US Navy CNO alludes to monumental change in US Naval Warfare

[davmat787]

United States Navy Chief of Operations Admiral John R Richardson:

“My sense is that we’re on the dawn of something very substantial in terms of naval warfare. Something as substantial as the transition from sail to steam, as the transition from wood to ironclad, as substantial as the advent of nuclear propulsion in terms of what it means for naval power.”

If you follow news of this type the obvious guess is the Admiral is referring to distributed lethality via net centric warfare capabilities as mentioned in the article. However he goes on to mention those upcoming advancements as if the huge advancements he is referring to are something else altogether and net centric warfare is not new to these discussions. An Air Force official and others have made similiar comments recently, more info is in the article linked to below. The CNO also has some interesting thoughts on changing the procurement and manufacturing process of ships for the US Navy as well.

Any thoughts on what he could be alluding to, keeping in mind he compared this leap in capability to sail to steam and wood to iron? Underwater autonomous attack submersibles falls under the net centric and distributed lethality concepts to be what he is referring too, it must be something more fundamental.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...dowy-revolution-in-naval-warfare?iid=sr-link4

 

[Jaskalas]

Any thoughts on what he could be alluding to, keeping in mind he compared this leap in capability to sail to steam and wood to iron?

Full deployment of both rail guns and laser weapons would mean only a submarine stands any chance in hell of touching us.
Such firepower means damn near invincibility to everything above water.

 

[sandorski]

Drones.

 

[davmat787]

Full deployment of both rail guns and laser weapons would mean only a submarine stands any chance in hell of touching us.
Such firepower means damn near invincibility to everything above water.

The current challenge related to those two technologies, and other energy based weapons, is the creation of electricity in a sufficiently quick window that allows for follow up firings. The storage of the created electricity is also a problem as the current solutions require a relatively large footprint and space is always at a premium on warships.

Both are exciting technologies but I'm under the impression he is referring to something more fundamental to the way the navy conducts warfare.

Fun fact: DARPA and the Navy have been working on under the surface GPS for submarines.

 

[davmat787]

Drones.

You forgot to add a sarcasm smiley unless you're indeed serious and view drones which the Navy has employed for a long time now as the same kind of leap as the transition from sail to steam was.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Someone please explain how a rail gun would hit something over the horizon? Can a "bullet/shell" traveling that fast be aimed over the horizon?

 

[KMFJD]

underwater drones....or something more advanced than the zumwalt?(sp?) in terms of propulsion/hull?

 

[zinfamous]

The current challenge related to those two technologies, and other energy based weapons, is the creation of electricity in a sufficiently quick window that allows for follow up firings. The storage of the created electricity is also a problem as the current solutions require a relatively large footprint and space is always at a premium on warships.

Both are exciting technologies but I'm under the impression he is referring to something more fundamental to the way the navy conducts warfare.

Fun fact: DARPA and the Navy have been working on under the surface GPS for submarines.

yeah, what is the stamina of those weapons? I'm no electrician or engineer, but I recall in some of those videos and tehcnowhatzits that you guys post around here form time to time, that one of those ships empties its fusillade of boom boom in some kind of mind-numbing precise, fierce, devastating instant, but the power required means you need a separate back-up ship "as battery" just to give your weapons system something like, 100 minutes or less (Way less?) of full firepower? That sounds...limiting, no? Even less than half that time of weapons activity for the ship's own power systems?

or maybe I am way off.

 

[sandorski]

You forgot to add a sarcasm smiley unless you're indeed serious and view drones which the Navy has employed for a long time now as the same kind of leap as the transition from sail to steam was.

Part joke, part shot in the dark.

 

[feralkid]

Whatever it is, it's a safe bet Trump will immediately take full credit for it.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Maybe this!

Possibly the most important science breakthrough happened today (not really)

 

[zinfamous]

Whatever it is, it's a safe bet Trump will immediately take full credit for it.

....and we're sending it straight to North Korea, tomorrow!

LoL--that dude is exactly the type of person to stumble upon his Admiral's press conference while on the toilet, then instantly tweet: "DPNRK: We will see you tomorrow. MAGA!"

Man, I'd laugh.

maybe.

 

[davmat787]

Someone please explain how a rail gun would hit something over the horizon? Can a "bullet/shell" traveling that fast be aimed over the horizon?

Perhaps even easier as the speed and nature of railguns mean less needs to be taken into account when generating a firing solution as the projectile will be in the air much less time. So things like the coriolis effect I THINK won't have as much effect on the projectile.

The US Marines and Army have used the 155MM "Excalibur" artillery round with their M777 howitzers which is GPS guided. I'm amazed a guidance system can withstand the shock and acceleration of firing. The round has a range of 25 to 35 miles.

Artillery teams were regularly performing time-on-target firings in WWII which is really impressive if you're wondering how with today's technology railguns will be able to target over the horizon.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Perhaps even easier as the speed and nature of railguns mean less needs to be taken into account when generating a firing solution as the projectile will be in the air much less time. So things like the coriolis effect I THINK won't have as much effect on the projectile.

The US Marines and Army have used the 155MM "Excalibur" artillery round with their M777 howitzers which is GPS guided. I'm amazed a guidance system can withstand the shock and acceleration of firing. The round has a range of 25 to 35 miles.

I'm no subject matter expert but I'd think something traveling at close to ludicrous speed would require one hell of an arch even with guidance but again I'm no expert.

 

[davmat787]

....and we're sending it straight to North Korea, tomorrow!

As long as Trump gets Duartes approval first of course.

 

[edcoolio]

The mid-2020's is the expected timeframe for the X-47B to go into service. It is not coincidental that he mentioned that timeframe. Combined with updated propulsion systems that are purposefully overpowered, like in the new (still has the new car shine!) USS Gerald Ford. Add to that the goal of the fully electric and automated weapons platform while removing mechanical systems whenever possible.

Then connect them all and ships can become truly net-centric.

Rail elevators, railguns, EM weapons (both below and above optical range) and various other projectile and non-projectile weapons combined with an X-47B drone fleet would allow for much smaller ships and crew with the same capabilities as current aircraft carriers. Individual ships will not require a massive crew, crew quarters, supply ships, etc. The navy itself will become modular. If you have the firepower equivalent of a modern aircraft carrier but cost only 1/4 to produce and maintain, ship rotations and force projection goals become much easier.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

....and we're sending it straight to North Korea, tomorrow!

LoL--that dude is exactly the type of person to stumble upon his Admiral's press conference while on the toilet, then instantly tweet: "DPNRK: We will see you tomorrow. MAGA!"

Man, I'd laugh.

maybe.

Maybe the all carriers will go to magnetic launch with all digital and stuff.....doh!

 

[zinfamous]

Perhaps even easier as the speed and nature of railguns mean less needs to be taken into account when generating a firing solution as the projectile will be in the air much less time. So things like the coriolis effect I THINK won't have as much effect on the projectile.

The US Marines and Army have used the 155MM "Excalibur" artillery round with their M777 howitzers which is GPS guided. I'm amazed a guidance system can withstand the shock and acceleration of firing. The round has a range of 25 to 35 miles.

Artillery teams were regularly performing time-on-target firings in WWII which is really impressive if you're wondering how with today's technology railguns will be able to target over the horizon.

In my mind, I started thinking "radio-controlled, point-on-point bullets directed from operator to target," like a little camera on each bullet, with precise control--like you're driving that bullet like a damn x-wing. and then I thought we need something like a gravity gun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yCGRy_dR30

Are you guys doing this, yet? I want one.

 

[davmat787]

Maybe the all carriers will go to magnetic launch with all digital and stuff.....doh!

But Trump is demanding the navy to go back to the "goddamned steam"!

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/trump-may-have-derailed-a-crucial-part-of-americas-futu-1795121555

 

[Fanatical Meat]

But Trump is demanding the navy to go back to the "goddamned steam"!

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/trump-may-have-derailed-a-crucial-part-of-americas-futu-1795121555

Exactly

 

[zinfamous]

The mid-2020's is the expected timeframe for the X-47B to go into service. It is not coincidental that he mentioned that timeframe. Combined with updated propulsion systems that are purposefully overpowered, like in the new (still has the new car shine!) USS Gerald Ford. Add to that the goal of the fully electric and automated weapons platform while removing mechanical systems whenever possible.

Then connect them all and ships can become truly net-centric.

Rail elevators, railguns, EM weapons (both below and above optical range) and various other projectile and non-projectile weapons combined with an X-47B drone fleet would allow for much smaller ships and crew with the same capabilities as current aircraft carriers. Individual ships will not require a massive crew, crew quarters, supply ships, etc. The navy itself will become modular. If you have the firepower equivalent of a modern aircraft carrier but cost only 1/4 to produce and maintain, ship rotations and force projection goals become much easier.

awesome.

a net-powered navy with fully-capable, sea-faring drone destroyers. Human skeleton crew to keep systems in check, naturally, but damn if those drones get angry, in a populated sequence, no?!

Oh wait, I already saw Die Hard 4, War-games, Terminator(s), countless actual real-life systems breaches and servers being held hostage.

Yeah, I think this is what we need.

 

[brandonbull]

Whatever it is, it's a safe bet Trump will immediately take full credit for it.

More like if it works great, the Democrats and Obama built that. Bigly fail = Trump's fault.

 

[zinfamous]

But Trump is demanding the navy to go back to the "goddamned steam"!

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/trump-may-have-derailed-a-crucial-part-of-americas-futu-1795121555

OK, after my most recent rant (30 seconds ago), I think I really like Trump's idea.

for real.

 

[zinfamous]

More like if it works great, the Democrats and Obama built that. Bigly fail = Trump's fault.

Either way, Trump wouldn't honestly take credit for it. This is planning that probably pre-dates even Obama. Obama would get credit for approving whatever most recent budget measures in those programs, and it's probably still too early for Trump to address what, I imagine, is only an annual review for these projects?

Anyhoo, honest people would lay the blame where it lies, if it needs to be laid; lessers will lay blame on the shifting winds.

 

[FIVR]

He's referring to HGVs (Hypersonic Glide Vehicles) which will render carrier strike groups basically worthless. The Russians and the Chinese have successfully tested them (they just announced the Russian success today) but the US tests have all failed. Apparently manipulating the control surfaces on a glide-equipped re-entry vehicle is very difficult at hypersonic speeds... too difficult for stupid american scientists but not too difficult for smart chinese and russian scientists.