131026-N-LP801-087 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 26, 2013) The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and the Italian destroyer Francesco Mimbelli (D561) are underway during operations in the central Mediterranean Sea. Nimitz is deployed supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raul Moreno Jr./Released)
US Navy awards $508 million contract modifcation for F-35 propulsion systems.
United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $508,214,419 modification to the previously awarded F-35 Lightening II Lot VI low rate initial production advance acquisition contract (N00019-12-C-0090). This modification provides for the procurement of 18 F135 conventional take off and landing (CTOL) propulsion systems for the U.S. Air Force; six short take-off and vertical landing propulsion systems for the U.S. Marine Corps; and seven carrier variant propulsion systems for the U.S. Navy. In addition, this contract procures three F135 CTOL propulsion systems for Italy; two CTOL propulsion systems for Australia; one F135 CTOL spare propulsion system for Italy; and one F135 spare propulsion system for Australia. This modification also provides for program labor, engineering assistance to production, non-recurring sustainment efforts, service and country specific requirements, depot activation efforts, and long-lead hardware. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn. (67 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom (16.5 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind. (16.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2016. Fiscal 2012, aircraft procurement Air Force, fiscal 2012 aircraft procurement Navy, and international partner funding in the amount of $508,214,419 will be obligated at time of award, $422,680,150 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps ($211,858,131; 42 percent); the U.S. Air Force ($210,822,019; 41 percent); and the international partners ($85,534,269; 17 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Carlo Bergamini (F590) is a general purpose frigate while Virginio Fasan (F591) and Carlo Margottini (F592) are ASW variants. A total of 6 GP and 4 ASW frigates are planned for the Italian Navy. France will take 7 ASW frigates and 2 air-defence frigates. Morocco has accepted a single frigate into service.
“Nuovo successo per la Marina Militare e l’industria italiana” – Le prime tre FREMM prendono il largo
Golfo di La Spezia – Nel corso della mattina del 26 settembre il Golfo dei poeti ha tenuto a battesimo Nave Carlo Margottini che ha effettuato la sua prima uscita in mare. L’ultima “nata” del programma FREMM, strategico ed ambizioso programma di costruzioni navali militari in Europa che vede impegnati Francia ed Italia, rappresenta un successo programmatico nato dalla vincente sinergia tra la cantieristica italiana e la Marina Militare.
Nave Margottini, unitamente alle altre due FREMM (fregate europee multi-missione) italiane, realizzate da Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, la joint-venture fra Fincantieri e Selex ES, hanno lasciato per la prima volta tutte insieme i moli del cantiere del Muggiano per il mare aperto.
La capoclasse nave Carlo Bergamini, consegnata alla Marina Militare lo scorso maggio e le gemelle Virginio Fasan e Carlo Margottini, che dovrebbero essere consegnate rispettivamente entro fine anno ed il prossimo febbraio, hanno effettuato una serie di evoluzioni e prove nel corso della giornata volte a testare l’efficienza dei moderni imbarcati.
Crafty! Claiming it’s a UNIFIL MTF deployment when clearly its all about Syria and nothing else. The UN itself blows a hole in the Italian story – only listing Bangladeshi, Brazilian, German, Greek, Indonesian and Turkish ships assigned to the MTF. Oh well… whatever fools the Italian public for however long it fools the Italian public.
ITS Andrea Doria (D553) is a Horizon-class destroyer commissioned into the Marina Militare in 2007. Primarily equipped for air-defense, she would prove useful in the ballistic missile defence rôle, though of limited use in the strike rôle. European navies lack of cruise missile launch capability is coming home to roost.
Italy sends destroyer to Lebanese coast
Italy sent a destroyer to the Lebanese coast within the scope of UNIFIL to protect its military personnel against any developments in the case of possible intervention in Syria.
Italy sent a destroyer to the Lebanese coast within the scope of the United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to protect its military personnel against any developments in the case of a possible intervention in Syria.
Speaking on ‘SKY TG 24’ tv channel, Luigi Binelli-Mantelli, Chief of General Staff stated that one ship had departed to protect for more than a thousand Italian soldiers along the east Mediterranean Sea.
The Andrea Doria destroyer would be sent with 1 helicopter and 195 military personnel as well as the Maestrale frigate, according to the information Italian press received from the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday,
However, Binelli-Mantelli stressed only “one ship” would be sent.
1,100 Italian soldiers work within UNIFIL.
HMS Westminster is a Type 23 frigate commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1994. ITS Francesco Mimbelli is a Durand de Le Penne-class destroyer commissioned into the Marina Militare in 1993. ITS Salvatore Pelosi is a Sauro-class submarine commissioned into the Marina Militare in 1987.
HMS Westminster practises submarine hunting skills
A Royal Navy warship on deployment in the Mediterranean has been flexing her hunter-killer technique in an anti-submarine warfare exercise with the Italian Navy. HMS Westminster is working as part of the Navy’s Response Force Task Group which is on an annual deployment to the Med and then the Gulf that tests the flexibility and capability of the force.
HMS Westminster has met up with Italian Destroyer Francesco Mimbelli to conduct Anti-Submarine Warfare exercises (ASWEX). During this time, a Crosspol was conducted with the Italian Destroyer, along with Operations Rooms teams closed up for the duration of the exercise. The exercise concluded with a Photex of both Ships.Pictured: Image shows HMS Westminster and Italian Naval Ship Mimbelli sailing in unison with the Submarine Salvatore Pelosi sailing at best speed. Picture: LA(Phot) Dan Rosenbaum
Part of their tasking includes working alongside NATO allies – and in Westminster’s case this came in the form of the Italian destroyer Francesco Mimbelli and submarine Salvatore Pelosi.
Taking turns to practise hunting for each other, the sailors from both ships and the submarine were put through their paces in an action packed few days. As well as testing sensors and weapon skills, the exercise also tested the reactions of those on board.
There was also the chance for some of the sailors to experience life on board a partner nation’s vessel. From HMS Westminster, Medical Officer Lieutenant Moira McLellan spent two days on Mimbelli.
She said:
“It was a very enjoyable visit and interesting to see the similarities in the day to day workings of both navies.
“However, the culinary differences were very apparent, with pizza being served on Mimbelli’s bridge at 10 in the morning.”
HMS Westminster has met up with Italian Destroyer Francesco Mimbelli to conduct Anti-Submarine Warfare exercises (ASWEX). During this time, a Crosspol was conducted with the Italian Destroyer, along with Operations Rooms teams closed up for the duration of the exercise. The exercise concluded with a Photo of both Ships. Pictured: Image shows HMS Westminster and Italian Naval Ship Mimbelli sailing in unison. Picture: LA(Phot) Dan Rosenbaum
Aside from the anti-submarine exercise, HMS Westminster has been busy preparing for a wide range of tasks including seamanship, flying, gunnery and boarding as part of her Cougar deployment and also in preparation for her operations further afield.
HMS Westminster is due to leave the Cougar force before the end of their deployment and take up station in the Gulf as one of the Royal Navy’s long-standing commitments to the region.
The Commanding Officer of HMS Westminster, Captain Hugh Beard, said:
“The ship’s company of Westminster have been working hard as part of our Cougar 13 deployment and also in preparation for our future mission.
“As a former Submarine Commanding Officer, I am a poacher-turned-gamekeeper and I have really enjoyed my experience with the capabilities of Westminster to try to defeat the Italian submarine Pelosi.”
The ships of Cougar 13 will operate in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Horn of Africa.
This annual deployment involves exercising with partner nations, and will show the UK Armed Forces’ capacity to project an effective maritime component anywhere in the world as part of the Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group, commanded by Commodore Paddy McAlpine from the Fleet Flagship HMS Bulwark.
The RFTG is the United Kingdom’s high readiness maritime force, made up of ships, submarines, aircraft and a landing force of Royal Marines, at five days notice to act in response to any contingency tasking including humanitarian disaster relief or international military intervention.
As well as HMS Westminster there are three other Royal Navy ships – HMS Bulwark, HMS Illustrious and HMS Montrose taking part as supported by five Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.
The FREMM multipurpose frigate is a joint French-Italian design for a frigate capable of anti-submarine warfare and anti-ship warfare. France’s Marine Nationale will acquire 8 ASW frigates with options for 9 more, Italy’s Marina Militaire will acquire 4 ASW and 6 GP frigates, and the Royal Moroccan Navy is acquiring 1 French-built ASW frigate.
Sea trials validate frigate’s combat systems
LORIENT, France, July 11 (UPI) — French shipbuilder DCNS has completed a third series of sea trials on a FREMM frigate for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
The trials were to check the performance of the ship’s combat systems and were performed off the coast of Brittany.
“This third series of sea trials represents a major milestone for the overall program and more particularly for the ship’s combat system,” said Gilles Raybaud, DCNS’s FREMM program manager for Morocco. “Our crews thoroughly tested the full suite of combat system hardware and software that makes FREMM frigates among the most versatile and advanced on the world market.”
DCNS said specific tests included target engagement sequences using Aster anti-air missiles and MM40 anti-ship missiles, fire control tests for the 76-mm main gun and testing of the frigate’s multi-function radar.
Other tests involved helicopter approach control and the deployment of various towed devices.
Initial sea trials on the ship – the future Mohamed VI – took place in April, during which the frigate’s propulsion and navigation systems were evaluated.
DCNS is building a total of 12 FREMM frigates. Eleven are for the French Navy.
FREMM frigates have a maximum speed of 27 knots and a range of 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots.
8 Maestrale-class frigates were built by Fincantieri for the Marina Militare and commissioned between 1982 and 1985. They are being replaced in Italian service by new FREMM multipurpose frigates, the first of which was commissioned in May 2013.
Philippines to buy 2 frigates from Italy
MANILA – The Philippines is set to buy two Maestrale-class frigates from Italy, a defense official said Wednesday, as the Asian nation races to upgrade its military amid mounting territorial disputes with China.
The frigates, along with 12 FA-50 fighter aircraft, are the most significant items on the government’s 75-billion-peso ($1.7-billion) military modernization budget over the next five years, Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said.
“We are modernizing not because we want to go to war with China,” he told a news conference.
He said the government had a sworn obligation to defend the “West Philippine Sea,” using the government’s preferred term for Philippine-claimed areas in the South China Sea.
“We are not saying that this is part of our preparations to assert our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. What we are saying is that we cannot just give them up.”
The frigates would add to two refurbished Hamilton-class cutters formerly used by the US Coast Guard that the Philippines acquired from its US ally to upgrade its ageing navy fleet, which includes some vessels that first saw action in World War II.
Manalo said the navy had already decided to acquire two new Maestrale-class frigates instead of buying used ones from the Italian navy, and had budgeted 18 billion pesos for them.
The Philippines could be ready to tender by the end of the year, he added.
Meanwhile, the government had alloted 18.9 billion pesos to acquire the fighter aircraft, which are built by South Korea, he added.
The modernization budget also provides for building or improving facilities to berth and provide maintenance to the vessels on the military’s shopping list, Manalo said.
President Benigno Aquino vowed Monday to rebuild the air force by 2016.
The Philippines, which has one of the weakest military forces in the region, retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/03/13/philippines-buy-2-frigates-italy
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