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ORIGINAL: NakedWeasel

You know, that looks OVERLY familiar...[8|]

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ORIGINAL: thewood1

I understand congruent development. But that is way beyond congruent development. You can have congruent development and not have them look that similar.

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Chinese media recently released pictures showing the fourth People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) Type 071 amphibious transport dock LPD Yimeng Shan (hull number 978) on sea trials. Yimeng Shan was built Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a wholly owned subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC, the largest shipbuilding group in China) as was the case for the first three Type 071 vessels. It was launched in January this year.

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On 15 September Norway and Australia signed an agreement where Australia will finance the development of a new capability for the seeker in the Joint Strike Missile (JSM, the air launched variant of the NSM - Naval Strike Missile), developed by Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence Systems (KDA). If Australia later decides to procure the JSM, then Norway and Australia will share the cost of integrating the JSM on the F-35.
...
The current seeker that is being developed for the JSM is based on a technology known as "imaging infra red" that enables the missile to detect and identify targets based on its heat signature. Under the terms of the newly signed agreement, BAE Australia will be tasked by the Australian Government to integrate a RF-seeking capability on the missile, which will enable to also locate targets on the basis of their electronic signature. This will further strengthen the ability of the missile to locate and identify targets on a modern battlefield.

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ORIGINAL: Broncepulido

It sounds as simultaneous Imaging Infra Red and Passive Radar (ESM, anti-radiation, anti-radar, anti-active jammer) homings.

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On September 28, 2015, the French Navy Naval Aviation Practical Experimentation Center (centre d’expérimentations pratiques de l’aéronautique navale - CEPA) validated during a closing conference the interoperability between Mistral class LHDs and the Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft. This conference embodies the result of two years of investigation and joint tests. The French Navy announced a similar campaign will be conducted with V-22 on board nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
...
With the CEPA green light, Mistral class LHDs have a new capability: Accomodation and operational mission support of V-22 aircraft.

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Raytheon fires new naval variant of combat-proven Excalibur
by Ryan Maass
Tucson (UPI) Sep 30, 2015


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
Raytheon successfully fired its new Excalibur N5 during a recent field test at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the company announced Wednesday.

The new projectile is a 5-inch/127 mm naval variant of the Excalibur used by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and several other armed forces around the world. It boasts triple the maximum effective range capability of conventional naval gun munitions, while delivering the same accuracy as the Excalibur Ib.

Duane Gooden, vice president of Raytheon's Land Warfare Systems product line, says the new projectile will be very helpful for the Navy.

"Excalibur N5's range, precision and lethality will revolutionize naval gunfire and increase the offensive firepower of our Navy's destroyers and cruisers," Gooden said in a statement. "This demonstration showcases the N5's maturity as a proven low-risk solution, and is ready for the Navy now."

The Excalibur N5 can be used for naval missions including surface fire support, anti-surface warfare, and countering fast attack craft.

The weapon was co-developed by Raytheon and London-based BAE Systems. According to Raytheon, about 770 rounds have been fired during combat missions. The company adds that the product saves on total mission cost through its lethality and accuracy.

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ORIGINAL: wild_Willie2

LOL

"The Excalibur N5 can be used for naval missions including surface fire support, anti-surface warfare, and countering fast attack craft".

Yes, you can use a GPS guided round to try and hit a moving ship or fast attack craft, however I doubt that you will actually hit them unless they keep moving in a strait line and at a fixed speed while under direct surveillance in a combat situation.

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Raytheon is developing a laser-guided version of the projectile, the Excalibur S. This variant incorporates a digital semi-active laser seeker, allowing it to hit moving targets and engage and strike targets without accurate location information. It also reduces the risk associated with GPS jamming.

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The company is also developing a 5-inch variant, the Excalibur N5. This sea-based projectile is expected to more than double the maximum range of conventional 5-inch munitions and will provide the same accuracy as the land-based version.

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GPS-guided shells are useless in these situations, but laser targeting changes the equation. Raytheon says that Excalibur can fit standard naval 127mm (5-inch) projectile bodies, as well as the unique 155mm AGS guns on board the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class. If testing bears that out, American cruisers and destroyers would all gain the equivalent of fully-integrated precision strike missiles with a range of over 13 nautical miles, creating a wide snap-reaction kill zone against fast attackers or surfaced submarines.

The US Navy isn’t the only fleet facing this issue, and they aren’t the only fleet who could be interested in this solution. 127mm guns are in widespread use among American allies, some of whom are already using Excalibur on land. Once Raytheon finishes testing, and gets export clearance from the American government, Excalibur could be looking at a large potential export marke

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Raytheon unveils Excalibur with dual-mode guidance
New precision munition will protect against swarming boat threats
PARIS, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has initiated an internally funded program to enhance its combat-proven 155mm Excalibur GPS-guided projectile with a new guidance and navigation unit (GNU) with a semi-active laser (SAL) end-game targeting capability. Addition of the SAL seeker will allow the munition to attack moving targets, attack targets that have re-positioned after firing, or change the impact point to avoid casualties and collateral damage.

"No other gun-launched GPS-guided artillery round is as precise as Excalibur, which in its current design gives one the ability to hit within 4 meters of the target 90 percent of the time," said Kevin Matthies, Excalibur program director for Raytheon Missile Systems. "Now we're ready to take this to the next level, giving the warfighter the ability to not only re-target the munition in flight, but leverage Excalibur's maneuverability to use the pinpoint precision of a semi-active laser seeker to hit targets on the move."

This new Excalibur variant using SAL guidance paves the way for GPS-guided Excalibur Ib customers to upgrade their Excalibur Ib guidance and navigation units with a GPS/SAL capability. Recent tests of the SAL seeker have demonstrated the robustness of the design in a severe gun-firing environment.

In addition to 155mm artillery land forces worldwide, the GPS/SAL capability will be available for both 155mm and 5-inch (127mm) naval guns to address moving targets on land and at sea. Counter-swarming boat capability will be the prime focus of the at-sea moving target capability using a high-firing rate, large caliber, affordable munition that can be fired from land or sea platforms. The transition to the naval 5-inch configuration is easily made as the existing 155mm Excalibur Ib GNU design also fits in a 127mm projectile body.

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ORIGINAL: AlmightyTallest

with a semi-active laser (SAL) end-game targeting capability

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Imaging systems can extract much more information from a scene than previous generations of seekers. This inherent
capability has made nearly all existing flare types unsuitable for aerial platform protection against imaging threats. An
imaging seeker using a gated-video tracker ignores the presence of point source flares as they are most-likely deployed
outside of the gated perimeter. A correlation tracker is also immune to point source flares by discriminating its size,
shape and aspect ratio4
. Most 2nd and 3rd generations seekers (and likely 4th generation imaging sensors) are equipped
with IR Counter-Countermeasures (IRCCMs) that discriminate between the target and the flares based on their relative
motion, spectral signature and intensity rise-time. Several IRCCM techniques discussed in the open-literature13,14 are
summarized below.

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ORIGINAL: Dysta

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ORIGINAL: AlmightyTallest

with a semi-active laser (SAL) end-game targeting capability

There you go. IR is still no-go since it's still easily jammed with hoard of chaffs from naval targets.

However, what guiding them since they're use laser as destination? Gun-launched Drones? AEWs?

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Raytheon is looking to do the same with the Navy's prolific five inch Mk45 deck gun. According to the manufacturer, with a smaller diameter non-spinning base and a smaller warhead, the Mk45's current range using standard shells, about 13 miles (the Mk45 mod 4, with its longer barrel offers a range of about 21 miles), can be tripled. This would give Excalibur N5 paired with the Mk45 deck gun a range of almost 40 miles, and possibly 60 miles when fired from the Mark 45 Mod 4 gun equipped ships.

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Raytheon is already working on a laser guided version of the Excalibur which will be able to hit moving targets designated by troops on the ground or by unmanned or manned aircraft overhead. This opens up a whole new potential for naval fire support. The idea that a cruiser operating some fifty miles out to sea, having the ability to take out a single vehicle in a convoy or a small group of fighters walking down a street, with very little chance of unintended casualties, is game changing. Paired with unmanned aircraft, such as the Navy's MQ-8 Fire Scout, such a concept would allow for a ship to literally provide fire support for friendly forces while 'on the run,' not to mention taking out mobile high value targets in mere minutes after their initial detection.

The Excalibur N5 could also be utilized to a more lethal degree in roles that the Mark 45 gun system already fulfills, such as anti-air and anti-surface warfare. Eventually, the rounds could even be fitted with a millimeter wave radar or infrared seekers allowing for large barrages to be launched at small boat swarms long before they get within visual distance of the ship itself.