News Story: LCS Lives - They Still Count In Age Of Frigates

Freedom class LCS

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

Yes, the Navy has cut short its Littoral Combat Ship program and started work on a bigger, tougher, better-armed frigate. But the small ships will still be big part of the future fleet, experts we spoke to agreed, and the frigate will carry on much of the LCS legacy.

It’s true the Navy’s needs have changed, because the world has changed, with rising threats from major powers eclipsing Third World pirates – but the Littoral Combat Ship has changed as well. In particular, an LCS design conceived during the days of the “peace dividend” is being upgunned with both short- and long-range missiles that increase its relevance for major war.

The shift to frigates is not just a rejection of LCS, either. While the frigate concept turns away from some aspects of LCS – its high speed, its small crew, its limited combat power – it embraces others, such as extending the ship’s reach with unmanned craft and fleetwide networks. In other crucial respects, especially the frigate’s offensive and defensive firepower, the Navy’s still making up its mind.

Independence class LCS

After studying the Navy’s Request For Information (RFI) on industry’s frigate designs, “I wouldn’t say the RFI repudiates the LCS approach, because the idea of having a smaller, less-expensive, shallow-draft, fast ship makes sense,” said retired commander Bryan Clark, now with the Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments. The new frigate isn’t really replacing the 3,400-ton LCS, he argued, but filling a gap between smaller coastal patrol craft like the 380-ton Cyclone class and larger multi-role warships like 9,700-ton Aegis destroyers.

To that end, Clark wants the future frigate to have both the weapons and radar to conduct wide-area air defense of nearby ships in a task force or convoy –a mini-Aegis like Spain’s Navantia frigates – rather than only defend itself – like the current LCS.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Report: China, Normally Protective of a Disputed Sea, Gives India a Rare Nod

Ralph Jennings

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — China is responding to pressure to work with other countries that claim rights to a vast disputed sea by voicing support for India’s proposed tsunami alert system.

India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences is working on a South China Sea warning system that would transmit data to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia after any earthquakes threaten those countries with a towering tsunami that could wipe out coastal populations, multiple Indian media outlets have said since May.

An Indian Ocean tsunami that hit India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar among other countries in 2004 killed at least 230,000 people. Beijing has chided India before over use of the South China Sea, but the Chinese foreign ministry says improved early warnings would help every side’s interests.

News Story: Bharat Electronics forecasts $1.5B in sales as India boosts domestic production

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India's state-owned defense electronics enterprise Bharat Electronics Ltd., BEL, has increased sales by 17 percent in fiscal year 2017, according to Venkateswara Gowtama Mannava, chairman and managing director. 

“The company has projected the sales to grow from the current level of $1.35 billion to $1.54 billion next year,” Gowtama said. 

He added, “BEL will create new business partnerships with both domestic and overseas defense companies and enforce quick decision making within the company in order to remain competitive in the Indian defense market.”  

The market will become much stronger, he said, because the government has made much quicker decisions and the (procurement) cycle time is shorter. Many of the pending cases have been resolved. 

The list of weapons projects executed for the Indian defense forces include the short-range surface-to-air missile system Akash, a handheld thermal imager with laser range finder systems, a 3-D tactical control radar, a weapon locating radar, upgraded L/70 air defense guns, fire control systems, hull mounted sonars, radio relays systems, major sub-systems of integrated air command and control systems and ship-borne electronic warfare systems. 

Gowtama announced that the company has an order of $6.15 billion. "There is no vertical where we do not have an order at this point of time," he said. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: China plans underwater monitoring system

by Richard Tomkins

China reportedly plans to build an underwater observation system that will cover the disputed East and South China seas, according to a Hong Kong newspaper.

The South China Morning Post quoted CCTV that the $290 million project was recently approved by the Chinese government.

The system will reportedly take five years to build.

"A data center will also be built in Shanghai to monitor and store the chemical, biological and geological information collected from the underwater systems," CCTV reported. "Such systems would not only help China advance in scientific research and disaster prevention, but help protect national security."

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: Safe Distance - Australian Army to Get Long-Range Battlefield Gas Detectors

Second Sight MS

The Australian Defense Force (ADF) has announced that their troops will soon be equipped with infrared sensors meant to detect toxic gas and chemical warfare agents from as far as three miles away.

The devices are known as Second Sight MS stand-offs. They are manufactured by Bertin Technologies, a subsidiary of French engineering company CNIM. According to the company's official website, the machine resembles a tripod-mounted camera and only needs 10 seconds to detect contamination. The entire unit weighs about 22.5 pounds, making it easy to transport.

"With its infrared sensor, [Second Sight MS] shows as an overlay localization of dangerous gases such as toxic industrial gases or chemical warfare agents (nerve gases or vesicants). Second Sight can identify the family of the gas and measure its pathlength concentration," reads the product description. The machine can be carried by soldiers or first responders or installed on a vehicle or rooftop.

News Story: Australian troops to receive Bertin-made chemical detectors

Bertin Second Sight system

by Richard Tomkins

Bertin Technologies reports that Australia has chosen its Second Sight MS standoff chemical threat detector to equip its armed forces.

The Second Sight system is a gas-detection system that uses an infrared sensor to detect chemical warfare agents or toxic industrial gases at a range of as much as 3.1 miles.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily