Navy minesweeper12/31/2023 Mines at sea, whether floating or laid on the seabed, have a high index of lethality and can cause unacceptable levels of damage to a warship at very low cost. The ship and the mission package tracked a submarine in early FY20, and the ship is currently helping test the hydrodynamics of the mission package, which includes a variable-depth sonar and a multi-function towed array.ĭevelopmental and operational testing of the integrated ASW mission package will take place throughout FY22, culminating in an IOC decision by the end of FY22, Weekes said.The observation by a parliamentary panel that the Indian Navy (IN) will soon reach a point of near zero mine-sweeping capability when the existing six vessels are de-commissioned by end 2018 is yet another reminder – if such were needed – about the dysfunctional state of higher-defence management in the country. Whereas fleet assets have been helping with the MCM package testing, LCS Fort Worth, which was previously designated a test ship, has conducted the bulk of the ASW mission package testing, he said. The LCS anti-submarine warfare mission package is moving on a similar timeline, he noted during the presentation. This integrated mission package testing is slated to lead to an IOC decision for the whole MCM mission package around the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, he said. The captain said all six mission package components will have to go through end-to-end testing as an integrated mission package, proving sailors could leverage each piece properly to find mines throughout the water column. ![]() “The test went extremely well,” Weekes told Defense News during his presentation, noting the mission package command-and-control station had greater bandwidth than expected and allowed for separate MCM USV operations - which was part of the Navy’s operational plans for the MCM mission package but was, until the demonstration, just a theory. Those systems are the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System and the Airborne Mine Neutralization System that deploy via the MH-60 helicopter and the Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis system that deploys from the MQ-8 Fire Scout drone. The three aviation-based assets were the first to be certified and are currently in use onboard LCSs Tulsa and Charleston in U.S. The LCS MCM mission package has six components that come together to search for, identify and destroy mines in various parts of the water column. LCS sailors performed all the operations throughout the test events, including launching and recovering the USV, command and control during the mission, maintenance of the system, mission planning and post-mission analysis. “I want to highlight the adaptability and dedication of the test teams across many organizations in executing these critical tests, despite the challenges imposed by COVID-19.” “The test event demonstrated for the first time both the capability and sustainability of a minesweeping capability using an unmanned system from an LCS in an operationally realistic environment,” he added. ![]() Gus Weekes, LCS Mission Modules Program Manager, said in the statement. ![]() “Completion of this operational test event achieves a major milestone for the UISS Program of Record and demonstrates continued progress to fielding the full capability of the MCM Mission Package aboard LCS,” Capt.
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