David Tannenbaum’s Post

As the nature of amphibious warfare advances, the need for innovative maritime capabilities becomes paramount. As a key partner to Textron Systems, we're propelling the Ship to Shore Connector forward – delivering an advanced air-cushioned landing craft that excels in speed, capacity, and dependability, transforming how the US Navy projects power from sea to shore. Dive into the details: https://bit.ly/4crt4ZA

Unmanned vessels and aircraft continue to be added with more and more capabilities; could we continue to do the same with Mars exploration in terms of orbiting spacecraft and land rovers until we are ready to step foot on the red planet?

USS Gerald R. Ford: The World’s Most Expensive Warship Faces Early Challenges No warship ever built is as expensive as the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – the lead vessel of a new class of nuclear-powered supercarriers. As the largest warship ever constructed in terms of displacement, CVN-78 is an impressive vessel that will likely serve as in a power projection role throughout the world for decades to come. Its total price tag came in at about $13.3 billion, nearly 30 percent higher than initial estimates. It suffered from numerous delays and the "kinks" are still being worked out in some of its key systems In fact, because she is loaded with so many new and innovative technologies, there remained issues with numerous systems that haven't exactly worked as planned. These included the ship's toilets, which regularly clogged, to the ordnance elevators that didn't function properly; while numerous systems have had serious teething issues that have needed to be resolved.

Views from the #nuclearfleet ⚓️ The Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) sails alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during a replenishment-at-sea. Theodore Roosevelt, flagship of Carrier Strike Group Nine, is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, which is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with #alliesandpartners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. #unmatchedpropulsion | #harnesstheatom | #challengewhatispossible

A cruiser by any other name is just as expensive: What we are seeing is classification creep to make ships appear less expensive to the uninformed. The Constellation class frigate was sold as an upgrade to the LCS when in reality it is a slightly cheaper destroyer and as they are brought into service while Burkes are retired, they will be effectively be a downgrade from our current DDG’s. Likewise DDG(X), with a expected displacement of 13,500 tons is more appropriately called a cruiser.

Wolf was recently notified of the Navy's intent to award a Phase I SBIR contract to develop a Durable Wheel End Drive for Amphibious Vehicles. Amphibious Combat Vehicles traverse demanding terrain and harsh conditions while operating in oceans, rivers, and overland. The Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) includes independent suspension systems at each of its eight wheel ends that allow the vehicle to navigate the extreme amphibious environments while preserving the integrity of the hull for floatation. Due to the harsh off-road terrain and amphibious environment, the Navy and the Marine Corps require a more durable wheel end drive solution that will reduce excessive maintenance, labor, downtime, and overall program cost while increasing the availability, durability, and overall performance of the ACV. Wolf’s Durable CV Boot is a simple and effective means of extending the service life and performance of a traditional CV Boot while utilizing materials that increase the range of CV Boot’s operating temperature and incorporating features that prevent tearing and minimize the effects of abrasion. Additionally, Wolf’s Durable CV Boot offers enhanced sealing to prevent the ingress of sea water and other contaminants that lead to corrosion.

A succinct 5 minute explanation of why the Stennis needs to be renamed, and the incoherent policies that have been applied to naming aircraft carriers. There is nothing "wrong" with the USS John C Stennis, but there is something wrong with the continued silence on the the Navy regarding this issue. For half the cost of paying the SGLI death benefits of one deceased servicemember, the Navy could put this issue in the wake. That it has not done so is baffling to me. Decades from now, this ship will have had many thousands of sailors and Marines cycle through and complete their tours of duty. What name they will do it under depends on the courage of the leaders of today, and perhaps tomorrow. Like deferred maintenance, delay on this can be costly in the long run. All the necessary ingredients exist to complete this change, with the obvious exceptions of courage and resolve. Without those two, silence is the logical choice. The other choice is to explain why the name will not or should not change. Given the history of naming carriers, "tradition" as a defense won't stand up to scrutiny. https://lnkd.in/eqghcjHp

Speaking of Graving Docks...see our last post for Brazil Navy Syncrolift. The Brazil Navy has often highlighted the eye-opening experience of seeing firsthand the advantages of modern Syncrolift technology compared to the outdated 300-year-old graving dock method. We know many other navies are facing similar decisions, and Syncrolift is eager to share our insights on the benefits of shiplifts versus graving docks. A quick look inside a graving dock immediately reveals the logistical challenges it presents. Unlike a shiplift, which operates in parallel—allowing ship transfers to occur independently of lifting operations—a graving dock functions in series. This means all tasks must be performed within the dock itself, creating a bottleneck where a delay in one operation halts all others.

China has launched its first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the "Sichuan," in Shanghai! - With a 40,000-tonne displacement, dual-island design, and advanced flight deck, it's set to enhance the Navy's capabilities in far seas.

There are valid concerns with the US maritime industrial base. But for all the discussion about the challenges of the next generation of ships, we lose sight of the Herculean efforts to launch the ships of today. Were it not for the Littoral Combat Ship, #Austal would not be positioned as a top tier shipbuilder, and the United States is better for it. Another milestone hit, and more capability one step closer to the fight. https://lnkd.in/eaCmewdv