800 Naval Air Squadron pass into history

ANOTHER day, another great name in the Royal Navy passes into history with the demise of the Fleet Air Arm's only fast jet squadron.

800 Naval Air Squadron formally decommissioned - alongside the rest of Joint Force Harrier - in front of 600 friends, family and veterans, plus the ranking officers of the Senior and Junior Services.

On a bitterly cold January day at RAF Wittering, near Peterborough, the Ensign of 800 NAS and the standards of their RAF sister formations 1(F) and IV Squadrons were paraded for the final time in their present incarnations as Harrier units.

The Harriers the men and women have flown and maintained made their final flight shortly before Christmas.

Proceedings at Wittering, the home of Harrier training until the shock decision to axe the jump jet in last autumn's defence review, were focused on the decommissioning (or disbanding in RAF terminology) of the three squadrons.

The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope both thanked the squadrons for their commitment, dedication and, in times of war, blood shed for their nation.

It was, said Air Chief Marshal Dalton, "only adieu, not farewell" as the squadrons would one day re-form with new aircraft.

Drops idea to rebuild subs for cargo transport

Plans to use Typhoon submarines for under-ice deliveries of oil and ore in Arctic waters is inexpedient, says the designer of the world’s largest ever built submarine.

Ideas to refit two of Russia’s huge nuclear powered submarines to carry ore were earlier discussed between Rubin Central Design Bureau and metallurgical giant Norilsk-Nickel.

The designers also said it could be possible to replace the 20 intercontinental nuclear missiles with tanks to carry oil from re-loading terminals under the ice in the Arctic.

With the missile launchers removed, the projected cargo capacity could be 15,000 tonnes.

- Their use for civilian purposes is inexpedient, said Andrei Diachkov, director general of Rubin at a press conference before Christmas, reports RusNavy, a portal that monitors Russian navy developments.

Lockheed Martin to build sonar system hardware for U.S. Navy guided-missile and fast-attack submarines

Submarine sonar engineers at the Lockheed Martin Corp. Mission Systems and Sensors (MS2) segment in Manassas, Va., will build hardware for the Acoustics-Rapid COTS Insertion (A-RCI) system improvement and integration program for the guided missile submarines USS Ohio (SSGN 726) and USS Georgia (SSGN 729), as well as the fast-attack submarine USS California (SSN 781) under terms of a $11.3 million U.S. Navy contract modification announced Friday.

A-RCI is a sonar system that integrates and improves towed array, hull array, sphere array, and other ship sensor processing, through rapid insertion of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based hardware and software. The Navy is buying about 12 A-RCI systems per year from Lockheed Martin MS2 over the next four years. Awarding the contract were officials of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington.

The USS Ohio was the first submarine of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine class. This boat, as well as its sister USS Georgia are being converted to carry a variety of conventionally armed guided missiles for anti-ship and land attack use. The new guided missile payloads aboard the Ohio and Georgia will replace the nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles for which the two submarines were originally designed.

China Publicizes Submarine Missile Launch

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Daily on Friday carried a photo on its front page of the Changcheng 200 submarine test-firing a missile. 

The disclosure of the exercise follows the dramatic test flight earlier this month of a new stealth fighter jet that coincided with the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.   

The news was also reported by the official Xinhua news agency, the web edition of the People's Daily, and the Science and Technology Daily the following day. They did not specify when and where the test took place. 

The Changcheng 200, commissioned in 1966, is a large G-class conventional submarine, 98 m long and 8.6 m wide. It is powered by diesel engines and electric motors. The sub first test-launched a missile in 1982, but this was the first time a firing exercise has ever been made public. 

"The Changcheng 200 smoothly accomplished scores of test-launch missions of ballistic missiles over the past 46 years. It received the title 'vanguard submarine of underwater test launches' from Hu Jintao, the chairman of the Central Military Commission, last August," the daily said.

Indian Defence Production Policy: Got the policy, where’s the plan?

Submarine hull sections being readied at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai.

Comment by Deba R Mohanty, Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation

Sometime during the last DefExpo, held in New Delhi in February 2010, RK Singh, the Secretary of the Department of Defence Production, had announced that the Indian government would soon come out with a defence production policy, a commitment successively pronounced by the defence minister and defence ministry mandarins in various public forums. Most members of Indian defence and security affairs (including from industry chambers CII, Ficci, Assocham, etc.) have been suggesting that the government come out with a ‘roadmap for Indian defence industry’, and the defence minister’s unveiling of the first Defence Production Policy (DPrP) on 13 January 2011 – the first ever written policy document on critical national security issues – has come as a welcome development. 

MoD Defends Cancelation of Nimrod Program

The Daily Telegraph has published an article about the canceling of the Nimrod MRA4 project. The original contract was let to supply 21 Nimrod MRA4 aircraft at a cost of £2.8bn.

After delays of over nine years and spiraling costs, the number of aircraft was reduced to nine and the projected cost to taxpayers in 2010 increased to £3.65bn.

Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, said: "The decision to cancel the Nimrod MRA4 was not taken lightly by Ministers and Service Chiefs. Severe financial pressures meant we had to address the Department's spending and tough decisions had to be taken.

"This project was delayed and overspent; canceling it will save £2bn over ten years. None of these nine aircraft were operational, only one was built and it had not passed flight tests. Since March last year, well before the SDSR [Strategic Defence and Security Review], the Nimrod MR2 has not flown and we have been mitigating the impact with other military assets and by working with allies and partners where appropriate."

The MOD will ensure the integrity of UK waters by utilizing a range of capabilities such as Type 23 frigates, Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters and Hercules C-130 aircraft.

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US Navy Frigates

USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) - Destroyers during Missile Exercise - US Navy 

USS Ingraham (FFG 61) Guided-Missile Frigate 

USS Curts FFG 38 

USS Doyle FFG 39 

USS Halyburton 

USS Simpson (FFG 56) and USS Saipan (LHA 2) 

USS Underwood FFG 36 

USS Boone FFG 28

USS Curts FFG 38 

USS Taylor UNREP with USNS Supply 

USS Jarrett FFG 33 

USS Elrod FFG-55 with a "scarecrow" gun where the SM-1 launcher w 

USS Abraham Lincoln Passes Key Maintenance Inspection

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Seth Clarke, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) successfully passed its 2010-2011 Maintenance and Material Management Inspection (3MI) Jan. 25-29, demonstrating a high level of expertise in shipboard equipment and maintenance procedures. Lincoln received a final score of 92.34 percent from Naval Air Forces inspectors who conducted spot checks of equipment maintenance, tested the crew's knowledge of the Navy's Material Data System (MDS), and performed administrative reviews to ensure maintenance accountability and validation paperwork was correct. "The results are fantastic," said Master Chief Electrician's Mate James T. Jennings, Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Maintenance and Material Management (3M) team leader. "Abraham Lincoln's crew showed us that they've put a lot of hard work in," Jennings said. "It sets the precedent for the other ten carriers out there." Master Chief Machinist's Mate Michael Gwinn, USS Abraham Lincoln Engineering department leading chief petty officer, said the Lincoln owes its success to training, preparation and execution. "We trained the right skills at the right level," Gwinn said. "We taught supervisors how to review and how to assess correctly; then we went directly to the maintenance person so he or she could get the right answers." Jennings said he fully expects Lincoln's crew will still be executing maintenance at a high level when the inspection team returns to the ship sometime later this year to oversee a 3M training team (3MTT) exercise. "When I see the Lincoln crew again, I anticipate that you will not just have maintained this standard, but that you will have improved upon what you've achieved here," Jennings said. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts to establish conditions for regional stability. For more news from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn72/.

Dmitry Medvedev appreciated establishment of Mistral-building consortium

"We welcome the foundation of Russian-French consortium on construction of Mistral class assault landing ships", said Russian president Dmitry Medvedev appearing at World Economic Forum opened in Davos. 

According to him, "joint work and technological exchange are of great importance in all areas, and defense is not an exception. I'm sure that in prospect they will create new level of confidence in global security". 

"We will make the best use of technology transfer to modernize Russian industry", said Medvedev. 

The head of Russia pointed out that globalization had made the world interdependent, and emphasized it was necessary to create integrated security system.

Pirates captured Russian sailors off Seychelles

Two Russian citizens – residents of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad – found themselves captured by pirates; their vessel was hijacked off Seychelles. 

MV Beluga Nomination flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda was captured in Jan 22 in the Indian Ocean 800 miles northward Seychelles. According to Baltic branch of Russian Guild of Sailors, there are seven Filipinos, two Russians, two Ukrainians, and one Pole (shipmaster) on board the vessel. 

Reportedly, it seemed like the crew could keep the ship under control for several days, having barricaded themselves in the safe room. However, pirates finally managed to break down the resistance and take the vessel under control. Currently, MV Beluga Nomination is heading for Somalia. 

Despite mayday signals sent by the ship, none of warships participating in EUNAVFOR – OperationAtalanta arrived for help, reported Russian Guild of Sailors. Patrol aircraft of the naval anti-piracy coalition noticed four pirates on board the hijacked vessel. German shipowner BELUGA SHIPPING GMBH allegedly does whatever possible to release the crew, but keeps names of captives in secret for security reasons. 

According to Fontanka, representatives of Russian Guild of Sailors tried to contact different Russian and foreign authorities, but so far has not received any articulate answer on the question what our country does to save its citizens.

Mistral components can be delivered to Russia for assemblage early in 2013

Sections of Mistral class helicopter carrier would be possibly delivered to Russia for further assemblage early in 2013, reports ARMS-TASSreferring to a representative of French shipbuilding company STX; being a part of international consortium, STX will participate in construction of two Mistral class ships in France and deliver constituent sections for further assemblage of two ships in St. Petersburg. 

As is known, the agreement on construction of Mistral landing ships was signed on Jan 25 in France. The document was endorsed by Russian vice premier Igor Sechin and French defense minister Alen Juppe. 

The ceremony was held in the presence of French president Nicolas Sarkozy at Saint-Nazaire shipyards, France. 

At present, negotiators determine scope of works for French and Russian parties. In particular, STX will construct about 80 per cent of the first ship and somewhat 60 per cent of the second one for further completion in Russia. Both ships will be delivered in sections to the United Shipbuilding Corporation which will be assembled, equipped and armed in St. Petersburg.

Piracy challenges maritime security off Somalia

Pirates off the coast of Somalia are using bigger vessels to extend their criminal reach in a move that could prompt US Navy forces in the region to intensify techniques for pursuing the lawbreakers, says the top naval officer in the region.

Navy Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and the US 5th Fleet, said ina press release, that pirates have begun commandeer large merchant ships and use them as "mother ships" to put smaller boats into operation far from the coast and beyond the reach of the international forces arrayed against them.

"This is the first time we've seen persistent and increased use of mother ships -- up to eight 'pirate action groups' as we refer to them, disbursed throughout the region," Fox said, calling this development a "game changer."

Such groups may include one or two mother ships that travel with a range of dhows, skiffs and other small craft to attack and hijack international commercial vessels. Fox said the number of pirate hostages rose from 250 to about 770 between September and January. In response to this and to the pirates' evolving capabilities, "we're in a constant process of assessing the way we do our business here."

NAVY TASK FORCE'S AUSTRALIA DAY IN FLOOD AFFECTED QUEENSLAND

An Australia Day stand down period allowed the Chief of Navy to make a visit to Navy personnel recently assigned toJTF 637 in Brisbane and Amberley.

The 150-strong Navy detachment atRAAF Base Amberley described the tasks they had completed, working in the Fernvale and Somerset regions, and described the devastation they had witnessed. On completion, Chief of Navy met with the sailors and officers assigned to the Maritime Task Group at Bulimba Barracks.

Working in the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay the Task Group personnel are responsible for surveying, locating and identifying contacts on the river bed and within the shipping channels.

All Navy personnel, whether they be working on the river, in the Bay or ashore, have worked very hard at achieving their mission said Chief of Navy.

SENATOR FEENEY JOINS YOUNG ENDEAVOUR TO CELEBRATE AUSTRALIA DAY

On Australia Day, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Senator David Feeney welcomed the arrival of Australia’s national sail training ship Young Endeavour to Seaworks Foundation Maritime Precinct, Williamstown.

The Seaworks Maritime Precinct is the home of tall ships in Victoria and is devoted to the preservation of Victoria’s maritime history. The precinct is being promoted as part of Seaworks Open Week from 23 to 30 January 2011, andSTS Young Endeavour joined the celebrations on Australia Day.

Senator David Feeney said: ‘It was terrific to see the Young Endeavour, which is crewed by eighteen young Australians, many from the local area, join with Victoria’s resident tall ship Enterprize and engaged in a mock battle, with cannon fire, off Gellibrand Point.

‘Voyages aboard Young Endeavour not only teach young Australians about their maritime history, but provide the youth crew with unique and challenging experiences.’

‘The crew develop qualities Australians are proud of: a strong sense of community and egalitarianism, teamwork and leadership skills.’

‘I would encourage Australians to come and visit the Seaworks Foundation in Williamstown to learn about Victoria’s maritime history and the early European settlement of Victoria.’

Senator David Feeney thanked Lieutenant Commander Damien Munchenberg, Commanding Officer of the Young Endeavour, Mr Stephen Moss CSC, Executive Director Young Endeavour Youth Scheme and Ms. Rennis Witham, Executive Officer of Seaworks Maritime Precinct.

Presence of Russian fleet in Ukraine to be discussed in Kiev

Ninth session of Russian-Ukrainian intergovernmental committee on Black Sea Fleet deployment in Ukraine will be held in Kiev on Jan 27. 

On Apr 21 Russia and Ukraine agreed that presence of Black Sea Fleet in Crimea would be prolonged for 25 years with possible further extension; in exchange, Ukraine got a discount for Russian natural gas. 

"Ukrainian delegation will be headed by deputy foreign minister Ruslan Demchenko, Russian one – by deputy foreign minister Grigory Karasin", said press secretary of Ukrainian foreign ministry Alexander Dikusarov. 

According to him, the commission will analyze readiness for signing an agreement between Ukraine's cabinet of ministers and Russian government regulating movements related to BSF activities in the territory of Ukraine.