Navy’s new missile blows something up
November 17th, 2009 | Maritime operations SEALs Science and technology Ships The Pacific | Posted by Phil Ewing
The cruiser Cape St. George fired an earlier version of the Tomahawk land attack missile in 2003. The Navy says its late-model Block IV is the best one yet // IS1 Kenneth Moll / Navy
Oh, to have been crouching in the mud with the U.S. and British special operators earlier this month when they called in a “time-critical strike” from the cruiser Princeton. It was just an exercise, according to a Navy announcement, but it still must’ve been pretty cool to see them dial in the thunder with their Precision Strike Suite – Special Operations Forces gear (known, of course, as “piss-off” in the teams) and then have that missile sky down and explode.
The thunder in question was provided by the long-awaited Block IV Tomahawk land-attack missile, which is the latest and smartest version of the classic weapon we all remember from “Red Storm Rising.”
“As the only network-enabled, land attack weapon, Tomahawk can re-target, loiter, or provide last minute weapons coverage to deployed forces from on-station naval combatants,” said its program manager, Capt. Dave Davison.
Still to come: Scoop Deck has been told that the Block IV’s improved ability to find and see targets could return anti-ship capability to the Tomahawk family, after the purpose-built ship-killing variant was withdrawn in 1995. We’re looking forward to seeing video of that test, if it happens.
Underway replenishment links
August 13th, 2009 | Aviation Foreign navies Military Sealift Command SEALs Ships Submarines | Posted by Phil Ewing
The fast combat support ship Arctic re-supplied the destroyer Winston S. Churchill and the carrier Harry S. Truman in January, 2008, much as today's links supply information to Scoop Deck readers // Navy
Palletized cargo carryin’, high-line riggin’, VERTREP stagin’, DFM pumpin’, fresh veggie deliverin’ links, pulling along side and ready to match RPMs so you can take on news and information:
- The remains of Capt. Scott Speicher are to return Thursday to Florida, 18 years after he was shot down over Iraq in the first Gulf War
- The lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama, where SEAL snipers ended the ship’s hostage standoff with three simultaneous shots, is to arrive soon at a SEAL/Underwater Demolition Team museum in Fort Pierce, Fla.
- A British play about the fate of the Russian guided missile submarine Kursk is to open soon in Edinburough, Scotland.
- A new captain is set to take command of the “battleship” Gonzalez, according to the Monitor newspaper of South Texas, although Scoop Deck prefers the term “destroyer.”
- The Navy is to christen its latest Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo and ammunition ship, the Matthew Perry, formerly known only by its hull number, T-AKE 9. Air Force Times reporter Bruce Rolfsen, one of Scoop Deck’s neighbors here at the Center of Excellence, remarked a moment ago that he thought it was funny the Navy has taken to naming ships for members of the cast of “Friends.”
It’s take 3 for space shot
July 10th, 2009 | NASA Navy Officers SEALs Science and technology | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
It’s probably a good thing that NASA’s pool of astronauts include quite a few military officers. Who better to understand the “hurry up and wait” lifestyle that is the military?
We told you last month about preparations for the planned June 13 launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, whose seven-member crew of space sailors, including only the second Navy SEAL to ever venture into space, will do a 16-day mission that will haul parts of Japan’s Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. But hydrogen leaks in a gas vent line leading to the exterior fuel tank forced NASA officials to twice scrub the flight and delay the mission.
Space Shuttle Endeavour sat at Launch Pad 39A Friday as storm clouds loomed overhead. NASA-TV photo
On Friday morning, though, NASA gave the STS-127 mission a “go,” with a scheduled launch time of 7:39 p.m. Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But at this point, NASA says, it looks like weather might be the decider on that evening launch time and date, since the forecast includes scattered thunderstorms throughout the weekend. NASA predicted a 40 percent for conditions good enough to launch on Saturday.
Endeavour’s crew for this planned flight has a strong, multi-service, “purple” representation: Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Army.
Mission specialists including Cmdr. Christopher Cassidy, a Navy SEAL and Afghanistan veteran who will ride Endeavour on his first flight into space if all goes well with the weather and barring any other delays. Again, we say hooyah! Cassidy will follow on the heels of his mentor, retired Capt. William M. Shepherd, the first Navy SEAL to ride a shuttle into space. The Air Force is represented – shuttle commander Mark Polansky is a retired test pilot and veteran of two shuttle missions, STS-98 and STS-116 while mission specialist Dave Wolf[cqgf] is a former flight surgeon. So, too, is the Army, as mission specialist Col. Tim Kopra, a helicopter test pilot, will leave on his first flight and remain on the space station as he swaps out with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who will return to Earth with Endeavour’s crew. A Marine will be at the controls when Lt. Col. Doug Hurley, the shuttle pilot, goes on his first spaceflight.
If the weather clears up, once the shuttle takes off, you’ll be able to track each of the day’s work on an interactive site. You also can read about what favorite tokens astronauts will take with them for their space ride. Cassidy is carrying several coins and patches from SEAL units.
You can even reach them on Twitter. Polansky, the mission commander, is “Astro_127.” “We’ll have our L-1 day shuttle systems review and launch weather briefing at 2000 EDT,” he wrote Friday evening. You can track him on MySpace and YouTube.
Let’s hope the weather cooperates.
Military space geeks, take note
June 5th, 2009 | NASA Officers SEALs | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Today marks the final week counting down to the scheduled launch of space shuttle Endeavour, whose seven-member crew of space sailors is yet another “purple” multi-service representation, including a Navy SEAL. Endeavour is scheduled for a 7:17 a.m. EDT liftoff on Saturday, June 13, from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The 16-day mission of STS-127 marks the final flight hauling parts of Japan’s Kibo Laboratory to the International Space Station.
One of the mission specialists is Navy Cmdr. Christopher Cassidy(below), a SEAL and decorated Afghanistan veteran who will ride Endeavour on his first flight into space. Hooyah! Cassidy will be the second SEAL to go into space, a feat previously done by his mentor, retired Navy Capt. William M. Shepherd, who was the international space station’s first commander.
Endeavour’s shuttle commander, Mark Polansky, is a retired Air Force test pilot who’s done two shuttle missions, STS-98 and STS-116. Veteran mission specialist Dave Wolf is a former Air Force flight surgeon. The shuttle pilot is Marine Lt. Col. Doug Hurley, going on his first space flight. Army Col. Tim Kopra, a mission specialist also on his first flight, is a helicopter test pilot who will stay aboard the space station while Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will hitch a ride back to Earth.
The shuttle crew will be quarantined at the Johnson Space Center in Houston starting tomorrow until they return to Florida Tuesday to prepare for the flight. NASA officials gave the mission a “go,” although bad weather could delay the launch. Space buffs can track the mission online or on NASA-TV. There’s also a cool interactive site to track each day’s work.
You can even reach them on Twitter. The mission commander is “Astro_127.” Twittering won’t end when Endeavour reaches orbit. Folks can query the crew via video tweets — they must be less than 30 seconds — posted on YouTube, with the video link sent to his Twitter account. NASA will pick questions for him to answer live on NASA-TV. We’ll have to wait for his reponse to this question already posted: “What would happen if you fly into a black hole?” Let’s hope we won’t find out.
Be careful with that thing!
June 4th, 2009 | Photos SEALs Video | Posted by Phil Ewing
MC2 Michelle Kapica/Navy
From the Navy’s photo site: “Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Robert Darakjy, assigned to the U.S. Navy Parachute Team the Leap Frogs, shows a display M4 assault rifle to a Washington Wild Things baseball fan.”
Cinephiles seeing this image will immediately think of the Hollywood masterpiece “Starship Troopers,” one of the greatest terrible movies ever made — you’ll see what we mean right off the top:
