Web Page sponsored by Blighter Surveillance Systems
www.blighter.com
———————————————————————-
28 Jul 16. US Marine Corps Intrepid Tiger II rotary-wing EW pod goes operational.
Key Points:
• The USMC’s new AN/ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger II airborne communications-band electronic attack pod has begun flight operations
• A UH-1Y Venom from VMM-64 (Reinforced) performed a first sortie with the equipment on 8 July
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has begun operations with the (V)3 rotary-wing variant of the AN/ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger II airborne communications-band electronic attack (EA) pod.
In a photo release dated 11 July, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 (Reinforced), and 2nd Radio Battalion Detachment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, revealed that a UH-1Y Venom had commenced operational flying with Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 on 8 July from the assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1). Wasp was operating in the Atlantic at the time.
Intrepid Tiger II is a network-enabled family of systems that provides a Rapid Deployment Capability to support ground combat operations. Designed and developed by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in conjunction with the Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR’s) Airborne Electronic Attack Systems and EA-6B Program Office (PMA-234), the Intrepid Tiger II pod addresses the USMC’s requirement for counter-communications and irregular warfare radio-frequency target sets.
Suitable for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, the system has been engineered to deliver a distributed, adaptable and net-centric airborne EA capability that can be controlled from the cockpit or by a ground operator. Furthermore, the Intrepid Tiger II system can be rapidly reprogrammed to counter evolving and emerging threats, and allows for changing mission requirements mid-flight.
According to a USMC public release document on the Marine Air Ground Task Force EW concept, the Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 pod (at Block 1 standard) is intended to deliver Early Operating Capability with USMC light attack (AH-1Z and UH-1Y) helicopters. The UH-1Y performing the first operational flight was BuNo 168416, sidecode 32. Flight testing of Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 began in June 2015 using a UH-1Y helicopter from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
27 Jul 16. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently supported a request from the U.S. Navy to rapidly outfit a Gyrocam® first-generation Vehicle Optical Sensor System (VOSS I) on USNS Grapple, a rescue and salvage ship supporting NATO security missions in the Aegean Sea.
The VOSS I features commercial off-the-shelf components, high-resolution color and infrared sensors, night vision and laser rangefinder capabilities in a 15-inch turret. Working together, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin quickly identified a VOSS I from the U.S. Government’s existing inventory and completed the installation on Grapple within two weeks.
“To support NATO’s security mission quickly, the U.S. Navy needed long-range detection and identification capabilities to identify ships and small water craft,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/SOF CLSS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Because of its proven performance in theater, durability and universal mount design, VOSS I was the ideal solution to delivering the U.S. Navy a quick reaction capability.”
VOSS I is designed with solid, weather-tight construction and universal mounts that allow it to easily move from a ground vehicle to a maritime vessel. Combat-proven in extreme environments, more than 1,100 VOSS systems have been deployed with the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, NATO and law enforcement agencies across multiple platforms.
26 Jul 16. OSI wins contract to integrate radar system for New Zealand’s frigate upgrade. Canadian naval systems developer OSI Maritime Systems announced on 25 July that it has received a contract to in