The USS McInerney has been turned over to the Pakistani navy.
By Timothy J. Gibbons
Shortly before the sun set Tuesday, the USS McInerney was no more. Within a few minutes, the PNS Alamgir floated in its place.
Dozens of feet above the water at Mayport Naval Station, a Pakistani sailor was already hard at work with a long brush and bucket of gray paint. He was covering up a large numeral "8" on the ship's bow, a U.S. designation, as the new crew made the ship its own.
"It tugs at your heartstrings," Cmdr. Paul Young, the final commanding officer of the McInereny said, minutes after turning over the vessel to Capt. Naveed Ashraf.
In recent months, Young led the ship on a successful final deployment and then spent months working with the Pakistani crew members, bringing them up to speed as they prepared to take over the ship.
"I'm proud of the ship and proud of the sailors," he said Tuesday. The ceremony handing over the McInerney marked the beginning of the end for the Navy's fleet of frigates, which make up most of the force at Mayport.
It's the last "first" for the ship, which was on the cutting edge for most of its time in service, including serving as the test bed for the LAMPS MK III helicopter that helps find submarines and for the Navy's new unmanned aerial vehicle that hunts drug runners.
"She led the way in operation readiness," Rear Adm. Vic Guillory said about the McInerney, which he used to look at across the basin when he commanded the Mayport-based sister ship USS Underwood.
A few dozen of the ship's plank owners - members of the McInerney's original crew - who were on hand for the ceremony remembers getting the ship to that readiness level.
Because the 1979-commissioned McInerney was the second Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate made, the plank owners were tasked with learning what worked and what didn't - sometimes dangerously so.
"We were off Nova Scotia looking for heavy seas. We found them," said Ken Hardison, a gas turbine system technician on the ship who came down from Virginia for the ceremony. "It was an experience."
The flexing that resulted led to the stiffer side, which became part of the entire class. The plank owners have been talking about the decommissioning for months, several said, reigniting old friendships along the way.
"This has brought us a lot closer," said Rocky Morris, another member of the engineering department. Seeing the new crew on the ship was a bit sad, he said. "It's like we saw the baby being born, and now we're giving it away," Morris said. "We wish them the best with it. We hope they treat it well."
Its new owners plan to: After spending several months across the river in the Atlantic Marine facility, where some basic repairs will be made, the PNS Alamgir is expected to become a workhorse in the Pakistani fleet.
"You're not losing a ship; you're gaining a strengthened relationship," Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani said Tuesday. "We look forward to the transfer of more frigates."
The Pakistani navy is interested in seven of the U.S. frigates, although Congress has not yet approved any more of the transfers.
However, many of this class of ships being phased out will be sold or given to partner nations. The dozen frigates remaining at Mayport are slated to be decommissioned by 2015, when the USS Samuel B. Roberts is retired.
Having the vessels as part of the Pakistani fleet, Haqqani said, is good for both countries. "The strategic partnership between the U.S. and Pakistan will continue to deepen," he said. "The leadership of both countries understands the need for the relationship."
timothy.gibbons@jacksonville.com
Russia's Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser will take part in a joint exercise with French warships on September 3-6, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Wednesday.
The warships will practice joint maneuvers at sea, replenishment of supplies, ship-to-ship transfer of goods, and helicopter landings.
The Pyotr Veliky is on its way to the Northern Fleet's base in Severomorsk after the Vostok 2010 exercises in Russia's Far East.
(RIA Novosti)
With public sector shipyard Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL), Mumbai, years behind schedule in building six conventional Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is handing Mazagon Dock another lucrative order to build three more submarines. Although private sector shipbuilders — especially L&T and Pipavav Shipyard Ltd (PSL) — argue that Mazagon Dock already has more than it can handle, MoD insists the public sector shipyard can execute this order.
The MoD’s Secretary of Defence Production, R K Singh, talking exclusively to Business Standard, has detailed Mazagon Dock’s road map for simultaneously executing the Scorpene order (Project 75, as it is termed) and the three additional submarines that are a part of the six-submarine Project 75I order.
Business Standard had reported yesterday that the MoD’s apex Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had ruled out India’s private sector from Project 75I. The first two submarines of Project 75I will be built abroad in the foreign collaborator’s shipyard. The other four submarines will be built in MoD-owned shipyards: recently acquired Hindustan Shipyard Ltd will build one, while MDL builds three.
R K Singh explains, “First, the Scorpene delay will be trimmed down to less than 18 months. The original plan was for the first Scorpene to be delivered in December 2012; and the other five submarines at one-year intervals till December 2017. While the first Scorpene will only be ready in August 2015, Mazagon Dock will deliver the others faster, at nine-month intervals, and finish the last Scorpene by May 2019.”
MoD sources say Mazagon Dock is being pushed towards an even more ambitious delivery schedule: Of one Scorpene every seven months. On August 11, Defence Minister A K Antony told Parliament that Project 75 would complete work by the second half of 2018.
But Project 75I, argues R K Singh, does not have to wait till then; it can begin as early as 2012. By that year, with all six Scorpene hulls fully built, the specialised hull workers and welders of Mazagon Dock could begin fabricating hulls for Project 75I.
Singh explains, “Two Scorpene hulls are already built and MDL is close to completing the third. By early 2012, all six Scorpene hulls will be ready. MDL’s hull fabrication shop — which cuts steel for the hull, rolls it, fabricates hull segments and then welds them together into a complete hull — will be sitting idle from 2012, and ready to be diverted to Project 75I.”
The Department of Defence Production also points out that Project 75I cannot begin for another five years. At least 12-24 months are needed for a Cabinet sanction for building the first two Project 75I submarines abroad. Selecting a foreign shipyard as collaborator for Project 75I will take another 24-36 months and then one year for price negotiations.
The six Project 75I submarines will be built on a new production line, on which work has already begun. During a visit to MDL in 2009, Business Standard was shown a 16-acre plot, adjoining MDL’s facilities in Mazagon, Mumbai, which the shipyard had acquired in the 1980s from Gujarat state PSU, Alcock Ashdown.
R K Singh confirmed, “We are going to execute Project 75I in a new yard, the Alcock Yard, on which MDL is building a second submarine production line.”
Private sector shipbuilder Larsen & Toubro finds the MoD’s decision to patronise Mazagon Dock inexplicable. L&T sources say the company was given to understand that they would participate in Project 75I as the second submarine line. Now, L&T’s experience and infrastructure would lie idle.
Business Standard
Vanguard-Class SSBN How the Missile System Works
Akula II SSN Submarine
Russian submarines are hunting down British Vanguard boats in a return to Cold War tactics not seen for 25 years, Navy chiefs have warned.
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
A specially upgraded Russian Akula class submarine has been caught trying to record the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles, according to senior Navy officers.
British submariners have also reported that they are experiencing the highest number of "contacts" with Russian submarines since 1987.
If the Russians are able to obtain a recording of the unique noise of the boat's propellers it would have serious implications for Britain's nuclear deterrent. Using its sophisticated sonar, the Akula would be able to track Vanguards and potentially sink them before they could launch their Trident D4 missiles.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that, within the past six months, a Russian Akula entered the North Atlantic and attempted to track a Vanguard. The incident has remained secret until now.
It is understood that the Russians stood off Faslane, where the British nuclear force is based, and waited for a Trident-carrying boat to come out for its three-month patrol to provide the Continuous At Sea Deterrent.
While patrolling in the North Atlantic, there are a limited number of places the Vanguard is permitted to go and it is thought that the Akula attempted to track it on several occasions.
Navy commanders are understood to have ordered a Trafalgar-class hunter-killer submarine to protect the Vanguard. A recording of the Akula was made by the Trafalgar submarine's sonar operators and has been played to The Daily Telegraph.
"The Russians have been playing games with us, the Americans and French in the North Atlantic," a senior Navy commander said.
"We have put a lot of resources into protecting Trident because we cannot afford by any stretch to let the Russians learn the acoustic profile of one of our bombers as that would compromise the deterrent."
Long-range ASW aircraft Tu-142ME was handed over to India after overhaul and modernization by JSC TAVIA. In 2010 another Tu-142ME will be also capitally repaired, upgraded, and delivered to Indian Navy, reported ITAR-TASS referring to the company's press service.
The press release did not mention how many aircrafts have already been repaired and modernized.
According to World Arms Trade Analysis Center, it was planned to sign the contract on modernization of 8 long-range ASW aircrafts Tu-142ME for Indian Navy in 2005. Perhaps, the contract was signed later. The program has been in uncertain state for some time due to involvement of Israel which offered to upgrade Tu-142ME aircrafts under triangular agreement with Russia. Moreover, there were reports that the contract had been frozen.
In 1986 eight ASW aircrafts Tu-142MK were delivered to India under nomenclature of Tu-142ME which were built by Taganrog Aircraft Factory. Those planes were equipped with Korshun-K search-and-track ASW system which included magnetometer MMS-106 Ladoga and hydrology reconnaissance equipment Nerchinsk. All of those aircrafts are in need of capital repairs and to be upgraded with new onboard equipment, modernized jet-prop engines, and new weapons. According to initial plan, all 8 planes were supposed to pass modernization within 6 years and be ready in 2010-2011. After capital repairs the service life of each aircraft becomes 16 years longer.
Upgraded Tu-142ME is capable to provide patrolling and security of territorial waters; conduct communications surveillance; search, track, and engage newest silent submarines on surface and under water, moving at full or slow speed or laying on the seabed day and night and in any weather conditions. While armed with guided missiles, Tu-142ME is capable to deliver strikes upon surface ships, land and coastal targets.
Max flight range of Tu-142ME is 12,000 km, max flight speed (weight of 138 tons, altitude of 7,000 meters) is 855 kph, cruising speed is 735 kph, flight duration is 9 hours. Max combat load (6 BrahMos cruise missiles, as was proposed to Indian Navy) makes 9.6 tons, standard combat load (8 Kh-35 antiship missiles) is 4.4 tons. Typical search-and-attack version of the aircraft is equipped with up to 140 radio sonobuoys. www.rusnavy.com
New Delhi : This is the first of a four-part special series on the country’s critical, yet significantly delayed, submarine development programme.
A far-reaching decision by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will come as a jolt for domestic shipbuilders in the private sector seeking to participate in India’s submarine programme. Top sources in the ministry have told Business Standard that its apex defence acquisition council has decided to exclude Indian private shipyards from the construction of six submarines for the Indian Navy under Project 75I. Instead, the first two submarines will be built at a foreign shipyard.
Project 75I initially envisaged all six submarines to be built in India. The MoD-owned Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai, was to build three; Hindustan Shipyard Ltd — recently acquired by the MoD from the Ministry of Shipping — would build one; while Indian private sector shipyards L&T and Pipavav would compete to build two. But the navy’s insistence on having the first two submarines built abroad has torpedoed the private sector shipbuilders out of the picture.
The navy’s decision, explained a senior admiral on condition of anonymity, stems from delays that have been endemic to indigenous submarine construction. India bought four HDW submarines in the 1980s. HDW’s shipyard in Germany built two of them in just 56 months each. In contrast, Mazagon Dock took 98 months and 116 months to build the remaining two. Mazagon Dock is also running 30 months late in delivering the first of six Scorpene submarines that it was contracted to build under Project 75.
“At least two submarines will come in quickly by building them abroad,” said the admiral. “We are desperately short of submarines.” A performance audit of the navy by the Comptroller and Auditor General has documented that just seven or eight of India’s 15 submarines are operational at any given time against a projected requirement of at least 24.
Yet, curiously, despite the dismal track record of Mazagon Dock, the defence acquisition council has decided to hand it a prime role in Project 75I as well. While the cost of Project 75I is still not known, it will substantially exceed the Rs 23,562 crores that India paid French companies Armaris and DCNS for Project 75, since building two submarines abroad will inflate the cost.
Furthermore, that decision will require fresh sanction from the Cabinet Committee on Security — typically involving a 12-24-month delay — since the current sanction mandates that all the submarines must be built in India.
Only after that will a tender be issued to identify a foreign technology partner. Among the possible bidders for the contract are Russia’s Amur Shipbuilding Plant, Germany’s HDW, Spain’s Navantia, Italy’s Fincantieri, and France’s DCNS.
In 1999, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved a 30-year plan for 24 conventional submarines to be constructed in India. This sanctioned two simultaneous construction lines: six using western technology; and six based on Russian knowhow. After that, 12 indigenously-designed submarines were to be built.
The navy believes that Russian submarines have greater endurance, firepower and strategic utility, while western submarines are stealthier and, therefore, harder to detect. It was reasoned that Indian designers would adopt the best of both traditions when designing the 12 indigenous submarines.
Private companies such as L&T and Pipavav have invested thousands of crores of rupees to build world-class shipyards, and have lobbied intensely for a share of the submarine programme. Over the last decade, L&T has played a central role in building and outfitting the nuclear-powered INS Arihant, and will do so for its two successor vessels.
Senior L&T officials have argued that Mazagon Dock would have its hands full with Scorpene production until at least 2019 and has no capacity to take on another three submarines. But the MoD has presented a detailed plan for the shipyard to set up a second submarine line.
Business Standard
By Northrop Grumman
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.: Northrop Grumman Corporation lifted two generators weighing over 195,000 pounds each into the aft section of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), currently under construction at the company's Shipbuilding sector in Newport News, Va., yesterday.
The diesel generators supply backup power throughout the ship in the event that power is lost.
"Landing these diesel generators is a significant event for us and is just one example of the many major components the yard is receiving and installing in the ship," said Mike Shawcross, vice president of Newport News' Aircraft Carrier Construction program. "Ford is now about 11 percent complete. We continue to be committed to executing each phase of construction with a focus on first-time quality. We're excited with our progress and construction of the ship."
Named after the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), whose keel was laid Nov. 14, 2009, is the first ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class. The Ford class will continue the legacy of highly capable U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ship platforms.
Enhancements incorporated into the design include flight deck changes, improved weapons handling systems and a redesigned island, all resulting in increased aircraft sortie generation rates. It will also include new nuclear power plants; increased electrical power generation capacity; allowance for future technologies; and reduced workload for the sailors, translating to a smaller crew size and reduced operating costs for the Navy.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
New Delhi: The sea trials of a nuclear-powered submarine that Russia is leasing to India for 10 years, as also the training of an Indian crew, have begun ahead of the vessel's delivery in October-November, sources said here on Friday.
The delivery of the submarine will be as scheduled in October-November, the sources said, rebutting reports that the Akula-II class vessel had already begun its journey to India.
Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, had in June confirmed that Russia would transfer the submarine, to be named INS Chakra, for a 10 year-lease to India in the autumn of 2010.
This followed an agreement inked between New Delhi and Moscow in January 2004, with India partly funding the submarine's construction at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard in the Russian Far East with an initial USD 650 million.
The submarine was scheduled to be inducted in the Indian Navy in mid-2008 but technical problems delayed the process.
After that, just as it began its sea trials in November 2008, 20 sailors and technical workers were killed on it due to a toxic gas leak when the automatic fire extinguishing system malfunctioned.
After repairs, which cost an estimated USD 65 million, the submarine is now fully operational.
Akula-II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.
IANS
