US Navy - Meta-Defense.fr

The US Navy funds a drone program with a range of more than a week

Among the lessons learned from the Ukraine war, the preponderant role of reconnaissance drones in the conduct of military operations probably represents, if not the greatest surprise, in any case the most obvious confirmation of the transformations that are now taking place in the field. high-intensity military action. The success of the Ukrainian armies in the face of more numerous and powerfully armed Russian forces is in fact largely based on the perfect integration of a device combining an innovative communication system to coordinate the units deployed with the information reported by different types of drones ranging from MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) lightweight…

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Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited film by Western air forces

May 13th

It's rare that a film alone has had such a significant impact on an entire generation of young pilots. From its release in 1986, and still today, the vast majority of candidates for military pilot selections in the United States, Europe and more generally, throughout the Western world, have been more than influenced by this film. While Western air forces have been facing, for the most part and for several years, a significant shortage of candidates, the imminent arrival of Top Gun: Maverick therefore represents an important and undisguised hope, even as tensions in the world keep growing...

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According to its chief of staff, the US Navy cannot engage on two major fronts simultaneously

May 13thMay 13th

To say that the US Navy's shipbuilding planning has been chaotic over the past 20 years would be an understatement. Between the aborted or more than disappointing programs such as the Zumwalt destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship, a low budget increase, and in the face of an extraordinary Chinese effort of efficiency and the revival of Russian naval construction, it is true that the supremacy naval force, considered a few years ago as irremovable, is now facing unprecedented challenges since the end of the Second World War. In addition, the American shipyards themselves…

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After the Freedoms, the US Navy's Independence LCS are facing major failures

May 11th

The more time passes, the more the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program, supposed to prefigure developments in littoral naval combat, seems to join the long list of technological and operational impasses which the Pentagon has made a specialty of over the past 30 years. . After having, in 2014, abandoned the principle of combat module which was to allow the two Freedom and Independence classes constituting the program to have advanced operational flexibility by equipping themselves, according to needs, with anti-ship warfare capabilities, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence and electronic warfare or mine warfare, the staff of the US navy has never ceased to…

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The successor to the Harpoon anti-ship missile will be hypersonic

April 28thApril 28th

Entered into service in 1977, the AGM-184 Harpoon anti-ship missile was produced in more than 7500 units by MacDonnel Douglas and then Boeing Defense, and used by more than thirty navies and air forces around the world, never yielding in this field than the famous missiles of the Exocet family designed by NordAviation/Aerospatiale and entered into service in 1975. These two missiles not only shared similar performances and flight profiles, they also have in common an extraordinary longevity, as both the American and French missile continue to be produced and exported almost 50 years after their entry into service. However, for…

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The F-35 program still faces significant delays and additional costs

April 26th

In recent months, the F-35 has won in many international competitions, including in Europe Whether in Switzerland, Finland, Canada or Germany, the Lockheed-Martin device has systematically taken over on its Western counterparts, such as the American Super Hornet, or the European Rafale, Typhoon and Gripen. Paradoxically, at the same time, the Pentagon announced that it intended to reduce the number of F-35s which will be acquired by 2025, and this in a substantial way. Indeed, despite its undeniable commercial success, the device continues to face significant delays regarding the availability of the version…

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The US Navy wants to eliminate 5 squadrons of electronic warfare aircraft EA-18G Growler

April 25th

Since the retirement of the last EF-111A Ravens from the US Air Force in 1998, the US Navy has been the only US air force with a fleet of tactical fighters dedicated to electronic warfare and suppression of enemy anti-aircraft defenses. , initially on EA-6B Prowler, then, from 2011, on EA-18G Growler, a version of the F/A 18 F Super Hornet specifically for this mission. However, the Pentagon's needs for this type of mission did not disappear with the withdrawal of the EF-111As, and the F-16C/D equipped with HARM missiles were not sufficient to ensure the escort missions of the air forces in contested areas. It's here…

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The US Navy offers 3 options for the future of its naval force

April 21thApril 21th

For many years, US Navy shipbuilding planning has been chaotic to say the least, with successive plans and objectives diverging, sometimes even contradicting. The subject is also the subject of fierce opposition between Republican senators and representatives, supporters of a massive fleet, and their Democratic counterparts who wish to keep the defense budget under control. Beyond the sometimes fanciful ambitions presented in recent years, and the many tussles that have opposed the Pentagon to American parliamentarians, particularly regarding the withdrawal of certain buildings, it was therefore necessary for the US Navy to present a coherent strategy...

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China's new hypersonic anti-ship missiles are a game-changer in the Pacific

April 20th

Could China have stolen the courtesy from Russia by deploying a hypersonic anti-ship missile aboard its new Type 055 heavy destroyers? In any case, this is the question that arises following the publication of photos showing the firing of a missile identified as YJ-21 from one of these ships, suggesting that the missile could actually be in service, or at least in the advanced testing phase. As if that news alone wasn't enough, new photos have emerged showing an H-6N long-range naval bomber also carrying an anti-ship ballistic missile, which…

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The US Navy chooses Thales CAPTAS-4 sonar for its new Constellation frigates

April 1th

If there is one area in which French defense know-how is universally recognized, it is anti-submarine warfare. Whether it is its frigates, its submarines, or its maritime patrol aircraft, the French Navy has very often demonstrated advanced technicality and capabilities, even surpassing those of the very effective allies. Americans and British. Thus, on several occasions in recent years, the new French Aquitaine-class frigates have won the "Hook'em" competition organized by the US Navy, rewarding the best NATO crew(s) in the field of anti-terrorist combat. -underwater. If the French Navy collects the…

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