Splash one!

In a demonstration of the technology which they currently hope to augment, and ultimately replace, the 20 mm gatling gun that is at the heart of the Phalanx CIWS (Close In Weapon System). An outstanding defensive system originally designed to defeat incoming missile threats, and upgraded in recent years to counter small craft and other littoral warfare threats as well, which is sometimes jokingly referred to as R2-D2 because of it’s appearance and autonomous operation, CIWS will certainly be even more awesome after integrating the laser. Raytheon has provided a very cool video of the test at the linked site. And for more information on the Phalanx gun, click here.

Happy Veteran's Day!

[click on image to enlarge]
I salute my military brethren, both active duty and retired, wherever they may be, and wish them a happy, uneventful, and peace filled day.  May God bless them, and may God bless the United States of America.

LCS 2 underway during builders trials in the Gulf of Mexico

 

 

 

 

 

 

In recent sea trials prototypes of the Navy’s newest surface vessel concept, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), have performed very well, one variant maintaining speeds in excess of 40 knots for more than 4 hours.  I don’t think that a majority of the available ski-boats could match that.

 

 

 

Independence, a 418-foot warship built in Alabama, boasts a top speed in excess of 45 knots, or about 52 mph, and sustained 44 knots for four hours during builder trials that wrapped up this month off the Gulf Coast. The 378-foot Freedom, a ship built in Wisconsin by a competing defense contractor, has put up similar numbers.

Independence is an aluminum, tri-hulled warship built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The lead contractor is Maine’s Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics.  Lockheed Martin Corp. is leading the team that built Freedom in Marinette, Wis. It looks more like a conventional warship, with a single hull made of steel.

Both ships are built to accommodate helicopters and mission “modules” for either anti-submarine missions, mine removal or traditional surface warfare. The modules are designed to be swapped out within 24 hours, allowing the ships to adapt quickly to new missions.

 

I’d like to first state that while there are faster surface ships in the Navy, to say that something that large moving at 45 knots is impressive is an understatement.  And I’m sure that both entrant’s prototypes have their respective strengths and weaknesses.  From an engineering perspective, I am intrigued by the tri-hull of the Austal entrant.  But, I am definitely skeptical of the aluminum construction.  Aluminum has a much lower melting point than steel, and in the 1980’s Falkland’s war some British warships were irrevocably damaged due to the aluminum degrading, and in some cases actually burning, as a result of on board fires following Exocet missile hits.  Still, there are those that know better of this than I, and I must trust them to take whatever decision is in the best interests of our sailors and our nation.  And while I’d prefer that LMC not receive yet another DOD contract, that decision too is above my pay grade.

UPDATE: Many thanks to Moe Lane for the hat tip at his site.

(H/T “Hap Smithers” in the comments)

Many of our more contrarian commenters here at POWIP may be surprised by this post’s lede, as well as those who generally agree with my theses.  But as I have said since his election, Mr. Obama is our President, and I will support him when he’s right and oppose him when he’s not; I will be the personification of the term, “The Loyal Opposition.”

Well I’d like to take this moment to congratulate the President for making a decision to put the safety of our nation first, instead of internationalism.  Just as when he ordered the engagement of the Somali pirate kidnappers in April, Mr. Obama has again sent our special operations teams into action to protect our nation.  Earlier today the best of the best, our US Navy SEALs, successfully concluded operation Celestial Balance; an operation tasked to capture/kill Saleh Ali Nabhan.  Ten days ago President Obama signed off on the operation to take Nabhan, who was involved in many attacks on us and our allies since 1998 as well as residing on the FBI’s most wanted list since 2006. 

This took stones on the part if the President, especially considering the pressure he’s under from the far left over Afghanistan and the War on Terror in general.  I tend to agree with Fouad Ajami that it is morally false and intellectually muddled to differentiate between Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the rest of the WOT, as being “good” or “bad” wars; they are all part of stemming radical Islamic extremism, a clear and present danger to our nation.  And it’s pathetic how some on the left are blowing the retreat bugle just like they did in Iraq.  But perhaps worse are those on the right who supported the endeavor while Bush was POTUS, but now that Obama is Commander-in-Chief are suddenly squeamish.

Let me be crystal clear, I am behind Obama, Petraeus, and the entire command structure in Afghanistan, all the way down to each boot on the ground.  And to the President I say, while those on your own side, Pelosi et al, will resist your efforts to do what it takes to win the war, much like Bush joined with Democrats on some of his legislation, so too should you rely on the Republicans for support of your war needs and measures.  I agree wholeheartedly with Messrs. McCain, Graham, and Lieberman that, “Only decisive force can prevail in Afghanistan”.  Just as in Iraq, we need to go all the way to ensure victory and greater security for our nation.

So I’ll close by saluting my Navy brethren with a hearty, HOOYAH!, for a job well done, and the same to President Obama…

UPDATE: Thanks to Dan Riehl for exposing this post to a wider audience.

UPDATE II: Thanks also to Glenn “Instapundit” Reynolds for the Instalanche!

UPDATE III: Thanks to Cap’n Ed and Allah Pundit over at Hot Air for the Hot-Air-Lanche!

UPDATE IV: Thanks to Moe Lane at RedState for including a link to this post at that site.