Spain Awards Lockheed Martin $519m For F-110 5 Aegis & SPY-7 Radar Systems

The U.S. Navy, on behalf of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer Spain, has awarded Lockheed Martin a $519.1 million contract to support AEGIS and SPY-7 systems for the future F-110 frigates of the Spanish Navy.
The contract covers the procurement of AEGIS fire control loop development, Solid State S-Band Radar Processing Group, tools and test equipment, and spares for five new multi-mission frigates operating the AEGIS combat system.This FMS contract will support the in-development Bonifaz-class (F-110) Frigates of the Spanish Navy and their SPY-7 radar.
The contracted work will be performed mostly in the US and is expected to be completed by April 2030.
Spain is obligating $90.7 million in FMS funding at the time of the award.
Navantia and the Spanish Ministry of Defense have signed the contract for the construction of five F-110 frigates for the Spanish Navy in April 2019.
F-110 frigates are set to replace the Spanish Navy’s Santa Maria-class frigates which have been in service for over 30 years. F-110 frigates will be fitted with the Aegis combat system integrating a new solid-state S-band radar by Indra. Lockheed Martin and Indra have been collaborating since 2009 to develop a state-of-the-art S-band solid state radar for Spain’s F-110 Frigate Program.
navalnews

Spain cleared to buy Aegis systems for new F-110 frigates

The US State Department has approved a potential sale of five Aegis shipsets for the Spanish Navy’s new F-110 frigates.
A contract for the construction of five frigates is expected to be awarded this year and Navantia is already working on some elements of the ships’ systems and design.
The potential sale of US military equipment to Spain is worth an estimated $860.4 million and includes five MK7 Aegis weapon systems with computing infrastructure, fire control systems, baseline VII MK 41 vertical launching systems.
navaltoday

USS Cole to Enter Black Sea On Friday

The U.S. is sending the guided missile destroyer USS Cole into the Black Sea on Friday as part of an ongoing presence mission in the region since Russia seized the Crimea region of Ukraine in March.
The ship will be the first U.S. ship in the Black Sea following the conclusion of a NATO naval exercise — Sea Breeze 2014 — in mid-September.
USS Ross (DDG -71) — the last U.S. ship in the region — left the Black Sea on Sept. 12.
Since the forced annexation of Crimea, NATO ships have spent more time in the Black Sea in the last six months than in any other time in recent memory.
Notably, France and the U.S. have had a near consistent presence in the Black Sea.
French signals intelligence ship, Dupuy de Lôme (A759), has moved in and out of the region for months. The French have also rotated at least two frigates in and out of the Black Sea.
usni.or

US Navy to commission missile defense base in Romania

The US Navy will commission its new missile defense base in southern Romania on Friday, one of two European land-based interceptor sites for a NATO missile shield vehemently opposed by Russia.
The base represents a rare expansion of the U.S. footprint in Europe, and the even rarer construction of a new Navy base from the ground up.
The base in Deveselu will be the first to feature the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system, a land-based version of the sophisticated radar tracking system installed on U.S. warships since 2004. Scheduled to become operational by the end of next year, the base — which is housed within a larger Romanian military installation — will be staffed by several hundred U.S. military, civilian and contract employees. A second site, in Poland, is scheduled to become operational by 2018.
The site is part of a NATO missile defense shield pursued by two U.S. administrations as a defense against short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles from Iran and other rogue states. But Russia has long criticized the project, claiming it was aimed against its own ballistic missile arsenal.
U.S. warships equipped with Aegis systems began making regular patrols in the Mediterranean in 2011, and the U.S. is moving four of the destroyers to Rota, Spain, for the missions. An advanced radar system in Turkey was completed in 2012.
The site at Deveselu, Romania, will host an Aegis SPY-1 radar and hold 24 Standard Missile-3 interceptors of the Block IB variant. A four-story radar deckhouse, similar to those used on a warship, will be moved to the site from the U.S. East Coast as part of construction.
The third and fourth phases were to focus on medium- and longer-range missile threats, with construction of the second land-based site in Poland and development of two new SM-3 variants.
stripes

Japan to build 2 more Aegis destroyers

Japan government will start building two Aegis-equipped destroyers with the latest missile defense systems starting next fiscal year, in light of the progress seen in missile development by North Korea.
The Defense Ministry will include related expenses in its budgetary requests, informed sources said. The government will start building one destroyer in the next fiscal year and the other in fiscal 2016.
The government had unveiled its policy of introducing two more Aegis-equipped destroyers within 10 years in the National Defense Program Guidelines, adopted by the Cabinet late last year.
Earlier this year, North Korea continually test-fired what were believed to be short- and mid-range missiles.
Four of the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s six Aegis-equipped destroyers are Kongo-type destroyers equipped with the missile defense system.
japan-news

USS Ross, Second USN destroyer to arrive in Rota to begin BMD mission

The second of four US Navy (USN) destroyers assigned to support Washington's missile defence architecture in Europe has arrived in Rota, Spain, on 16 June.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) completed its transit from its former home port in Norfolk, Virginia, and has begun its new mission as a forward-deployed USN warship at Naval Station Rota as part of the three-pronged US plan for ballistic missile defence (BMD) in Europe.
Ross joins USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) as part of a quartet of USN destroyers to provide the initial phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach.
janes

Success for First Aegis Ashore Missile Launch

The first launch of an anti-ballistic missile from a new shore-based version of the classic Aegis missile system was successfully carried out in Hawaii.
Aegis Ashore is being developed for installation on land facilities in Europe. Ground for the first installation was broken in October at a military base in Romania, and the system is scheduled to become operational by late 2015.
Launch of a Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IB, from a test installation , was conducted by the Missile Defense Agency, the US Navy and engineers from Lockheed.
The test validated the layout of Aegis Ashore, which differs from the shipboard installation familiar to thousands of cruiser and destroyer sailors in that the vertical launch cells are considerably farther from the system’s command-and-control facilities.
In Hawaii, the launcher is about three-and-a-half miles from the Aegis deckhouse . The layout in Romania will be closer together.
Aegis Ashore uses a system nearly identical to the seagoing version, with the same vertical launch system, fire control system and SPY-1D radar. The building housing the system is strikingly similar, inside and out, to the steel deckhouse of Aegis ships.
The test, was also the first launch of an SM-3 by Aegis Baseline 9, the latest iteration of the Aegis combat system.
The flight test in Hawaii used Aegis Ashore Controlled Test Vehicle 01, and used a simulated target.
Only one more Aegis Ashore flight test is scheduled in Hawaii. An event using a real target is planned for next year.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is building an Aegis Ashore complex on 269 acres at a base near Deveselu, Romania.
defensenews

Provocative Russian military action against U.S. Navy ship

A Russian fighter jet on Saturday made repeated provocative close-range, low-altitude passes above the U.S. Navy destroyer Donald Cook while it was steaming in the Black Sea, heightening Cold War-style tensions.
The Russian SU-24 Fencer made a total of 12 passes above the destroyer that is equipped with the powerful Aegis missile defense system. The incident occurred in international waters about 48 hours after the Navy ship arrived in the Black Sea.
The aircraft did not respond to multiple queries from the Donald Cook’s bridge. The Navy destroyer did not respond and the incident ended after about 90 minutes. The fighter jet did not appear to be carrying missiles under its wings.
This provocative and unprecedented Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction.
The Donald Cook was never in any danger and is more than capable of defending itself against an SU-24.
The provocative acts come about a month after Russia launched a ground invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea region and the Russian military amassed an estimated 40,000 troops along Ukraine’s eastern border. Russia maintains a large naval base in Crimea.
The Donald Cook was dispatched to the Black Sea last week in an effort to reassure NATO allies, which includes Romania, of U.S. support in the face of Russian aggression.
The ship has now pulled into port in Constanta, Romania, near the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, which is a permanent post for several thousand U.S. troops, including airmen and Marines.
militarytimes

Americans to send first element of anti-missile system in Europe to Romania

The firsts components of a US-made anti-missile system are being assembled in New Jersey ahead of their shipping to Romania in a few weeks.
In about a year, all the pieces will be reassembled to become the first operational shore-based element of the European Phased Adaptive Approach anti-missile system.
The system is the first land-based version of the Aegis combat system, a sophisticated collection of phased-array radars, fire control directors, computers and missiles.
The deployment of the Aegis Ashore system in Romania to provide ballistic missile coverage for southern Europe represents the second phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, and will also use enhanced SM-3 Block IB interceptor missiles.
A second Aegis Ashore site will be built in Poland.
The local component of the shield at Deveselu will cover 175 hectares and around 200 American staff and troops will be stationed in Romania once the base becomes functional, in 2015.
According to the agreement signed in 2011, Deveselu remains under Romania’s property and sovereign jurisdiction.
romania-insider

First of four missile destroyers arrives in Spain

The first of four U.S. Navy destroyers to form the centerpiece of Europe’s missile defense shield arrived in southern Spain on Tuesday.
The USS Donald Cook, pulled into the U.S. Navy base in Rota.
Plans call for the USS Donald Cook to be joined by three more Arleigh Burke-class missile-guided destroyers, which carry the Aegis weapon system, over the coming two years. All are to be stationed at the base in Rota, on the Atlantic coast north of Gibraltar.
Other pieces of the missile defense shield include land-based Aegis interceptor batteries in Romania and Poland, radar in Turkey and a command center at Ramstein, Germany.
The plan has caused a major rift with Russia, which says the shield is aimed against its own nuclear missile arsenal. The U.S. and its NATO allies insist the defense system is meant to protect Europe from potentially hostile countries in the region, such as Iran.
The destroyer detachment expands the Navy presence in Europe at a time when other services are drawing down across the continent.
U.S. interest in the Mediterranean has risen in recent years because of conflicts and instability across the region, from Syria to Egypt and North Africa. The Mediterranean is also a significant waterway for commercial shipping and an access point to Middle Eastern waters from the Atlantic.
The ships will make regular four-month deployments around the Mediterranean basin. In addition to operations related to missile defense, they will be available for other maritime security operations, bilateral and multilateral training exercises, and other NATO deployments.
The three destroyers to join the Donald Cook are the USS Ross, theUSS Porter, and the USS Carney. Destroyer Squadron 60 in Rota will control the four ships.
stripes

Missile destroyers to raise the significance of Rota and the Mediterranean

The former Cold War submarine base in this sleepy town in southern Spain is about to experience a dramatic transformation — it will become the centerpiece of NATO’s new ballistic missile defense shield stretching across southern and eastern Europe.

In February, the first of four U.S. Aegis missile destroyers, the USS Donald Cook, is scheduled to arrive here for permanent stationing. Another ship will come later in 2014, followed by two more in 2015. The Arleigh-Burke class ships, which are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, will patrol the Mediterranean basin on four-month rotations on a mission to protect Europe from the threat of attack from Iran.

The program, known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach, is part of a wider NATO plan that includes land-based interceptor batteries in Romania and Poland and a radar system in Turkey. The plan has caused a major rift with Russia, which says the shield is aimed against its own nuclear missile arsenal.

Rota, located near the Strait of Gibraltar, will nearly double in population by the time the last ship arrives in 2015. The four vessels will bring more sailors and families to the town, as well as strategic significance as a base that is on the front lines of U.S. strategy in the region.

The arrival of the ships coincides with increased U.S. interest in the Mediterranean and Africa, where an area of instability ranges from Syria down to Egypt and across much of northern Africa, parts of which have become havens for militant groups. The Mediterranean also remains the gateway for U.S. deployments to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, where operations in Afghanistan and tensions with Iran have led to increased tours by carrier groups and smaller craft.

The four destroyers will significantly add to the number of ships controlled by the U.S. Sixth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, a command that for years has had only its flagship, the USS Mount Whitney, as a permanent presence.

The U.S. established Rota in 1953 in a deal with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in exchange for economic and military aid to the regime.

Located inside a 6,100-acre Spanish base on the Bay of Cadiz, the installation offered a way-station to ships and aircraft transiting the Atlantic before entering the Mediterranean. In 1960, it received a squadron of Skywarrior reconnaissance jets.

Rota further expanded with the arrival of the Polaris missile-wielding Submarine Squadron 16 from Charleston, S.C., in 1964.

stripes

Japan to build 2 more Aegis ships

With an eye on North Korea’s nuclear missile development and China’s maritime expansion, the Japanes government plans to build two more Aegis-equipped vessels armed with state-of-the-art interceptor missiles.
The MSDF has the second largest number of Aegis vessels after the United States.
The Aegis destroyers are a core part of Japan’s ballistic missile defense. Of the six MSDF vessels, four have sea-to-air Standard Missile-3 system and are capable of detecting, tracking and intercepting ballistic missiles in space in cooperation with ground radar.
The remaining two Aegis-equipped vessels will be equipped with SM-3 Block IIA, the next-generation interceptor missiles, which is currently being developed jointly with the United States.
The two Aegis destroyers to be built are expected to be deployed within 10 years.
The government decided to build the two additional Aegis vessels because it believes North Korea’s nuclear and missile development poses an imminent threat to the nation’s security.
japan-news

South Korea Envisions Light Aircraft Carrier similar to Spanish Navy 'Juan Carlos I', to buy retired S-3 'Viking'

The South Korean Navy believes it can deploy two light aircraft carriers by 2036 and expand its blue-water force to cope with the rapid naval buildups of China and Japan, according to a Navy source.
The service has been exploring ways of securing light aircraft carriers based on an interim feasibility study.
The South Korea Navy envisions three phases:

■The first is to equip the second ship of the Dokdo-class landing platform helicopter ship (LPH) with a ski ramp to operate short-range or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
The flight surface of the landing ship is already sprayed with urethane, which can withstand the heat created by the aircraft during operations.
Dokdo, with the addition of a ski ramp, could be deployed before 2019, according to the report, which suggests the Navy procure used VTOL jets from the US, UK and Spain if needed.
■Second, the Navy could build an amphibious assault ship, similar to the Spanish Navy’s Juan Carlos, before 2019.
■Finally, the service aims to build two 30,000-ton light aircraft carriers between 2028 and 2036, the report said. The carrier is to have specifications similar to the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, which can support about 30 aircraft.
China commissioned its first aircraft carrier last year, with three more carriers planned. Japan, whose Navy is classed as a self-defense force, has controversially unveiled a 20,000-ton helicopter destroyer akin to a small aircraft carrier.

More Aegis Ships and Jets
During the National Assembly last week, the Navy unveiled mid- to long-term procurement plans to further strengthen its naval power.
The service plans to commission three more 7,600-ton KDX-III Aegis destroyers by 2023 to develop a strategic mobile fleet. The service has three KDX-III destroyers fitted with Lockheed Martin-built SPY-1D radar capable of tracking incoming ballistic missiles and enemy aircraft.
The Navy also puts a priority on acquiring reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. In particular, the service laid out plans to buy the Lockheed S-3 Vikings retired from front-fleet service aboard aircraft carriers by the US Navy in January 2009.
The service will purchase 18 S-3 jets and modify them into a new configuration meeting the Navy’s operational requirements. If adopted, it will be the first fixed-wing jet patrol aircraft operated by the South Korean Navy, which flies 16 P-3CK turboprop patrol aircraft.
In January, AgustaWestland won a $560 million contract to supply the South Korean Navy with six AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopters equipped with an active dipping sonar for anti-submarine role.
defensenews

South Korea Navy wants 3 more Aegis ships

South Korea Navy has requested three more Aegis destroyers to strengthen the country’s defense against North Korea and to cover territorial disputes in the region.
If the plan gets the go ahead, the ships will be built between 2020 and 2025.
Under a Navy buildup project started in 2004 to bolster defense against North Korea, South Korea began to build Aegis destroyers and currently has three 7,600-ton warships ― the King Sejong the Great, the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong and the Yulgok Yi I.
However, the Navy has sought to increase its fleet to cope with rising regional tension in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test conducted earlier this year and ongoing territorial disputes between China and Japan.
In addition, a growing arms race in the region is also behind the request.
China deployed its first aircraft carrier to the eastern port city of Qingdao in September last year, while Japan unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, the huge flat-top “destroyer” Izumo that can carry up to 14 helicopters, pushing the Korean Navy to come up with countermeasures.
A 166-meter-long Aegis destroyer is equipped with the latest radar system as well as missiles and torpedoes in vertical launch systems. With 300 crew members, it can also carry two mid-sized helicopters and sail at a top speed of 30 knots with a range of 1,000 kilometers.
koreatimes

Turkey, Russia conduct joint air military exercise

Turkey and Russia are conducting a two-day joint air military drill under the NATO-Russian Cooperative Airspace Initiative.
The joint exercise is being held to test, evaluate, and develop both the equipment and personnel of the new Ankara Area Control Center’s ability to oppose the use of civilian aircraft in terror attacks while cooperating with Russia under the Aegis of the NATO-Russia Cooperative Airspace Initiative.
The exercise will utilize two F-16 jet-fighters from Turkish Air Force, as well as one TU-154 and four SU-27 jetfighters from Russian Air Force.
hurriyetdailynews

Japan eyes two new Aegis destroyers to counter N. Korea missile threat

The Defense Ministry will likely purchase two new Aegis-equipped destroyers to raise Japan’s fleet of the vessels to eight in light of the mounting North Korean missile threat.
japantimes

South. Korea to deploy new surface-to-air missiles for Aegis destroyers

South Korea will arm its Aegis destroyers with the surface-to-air Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) starting 2016 as part of efforts to bolster its missile defense against North Korean threats.
yonhapnews

Second Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Intercepts Ballistic Missile Target

Lockheed Martin's second-generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system achieved its fourth intercept since May 2012. The system successfully launched and guided a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missile to engage a sophisticated, separating short-range ballistic missile target.

spacewar

First Blocks for Second RAN AWD Delivered to Adelaide

Australian Minister for Defence Materiel announced that the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance has taken delivery of the first blocks from Melbourne for the second air warfare destroyer, Brisbane.

The three guided-missile destroyers are being constructed using a modular method where blocks are manufactured across four shipyards and consolidated at the South Australian Government’s Common User Facility at Techport Australia.

The first destroyer Hobart is expected to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in early 2016. Consolidation of second ship Brisbane is due to start in early 2014. Fabrication has begun on the blocks for the third destroyer Sydney.

defense-studies.blogspot

Japan deploys three Aegis destroyers to Okinawa and Sea of Japan

To prepare for what is widely believed to be a North Korean ballistic missile test, three Aegis-equipped destroyers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force left Sasebo Naval Base in Nagasaki Prefecture on Thursday for the sea around Okinawa Prefecture and the Sea of Japan.

alert5

yomiuri.co.jp