Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: VFA41_Lion

Is it just me thats baffled by the painful lack of anti-ship missiles within the US Navy? It seems as though nearly every vessel is configured for land strikes and air defense. And too bad they phased out the TASSM in 1991. <_<

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ORIGINAL: NakedWeasel

That's kind of oversimplifying the issue. Carriers can't be everywhere. If we truly expect our fleet ships and subs to be multi-role, then they should have built light, medium or heavy weapons and launchers for all four combat roles: AAW, ASW, land strike, AND ASuW. I do mean on all of the combatant vessels- auxiliaries and other support need not apply. I was also in favor of arming the carriers with extensive VLS batteries as well. They could have doubled or tripled the battle group's TLAM capability, freed up some of the VLS tubes in the escorts to be better... escorts, and allowed the carries to be able to defend themselves and their escorts as well. The ships were/are large enough for 4-6 Mk41 VLS arrays around the edge of the flight deck, and wouldn't have impacted flight ops.

At 0300 when there's a major kerfuffle, and the POTUS picks up the phone to send the nearest flattop into harm's way, he should sending an iron fist and a truly deliberate threat with every carrier.

And yeah, I know about the strike capabilities of the bird farm.

Anyway, I agree with the OP- as do many others. The USNs ASM capability is sorely lacking.

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It just comes down to brass tacks and follow-through at this point. And sadly it seems that those are two things the Navy has been lacking in too great an amount for far too long.

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ARLINGTON, Va., 18 March 2014. A U.S. military research program to develop an advanced anti-ship missile to replace the ageing Harpoon missile is nearing the end of its demonstration phase, and the program to develop and deploy the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) should switch over to the U.S. Navy by early 2016.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced plans Friday to award a two-year $175 million follow-on contract to the Lockheed Martin Corp. Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., which has been developing LRASM for the last five years.

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LRASM will rely on on-board targeting systems to acquire the target independently without the presence of prior, precision intelligence, or supporting services like Global Positioning Satellite navigation and data-links. The missile will be designed with advanced counter-countermeasures to evade hostile active defense systems.
The missile is being designed to fire from the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System on Navy surface warships, as well as from the U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer supersonic bomber, and from the Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier-based fighter-bomber. Submarine-launched versions are under consideration.

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The upcoming LRASM follow-on research contract from DARPA will mature LRASM systems and technology. The planned research and development effort will complete the LRASM demonstration program, and has several components.
First, Lockheed Martin will continue developing the LRASM long-range targeting sensor, as well as the long-range sensor algorithms and software for advanced LRASM capability against specific high-priority targets in densely spaced groups of surface ships.
Then company missile experts will work on the LRASM missile-control unit to optimize processor throughput margin and address hardware obsolescence. Lockheed Martin also will refine the LRASM electro-optical terminal target sensor hardware software to demonstrate the missile's ability in poor visibility.
After that, Lockheed Martin engineers will work on missile autonomy, and mature LRASM situational awareness software. Finally, company experts will refine the LRASM's weapon data link to meet U.S. Navy requirements.

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The Lockheed Martin LRASM has a 1,000-pound penetrator and blast-fragmentation warhead, multi-mode sensor, weapon data link, and enhanced digital anti-jam global positioning system to detect and destroy selected surface targets within groups of ships.

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The DARPA LRASM contract is in response to a gap in Navy anti-ship missile technology identified in 2008. The standard Navy anti-ship missile is the subsonic Harpoon, which has been in the inventory since 1977.

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The paint scheme would even make it hard to detect visually. Certainly enough innovation here for the Russians and Chinese to sit up and take notice. Expect a Chinese version next week....

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[...] On the F-35 several special materials are used, including Radar Absorbing Materials (RAM), Radar Absorbing Structure and Infrared (IR) Topcoat. Unlike the F-117, which was totally coated with 2,000 pounds of RAM, these materials are more selectively used on the JSF. Lockheed Martin developed paint-type RAM which is applied around the edges of doors and control surfaces. RAS is used on the body, wing and tail edges. For the application of this paint robots will be used, like the CASPER (Computer Aided Spray Paint Expelling Robot) system used for F-22 and the Have Glass II program used for painting 1,700 F-16s with RAM. Robots are essential because they can reach confined areas, as the inlet ducts, and can work without stepping on the aircraft.

These materials comprise ferromagnetic particles, embedded in a high-dielectric-constant polymer base. The dielectric material slows down the wave and the ferromagnetic particles absorb the energy. These coatings are also designed in a way that the small reflection from the front face of the absorber is cancelled by a residual reflection from the structure beneath it. This is not an easy procedure, and it makes RAM design much more tricky than most people believe.

JSF’s entire airframe is also painted with a camouflage topcoat that suppresses IR. [...]

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International Defense Review (January 1, 2004) wrote:
[...] US and European aircraft manufacturers have used specially developed materials to reduce the RCS of basically non-stealthy aircraft for many years. Notable examples include the Have Glass and Have Glass II modifications to the F-16. [...]

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danshistory.com wrote:
Have Glass is the code name for a series of RCS reduction measures for the F-16 fighter. Its primary aspect is the addition of an indium-tin-oxide layer to the gold tinted cockpit canopy. This is reflective to radar frequencies, while it may seem odd, adding a radar reflective coating actually reduces the plane's visibility to radar. An ordinary canopy would let radar signals straight through where they would strike the many edges and corners inside and bounce back strongly to the source, the reflective layer dissipates these signals instead. Overall, Have Glass reduces an F-16's RCS (radar-cross section) by some 15 percent.

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Lockheed Martin received a U.S. Air Force task order totaling more than $32 million for the development of a Weapon Data Link (WDL) capability that will enable the extended-range JASSM system to engage relocatable and time-critical targets. The JASSM air-to-surface standoff missile system is the world's first stealthy conventional cruise missile.
"This WDL capability, in association with the extended range JASSM (JASSM-ER), gains major warfighter benefits," said Fred Schubert, Weapon Data Link program manager, Long Range Missile Systems Group at Eglin Air Force Base, FL. "JASSM-ER provides significant stand-off capability, which is enhanced with the WDL capability that will increase the flexibility of the weapon. Warfighters will have an increased ability to engage relocatable targets and provide time-critical strike."

The WDL will provide the JASSM-ER with two-way, secure, beyond-line-of-sight-communications capability with the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC). The COAC may send target location updates and changes to the missile while it is in flight. The missile will report its position and status until impact. This communications link will provide the warfighter with an increased capability to engage relocatable and time-critical targets and is a key enabler of a future maritime interdiction capability in the missile.

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The WDL system will use the standardized data link architecture for network-enabled weapons developed by a joint service Weapon Data Link Network (WDLN) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program. Lockheed Martin was a key participant in the WDLN ACTD whose primary purpose was to specify, design, implement and demonstrate standardized tactical weapons communications architecture. The JASSM-ER will be the first cruise missile to use the military's standardized data link architecture for network enabled weapons.

The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin successfully demonstrated the WDL capability during flight test demonstrations conducted in November 2005. Lockheed Martin ACTD avionics configured with a beyond-line-of-sight-capable WDL transceiver was installed in a test aircraft. During the demonstration, the test aircraft communicated beyond-line-of-sight, weapon in-flight-tracking data and received retargeting data from a simulated CAOC.

A 2,000-pound class weapon with a dual-mode penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead, JASSM-ER will cruise autonomously in adverse weather, day or night, using a state-of-the-art infrared seeker in addition to the anti-jam GPS to find a specific aimpoint on the target. Its stealthy airframe makes it extremely difficult to defend against. The missile is planned for initial employment on the B-1B aircraft platform. Structural testing confirmed that the JASSM-ER missile design will be compatible with the B-2, B-52 and F-16 aircraft that currently employ JASSM. The extended range cruise missile has a range greater than 500 nautical miles.

source: Lockheed Martin

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You know it's actually that "one-size, fits all" thing that worries me- those are the really game-changing, super innovative programs that seem to drag on the longest

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ORIGINAL: severe7

I have a question about the USN doctrine of using subs against surface vessels. How fast are subs (generally) compared to surface ships?
My idea of a sub is of it being a slow and silent killer lurking in deep waters, but in a crisis situation could a pack of subs reach a an area as fast as a surface action group?
Are they built to go fast for extended time or just for dashes?

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ORIGINAL: jdkbph

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ORIGINAL: severe7

I have a question about the USN doctrine of using subs against surface vessels. How fast are subs (generally) compared to surface ships?
My idea of a sub is of it being a slow and silent killer lurking in deep waters, but in a crisis situation could a pack of subs reach a an area as fast as a surface action group?
Are they built to go fast for extended time or just for dashes?

Well, yes and no. From an operational point of view, the ability of nuclear powered submarines to make long distance, high speed transits from area to area is, in effect, a "force multiplier". It allows the nuclear sub to patrol larger areas, and react to threats over greater distances, than would otherwise be possible with conventional powered subs. However, this capability, as far as I know, is never used tactically.

That means if a boat with no stand off capability is out of position when a target is detected (eg, the target is outside torpedo range, traveling at medium to high speed, and not closing) - there is no practical way for the submarine to engage.

JD

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ORIGINAL: NakedWeasel

That's kind of oversimplifying the issue. Carriers can't be everywhere. If we truly expect our fleet ships and subs to be multi-role, then they should have built light, medium or heavy weapons and launchers for all four combat roles: AAW, ASW, land strike, AND ASuW. I do mean on all of the combatant vessels- auxiliaries and other support need not apply.

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I was also in favor of arming the carriers with extensive VLS batteries as well. They could have doubled or tripled the battle group's TLAM capability, freed up some of the VLS tubes in the escorts to be better... escorts, and allowed the carries to be able to defend themselves and their escorts as well.