Page 72 - Maritime Services and the Kill Web

The Maritime Services, the Allies and Shaping the Kill Web

According to the US Navy, N-20 is described as follows:

The Tomahawk Landing Attack Missile (TLAM) Department provides direct support to U.S. Fleet Forces Command
(USFFC) in the development and standardization of tactics, techniques and procedures for the employment of the
Tomahawk weapon system.

In addition, TLAM provides training to the CVW, fleet, and joint commands on TLAM capabilities and strike
integration
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrsw/installations/nas_fallon/about/nawdc.html

The role of the rotary wing for the CAG is pretty clear-cut – it is primarily focused on ship defense.

And to do so, the Navy operates two helos, the Romeo and the Sierra to combine between them the sensors
and missile payloads necessary to provide for close in and medium range carrier defense.

The dyad is worked with Romeo as the sensor rich aircraft and Sierra the weapons heavy strike asset and the
interactions between them are designed to provide seamless ship protection and with the sensors and coms
onboard links to other assets, which can provide for ship defense as well.

“Both are H-60 helicopters. But the 60 Romeo is a sensor rich aircraft.

“The Romeo has ESM, RADAR, interrogators, all things that make it a very, very good coordination and
reconnaissance type platform.
“In contrast, the Sierra carries guns, equipment, and various missiles to provide the strike punch for the dyad.”

“The advantage of the Romeo is that the crew can actually manage the maritime picture, and direct aircraft in
different places and different sectors, and provide a significant amount of SA to the strike group, particularly
the high value unit like the aircraft carrier.

“The Sierra can do that to a much, much lower extent.
“But the advantage of the Sierra is that it is a significantly lighter helicopter, so there can be a lot more
weapons/equipment in the air to be used by one of these platforms.

“The way the helicopters work together now is relatively efficient.

“I would like to have two or three Romeos in the fight, somewhere, with all of their sensors turned on, and
providing all that SA, but have several Sierras that have lot of weapons in the air, if I need them.”
“The Romeo is a heavier airframe.

“So if I can have one or two helicopters configured for anti-submarine warfare, and then one that is just a
sensor platform, I can have multiple Sierras that carry a lot of weapons because they have the extra weight
to do that, the extra power to do that.

“Then, I have a lot of assets in the air to direct and coordinate depending on the strike mission.”
As the Fire Scout is currently being worked with the S-60 into a composite detachment onboard the LCS, it is
anticipated that Fire Scout or a UAS capability will become part of the rotor wing providing for ship defense
at some point in the future.

Second Line of Defense

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