US Navy continues ASW mission package testing
The US Navy’s Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) has reached a new milestone on its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission package testing, NAVSEA announced on 16 July.
During the testing period - Dockside-1 testing - the Dual-mode ARray Transmitter (DART) mission system towed body and associated launch-and-recovery assembly components were tested in Fort Pierce, Florida.
An in-water test of the active array was also carried out at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Seneca Lake Detachment’s test facility in Dresden, New York. This was the first opportunity for the new technology to be demonstrated in an open-water test environment, which will give better understanding of how the system will perform when deployed on LCS. The successful completion of the test event provided valuable information to the navy on performance specifications and options for future modifications.
Dockside-2 testing, which is planned for autumn 2018, will expand the scope of DART system integration to add three additional Raytheon mission modules to complete the system. The navy will take delivery of the DART mission system from Raytheon later in 2018 and plans to take the system to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center early in 2019 for additional testing.
The LCS fitted with these mission systems is designed to provide US forces with assured access to coastal areas.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear]()
Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
-
![US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes]()
US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
-
![Australia commissions HMAS Arafura three-and-a-half years behind schedule]()
Australia commissions HMAS Arafura three-and-a-half years behind schedule
The Royal Australian Navy has finally commissioned the first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel – more than three years behind schedule – highlighting the programme’s delays, design compromises and ongoing industrial restructuring.
-
![Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates]()
Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates
The Italian Navy is being refreshed with two new ships ordered, while in the past six months steel was cut for a new frigate, an enhanced frigate was delivered and Horizon-class frigates passed a design review.
-
![US Navy foresees additional delays in the Columbia-class programme]()
US Navy foresees additional delays in the Columbia-class programme
After estimating that the first Columbia-class submarine would be delivered 16 months late, the US Navy has recently confirmed that an additional month will be required to complete its construction.
