Netherlands to acquire Finnish littoral assault craft in LCVP replacement programme
The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.
Northrop Grumman completed a critical test in the development of the Integrated Topside (InTop) Low-Level Resource Allocation Manager (LLRAM) programme in partnership with the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).
The LLRAM was demonstrated in conjunction with the the InTop Electronic Warfare/Information Operations/Communications (EW/IO/COMMS) system at the NRL’s test facility in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.
The system demonstrated the simultaneous sharing of a single antenna, while flexing its adaptable size and antenna pattern capabilities, and performing a mission that would have previously required multiple dedicated antennas. The test was carried out as part of work to enable future antenna reductions on ships that are already capacity-constrained, allowing for more advanced capabilities in an ever-increasingly complex battlespace environment.
The demonstration showed that the EW/IO/COMMS Advanced Development Model for SEWIP Block 3 can serve as a platform for proving out advanced multi-function concepts using existing NRL test assets.
Mike Meaney, vice president, maritime electronic and information warfare, Northrop Grumman, said: ‘The Northrop Grumman/NRL demonstration of LLRAM concepts was conducted in the same environment that proved crucial to the development of the SEWIP Block 3 EDM.
‘The efficiency of signal sharing capabilities, scalability and advanced resource management capabilities developed on the LLRAM programme will allow for a significantly reduced footprint topside.’
The system leverages four AESA arrays (low band transmit/receive and high band transmit/receive) and intended platforms include cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers.
The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.
Saab Kockums was initially awarded the contract to build two A26 submarines for the Royal Swedish Navy in 2015, but the programme has faced delays and escalating costs.
If the foreign military sale request is approved, Germany would be the first country outside the US to acquire the technology, which is currently used extensively by the US Navy.
Satellite navigation is increasingly critical for global maritime defence, and Low Earth Orbit satellites are rapidly overtaking the traditional and more widely used Medium Earth Orbit option as they are less susceptible to jamming or spoofing.
The initial sea trials for Virginia-class SSN 798 conducted by Newport News Shipbuilding division and the US Navy marked an “important step”, but the ongoing AUKUS review casts a shadow over what the progress means for the partner nations.
The US Navy is conducting market research to find AI software products for the Collaborative Integrated Air and Missile Defence Planning Programme.