http://www.dsti.net/News/52814.htm
諾格公司和通用動力公司就驅逐艦建造計畫調整達成一致

    [據紐約時報2009年4月8日報導] 4月8日，通用動力公司和諾•格公司已就國防部的建議達成一致，同意將全部3艘DDG 1000驅逐艦交給通用動力公司巴斯鋼鐵廠建造。諾•格公司將繼續為3艘艦艇提供主要部件，此外還將從海軍得到兩艘DDG 51驅逐艦的合同。

    分析人士認為，美國國防部長羅伯特•蓋茨推動的此項交易為兩家帶來了雙贏的結果。軍方官員稱，詳細的財政安排還有待於進一步研究。

    國防部官員曾估計，如果海軍採購原計劃的10艘DDG 1000驅逐艦，則首艦“朱姆沃爾特”號造價將為33億美元，後續艦為25億美元。但獨立分析人士認為，如果蓋茨決定將採購數量限制在3艘，規模經濟效益將消失，DDG 1000的平均造價將增加到50億美元或更高。

    眾議院武裝力量委員會海上力量分委員會主席基恩•泰勒稱，此項交易對諾•格公司很有益處，將保證公司的發展與海軍的未來方向一致。按計劃，諾•格公司將在英格爾斯船廠重啟DDG 51“阿利•伯克”級驅逐艦專案，並建造新增首批兩艘。一旦完成DDG 1000項目，通用動力公司將建造新增第3艘DDG 51驅逐艦。官方認為，兩家公司很可能從此以後避免對同一項目進行競標。軍事分析家認為，新增DDG-51驅逐艦的平均造價在15~20億美元之間，具體取決於最終的建造數量。

    美國海軍官方最初支持建造DDG 1000驅逐艦，部分是因為該級艦將裝備由雷聲公司設計的新型雷達。該雷達可以在近岸的駁雜環境中進行精確掃描，這種能力符合海軍越來越重視淺水、近海作戰的趨勢。但隨著去年以來成本的不斷上升，海軍官方開始退卻，稱無法承受艦艇的建造費用。

    來自雷聲公司所在地麻塞諸塞州的愛德華•M•甘迺迪參議員，以及巴斯鋼鐵廠所在地緬因州新英格蘭的立法委員們仍然堅定的支持DDG 1000專案。巴斯鋼鐵廠已於2009年2月開始了首艦的建造。分析家稱，在國防部建議中，通常海軍的地位要比空軍和陸軍要高。

    蓋茨表示，海軍將逐漸放緩航母的建造，2040年後將總數從11艘降為10艘。航母建造商諾•格公司認為該建議需要認真研究。蓋茨還表示要推遲新型巡洋艦CG（X）和兩栖艦艇的開發。

    但同樣成本嚴重超支，蓋茨仍然認可了海軍購買55艘近海戰鬥艦的目標。預算建議還指出，從2011財年開始要將“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇的建造速率從當前的1艘/年增加為2艘/年，而且海軍還要開始規劃下一代彈道導彈核潛艇。（中國船舶資訊中心  呂強）

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/business/09defense.html?scp=1&sq=Edward%20Kennedy%20navy%20DDG&st=cse
Contractors Agree on Deal to Build Stealth Destroyer

By CHRISTOPHER DREW
Published: April 8, 2009

Two military contractors, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, agreed on Wednesday to a Pentagon deal that will clear the way for all three of the Navy’s multibillion-dollar stealth destroyers to be built at General Dynamics’ shipyard in Maine, Pentagon and industry officials said.

Northrop Grumman, which had expected to build one of the DDG-1000 destroyers at its shipyard in Mississippi, will contribute major components for each of the vessels. It will also receive contracts for two other destroyers as the Navy restarts production of an earlier model.

Stock analysts said the deal, pushed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, appeared to be a winning proposition for both contractors.

“Mr. Gates delivered a gift to the shipbuilders,” said Loren B. Thompson, a military consultant and the chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, a research group.

Military officials said the precise financial arrangements still needed to be worked out.

Pentagon officials had estimated that the first of the new destroyers, also known as the Zumwalt class, would cost $3.3 billion, with additional ships costing at least $2.5 billion each if the Navy had built the 10 that were originally planned.

But given Mr. Gates’s decision to limit the program to three ships, independent analysts said, various economies of scale would be lost, and the average cost could rise to $5 billion or more.

Still, in proposing a range of cuts in arms programs on Monday, Mr. Gates said he would build only one of the destroyers if General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman would not agree to have all three built at Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Mr. Gates said it would have been far too costly and inefficient to have both shipyards gear up to be the lead contractor.

Representative Gene Taylor, a Democrat from Mississippi and the chairman of a House armed services subcommittee, said the deal was good for Northrop Grumman because it ensured that the company was “aligned with where the Navy sees its future.”

Under the plan, Northrop Grumman will restart production of the DDG-51, also known as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, at its Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., and build the first two ships. General Dynamics will build the third once it completes work on the DDG-1000s at the Bath Iron Works. Officials said it was likely that the companies would split any subsequent orders through some type of competitive bidding.

Military analysts have estimated that the DDG-51s could cost an average of $1.5 billion to $2 billion each, depending on how many are eventually built.

Navy officials had originally embraced the shift to the DDG-1000, in part because it would have new types of radars, designed by Raytheon, that allowed it to make precise scans in relatively cluttered areas near coastlines. That ability was designed to fit the Navy’s increasing emphasis on operating in shallower, coastal waters.

But as the cost estimates rose last year, Navy officials began backing away, saying they could no longer afford the ship.

Still, the DDG-1000 had substantial political support from Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Democrat from Massachusetts, where Raytheon is based, and other legislators from New England who were concerned about losing jobs at the Maine shipyard, which employs 5,600. The yard, which began building the first ship in February, expects to deliver it in 2013.

Analysts said that the Navy generally fared better than the Air Force and the Army in the Pentagon’s proposals.

Mr. Gates said the Navy would gradually slow the production of aircraft carriers, with the total dropping to 10, from 11, after 2040. Northrop Grumman, which builds the carriers, said in a note to employees that it believed that proposal “requires a closer look.”

Mr. Gates also said he would delay development of a new cruiser and amphibious ships.

But he endorsed the Navy’s goal of buying 55 Littoral Combat Ships, a high-speed coastal combat vessel that has experienced huge cost overruns. His proposals included money for expanding construction of the Virginia-class submarines to two each year, starting in fiscal 2011, from one now. And he said the Navy could start planning a new generation of ballistic missile submarines.

http://www.dsti.net/News/52796.htm
雷聲公司雙波段雷達項目達到重要的里程碑

 [雷聲公司4月7日報導]雷聲公司與美海軍共同完成了對雙波段雷達的初始啟動測試。

   雙波段雷達是一種集成的主動相控陣雷達裝置，由X波段AN/SPY-3多功能雷達和S波段廣域搜索雷達（Volume Search Radar）組成。該雷達系統將安裝在美海軍“朱姆沃爾特”（Zumwalt DDG 1000）級驅逐艦、“福特”（Ford CVN 78）級航母以及其他的未來作戰艦艇上，為執行任務的艦艇提供超強的監視能力和自防能力。雙波段雷達還能滿足深海、近海等環境下任務要求。

   雷達系統主要用於完成以下一系列任務：艦艇自防和防空作戰、反潛作戰、反水面艦艇作戰、環境感知、對陸打擊、海軍炮火保障、海面搜索、導航、空中交通管制等。雷達的能力主要包括：水準搜索、廣域監視、火控跟蹤、導彈制導等。在此次啟動測試之後，雷聲公司綜合防禦系統分公司將對該雷達裝置進行時間更長的操作性能測試。（中國船舶工業綜合技術經濟研究院 吳小蘭）

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1236&pagetemplate=release
Raytheon Achieves Critical Dual Band Radar Testing Milestone

TEWKSBURY, Mass., April 7, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company and the U.S. Navy successfully completed initial "lightoff" testing of the Dual Band Radar.

The Dual Band Radar is an integrated active phased-array radar suite composed of the X-band AN/SPY-3 Multi-Function Radar and the S-band Volume Search Radar, both of which radiated at high power during lightoff at the Navy's Engineering Test Center, Wallops Island, Va.

"This is an enormous milestone for Raytheon and the Navy -- demonstrating the reliability and effectiveness of the most advanced naval surface radar in the world," said Raytheon Integrated Defense System's Bob Martin, vice president and deputy of Seapower Capability Systems. "The Dual Band Radar provides unmatched mission capabilities and functionality, while delivering commonality and affordability for the fleet."

The system will be installed on the Zumwalt-class destroyer (DDG 1000), Ford-class aircraft carrier (CVN 78), and other future surface combatants to provide superior surveillance capabilities and support ship self-defense across a broad range of missions. The Dual Band Radar leverages proven technologies to meet mission requirements in deep water and littoral, or near shore, environments.

The radar supports a wide variety of mission requirements, including ship self-defense and anti-air warfare; anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; situational awareness; land attack; naval gunfire support; surface search; navigation; and air traffic control. The radar's capabilities include horizon search; volume surveillance; fire control tracking; missile guidance; and illumination functionality for the Evolved SeaSparrow missile and Standard missile family.

Following this successful lightoff testing, the radar suite will begin an extended period of operational performance testing.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Global Capabilities Integration, providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.dsti.com.cn/index.asp?modelname=gjfw%5Cgjfw%5Fdetail&FractionNo=&titleno=GJFWKX&recno=51345
美國第二艘DDG 1000或將由巴斯鋼鐵船廠建造
（2009年01月13日）

    [據美國防務新聞網2009年1月12日報導] 美國海軍與“朱姆沃爾特”級（DDG 1000）驅逐艦的兩個主合同商——通用動力的巴斯鋼鐵船廠以及諾斯洛普•格魯曼的英格爾斯船廠——可能會達成一項協定，將第一批兩艘該型艦的建造工作由原計劃的一家一艘轉變為僅由一家建造。

    最有可能的結果是通用動力的巴斯鋼鐵公司繼續承建第二艘該型艦，即DDG 1001，巴斯鋼鐵公司將在2009年2月開始DDG 1000的建造。

    按照最初計畫，DDG 1001本該是2009年秋天在諾斯洛普•格魯曼公司的英格爾斯船廠開工，現在進行了這一調整後，該船廠可能會承接更多的DDG 51“阿利•伯克”級驅逐艦的建造工作。

    在2008年夏天以前，海軍只打算擁有62艘“阿利•伯克”級驅逐艦；但現在，海軍在改變了原來建造7艘DDG 1000的計畫後（現在只建3艘），決定再多建至少8艘DDG 51。

    目前，DDG 1000和DDG 1001的經費已經獲得國會批准，DDG1002的經費中有一半已經在2009財年的預算中授權，另一半有可能會納入2010財年的預算請求中。

    有消息稱，兩家船廠都在2008年秋天與海軍碰頭商討對現在及未來的驅逐艦建造合同進行調整，目前都在等海軍最後的結果。其中有一個關鍵的問題是誰將來建造第三艘“朱姆沃爾特”級驅逐艦DDG 1002。目前三方（海軍及兩家船廠）都沒有承認相關的談判，海軍方面拒絕對此評論。

    諾•格公司發言人在1月8日稱，他們將繼續向海軍方面提供關於“造艦計畫將如何影響國家工業基礎”的相關資訊，使之意識到這是其在決定過程中不得不考慮的一個因素之一。
海軍方面對巴斯鋼鐵為建造DDG 1000驅逐艦所做的準備工作非常滿意，而其也對他們建造該型艦充滿了信心，還特意提到了該船廠價值4000萬美元用來專門建造DDG1000的超大型龍門吊（Ultra Hall）。

    而與此同時，諾•格的英格爾斯船廠的消息則是負面的。該船廠承建了海軍的多型艦艇，除了DDG 51外，還有LHA 6和LHD 8兩栖攻擊艦、LPD 17兩栖船塢運輸艦，以及海岸警衛隊的國家安全巡防艦。可目前由於LPD 17的問題以及LHD 8攻擊艦問題（2008年該廠花費了3億美元來解決新型“馬金島”攻擊艦的電路問題）使得該廠面臨嚴重批判——特別是來自海軍部長唐納德的批評。

    不過巴斯鋼鐵當前的問題也不小。1月8日，該廠宣佈由於近期工作及工作量的波動，將在1月23日前解雇179名工人。除非未來幾個月內生產工作量大幅上升，否則裁員在所難免。不過該公司目前還在與奧斯丁公司競爭近海戰鬥艦的建造任務，關係緊張。（中國船舶資訊中心 劉娟）

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3897472&c=SEA&s=ALL
Will Bath Build Second DDG 1000?
Swap Envisioned With Northrop's Ingalls Shipyard
By christopher p. cavas
Published: 12 Jan 12:22 EST (17:22 GMT) 

Four years after Congress ripped apart a U.S. Navy winner-take-all scheme for building new DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers, the service and its two chief shipbuilders might be poised for a scaled-down agreement to shift construction of the first two ships from each shipyard to just one yard.

The result would be that the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine - poised to begin fabrication of DDG 1000 in February could wind up building that ship and DDG 1001, the Michael Monsour.

Northrop Grumman's Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., scheduled to begin fabrication of DDG 1001 this fall, would in turn receive more of the additional DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the Navy now intends to build.

Both shipyards share in building Arleigh Burkes. The Navy had planned to cap the number of DDG 51s at 62 ships, but last summer notified Congress of its intent to drop plans to build seven DDG 1000s, build only two, and instead buy at least eight and possibly more additional 51s.

Congressional concerns, particularly from Maine's Senate delegation, soon led the Navy to amend its plan to restore the third Zumwalt.

Funding for DDGs 1000 and 1001 already has been approved by Congress.

Half the funds for 1002 were authorized in the 2009 budget, with the other half expected to be included in the upcoming 2010 budget request.

The controversial Zumwalts are fraught with questions about the need for the stealthy ships, their potential effectiveness and their cost. The Navy has priced each ship at about $3.3 billion, but key congressional budget analysts have long predicted the true cost will rise to at least $5 billion or more.

The Navy planned to compete construction of the ships between Bath and Ingalls. But in 2005, then-Navy acquisition chief John Young attempted a cost-reduction strategy to award construction of all the ships to only one yard, claiming the elimination of overhead costs for two shipyards would save money. But Congress vehemently opposed the idea and supported maintaining a viable workforce in both yards, and Young dropped his plan.

Young, now the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, reportedly has played a key role in the latest negotiations.

Sources said both shipyards met with the Navy late this fall to discuss swapping current and future destroyer construction contracts. One source said the yards now are waiting to see a more definitive plan from the Navy - a plan which could be close to being put on the table. One key issue, the source said, is who would build the third Zumwalt, DDG 1002.

Neither the Navy nor Northrop Grumman nor General Dynamics acknowledged the negotiations.

"Unfortunately, we're not able to comment as everything is still predecisional," said Lt. Cmdr. Victor Chen, a spokesman for Navy research, development and acquisition chief Sean Stackley.

Northrop spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell-Jones on Jan. 8 said, "We have positioned Northrop Grumman to be the go-to builder of surface combatants, and we will continue to provide the Navy our input into how the shipbuilding plan will impact the industrial base, realizing that this is one of the many factors included in their decision-making process."

Bath Iron Works spokesman Jim DeMartini declined to comment on suggestions that such a swap might be in the works.

Navy sources expressed high confidence in Bath's readiness and ability to build the ships, noting the yard's new $40 million Ultra Hall, erected specifically to build DDG 1000s.

Those same sources expressed doubts about Northrop's ability to smoothly begin construction later this year on the new ships. The Ingalls yard already has one of the most diverse portfolios of any warship builder.

In addition to DDG 51s, the yard also builds LHA 6 and LHD 8 assault ships and LPD 17 amphibious transport docks for the Navy and National Security Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard.

But the yard has faced steady criticism - particularly from Navy Secretary Donald Winter - for problems with the LPD 17 program, and last year took a $300 million charge to fix electrical problems with the new Makin Island (LHD 8) assault ship.

Early last year, Northrop installed Mike Petters, head of Northrop's nuclear-capable shipyard at Newport News, Va., as head of all its shipyards, including the Avondale operation at New Orleans, La., and the Gulfport, Miss., facility that builds the composite-construction superstructures for the Zumwalts. The Navy was pleased by the move and remains supportive of Petters, but Navy sources also said they were still waiting to see definitive and positive results of his management.

"The Navy understands that it might take [Petters] a bit," a Pentagon source said, "but he is a shipbuilder and understands what needs to happen."

Layoffs at Bath

Bath has had its issues as well. On Jan. 8, the company notified 179 union workers they'd be laid off, effective Jan. 23, because of a lack of near-term work and fluctuations in workload.

"We have already started some advanced production on DDG 1000 and we expect to be ramping up production efforts over the next several months," DeMartini said. "That could create a situation where we may be looking to recall some of these employees. But the near-term situation is what's driving this action at this time."

Another possibility for increased workload at Bath involves a scenario where the shipyard would begin building aluminum-hulled Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). Bath is managing the General Dynamics entry in the Navy's LCS competition, but the ships are built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.

Relations between Austal and General Dynamics are strained, and Bath shipyard head Dugan Shipway has not shied away from pointing to locations in his facility where LCS ships could be built. But sources indicate such a move is not now in the offing.

One knowledgeable source said the Bath-Ingalls destroyer swap made good sense.

"I would not be surprised if Bath doesn't build both of the first ships and Northrop picks up new ships" in the upcoming budget plans, the source said. "If the Navy could get both contractors to agree to that with no fighting, it would all work out. But both General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman would have to say it's a great idea." ■

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-11-26/0951531932.html
諾-格公司馬上開始建第二艘DDG-1000級驅逐艦
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年11月26日 09:51  中國國防科技資訊網

　　據英國《簡氏國際海軍》2008年12月刊報導 美國海軍希望諾•格船廠馬上開工建造第二艘14500噸的“朱姆沃爾特”級驅逐艦DDG 1001“邁克爾•蒙蘇爾”號。

　　DDG 1001計畫2011年下水，2013年服役。首艦DDG 1000“朱姆沃爾特”號將由通用動力公司下屬巴斯鋼鐵廠同期建造。

　　2008年7月，海軍認為其所面臨的威脅發生改變，需要建造更多具有彈道導彈防禦功能的艦艇，故而將DDG 1000驅逐艦的採購數量從7艘壓縮為2艘。而DDG 1000驅逐艦原本為對陸攻擊和常規防空作戰而進行設計優化，只有經過大規模、高成本的改裝後，DDG 1000才能用於彈道導彈防禦。8月份時，由於許多官員擔心船廠建造能力受到損害而極力反對壓縮建造計畫，第三艘DDG 1000驅逐艦又被寫進採購計畫。

　　“朱姆沃爾特”級驅逐艦將裝備兩門155毫米艦炮，80座週邊垂發單元，發射戰斧導彈、SM-2導彈和ESSM導彈。機庫和飛行甲板能夠容納兩架MH-60R直升機或一架MH-60R直升機和三架無人機。(中國船舶資訊中心 呂強)

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-10-31/0834527685.html
美國海軍第二艘DDG-1000戰艦命名為蒙蘇爾號
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年10月31日 08:34

　　據美國防務新聞網2008年10月29日報導 美國海軍最新型驅逐艦“朱姆沃爾特”級的第二艘DDG 1001將命名為“邁克爾•蒙蘇爾”(Michael Monsoor)號。海軍部長唐納德•溫特10月29日公佈了這條消息。

　　“邁克爾•蒙蘇爾”號預計明年在諾•格公司的英格爾斯船廠建造，2014年交付。

　　二級士官邁克爾•蒙蘇爾是“海豹”突擊隊員，2006年9月29日犧牲於伊拉克，是獲得榮譽獎章的兩名海軍戰士之一，第一位是邁克爾•墨菲少尉，犧牲于阿富汗。正在通用動力公司巴斯鋼鐵廠建造的DDG 112驅逐艦將以他的名字命名，預計2011年交付。(中國船舶資訊中心 呂強)

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3795074&c=SEA&s=TOP
DDG 1001 Named for MoH Recipient Monsoor
By christopher p. cavas and philip ewing
Published: 29 Oct 18:06 EDT (22:06 GMT) 

One of the Navy's largest new surface warships will bear the name of a Navy SEAL who received the nation's highest award for valor.

"DDG 1001, the second ship in our newest class of destroyers, will be named after Michael Monsoor," Navy Secretary Donald Winter said remarks prepared for an address to be given Oct. 29 in New York.

"Michael Monsoor's name will now be linked with one of our nation's most visible examples of military power - a U.S. Navy warship," Winter said in the address prepared for a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund dinner.

The Michael Monsoor will be the second DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class advanced destroyer. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding is expected to begin construction of the ship next year at its Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., with delivery projected to take place in 2014.

Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael Monsoor is one of two sailors awarded the Medal of Honor since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. The first, Lt. Michael Murphy, is the namesake of DDG 112, now under construction at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, and is expected to be delivered in 2011.

Monsoor was one of about 32s SEALs fighting with U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Iraqi troops to take the insurgent-controlled city of Ramadi in September 2006, Dick Couch, author of "The Sheriff of Ramadi," told Navy Times earlier this year. Rather than make a traditional invasion sweep through the dangerous capital of Anbar province, as U.S. forces had done in the battle of Fallujah, regular and special operations troops advanced piecemeal through neighborhoods in the city, cleared out enemies and held the territory in an "ink-blot strategy," Couch said.

Monsoor and his SEAL teammates provided reconnaissance and cover for other troops as they fought in the city, and often bore the brunt of intense enemy attacks, Couch said.

On Sept. 29, the day he died, Monsoor was stationed with his machine gun on a rooftop between two SEAL snipers providing cover for an Army unit working in a rail yard. The two men were lying prone, aiming their rifles through holes blasted in the wall, when a grenade sailed onto the rooftop and bounced off Monsoor's chest.

According to the official Navy biography, there was no way either of the teammates could have escaped.

"He had a clear chance to escape, but in his mind, it was not a choice at all," President Bush said in April when presenting the medal to Monsoor's family.

Monsoor dove on the grenade and smothered its explosion, saving the lives of the two SEALs.

Monsoor is the first SEAL to receive the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq. Murphy was posthumously given the award last year after he was killed in Afghanistan making a last radio call to save his four-man squad after an ambush. Monsoor is the fifth service member to receive the Medal of Honor for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Monsoor's other decorations included the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with combat "V" and the Purple Heart.

Sally Monsoor, Michael's mother, was expected to attend the New York dinner.

http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2008-09/23/content_10097010.htm
諾•格否認DDG-1000艦上層建築設計有問題 
2008年09月23日 14:36:33 　來源：新華網 

   新華網消息，據國防科技信息網報道，美國防務新聞網2008年9月22日稱美諾·格公司上周發表聲明，否認美國海軍“朱姆沃爾特”級DDG 1000驅逐艦的復合材料上層建築的設計存在嚴重問題。

   9月19日，諾·格公司水面戰鬥艦項目負責人Brian Cuccias表示，DDG 1000的上層建築開發周密，形成的最終設計滿足所有的技術和負載要求，包括各種孔徑。DDG 1000的復合材料上層建築將在2009年2月開始建造。

   《防務新聞》在9月15日報道了其上層建築的設計存在問題的消息。稱知情人向報紙透露，諾·格船廠和海軍非常擔心結構問題會威脅到上層建築的建造。消息被披露後，知情人再一次接受採訪時卻推翻了自己的言論。

   海軍表示，諾·格船廠從1994年起進行真空輔助樹脂傳遞模塑工藝，經驗豐富。2001年開始，DDG 1000項目進行了多次測試，證明諾·格船廠具備建造高質量部件的能力。雖然遇到了一些困難，但公司一直在改進工作，制造工藝越來越成熟。

   在材料係統的鑒定，應用材料係統制造部件的工藝上的改進，以及通過測試對材料係統進行認證方面，海軍的相關專家一直參與了關鍵技術、設計和制造的決策。上層建築設計用于承受雙波段雷達和其它上層傳感器及係統的重力/壓力，其結構滿足所有負載要求。海軍將繼續進行生產準備評估，以此評價諾·格船廠的能力和表現。

   諾·格船廠表示，海軍考慮其他復合材料上層建築商的報道是不準確的和無根據的。

   船廠還對復合材料結構面板間密封問題的報道進行了否認，表示船廠的結構是一體化產品，根本不需要密封。

   在申明中，諾·格船廠表示自己在復合部件的碳纖維應用方面擁有豐富經驗。

   在DDG 1000工程研制階段，諾·格船廠進行了6000多次碳纖維/ 乙烯基酯測試，成功測試和實現了艦艇在雷達截面、材料特性、接縫、防火、防腐蝕、防護效力、防斷裂和防爆炸方面的設計。

   Cuccias表示船廠將會一如既往的滿足客戶需求和各種技術規范。

   上層建築的建造時間表已經被推遲。今年2月諾·格公司曾表示在2008年第四季度開始建造。諾·格公司將與競爭對手通用動力公司共同建造DDG 1000，而艦上所有復合結構的建造將由諾·格公司一家負責。（呂強）

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3736454&c=SEA&s=TOP
Northrop: DDG 1000 Deckhouse on Track
By christopher p. cavas
Published: 22 Sep 15:00 EDT (19:00 GMT)  Print  |    Email

Shipbuilder Northrop Grumman lashed out last week at assertions that serious problems have arisen with fabrication of the composite superstructure for the U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-class DDG 1000 destroyer.

"The DDG 1000 deckhouse has been through a very thorough development process, yielding a deckhouse design that meets all technical and load requirements, including apertures," Brian Cuccias, Northrop Shipbuilding's vice president of surface combatant programs, said in a statement Sept. 19. "We are on track for DDG 1000 composite deckhouse to start fabrication in February 2009."

The story was first reported in the Sept. 15 issue of Defense News. Sources told the newspaper that serious concerns exist inside Northrop and in the Navy that construction problems might threaten construction of the deckhouse superstructure.

Contacted again after the story appeared, those sources stood by the assertions.

The Navy on Sept. 16 issued a statement on the issue.

"Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) has experience with the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process since 1994," the Navy said. "Beginning in 2001, the DDG 1000 program has manufactured multiple test articles that have demonstrated NGSB's ability to manufacture high quality parts. While there have been challenges, NGSB has continued to identify and pursue process improvements that have resulted in an increasingly mature manufacturing process.

"Navy subject matter experts have participated in all key technical, design and manufacturing decisions involved with the qualification of the material system, the modifications of the manufacturing process used to manufacture parts with the material system, and the validation through test of the material system. The design of the deckhouse has been conducted to support the weight/stresses of the Dual Band Radar and other topside sensors and systems, and the deckhouse structure meets all load requirements. The Navy continues to conduct production readiness reviews by which it assesses NGSB's capabilities and performance."

Northrop challenged the story's reporting that the Navy had been canvassing other composite manufacturers, calling it "incorrect or speculative."

The shipbuilder also said that reported problems in guaranteeing seals between composite structure panels is "completely incorrect - our structure is an integrated product and does not have seals between the panels."

In its statement, Northrop pointed to its extensive experience with "carbon fiber applications" of composite components.

"During the DDG 1000 engineering development phase, NGSB produced more than 6,000 carbon fiber/vinyl-ester test articles that were successfully tested and validated for ship designs in radar cross section, co-site, material properties, joints, fire, corrosion, shielding effectiveness, fragmentation and blast," Northrop said.

"We are committed to meeting our customers' requirements and will meet all technical specifications," Cuccias said.

The building schedule for the deckhouse already has slipped this year - in February, Northrop said construction was to begin in the fourth quarter of 2008.

While Northrop will share in construction of the DDG 1000 with rival General Dynamics, Northrop is responsible for building the composite structures for all the Zumwalts at its facility in Gulfport, Miss.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2008-09-03/0853519519.html
美國海軍高官稱DDG1000防空反潛能力嚴重不足
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年09月03日 08:53  中國國防科技資訊網

　　據洛杉磯時報2008年8月31日報導 由於美國海軍高層指揮官認為DDG-1000驅逐艦對於保護美國國家安全利益不是非常必要的，因此，美國海軍決定取消價格昂貴的新一級驅逐艦，即DDG-1000的建造。

　　美國海軍作戰部長表示DDG-1000“朱姆沃爾特”級驅逐艦不具有關鍵的防空能力，防禦敵軍潛艇也是十分困難。該級艦的第二艘艦，亦即最後一艘艦艇耗資26億美元。

　　雖然它擁有較多項新技術，但是它不能實施廣泛的，一體化的防空和導彈防禦。因此，海軍在採購了兩艘艦艇後，宣佈放棄DDG-1000的採購，但是迫於國會的壓力，海軍同意建造第三艘艦。(中國船舶工業綜合技術經濟研究院 於紅)

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2008-08-19/1033517246.html
美海軍公開反悔打算建造第3艘DDG-1000驅逐艦
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年08月19日 10:33  中國國防科技資訊網

　　華盛頓郵報8月18日報導 美國參議院軍事委員會委員蘇珊•柯林斯表示，美海軍打算建造第三艘隱身驅逐艦。

　　美海軍方面在一個月以前提出，美海軍將終止“朱姆沃爾特”(Zumwalt)級導彈驅逐艦專案，該專案的前兩艘艦艇目前正在建造過程中。DDG-1000驅逐艦擁有很強的作戰能力，但其成本卻非常高。美海軍表示，海軍正考慮一些代替方案，建造更多的DDG-51驅逐艦或者“阿利伯克”級驅逐艦。

　　柯林斯稱，通過海軍部長溫特瞭解到，海軍計畫購買DDG-51驅逐艦零備件的計畫，這些備件將用於重新啟動的DDG-51驅逐艦生產項目，該型艦艇將在位於緬因州的巴斯鋼鐵公司生產。這意味著將可能繼續生產第三艘DDG-1000 ，並且還很有可能建造更多的DDG-51驅逐艦。美國國防副部長Gordon England指出，重新啟動第三艘隱身驅逐艦的建造計畫更有助於穩定美國的工業基礎，先進的水面艦艇技術例如雷達系統、隱身性、自動損失控制等技術也將得到持續發展。

　　前兩艘“朱姆沃爾特”(Zumwalt)級驅逐艦目前正處於建造過程中，其中一艘由巴斯鋼鐵公司建造，另外一艘由諾思羅普•格魯曼公司英格爾斯造船廠(Ingalls)建造。

　　參議院已經撥付26億美元用於建造第三艘該級驅逐艦，但是眾議院卻不同意第三艘該型艦艇的建造。柯林斯表示，兩院存在的分歧將在會議中解決。

　　“朱姆沃爾特”(Zumwalt)級驅逐艦的特點是採用複合型材料建造、擁有穿浪形外殼以及比“阿利伯克”級驅逐艦更少的人員配置。該型艦艇的排水量為14500噸，比普通驅逐艦大一倍，但其成本卻超過其他驅逐艦的兩倍。(中國船舶工業綜合技術經濟研究院 吳小蘭)

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2008-08-07/0746515287.html
美分析家證實：DDG1000成本很可能超海軍預算
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年08月07日 07:46  中國國防科技資訊網

　　據美國《海軍內情》2008年8月4日 上周國會分析家們對眾議院專門小組證實，最終完成DDG-1000驅逐艦的成本很可能超過海軍預算，真實的成本還沒有經過驗證或實施。

　　海軍希望兩艘DDG-1000的首艦每艘造價32億美元，後續每艘造價23億美元。但7月31日，國會預算辦公室的海軍分析機構埃裏克實驗室對議員們稱，國會預算辦公室估計每艘首艦的造價是50億美元，後續五艘預計造價36億美元。

　　兩周前，海軍對外公佈了它的提案，將DDG-1000計畫削減到兩艘，而不是先前計畫的七艘。軍方打算重新開始建造技術成熟且造價更低的阿利•伯克級DDG-51驅逐艦，作為替代。海軍採購官員上周呼籲眾議院武裝力量委員會海上和遠征力量分會支援他們的提案，並以軍事威脅發生變化作為作佐證。

　　但是，國會的研究力量—總審計局在一份新報告中稱：

　　海軍方面無法申請到足夠的資金以支援已經簽署合同的兩艘DDG-1000的建造。

　　“海軍為兩艘首艦預算的63億美元出現偏差，很可能無法承擔其建造成本，”總審計局7月31日的報告稱。“首艦建造期間成本歷史性的增長了大約27%，獨立估算預測兩艘首艦的成本已經比海軍的預算高了8.78億美元。”

　　這份題為“國防採購：交付朱姆爾沃特級驅逐艦的成本很可能超過預算”的報告稱，海軍的保險櫃裏已沒有多餘的資金來應付成本的上升，而總審計局認為這在造艦過程中很可能要發生在海軍身上。根據這份報告，這兩艘技術先進的隱身驅逐艦因為成本增加而正處於許多風險之中：延遲交付，關鍵系統的性能問題，以及建造或集成艦艇關鍵部件時面臨的問題。

　　“此刻—首艦的六年建造時間表的第一年，海軍可能已經沒有辦法解決DDG-1000潛在的問題，除了延長時間，追加投資，”報告稱。

　　通用動力公司在緬因州下屬的巴斯鋼鐵公司將於今年秋天開始建造第一艘朱姆爾沃特級驅逐艦。諾•格公司的造船廠打算明年在密西西比海灣沿岸開始建造第二艘。

　　聽證會期間埃裏克實驗室稱，通過計算為期35年的造艦工程成本，海軍方面為五艘DDG-1000付出的資金幾乎等於八艘DDG-51。

　　“建造DDG-1000時，雖然海軍不會遇到與建造DDG-51形同的問題，但國會預算辦公室認為他們會遇到其他問題，導致成本上升，” 埃裏克實驗室稱。

　　報告稱，第三艘DDG-1000的合同計畫在2009年授出，海軍“不可能從首艦的實際建造過程中收集到足夠的資料以降低後續艦的成本”，因此必然承擔成本進一步上升的風險。首艦的建造計畫在今年秋天開始。

　　基於上述考慮，總審計局建議海軍推遲後續艦艇合同的授予，直到首艦建造徹底完成。

　　“我們認為，過早授出後續艦艇合同的風險大大高於任何潛在的成本上升風險，也高於推遲批准後續艦艇預算對工業基礎造成的影響，”總審計局的報告稱。

　　對於這份報告的一份草稿，負責採購、技術和後勤的國防部副部長辦公室表示不同意。

　　另外，這份報告指出海軍不斷變動工作，如測試、軟體發展、子系統集成和安裝，直到設計和建造的後期階段。例如，海軍直到2011年才會對綜合電力系統及其控制系統進行完整測試，幾乎比原計劃晚了三年。

　　“在這些階段，工作和推遲的成本高得多，而且比起計畫的早期階段，現在的時間表緊張的多，”報告稱。

　　此外，軍方一直無法趕上最初的設計進度表，船廠也無法按計劃完成建模工作。最後，報告建議軍方在開始建造前首先按照計畫水準完成艦艇設計的建模工作，副部長同意了這一建議。

　　上周，總審計局資訊獲取和管理的主管，本報告的第一作者保羅•法蘭西斯證實，DDG-1000的成本、設計和建造時間表已經變得無限制。

　　“為什麼會這樣？”法蘭西斯要求議員們思考。“雖然無法按預期執行，為什麼造艦預算還是被通過和實施？”(中國船舶資訊中心 呂強)

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3655903&c=SEA&s=TOP
New DDG-51s Could Get Tweaks, Upgrades
By philip ewing
Published: 1 Aug 16:31 EDT (20:31 GMT) 

Even though the U.S. Navy will resume building Arleigh Burke-class destroyers because the ships are cheaper and the costs are predictable, the eight new Burkes could get new refinements that set them apart from earlier siblings, according to a congressional report.

The new series of destroyers will resume with the ship carrying hull number DDG 113. (U.S Navy) According to written testimony submitted July 31 to the House Seapower Subcommittee by Navy shipbuilding expert Ron O'Rourke, the Navy has several options to improve and accessorize the new series of destroyers that will resume with the ship carrying hull number DDG 113.

The Navy acquisitions officials who appeared before the subcommittee July 31 said there isn't yet a plan for how and when to begin the paperwork for buying the new ships, which take the place of five bigger, more advanced Zumwalt-class destroyers. The general sense was that the new Burkes would correspond to the Flight IIA standard - including the latest SPY-1 radar- and be equivalent to ships that had been upgraded with the Navy's DDG Modernization, which includes open architecture, consumer off-the-shelf systems.

Testifying for the Navy were Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of resources and capabilities; and Allison Stiller, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for ship programs.

According to statistics provided by the Navy, the estimated cost for two new DDG 51s is about $3.5 billion, as compared to an estimated $3.2 billion per ship for DDG 1000. But lawmakers, including the Seapower Subcommittee's chairman, Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., hope that serialized production for new DDG 51s would bring down the per-ship costs by the time the next copies are being built. Stiller said it would take extra money and about 50 additional weeks to re-start production on the destroyers' main reduction gear, which ended when the Navy ordered what it thought would be the final ships in the class.

Shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, are already at work on what was formerly the last destroyer, the Michael Murphy, the 62nd ship in the class. The cost for each ship of that vintage is about $1.3 billion.

O'Rourke's report spelled out a number of options that the Navy could request for its new ships, from money-saving possibilities to new propulsion systems to new weapons.

Apart from adding technology, the report's first money-saving option is to reduce crew sizes as much as possible. The House Armed Services Committee in 2005 gave the Navy a goal to reduce destroyer crew sizes from around 300 people to 200. That same year, the Navy reported to Congress that a Burke cost $25 million per year to operate, of which its crew cost $13 million. The more people the Navy can take off its warships, the more money it saves, O'Rourke wrote.

As for upgrades to the ships themselves, the report mentions that if the new generation of DDG 51s included some of the technology from the DDG 1000s' all-electric drive system in a "hybrid plant," the new destroyers could use at least 16 percent less fuel. In the near-term, though, the novel gas-turbine and electric power plant would cost about $17 million to develop and add just under $9 million to the cost of each ship.

Another potential fuel-saving upgrade would be a second bow bulb, located just above the sonar dome protrusion on the existing generation of destroyers. According to internal Navy studies, O'Rourke wrote, the second bow bulb would improve the ships' fuel efficiency by about 4 percent and lead to slightly better speed and range.

The report also posits that a new DDG 51 could be outfitted with the 155mm Advanced Gun System that the DDG 1000 was intended to carry. With a range of 63 nautical miles and highly precise guided ammunition, the AGS is a much deadlier and longer-range gun than the 5-inch gun carried aboard today's Burke-class destroyers.

O'Rourke's report quotes Navy studies that found a DDG 51 could carry an AGS forward of its superstructure, but only if its existing gun and missile tubes were removed. Even then, the ship could only carry 120 rounds for the larger gun, as opposed to the 600 rounds a DDG 1000 would carry for its two AGS guns.

But there may be no need for an AGS after all, according to testimony July 31. The gun was designed to provide long-range fire support to Marine Corps forces ashore, in the tradition of the 16-inch guns carried aboard Navy battleships of yesteryear. That fire-support mission can now be handled by Tactical Tomahawk cruise missiles and precision air strikes, McCullough told the seapower subcommittee, and the Navy was studying ways to provide more long-range fire support from the new littoral combat ships, which carry a 57mm gun.

There is a limit to how many upgrades engineers could shoehorn into a DDG 51 hull, which is about 100 feet shorter and 6,000 tons lighter than a DDG 1000. O'Rourke wrote that if the Navy wanted its new Burkes to have a radar system comparable to the one meant for the DDG 1000, there's a good chance the new destroyers would need to be longer and heavier, or lose some of their existing weapons.

One alternative, he wrote, was to mount an advanced new radar on what he called a "non-combat adjunct ship," a vessel built around the powerful dual-band radar that was to have been fitted in the DDG 1000's composite deckhouse. The radar ship wouldn't be armed, but would travel with surface task groups and feed the other ships data from its sensors. If there were an attack, the warship escorts in formation with the radar ship would need to defend it.