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Senator BARTLETT. Thank you.

Admiral ARMSTRONG. Looking at the long term as reflected in amphibious warfare, we have the LVA, landing vehicle assault, which will be amphibious assault craft to meet mobility and combat support requirements of the Marine Corps in the late 1980's and 2000 time frame. General Fitch will cover this program during his briefing following me, so I don't plan to go into it any further at this stage. Clearly, as a part of amphibious warfare, we cannot overlook the possible contribution of a V/STOL aircraft.

ANTISURFACE WARFARE

Let me now shift to antisurface warfare. The threat is the growing capability of Soviet surface combatants together with their short- and long-range cruise missiles. Our R. & D. emphasis is on weapons with greater standoff range, improved accuracy and increased lethality.

HARPOON MISSION PROFILES

[blocks in formation]

In the near term, the major antiship weapon for the immediate future is Harpoon.

Harpoon, with its 60-nautical-mile range, will provide the first significant standoff capability for small combatants of the U.S. Navy. We have essentially completed the research and development of Harpoon and we are concentrating on improvements to this missile to insure that the missile remains effective against improved enemy de-fenses or countermeasures.

The chart to the left shows its normal profile, either from a submarine or surface ship, or from an aircraft.

The air launched version is intended for employment in the A-6 and the P-3C update aircraft. It is about [deleted].

The sea launched version is currently employed [deleted].

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

Another near-term program which is involved with the antisurface warfare is the 8-inch gun, which I earlier discussed in connection with amphibious warfare. Depicted on the left is the laser-guided projectile and electro-optical fire control system called Seafire. This will increase the antisubmarine warfare effectiveness of our surface ships and give them a capability out to [deleted] miles.

For the mid-term, we are examining [deleted] for increased lethality. This is really an exploratory development effort and we have worked with Tomahawk and Harpoon to understand [deleted] in particular. We will be doing a small effort in this regard this year.

[graphic][merged small]

The major mid-term program clearly is Tomahawk, for which there is $152.1 million in the 1979 budget. Antiship Tomahawk will provide standoff capability which is comparable to long range Soviet systems. It is essential to the Navy general purpose forces. It is a cruise missile with a capability to fly about [deleted] nautical miles, with an effec=tive range of 300 nautical miles.

The difference between the two numbers is the search pattern that it follows, so that it ends up with essentially a 300 nautical-mile capability.

The current development program will result in an initial operational capability in [deleted]. The submarine, modifications to accommodate Tomahawk will consist of relatively minor alterations to torpedo tubes and fire-control systems.

Tomahawk, as a matter of interest, has a modified Harpoon guid

ance.

Senator MCINTYRE. What is the guidance system on the Harpoon?
Mr. CANN. It is a radar.

Senator MCINTYRE. It homes in on radar?

Mr. CANN. It is an active radar system and it detects the ship with its installed radar.

Senator MCINTYRE. Including our own?

Mr. CANN. No, sir. Well, once the missile is launched down range and starts to go into its search pattern, the Harpoon missile system will search out [deleted]. Once it gets down so far, it searches out that ship and attacks it.

The idea behind the Harpoon system is to identify properly the ship that you want to shoot at, have it go down to a given point where it can acquire that ship and attack it.

OVER THE HORIZON SURVEILLANCE AND TARGETING

Admiral ARMSTRONG. I will be covering next the problem of over the horizon surveillance and targeting which relate to how Harpoon or Tomahawk knows what it is shooting at.

Senator MCINTYRE. This is no day for me to get hot about missiles. That missile is a slow missile, right? Slow by tactical war, or is it fast. It is slow in strategic we know.

Mr. CANN. That is right.

Senator MCINTYRE. It is traveling at [deleted] miles an hour. It is not considered slow by the various ships in confrontation. Mr. CANN. That is right.

Senator MCINTYRE. I will wait and see what you say.

[graphic][subsumed]

Admiral ARMSTRONG. In the long term, we are looking at advanced propulsion technology for our missiles, such as the integral rocketramjet, which is expected to pay off in significantly higher missile velocity, greater ranges and greater payloads. We feel the technology will support a long range dual mission missile for surface-to-air and surface-to-surface targets, with the emphasis on the first.

Sustained speeds of [deleted] or greater will enable the missile to penetrate ship defenses at higher altitudes, up to [deleted] and at greater attack angles, which is where we are the weakest in our capability.

Navy and Air Force have supported rocket ramjet technology for several years and we are tied in with the Air Force in this project. Senator MCINTYRE. Is that ASALM?

Admiral ARMSTRONG. Yes, sir. While that is a nuclear warhead missile, we are looking at the engine technology, the flame technology, and also we are deeply interested in a standoff jammer capability. We are working with the Air Force on that, too.

Past efforts have generally been single mission because of the size and weight restrictions. One of the things that enables us to now look at dual mission capabilities is the introduction of a vertical launch capability into ships. This will ease some size and weight restrictions. Vertical launch will also increase antiair warfare firepower as I will note later. A dual mission missile will require new guidance concepts, including a dual mode to mode seeker. The guidance system will be tied in with the over the horizon targeting systems.

ASALM PROGRAM

Senator BARTLETT. Admiral, is the coordination in this ramjet program the ASALM program?

Admiral ARMSTRONG. Yes sir.

Senator BARTLETT. How much?

Admiral Armstrong. There is almost a daily effort involved in it, sir. There are two formal committee groups that meet, one to discuss the standoff jammer.

Admiral O'HARA. Also, we are buying in fiscal year 1979 an ASALM airframe and engine combination to test the terminal phases to see whether it can be adapted in toto, the Air Force production and airframe for our mission.

Senator BARTLETT. Whether you could combine just on the ASALM program alone, is that what you mean?

Admiral O'HARA. Yes, sir, just the ASALM program as far as the long range dual mission missile.

Senator BARTLETT. I see.

Admiral ARMSTRONG. Because of LRDMM's [deleted] warhead as opposed to the [deleted], we feel our front end needs to be better in its ability to home.

We are looking at under keel concepts which would be applied to sea-launched weapons. Also, as a matter of interest, in the long-term effort we should highlight the weaponizing prototype program element which is structured to demonstrate high technology payoffs. Currently we have four programs that are involved. This is also an area where there is a little work being done with the Germans on midcourse guidance.

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