Hit the Slides! Program updates around the Navy: The Drift, Vol. XXXII

Navigation Brief

ALEXANDRIA – Well, we’re there, Drifters.

I’ve been looking forward to a couple weeks of vacation for months now. I’m at the tail end of a particularly hectic six months of my life and I’m ready to recharge. And this email is one of the last things I must do, so let’s get right to it.

This week I’m rolling out my Hit the Slides! feature where I dig into presentations from a recent event to pull tidbits. It works as a program update for folks who weren’t able to attend. Naval Sea Systems Command held a series of program briefs at SeaAirSpace this year and I’m going to go through the most interesting ones.

Next week we have a very special guest appearance, so look for that!

DBL

Shipyard Modernization

The Navy operates four public shipyards that focus on nuclear ship repair: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Norfolk Naval Shipayard, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. This is down from the height of the shipyard program, when the Navy operated 11.

A GAO report in 2017 found that there was 4.9 billion in deferred maintenance in the shipyards and by the following year, the Navy had put together a plan to tackle the issues.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The Navy is pursuing a 20-year, $21 dollar shipyard improvement program that will update infrastructure and increase the throughput in the public yards.
• Of the $21 billion, $4 billion will go to dry dock upgrades, $3 billion will go to equipment upgrades, and $14 billion will go to changing the layout to increase workflow and capacity in the yards.
• The program is in three phases, with Phase 1 being an initial review of infrastructure issues. This is largely completed. Phase 2 is “more detailed industrial engineering analysis, modeling and simulation of industrial processes, development of the Area Development Plans,” and Phase 3 is the actual execution.

DDG 1000

The Zumwalt Class is well along its three-ship way to being complete. The way it works is that they build the things up in Bath, then they go to BAE in San Diego to get their combat system installed. Then they are planning to transfer the hulls into the Surface Development Squadron, formerly known is ZRON, which will be the home for the Zumwalts and unmanned ships in the future. Much more about that here:

With billions planned in funding, the US Navy charts its unmanned future

Here’s the latest with DDG 1000:

• Zumwalt actual is finished with its combat systems install and is going through sea trials. “Post Delivery Test and Trials being conducted concurrently with Combat Systems Activation and Testing,” according to the slide.
• The Michael Monsoor commissioned this January and began her combat systems install in April at BAE.
• Fabrication for the Lyndon B. Johnson is 84 percent complete and she’ll deliver in 2020.
• The Zumwalt’s combat system is installed in the self-defense test ship and just completed the first live-fire with the system in April.
• Over the next year, the ship will integrate the SM-6 and the Maritime Tomahawk to make it a surface strike platform.

Littoral Combat Ship

Everyone’s favorite little ship is having an insanely busy 2019. All told, they’re scheduled for three keel layings, four deliveries and four christenings this year, as well as six (you count ‘em SIX) commissionings.

Currently under construction in Marinette, Wisconsin:

• LCS 19 has launched, LCS 19 is being pieced together
• LCS 23 and 25 have had their keel laid

Under construction in Mobile

• LCS 20 went to acceptance trials in February
• LCS 22 was launched last fall
• LCS 24 and 26 have had their keels laid

Unmanned

Capt. Pete Small and the crew over at PMS 406 have a lot on their plate but the slides were a helpful rundown of what’s going on where.

Unmanned on the Surface

• The large unmanned surface vessel is currently programmed for a 2020 start. This is supposed to be a commercially available hull with Navy equipment strapped on to it.
• The medium unmanned surface vessel is designed to “provide distributed sensing and communications relays.” It’s slated to start this year, and will likely be an iteration of Sea Hunter.
• Mine Countermeasures USV is going to begin production this year, it will support the littoral combat ship mission and other vessels capable of hosting it.

Unmanned Underwater

Orca XLUUV

• The Orca is under contract for five delivered by 2022.
• Boeing recently hitched their wagon to Huntington Ingalls to help build them

Snakehead Large-displacement UUV

• A submarine-launched, long endurance UUV
• The office is looking to have a working prototype in 2021
• An industry request for proposal will go out in 2020

Razorback UUV

• Submarine launched sensor
• Dry-deck shelter version is slated to deliver in 2019
• Torpedo tube-launched version is going to kick off in 2020

And those are the slides of interest!

On to The Hotwash.

The Hotwash

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