The new submersible redefining the US Navy’s operations: Weapons and Warfare

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M YOUR HOST RYAN ROBERTSON. JUST AHEAD ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE. 

WE’RE HEADING FOR OPEN WATERS AS THE NAVY EYES BOEING’S ORCA, AN AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE, FOR THE FUTURE OF THEIR HYBRID FLEET.

PLUS, READY, AIM, FIRE. I GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT THE SMART SHOOTER SMASH HOPPER, A LIGHTWEIGHT REMOTE-CONTROLLED WEAPON STATION USING THEIR SMASH FIRE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY. IT’S A REMARKABLE SYSTEM AND ONE OF THOSE THAT JUST MAKES YA SAY WOW!

AND, WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE INNOVATIVE WORK HAPPENING AT SHARROW MARINE. WE’LL TELL YOU WHY THEIR PROPELLERS COULD SOON BE ON A NAVY CRAFT NEAR YOU. BUT FIRST –– LET’S TACKLE SOME HEADLINES. 

THE ARMY IS LOOKING FOR SOME BALANCE IN THE FORCE. 

FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, THE NATION’S BIGGEST BRANCH OF SERVICE IS ASKING LIEUTENANTS SERVING IN FOUR OVERSTAFFED CAREER FIELDS TO VOLUNTEER FOR TRANSFER INTO ONE OF FIVE UNDERSTAFFED POSITIONS.

CALLED THE OFFICER REBRANCHING PROGRAM, ARMY LEADERSHIP IS LOOKING FOR LIEUTENANTS CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE INFANTRY, ARMOR, FIELD ARTILLERY OR THE ENGINEER BRANCH TO SWITCH TO AIR DEFENSE, FINANCE, LOGISTICS, AND SIGNAL CORPS TO NAME A FEW.

OF THE REQUEST, THE DIRECTOR OF THE ARMY HUMAN RESOURCES COMMAND’S READINESS DIVISION, COLONEL SHAY O’NEAL, SAYS… 

[PULL QUOTE //  COL Shay O’Neal, Dir, of HRC Readiness Division]

“Offering these opportunities allows us to retain individual officers at the beginning of their careers while rebalancing the force for long-term readiness.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

LAST YEAR’S EFFORT SAW MORE THAN 130 LIEUTENANTS VOLUNTARILY CHANGE CAREER FIELDS, AND THE ARMY IS HOPING BY OFFERING MORE OPTIONS, THEY’LL GET MORE TAKERS THIS YEAR. 

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE F-35’S YEAR OF TWISTS AND TURNS IS TAKING ANOTHER TWIST. 

AT ISSUE NOW THE F-35-A VERSION AND ITS ONBOARD 25MM CANNON. 

THE PROBLEM? WELL, A FEBRUARY PENTAGON REPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION, THE CANNONS DON’T SHOOT STRAIGHT.

THE HEAVILY REDACTED REPORT, PUBLISHED BY THE PROJECT ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT, DETAILS ISSUES WITH DESIGN AND INSTALLATION. 

THE F-35A –USED BY THE AIR FORCE–HAS A FOUR-BARRELLED 25MM GATLING-TYPE CANNON MOUNTED INTERNALLY ABOVE THE AIRCRAFT’S LEFT ENGINE INTAKE. THE GUN CAN FIRE 3,300 ROUNDS PER MINUTE BUT IS FED  FROM A 180-ROUND MAGAZINE.

THE F-35-B AND C MODELS DON’T HAVE INTERNAL GUNS, AND IF YOU ASK AN AIR FORCE PILOT IF THEY EVER EXPECT TO USE THE GUN IN A DOGFIGHT, THE ANSWER IS NO, AS THE F-35 IS BUILT TO TAKE CARE OF THREATS FROM A CONSIDERABLE STANDOFF DISTANCE. 

BUT THE EVENTUAL RETIREMENT OF THE A-10 WARTHOG COULD ADD CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT AND STRAFING RUNS TO THE F-35A’S WIDE ARRAY OF RESPONSIBILITIES. 

IN MARCH, A STATEMENT FROM THE F-35 JOINT PROGRAM OFFICE TO ‘THE WAR ZONE’ SAID THE ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AND THE GUN IS EFFECTIVE. BUT WORK CONTINUES TO IMPROVE THE GUNS’ LETHALITY. 

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TALK ABOUT HOLIDAY SHOPPING, AEROVIRNMENT, WHOSE P-550 WE PROFILED LAST WEEK, SIGNED AN AGREEMENT TO BUY ANOTHER FORMER SUBJECT OF A WEAPONS AND WARFARE FEATURE, BLUEHALO. IT’S IN AN ALL-STOCK DEAL WORTH $4.1 BILLION. 

THE AGREEMENT BRINGS BLUEHALO’S EFFORTS IN SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, COUNTER-UNCREWED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS, DIRECTED ENERGY, ELECTRONIC WARFARE, CYBER, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND OTHER EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES UNDER THE AEROVIRONMENT UMBRELLA.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE SUBMARINE. 

AN ICONIC PIECE OF ANY ADVANCED NAVY’S FLEET. 

ALSO, AN ICON ON THE BIG SCREEN. 

FROM THE ‘HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER’

{SOT @ 02:00} “steer right, three, one, five”

                          “Wait a minute, that’s heading into the torpedo.”

                          “Estimate range, 6,000 yards!”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TO ‘CRIMSON TIDE’’

{SOT @ 00:00} “Captain, I relieve you of command of this ship.”

                          ”COB escort the Captain to his stateroom”

                           “You’re not assuming anything”

                           “Chief of the boat, Captain Ramsey is under arrest. Lock him in his stateroom.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AND EVEN THE ILL-FATED ‘DOWN PERISCOPE’..

{SOT @ 00:54} “Have you any last words before you walk the plank, sir?”

                          ”You can’t do this you maniac. This is the modern Navy. People don’t walk the plank!”

  “Captain Blood, confine him to the briney deep!! (cheers)”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

OK, NOT SO ICONIC FOR KELSEY GRAMMAR. 

FOR HOLLYWOOD, IT’S EASY ENOUGH TO PLAY AT HIGH STAKES ON THE HIGH SEAS, BUT FOR THOSE CHARGED WITH MAKING REAL-WORLD DECISIONS, WITH LIVES POTENTIALLY AT STAKE, THERE’S NOTHING FICTIONAL ABOUT IT. 

THAT’S ONE REASON WHY MILITARY LEADERSHIP AROUND THE WORLD IS INVESTING IN THE NEXT EVOLUTION IN UNDERWATER DETERANCE.

MEET THE ORCA. WHILE IT DOES SHARE THE SAME NAME AS A LOW-BUDGET 1977 THRILLER–WHICH TERRIFIED ME AS A CHILD–THE SIMILARITIES THANKFULLY END THERE. 

THIS AUTONOMOUS MODULAR PLATFORM, BUILT BY BOEING FOR THE UNITED STATES NAVY, IS A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND VEHICLE CAPABLE OF SERVING IN A WIDE RANGE  OF MISSION TYPES IN THE OPEN WATER. 

ON ITS OWN, THE ORCA CHECKS IN AT 51 FEET LONG. WHEN OUTFITTED WITH BOENING’S LARGEST PAYLOAD SECTION, WHICH IS 34 FEET ON ITS OWN, THE ORCA CAN STRETCH OUT TO 85 FEET. 

POWERED BY A DIESEL-ELECTRIC ENGINE, THE ORCA CAN TRAVEL A LITTLE MORE THAN 7,400 MILES ON A FULL TANK. TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE, THAT’S HALF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE EARTH. MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO TRAVEL FROM ONE SIDE OF THE PLANET TO THE OTHER WITHOUT THE NEED TO RESUPPLY OR CARRY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS.

TECHNICALLY KNOWN AS AN EXTRA LARGE UNCREWED UNDERSEA VEHICLE, OR  X-L-U-U-V, THE NAVY MADE AN INITIAL BUY OF FOUR IN 2019 BEFORE EVENTUALLY BUMPING THE ORDER TO SIX.

[ANN STEVENS, VP OF MARITIME & INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS]

“The Navy added a sixth vehicle to that contract as a test article, which has been really great because we were able to get that vehicle into the water over a year ago and be able to really start seeing how it’s performing, learning about, you know, the different hardware and software that’s in that vehicle and putting it through its paces operationally before we deliver the vehicles that’ll get fielded to the fleet.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THOSE VEHICLES REPRESENT A POTENTIAL EXPANDED ARRAY OF STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL OPTIONS FOR A SERVICE THAT’S TURNING MORE AND MORE OF ITS ATTENTION TO POSSIBLE THREATS IN THE PACIFIC, AKA CHINA. 

ANN STEVENS, BOEING’S VICE PRESIDENT OF MARITIME AND INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS, SAYS THE ORCA WILL ALLOW THE NAVY TO CARRY OUT PREVIOUSLY UNATTAINABLE MISSIONS AND CHANGE THE GAME WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSEA WARFARE.

[ANN STEVENS, VP OF MARITIME & INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS]

“You know, what are the, what are the capability gaps that are still elusive to them? And, you know, do we see the potential for this technology to expand to, you know, a vehicle that doesn’t require a host ship, a vehicle that can go, you know, 6500 nautical miles and traverse the ocean.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHILE THE HARDWARE OF THE ORCA IS WELL ON ITS WAY TO PROVING ITS WORTH IN THE TYPE OF WORK IT CAN PERFORM, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER JON MOLIK TELLS US IT’S THE AUTONOMOUS PIECE OF THE PUZZLE THAT WILL LIKELY MAKE IT AN INTEGRAL PIECE OF THE NAVY’S BATTLE PLAN FOR FUTURE CONFLICTS. 

[JON MOLIK, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER]

“So what we need to continue to work on is, is, is these be these vehicles being able to do things like conduct a cyber attack or cyber defense at the time, same time as communicating with the joint fires environment and the GPS and navigation environment, all of these things have to happen in concert, and that’s again, a challenge to do when it’s fully autonomous. But I suspect that the Navy, as well as the all those other services will get this, will get this done in the next few years,”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE ORCA ALSO REPRESENTS THE ABILITY TO FILL AREAS OF NEED FOR A BRANCH STRUGGLING TO MODERNIZE AND STAY IN FRONT OF POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES. 

[ANN STEVENS, VP OF MARITIME & INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS]

“You know, you can see in the news the challenges that we’re facing, you know, building the next ballistic class of submarine, the Columbia trying to build, you know, enough Virginia class submarines, and looking at our near peer threats and the gap that is there, and I feel like this is just a great capability to help complement that gap that we’re seeing right now.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

OF COURSE, THE U.S. ISN’T THE ONLY COUNTRY WORKING TO DEVELOP X-L-U-U-VS. LAST NOVEMBER, A TEAM OF BRITISH ENGINEERS SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED AN AUTONOMOUS SUBMARINE OF THEIR OWN. BUILT BY BAE SYSTEMS AND CALLED THE “HERNE,” IT’S ALREADY COMPLETED THE FIRST SET OF IN-WATER TRIALS AND DEMONSTRATIONS.

BACK ON THIS SIDE OF THE POND, BOEING EXPECTS TO DELIVER THE FIRST ORCA TO THE NAVY IN EARLY 2025. THE NAVY WILL DO SOME MORE TESTING WHICH WILL LAST THROUGH THE FALL–THEN THERE’S CREW CERTIFICATION WITH ITS OPERATORS –– AND THEN ––THE FIRST ORCA WILL BE MISSION-READY

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

COLONEL WILLIAM PRESCOTT IS OFTEN CREDITED WITH SAYING, “DON’T FIRE UNTIL YOU SEE THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES.” HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY GIVING THE ADVICE TO BRITISH TROOPS MARCHING ON BUNKER HILL. 

WHETHER HE ACTUALLY SAID IT IS SUBJECT TO DEBATE AMONG HISTORIANS. 

WHAT’S NOT UP FOR DEBATE IS THE PHRASE’S INTENTION: MAKE YOUR SHOT COUNT. SO, IN THAT SPIRIT–HERE ARE THE SMART SHOOTER SMASH 2000-L AND THE SMASH HOPPER. OUR WEAPONS OF THE WEEK.

WHILE THE RIFLE MAY HAVE BEEN THE 20th CENTURY SOLDIER’S BEST FRIEND, IN THE 21st, THEIR FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM PROBABLY ISN’T FAR BEHIND. ONE LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR THAT GIG IS THE SMASH 2000-L. BUILT BY SMART SHOOTER, AN ISRAELI DEFENSE CONTRACTOR WITH OPERATIONS IN THE U.S., IT’S AN ELECTRO-OPTICAL FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM THAT WORKS ON JUST ABOUT ANY GUN AVAILABLE. 

[SCOTT THOMPSON, VP & GM, SMART SHOOTER INC.]

“So it’s real simple. All you do, it acts like a standard reflex site. So you get like a dot reticle. You look through the field of view, that’s your aiming point, right? And so once you decide you’re going to engage something, you hit the button, it starts to do the calculation to that target, and you’ll see a crosshair pop up, and all you do is move. You hold the trigger down, you hold it down, and you move the crosshair into the disturbed reticle, and it does not release the round until this says it has 100% solution. That’s why it’s so accurate”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WE CAUGHT UP WITH SMART SHOOTER’S SCOTT THOMPSON AT AUSA’S ANNUAL MEETING, WHERE HE WALKED US THROUGH THE SYSTEM’S FINER POINTS.

[SCOTT THOMPSON, VP & GM, SMART SHOOTER INC.]

“The other thing is that once you’re locked on a target, it continues to update the ballistic solution. So that’s why we can hit moving targets. That’s why you can be unstable, you can be wounded, you could be exhausted, you could be inexperienced, you know, with with general, you know, weapons. It doesn’t matter. Once you’re locked on that target, the system will hit that target.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

BUT WHAT REALLY CAUGHT OUR EYE WAS THIS: THE SMASH HOPPER. A LIGHTWEIGHT REMOTE-CONTROLLED WEAPON STATION, THE HOPPER, WHEN PAIRED WITH THEIR FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM, HELPS OPERATORS ENGAGE GROUND TARGETS AND SMALL UAVs, OR DRONES. IT CAN BE USED IN A FIXED POSITION OR MOUNTED TO A VEHICLE. 

[SCOTT THOMPSON, VP & GM, SMART SHOOTER INC.]

“So, basically, the same technology, same, same thought process, same so, you know, in and what we’re trying to do here is demonstrate our ability to have a mobile counter UAS capability. There’s obviously, this is a huge threat for the Air Force. They’re worried about air bases, you know. And so we can, because they don’t have a lot of kinetic solutions at this point. And this is one of the best that that’s out there right now. We think so.” 

“We have it mounted to a vehicle right now, but even a dismounted soldier if they’re setting up camp,”

“Yeah, normally comes with a tripod. Yeah, it’s a little security, automated security, right? We’ve had it on UGVs. We’ve got it on small robots and tunnels. We’ve had it on telescoping mass. So, because it’s so lightweight, it can integrate to almost any kind of platform, it’s really easy.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IN AUGUST, WE INTRODUCED YOU TO GREG SHARROW OF SHARROW MARINE. WHEN WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM, HE WAS IN TAMPA FOR SOF WEEK, LOOKING TO DRUM UP INTEREST IN HIS REVOLUTIONARY PROPELLER FROM THE SPECIAL FORCES COMMUNITY

WELL, THAT EFFORT PAID OFF, AND HIS INNOVATION COULD SOON BE ON A WIDE ARRAY OF MILITARY WATERCRAFT. THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S COMMS CHECK.

IN EARLY DECEMBER, SHARROW MARINE ANNOUNCED A DEAL WITH A-D-S, A GOVERNMENT CONTRACT SUPPLIER, THAT WILL MAKE THE SHARROW PROPELLER AN APPROVED SUPPLY OPTION FOR THE D-O-D. IT’S A DEVELOPMENT MORE THAN A DECADE IN THE MAKING FOR THE MICHIGAN-BASED COMPANY.

[GREG SHARROW, CEO/FOUNDER, SHARROW MARINE]

“They’re going to help us connect with government agencies that that we’ve been wanting to connect to for a long time, and have been looking for really efficient ways to do that. … This efficiency is going to lead to more warfighters getting their hands on our technology faster, and that is better for them. And what’s good for them is good for us.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SHARROW SAYS HIS PATENTED DESIGN IS THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT LEAP IN PROPELLER TECHNOLOGY SINCE THE 1830s. ELIMINATING THE TRADITIONAL PROP BLADE IN FAVOR OF A LOOP DESIGN. IT’S A CHANGE THAT SHARROW SAYS IMPROVES THE RIDING EXPERIENCE, REDUCES NOISE, AND IS CONSIDERABLY MORE FUEL EFFICIENT. 

IT’S SOMETHING WE WERE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND IN THE WATERS AROUND TAMPA.

[RYAN ROBERTSON, IN INTERVIEW]

“For Special Operations community. Yeah, the quieter obviously itself here, right? Yeah, but there’s less vibration. So that also is going to be better on the sensors. Better on the operators onboard.”

[GREG SHARROW, CEO/FOUNDER, SHARROW MARINE]

“Yeah, right. Yeah, it’d be less vibration, which is better on the operators. And it’s going to reduce the debt detected in less vibration means you’re going to reduce the detectability of the vessel, which also has a huge benefit for the operators. And just the fatigue of listening to a really loud, you know, say motor, it’s not the motor propeller for extended amount of time, can really wear on you over time. And so by reducing that, there’s just a tremendous, you know, lifestyle benefits all operators. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IT’S EXPERIENCES LIKE THAT WHICH ARE HELPING SHARROW MARINE GET THE KIND OF MOMENTUM NEEDED TO BREAK INTO THE DEFENSE CONTRACTING ARENA. 

[GREG SHARROW, CEO/FOUNDER, SHARROW MARINE]

“They say, ‘Wow, I thought it was snake oil. I I gotta be honest with you, Greg, I thought it was just marketing and being here right now on this boat, I’m a believer.’ And that’s what we see again and again and again, because the claims are so dramatic, you have to see it to believe it.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ONE SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE SHARROW SAYS HIS COMPANY HAS IS THE ABILITY TO BUILD SPECIFIC PROPS IN VERY LITTLE TIME. PUTTING THEIR HARDWARE IN THE HANDS OF END-USERS WITH THE TYPE OF SPEED THE D-O-D SAYS IT NEEDS AS U-S FORCES CONTINUE TO MODERNIZE.

[GREG SHARROW, CEO/FOUNDER, SHARROW MARINE]

“We can go from concept to water in 12 hours, whereas it will take, traditionally, if you use investment cast processes, which is the norm for prototyping, it can take three months to get a prototype, but we can go from concept to water in 12 hours.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHILE THEIR HISTORY IS PRIMARILY WITH RECREATIONAL WATERCRAFT, SHARROW SAYS THE DEAL WITH A-D-S IS OPENING SEVERAL AVENUES OF OPPORTUNITY.

{SOT @ 20:29 //  Greg Sharrow, CEO & Founder of Sharrow Marine

“We’re also hearing a lot of requests for autonomous. People want they want autonomous vessels. They want one, and they want range. … And when it comes to autonomous, you want controllability. And we have the propeller that gives you the most control on your vessel that is possible.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AS FOR WHAT’S NEXT, SHARROW SAYS HIS TEAM IS LOOKING INTO DRONES, LINE PUMPS, BASICALLY ANYTHING THAT USES A TRADITIONAL PROP OR FAN BLADE.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ALRIGHT FOLKS, THAT’S GOING TO DO IT FOR US THIS WEEK ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE. REMEMBER–YOU CAN ALWAYS CATCH UP ON PAST EPISODES AND SEE SOME OF THE OTHER STORIES I DO FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS ON OUR WEBSITE, SAN.COM–AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SO BE SURE TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO THOSE IF YOU HAVEN’T YET!

OKAY, SO FOR THIS WEEK’S WRAP I THOUGHT I’D TALK ABOUT A MAJOR UPCOMING HOLIDAY AND THE IMPORTANCE IT HOLDS FOR PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD. 

HANNUKAH OF COURSE!  SO, MY FAMILY DOES HANNUKAH AND WE’RE TEACHING OUR YOUNGEST ABOUT IT THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME. 

HANNUKKAH IS THE STORY OF JUDAH MACCABBEE, HIS BROTHERS, AND THE UPRISING THEY LEAD AGAINST THE GREEKS DURING THE SECOND CENTURY B-C-E…LONG TIME AGO. THE GREEKS CONTROLLED THE JEWISH TEMPLE–AND WOULDN’T LET THE JEWS PRACTICE THEIR BELIEFS. 

JUDAH AND THE MACCABEES COULDN’T STAND IT ANY LONGER–SO THEY FOUGHT BACK AGAINST THE GREEKS, SMASHED THEIR OPPRESSORS AND RECAPTURED THE TEMPLE….WHERE THEY COULD RE-LIGHT THE MENORAH. THE SINGLE LIGHT SOURCE IN THE JEWISH PEOPLE’S MOST HOLY PLACE. 

THE STORY OF HANNUKKAH IS ALL ABOUT FINDING WAYS TO KEEP THE LIGHT GOING WHEN IT FEELS LIKE THE WORLD  IS FILLED WITH DARKNESS. AND AS THE MACCABEES SHOWED, SOMETIMES, WE HAVE TO FIGHT TO KEEP THE LIGHT GOING. WE CAN’T JUST ASSUME IT’LL ALWAYS BE THERE. 

MACCABEE ACTUALLY MEANS HAMMER IN HEBREW–WHICH IS WHY JUDAH AND HIS FOLLOWERS ARE CALLED THE MACCABEES–BECAUSE WHEN THE TIME CAME, THEY HIT BACK. HARD. 

SO WHETHER YOU CELEBRATE THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS OR NOT–I THINK WE CAN ALL LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE MACABEES. KEEPING THE LIGHT GOING IS HARD WORK. THERE ARE FORCES WHO WILL TRY AND STOP US FROM DOING IT…AND SIMPLY PUT, WE CAN’T LET THEM DO THAT.

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.