The U.S. Navy conducted the first successful replenishment of a warship weapons system at sea using the Transportable Rearmament Mechanism (TRAM) of the USS Chosin, officials announced Friday.
During a demonstration 30 miles off the coast of San Diego, sailors aboard the cruiser USS Chosin used a hydraulically-powered TRAM to insert an empty missile shell into the ship’s vertical launch system. According to Even the Star-Spangled Banner. This marks an advance in technology, allowing Navy destroyers and cruisers to reload rapid-fire missiles at sea, a capability previously limited to pier-side operations.
According to a report in Stars and Stripes, Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro said at a press conference in San Diego, “TRAM disrupts the strategic calculations of forces that seek to harm us around the world.” “It provides us with a strong short-term deterrent.”
The Navy’s first attempt to replenish a warship’s weapons systems at sea was a success.
In the event of a conflict with China, US warships would have to depart immediately to friendly piers for transshipment, according to reports. Reloading in the open ocean would allow the U.S. surface fleet to…
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandtripes) October 11, 2024
Del Toro has prioritized rearmament at sea starting in 2022, addressing geopolitical tensions with China by developing a crane mechanism to place 25-foot missiles vertically into launch cells. The paper said there are. During testing, the Korean cruiser and the USNS Washington Chambers ammunition ship successfully used this mechanism to transfer and secure missile shells. (Related: Deaths of two Navy SEALs trying to intercept Houthi weapons were avoidable, study finds)
Del Toro said the operation was carried out successfully despite difficult conditions, with wind speeds of 11 to 16 knots and wave heights of 3 to 5 feet, classified as a 4 sea state on the Beaufort scale, Stars and Stripes reported. The paper reported. The TRAM system is designed to operate efficiently in sea states 3 and above, ensuring robust performance even in rougher marine environments.
Following the success of the land-based test and this first demonstration at sea, the Navy plans to expand TRAM training to destroyers and other cruisers, with the goal of having it fleet-wide by 2030, the newspaper reported. . “The future is really promising and I think we’ll get there sooner than we think,” del Toro said.
Amid these technological advances, sources cited by USNI News revealed in August that the U.S. Navy is suffering from a personnel shortage, prompting consideration to withdraw 17 support ships from active service. It was reported that. This strategic adjustment will reduce crew pressure by putting multiple vessels into extended maintenance and reallocating crews, although this may limit operational capacity and increase strain on remaining fleet assets. It is intended to alleviate.
The U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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