UAVs, not just an Air Force gig anymore

It was really weird being on the bridge and not seeing a helm (and learning that there are no screws). The whole ship was all computer controlled which makes me wonder what happens when the screens go dark? I know there are many redundancies but given that 3 of four power-plants went dead when they were cruising around Lake Michigan, it makes you think.
I know the new generations of airplanes are the same but at least those have the Martin-Baker get out of jail free card

"Check out the big brain on Brad!" Give the fleet a break...and some time... before you speak "ex cathedra". Some of this stuff has really had some thought put behind it.

Can't they switch everything over to CCS or aft-steering (or their equivalent)?

That would be awesome...a ship with ejection seats

If you lose propulsion or generators, doesn't matter if it's computer controlled or not...you're not doing anything period.

CCS??? Aft steering??? Are you F*%$ING SHITTING ME? We FINALLY built a combatant that is more like an airliner (or bomber...), nav and steering wise...where you can actually program your track into the GPS and "steam" hands off...or take over "tactically" with the joystick/trickwheel... Ain't no aft Steering...welcome to the '90's...and don't call me Roger, Roger... (but...uh...could I get a vector, Victor?)

Seriously...Think with new parts of your brain...it does NOT take 15 Sailors calling out ranges and bearings to local church steeples and power pylons for you to safely navigate to your pier. Let Iron Mike do it. I'm willing to make a $100 dollar bet with anyone who can ever prove me wrong...no ship ever ran aground while navigating on GPS. Any takers? First winner only...no multiple jackpots.

Now, if we could just get rid of flashing lights and signal flags...and all that they represent. It/they may be colorful, and a link to our glorious past, but it's all BS...and there won't be enough folks with those skill sets on an LCS...just like there weren't any on PT-109.

"Brick to all boats...scatter plan BRAVO...execute!"

From what I understand, the difference between pilot vs non-pilot is that in the Air Force, the pilots are actually flying i.e. stick and rudder. The Fire Scout on the other had is more of point and click i.e. go there then there then land. Even a rate piot would have trouble landing a helo on a small boy at night via remote control.

Actually pretty recent, USS Arleigh Burke, ran aground in 2007 b/c they were solely navigating using GPS. If they had been paying attention to non GPS nav aids, even as simple as counting buoys, they could've saved themselves.

That said, the other extreme isn't much better...having too many people up on the bridge just standing around reduces awareness and responsibility and distracts from the tasking at hand.

I'll take a check btw.

I thought she ran aground because the CO was showing off for the Commodore. Even manual nav can't fix stupid.

Here's the Navy Times article about it. Seems like a whole mess of problems.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/08/navy_burke_grounding_070829w/

The official report has a laundry list of problems, but the situation they were in, ANYBODY on the bridge noticing that the buoys colors were not lining up the way they should could have fixed it. Literally as simple as basic rules of the road being observed.

Considering this was still fairly recent, discussion/speculation probably doesn't need to go any further in public...

At one point I thought it was going to be the pilots from the HSM DET that would be flying the Fire Scout off of LCS.

Whoah whoah whoah, careful there, I'm SWO/IP BDCP and I chase tail and drink like it's my *job*. I'm also in a similar situation up here at MSU - don't really know anybody else in the program.

However, on an unrelated note the LCS-1/-2 look freaking awesome. Why, exactly, was a stop-work order issued on further ships?

Yes, he was. He was CAG for one of my deployments.

When should you be expecting your unemployment check?

At least being at MSU is probably better than my hippie ass school where everyone thinks I'm off to go napalm children and club some baby seals while they sit around and smoke pot at 1500 in the middle of the quad. :icon_rage

As for the LCS I'm guessing the contract cancelation had something to do with being grossly over budget after completing just the lead ship of the class and that ship being so riddled with problems that they're still working on a few items around the ship.

This has some pretty good info:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/lcs.htm

We'll be back in Cleveland in late December. PM me or Kcott if you wanna meet up. We had no idea where to go... the one good place we found was some Irish pub - its name is long forgotten.

MSU is definitely riddled with ignorant, pretentious, pseudo-intellectual morons who are quick to give you the stink eye if you mention joining the military, but I don't associate with any of them because they're dipshits. I also take great solace in the notion that most of those morons will be "starving artists" for the next twenty years while I'm seeing the world and actually serving my country instead of just whining about it and slitting my wrists like those morons.

So anyway.

Has there been any thought as to how they're going to organize the UAVs for deployment? Will they be mixed in with the helo squadron and part of the same det, or will the FireScouts be in their own squadrons?

On WoW?

They didn't mention anything when we were seeing the ship, but I didn't ask. Maybe someone else has heard something.