11 Missiles

Threat Coverage
• Anti-ship cruise missiles, surface craft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles
and fixed wing aircraft (all types)

Phalanx Close-In Weapon System

Modern surface combatants are vulnerable to a growing number of anti-ship missile (ASM) and unique littoral warfare threats.

In response, the U.S. Navy and an ever-expanding list of foreign customers have continued to develop an effective and efficient counter to these threats — Raytheon’s Phalanx Close-In Weapon System. With more than 890 systems produced for 23 nations, production contracts in place to carry further development into the 21st century, and evolutionary improvements being fielded, Phalanx is the weapon of choice for today’s close-in ship-defense requirement.

Phalanx combines a proven 20-mm M61A1 Gatling gun, firing armor piercing, discarding sabot rounds at a selectable 3000 or 4500 shots per minute, with an advanced search and track Ku-band radar featuring closed-loop spotting technology, to provide autonomous target detection and engagement.

The system can also be interfaced with virtually any ship combat system and can provide target designation for other shipboard weapons, such as Raytheon’s Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM).

The Block 0 configuration provides basic anti-ship missile defense against today’s low-altitude, subsonic, non-maneuvering ASM. Additionally, the Block 0 system acts as the basis for an overhaul and upgrade process to more capable configurations, including Block 1A, Block 1B and Raytheon’s SeaRAM Evolved Close-In Weapon System.

The Block 1A configuration incorporates a new high order language computer and a number of other enhancements to provide enhanced fire control capability against modern, maneuverable ASM in a variety of scenarios. Block 1A is also the basic configuration for efficient integration into a combat data system such as the Navy’s Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS).

The Block 1B Surface Mode configuration builds on the existing capabilities of Block 1A with the addition of new optimized gun barrels for an improved dispersion pattern and an integrated forwardlooking infrared (FLIR) system.

The Phalanx FLIR provides the capability to search, track and engage littoral warfare threats, while simultaneously providing a significant improvement in ASM engagement ranges.

The Threat

Today, surface combat is most likely to occur in littoral environments. This scenario places ships and their crews at risk to an increased number of threats, including small, fast gunboats, standard and guided artillery, helicopters, mines and a variety of shore-launched ASMs. These threats demand a new generation of ship-defense capabilities — Phalanx Block 1B.

The Solution

Raytheon’s Phalanx Block 1B Surface Mode is a complete weapon system to counter threats of today and tomorrow.

With an integrated FLIR and operator control panels merged with a proven ASM defense capability, the Block 1B system is unique. The system has been thoroughly tested in real-world scenarios against a variety of ship defense threats and had initial operational capability in 1999.

Optimized Gun Barrels

The original M61A1 gun barrels were designed for short bursts and are subject to wear and increased dispersion patterns.

The new optimized gun barrels are 18 inches longer, substantially thicker and include both a barrel brace and muzzle restraint to improve life expectancy and projectile dispersion patterns. In addition, the enhanced lethality cartridge, fielded with Block 1B provides a 50 percent increase in penetrator mass.

Phalanx FLIR

To provide its Surface Mode tracking and engagement capability, Phalanx Block 1B incorporates a thermal imager with automatic acquisition tracking. The system operates in the 8- to 12-micron wavelength and is mounted on a stabilized pedestal attached to the existing Phalanx track antenna radome.

This system provides a reliable day and night passive search and track capability against slow-speed air threats and surface craft, while improving anti-air-warfare performance in multi-path and glint environments via enhanced angular track accuracy (50–100 microradians) against the high-G maneuvering ASM.

Operational Features

• Autonomous detect, prioritization, track, engagement and kill assessment of air targets from wave-top to steeply diving
• Day and night detect, identification, track and engagement, and kill assessment of surface craft and low-speed aircraft
• Remote designation available from other ships’ sensors against air and surface targets
• Interface and control to provide fire-control and search-sensor capability for other shipboard gun and missile systems
• Worldwide logistics, training and depot-level maintenance
• Automated/integrated test system including moving end-to-end target simulation capability
• Affordable and fits virtually any ship without major ship alteration



Phalanx Specifications:

• Gun: M61A1 20-mm cannon
• Gun Drive: Pneumatic
• Magazine: 1550-round enhanced lethality cartridge
• Mount Drive: Electric
• Fire Rate: Dual fire rate, 3000 or 4500 shots per minute
• Electric Power: 3-phase, 440 V, 60 Hz, 18 kW in search, 70 kW in track
• Weight: 14,500 lb
• Search Radar: Ku-band, digital moving-target indicator
• Track Radar: Ku-band, pulse Doppler monopulse
• E/O Sensor: FLIR imaging system with automatic acquisition tracker
• Seawater Cooling: 20 gpm, 30 psig

MK 46 - 30mm Gun Weapon System

Description
The MK 46 is a Naval derivative of the 30mm gun turret originally designed for the USMC Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. The MK 46 GWS is a remotely operated naval gun system that uses a 30mm high velocity cannon, a forward looking infrared sensor, a low light television camera, and a laser rangefinder for shipboard self defense against small, high speed surface targets. The gun can be operated locally at the gun turret or remotely at the Remote Operating Console in the Combat Information Center (LPD 17 class)/Mission Control Center (LCS class).



Background
The requirements documents for the LPD 17 and LCS ship programs included the need for weapons systems capable of defeating small, fast, highly maneuverable surface craft. The MK 46 GWS was selected to provide these ships a capability against small surface craft. The MK 46 GWS is permanently installed aboard LPD 17 class ships. It is part of the Surface Warfare (SuW) mission module for LCS class ships.


The MK 46 Mod 2 GWS incorporates new open architecture, fault isolation software and an embedded trainer. The Navy is installing the MK 46 Mod 2 GWS aboard LPD 17 class ships during construction. The Navy designed and developed the SuW mission module for LCS class ships. Two SuW mission modules (each including one MK 46 Mod 2 GWS) will be installed on each LCS class ship.


Point Of Contact
Office of Corporate

Naval Sea Systems Command

Communication

Washington Navy Yard, D.C. 20376


General Characteristics

Primary Function: Shipboard self defense against small, high-speed surface craft.
Date Deployed: 2005 (Mark 46 Mod 1)
Range: 2,200 yards - max effective range for full caliber ammunition. Effective range can be extended with sub-caliber munitions. Rate of Fire: 200 rounds/minute. Modes of fire: single round, five-round burst, or fully automatic. Gun may be fired locally at the gun mount or remotely from the Combat Information Center.
Magazine Capacity: 400 rounds (dual feed, 200 per side).
Caliber: The MK 46 Mod 2 GWS includes the Mk 44 Mod 2 30mm cannon, a single barrel, open bolt, dual feed, electrically powered, chain driven automatic cannon.
Guidance System: A forward-looking infrared sensor, a low-light television camera, and a laster range finder provdes inputs to a closed loop tracking system.
Platforms: MK 46 Mod 2 - LPD 17 class (2 mounts per ship) adn LCS class (2 mounts per ship).

Last Update: 2 November 2011

[Gun Grape]

GG, any idea if the laser would go into a mission module station or replace the 57mm?

I think its suppose to be a mission mod.

But no firm details yet. They want to see haw small a package and how successful the test.

[jlvfr]

That thing with the spiders sound like something out of Aliens. Perfect for one of SyFy's "monster of the week" movies...

[Chunder]

Don't mention movies... I could post a youtube of Dr Evil and Minime humping a laser... but im refraining...