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This New Beach Landing Vessel Is Being Bought By The Marines

Yahoo

22-05-2025

Yahoo

This New Beach Landing Vessel Is Being Bought By The Marines

The U.S. Marine Corps is buying a pair of new medium landing craft from Australia-headquartered firm Birdon to help the service continue to refine its new expeditionary and distributed concepts of operations. The purchase of the two Ancillary Surface Craft-Medium (ASC-M) vessels aligns with a 'bridging solution' that the Marines have been working on with the U.S. Navy to pave the way for already much-delayed plans to acquire a fleet of larger Medium Landing Ships. 'The U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) selected global maritime engineering leader Birdon to design and build two prototype vessels to demonstrate emerging concepts under the Marine Corps' Force Modernization objectives,' according to a press release the company put out yesterday. 'The resultant Birdon Ancillary Surface Craft (ASC) marks a critical step forward in delivering next-generation landing craft solutions to inform future capabilities, tactics, and procedures.' Birdon is set to actually build ASC-Ms in the United States with the help of Louisiana-based C&C Marine and Repair (C&C). Construction of the first of the two landing craft is scheduled to start this summer. Birdon's release says that the ASC-M design, a rendering of which is seen at the top of this story, will be able to carry up to 40 personnel with full combat loads or 54 tons of cargo. The vessels, which have ramps at the front that drop down for loading and unloading, are 150 feet long and 30 feet across, according to a report from WorkBoat. This would put the ASC-Ms in the same rough size-class as various Landing Craft Utility (LCU) types currently in U.S. Navy and U.S. Army service, but with a smaller stated payload capacity. As a comparison, the Navy says the new LCU 1700s that it is in the process of acquiring will be 139 feet long and 31 feet wide, similar to the ASC-M, but also be able to carry up to 350 combat-equipped troops or 170 tons of cargo. The ASC-M does offer significant 'maneuverability, stability, and long-range ocean transit capability,' according to Birdon. 'To ensure safe landings on uncharted beaches, Birdon worked with a specialist sonar company to develop and integrate an advanced forward-looking sonar system, allowing operators to detect obstacles and assess beach gradients well ahead of the vessel,' The vessel is designed to beach and de-beach in gradients significantly shallower than existing landing craft can support, providing enhanced, safe amphibious operations capability.' 'Birdon's ASC design also features a cutting-edge fuel delivery and transfer system that allows for efficient vessel-to-vessel or vessel-to-land fuel transfer, supporting extended operational range and flexibility in challenging environments,' the company's press release adds. The ASC-M rendering shows it armed with at least two remote weapon stations, one at the bow and one at the stern, both of which appear to be armed with a 30mm M230 automatic cannon and a 7.62x51mm M240-series machine gun. The M230 is a more multi-purpose weapon that could offer a degree of self-protection against lightly armored targets and drones. A .50 caliber M2 machine gun is also seen at the stern end on a standard deck mount. Rotating antennas typically associated with navigation radars are seen on top of the pilot house. 'MCWL and Birdon collaborated to balance requirements, operational capabilities, cost, and producibility. The team focused on advanced design concepts to improve production automation, requiring fewer hours to build each craft,' the company's release says. 'The collaboration resulted in moving from concept to an affordable, production-friendly design, ready for construction in less than 12 months. The incorporation of automated production features allows for the rapid scaling of output to meet future demands.' The ASC-M will join a small group of vessels the Marines have already been using to help refine new concepts of operations collectively referred to as Expeditionary Advance Base Operations (EABO). A central component of EABO is being able to rapidly move relatively small formations of Marines between forward operating locations, especially ones situated on far-flung islands in the Pacific. The goal of this so-called 'stand-in force' is to hopefully deter an opponent, but also be in a better and less vulnerable position to act if called upon. Not having to rely on large traditional Navy amphibious warfare ships to conduct these maneuvers in littoral environments, where established port facilities are also likely to be absent, is essential to the EABO concept. Depending on the exact distribution of Marine forces and the distance between operating locations in a particular area, vessels like the ASC-M could be used to move personnel and materiel between sites and/or act as 'connectors' between larger ships and the shore. For years now, the Marines have also been working with the Navy on plans for the latter service to acquire a fleet of at least 18 and up to 35 Medium Landing Ships, or LSMs, to support the EABO construct. However, concerns about the costs of prospective designs and other issues have continually pushed back the LSM program schedule, with the first of those vessels now not set to arrive until the end of the decade at the earliest. So, since at least 2023, the Marines and the Navy have been developing a phased approach for LSM and what is referred to as the Littoral Maneuver Bridging Solution (LMBS). 'LMBS addresses the urgent need for intra-theater mobility and tactical maneuver by leveraging a mix of existing platforms, experimental vessels, and chartered solutions, mitigating the near-term gap in organic littoral mobility and maneuver,' Gen. Eric Smith, Commandant of the Marine Corps, explained just recently in prepared remarks for hearings before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. 'Expeditionary Fast Transports (T-EPF), Landing Craft Utility (LCU) variants, and Maritime Prepositioning Ships are providing critical operational and tactical support for dispersed units conducting EABO.' 'Experimental and chartered vessels are also being used to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures, providing valuable lessons for the future LSM program,' Smith added. 'While LMBS cannot fully replicate the capabilities of the LSM, it enhances mobility and sustainment, ensuring Stand-in Forces remain agile and combat-ready in contested littoral environments for the near future.' In line with this, in January 2024, the Marines cut a separate deal with Birdon to test and evaluate a heavy landing craft called the H260, based on a design the company had already been working on for the Australian military. 'Looking outwardly similar to many oil and gas offshore support vessels, but with integrated signature reduction features, the 260-foot-long craft features a payload of 440 short tons, deck space of 8,000 sq ft, the ability to accommodate 72 Marines and 26 crew, a range of over 5,000nm, and a draft of only 6.5 feet allowing it to access a far larger proportion of beach and riverine offload locations than similar sized vessels,' the company said in a press release at the time. 'Its inherent robustness and resilience enable the H-260 to adapt to a wide range of mission profiles and sustain multiple deployments. The aft loading and forward enclosed ramps enable rapid load transfer while adding flexibility to cope with a wider range of landing sites.' When it comes to current plans for LSM, in April, the Navy announced its intention to award a sole-source contract to Bollinger Shipyards to build an initial 'Block I' ship. Shortly before leaving the post in January, former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro had announced that the first LSM would be named USS McClung in honor of 'U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Public Affairs Officer Major Megan M.L. McClung, USMC, who was killed in action while serving in Iraq.' In April, USNI News reported that there had been no change to the naming plan. The Block I LSM will be based on a design that Bollinger had developed for Israel, also known as the Israeli Logistics Support Vessel (ILSV), the first of which were delivered in 2023. The ILSV, which can load and unload personnel and cargo directly from a beach via a ramp at the bow, is reportedly just under 312 feet (95 meters) long, just over 66 feet (20 meters) across, displaces some 2,755 tons empty, and has a total payload capacity of over 2,200 tons. It is said to have a top speed of just over 14 knots and a maximum range with a full load of at least 6,500 nautical miles. The ILSV is notably derived from an open-ocean optimized subclass of the General Frank S. Besson class Logistics Support Vessel (LSV) that VT Halter Marine developed in the 1980s for the U.S. Army, which you can read about in much greater detail here. The Philippine Navy also operates a derivative of that design called the Bacolod City class. Bollinger acquired VT Halter Marine in 2022. It's also worth noting here that the Army has been continually pushing to divest portions of its obscure watercraft fleets in recent years, ostensibly to help free up resources for other priorities. This is despite the benefits that the LSVs, in particular, have to offer, especially in a future conflict in the Pacific, as is now further underscored by the Block I LSM plans. Just this week, Breaking Defense reported that the Army may now be looking to axe its own next-generation Maneuver Support Vessel-Light medium landing craft program, which has suffered delays, as part of a new force-wide restructuring effort. The Navy is also already looking toward a follow-on LSM 'Block Next,' and has moved to acquire the technical data package for the LST-100 landing ship from Dutch shipbuilder Damen as part of that work. The LST-100 is some 328 feet (100 meters) long, around 52.5 feet (16 meters) wide, has a deadweight of up to 1,400 tons, a top speed of 14 knots, and a range in excess of 4,000 nautical miles, according to Damen. The ship, which can load and unload personnel and cargo via clamshell doors in the bow, can also deploy its own smaller landing craft and maneuver other payloads from within its hull ashore with the help of a large crane. It has a flight deck at the stern designed to accommodate an NH-90 or similar-sized helicopter, as well. 'LSM Block I is the mid-term solution to support the Marine Corps' shore-to-shore littoral mobility requirement,' according to Marine Commandant Smith's recent prepared remarks for Congress. 'The final phase, LSM Block Next, will incorporate advanced technologies and lessons learned from LMBS and LSM Block I to further enhance the ship's capabilities.' Overall, the current LSM plans would seem to stand in significant contrast to the urgency in the messaging coming from the Marines and elsewhere in the U.S. military, particularly in the context of concerns about the prospect of a high-end conflict with China before the end of the decade. This all also comes as China's People's Liberation Army is steadily expanding its own amphibious warfare capabilities, which would be especially relevant in a potential military intervention against Taiwan. In addition, the delays and other difficulties the Marines and Navy have faced already in trying to acquire the LSMs underscore larger issues facing the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which is dwarfed by that of China. The U.S. government has been trying to take steps in recent years to bolster America's ability to produce or otherwise acquire naval vessels, as well as commercial ships. When the first Block I LSMs may begin to enter service remains to be seen, but the Marine Corps is pushing ahead with the acquisition of other vessels like the ASC-Ms to help lay the groundwork for when those ships arrive. Contact the author: joe@

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

CNN

15-05-2025

CNN

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts have revealed where the Aztecs acquired the volcanic glass they used for tools, ornamental pieces or religious objects centuries ago — and their vast trade networks included their rivals. A new study of the 788 pieces is the largest sample of obsidian artifacts ever analyzed for Tenochtitlán, which served as the capital city of the Aztecs — also known as the Mexica people — according to the authors, who reported their findings Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using portable X-ray fluorescence, a nondestructive way to identify geochemical fingerprints, the researchers confirmed that the Mexicas were partial to a particular green and golden obsidian to produce items for rituals. But the community also relied on everyday objects made of different kinds of obsidian, like blades for cutting and scraping, and thus had to establish a complex economic system that encouraged long-distance trade with rival societies beyond their political borders, the researchers said. 'Although the Mexicas preferred green obsidian, the high diversity of obsidian types, mainly in the form of non-ritual artifacts, suggests that obsidian tools from multiple sources reached the capital of the Empire through market,' said lead study author Diego Matadamas-Gomora, a doctoral candidate of anthropology at Tulane University in New Orleans, in a statement. 'By studying where this material came from, we can explore the movement of goods across Mesoamerica.' The research team was surprised by the variety of obsidian types found in the ancient capital, which surpasses that found at other sites in Mesoamerica. The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1520 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time. The Aztecs didn't discover obsidian. It was already the most common raw material in Mesoamerica when they arrived in the Basin of Mexico in 1200, and the use of obsidian on a broad scale dates to the Archaic period, which was from 6000 to 2000 BC for Mesoamerican societies, Matadamas-Gomora said. Obsidian originated from a geological formation known as the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, spanning 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the west to east coasts in central Mexico, the study authors noted. Craftspeople who had experience working with obsidian could shape the volcanic glass into incredibly sharp instruments, according to the study authors. The material's natural reflectivity and luster also enabled the Mexica people to turn obsidian into highly polished ornaments and religious objects. The artifacts examined in the study were uncovered during excavations that took place over decades from the main Aztec temple of Tenochtitlán, called the Templo Mayor, in what is now Mexico City. Nearly 90% of these obsidian artifacts came from the Sierra de Pachuca mountain range, the study found. Centuries ago, the Mexicas buried offerings of miniature weapons and jewelry within this sacred heart of the city. They considered green obsidian the most valuable of all obsidian types due to its hue and called it the 'obsidian of the masters,' Matadamas-Gomora said. The green obsidian was also thought to have a symbolic connection to Tollan, a mythical city where the god Quetzalcoatl lived, which was believed to be the ancestral origin of Mexico's civilizations. 'Most obsidians are naturally gray or black,' Matadamas-Gomora said in an email. 'Green obsidian from Sierra de Pachuca is unique and related to this specific geological source. The Aztecs recognized and valued that. In addition, the geological formation processes at the Sierra de Pachuca allowed the creation of high-quality obsidian at this source, making it ideal for producing complex ornaments.' The study highlights how important nondestructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has become to archaeology, said John Millhauser, associate professor of sociology and anthropology at North Carolina State University. Millhauser was not involved in the new study. 'Without it, we wouldn't be able to study the histories of these artifacts in such detail,' Millhauser said. 'Though the technique has only been widely used for about two decades, each new application adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of the ancient Mexica economy.' The other 10% of the artifacts were made using obsidian from seven other locations, including Otumba, Tulancingo, Ucareo and El Paraíso. While Otumba and Sierra de Pachuca were both controlled by the Aztec Empire, places like Ucareo were beyond the empire's political borders, suggesting that the Mexicas did not restrict the flow of obsidian tools from rival regions to local markets, Matadamas-Gomora said. Additionally, the tools could be found at rural as well as urban markets. The fact that people living in the heart of the capital relied on the same obsidian materials as villagers and farmers in the surrounding countryside was one of the most striking findings of the study, said Millhauser, who also directs the graduate program in anthropology at North Carolina State University. 'Considering that hundreds of thousands of people lived in the region, the scale of the obsidian supply and distribution network is extraordinary,' he said. 'It's a powerful reminder of how robust and far-reaching the economy of central Mexico was 500 years ago, with commodities like obsidian circulating widely to meet the needs of communities across the region.' Early in the Aztecs' history, obsidian for ritual and everyday objects came from limited sources. But after the Aztec Empire defeated the Tepanecs from Azcapotzalco and began imperial expansion in 1430, obsidian types increased, showing how the Mexicas expanded their commercial networks, Matadamas-Gomora said. 'Later, between (1481 and 1486), the Mexicas were ruled by a problematic tlatoani (Aztec ruler), Tízoc, who destabilized the Empire's dominance,' he said in an email. 'We see in this period that obsidian diversity was reduced to only two sources, Sierra de Pachuca and Otumba, which were historically the primary supply sources for the Mexica. After 1486, when a new ruler came to power, obsidian diversity increased again to seven sources. Therefore, our diachronic perspective on obsidian consumption revealed that the availability of this raw material was related directly to the transformations of the capital city.' Next, to better understand the ancient obsidian trade, Matadamas-Gomora wants to uncover how obsidian moved across Mesoamerica, including other archaeological sites, and arrived at Tenochtitlán. 'Archaeologists still know surprisingly little about Tenōchtitlan, the Mexica capital, largely because it lies beneath the modern sprawl of Mexico City,' Millhauser said in an email. 'Every new study offers fresh insights into the lives of its ancient residents.'

CNN

15-05-2025

CNN

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts have revealed where the Aztecs acquired the volcanic glass they used for tools, ornamental pieces or religious objects centuries ago — and their vast trade networks included their rivals. A new study of the 788 pieces is the largest sample of obsidian artifacts ever analyzed for Tenochtitlán, which served as the capital city of the Aztecs — also known as the Mexica people — according to the authors, who reported their findings Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using portable X-ray fluorescence, a nondestructive way to identify geochemical fingerprints, the researchers confirmed that the Mexicas were partial to a particular green and golden obsidian to produce items for rituals. But the community also relied on everyday objects made of different kinds of obsidian, like blades for cutting and scraping, and thus had to establish a complex economic system that encouraged long-distance trade with rival societies beyond their political borders, the researchers said. 'Although the Mexicas preferred green obsidian, the high diversity of obsidian types, mainly in the form of non-ritual artifacts, suggests that obsidian tools from multiple sources reached the capital of the Empire through market,' said lead study author Diego Matadamas-Gomora, a doctoral candidate of anthropology at Tulane University in New Orleans, in a statement. 'By studying where this material came from, we can explore the movement of goods across Mesoamerica.' The research team was surprised by the variety of obsidian types found in the ancient capital, which surpasses that found at other sites in Mesoamerica. The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1520 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time. The Aztecs didn't discover obsidian. It was already the most common raw material in Mesoamerica when they arrived in the Basin of Mexico in 1200, and the use of obsidian on a broad scale dates to the Archaic period, which was from 6000 to 2000 BC for Mesoamerican societies, Matadamas-Gomora said. Obsidian originated from a geological formation known as the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, spanning 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the west to east coasts in central Mexico, the study authors noted. Craftspeople who had experience working with obsidian could shape the volcanic glass into incredibly sharp instruments, according to the study authors. The material's natural reflectivity and luster also enabled the Mexica people to turn obsidian into highly polished ornaments and religious objects. The artifacts examined in the study were uncovered during excavations that took place over decades from the main Aztec temple of Tenochtitlán, called the Templo Mayor, in what is now Mexico City. Nearly 90% of these obsidian artifacts came from the Sierra de Pachuca mountain range, the study found. Centuries ago, the Mexicas buried offerings of miniature weapons and jewelry within this sacred heart of the city. They considered green obsidian the most valuable of all obsidian types due to its hue and called it the 'obsidian of the masters,' Matadamas-Gomora said. The green obsidian was also thought to have a symbolic connection to Tollan, a mythical city where the god Quetzalcoatl lived, which was believed to be the ancestral origin of Mexico's civilizations. 'Most obsidians are naturally gray or black,' Matadamas-Gomora said in an email. 'Green obsidian from Sierra de Pachuca is unique and related to this specific geological source. The Aztecs recognized and valued that. In addition, the geological formation processes at the Sierra de Pachuca allowed the creation of high-quality obsidian at this source, making it ideal for producing complex ornaments.' The study highlights how important nondestructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has become to archaeology, said John Millhauser, associate professor of sociology and anthropology at North Carolina State University. Millhauser was not involved in the new study. 'Without it, we wouldn't be able to study the histories of these artifacts in such detail,' Millhauser said. 'Though the technique has only been widely used for about two decades, each new application adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of the ancient Mexica economy.' The other 10% of the artifacts were made using obsidian from seven other locations, including Otumba, Tulancingo, Ucareo and El Paraíso. While Otumba and Sierra de Pachuca were both controlled by the Aztec Empire, places like Ucareo were beyond the empire's political borders, suggesting that the Mexicas did not restrict the flow of obsidian tools from rival regions to local markets, Matadamas-Gomora said. Additionally, the tools could be found at rural as well as urban markets. The fact that people living in the heart of the capital relied on the same obsidian materials as villagers and farmers in the surrounding countryside was one of the most striking findings of the study, said Millhauser, who also directs the graduate program in anthropology at North Carolina State University. 'Considering that hundreds of thousands of people lived in the region, the scale of the obsidian supply and distribution network is extraordinary,' he said. 'It's a powerful reminder of how robust and far-reaching the economy of central Mexico was 500 years ago, with commodities like obsidian circulating widely to meet the needs of communities across the region.' Early in the Aztecs' history, obsidian for ritual and everyday objects came from limited sources. But after the Aztec Empire defeated the Tepanecs from Azcapotzalco and began imperial expansion in 1430, obsidian types increased, showing how the Mexicas expanded their commercial networks, Matadamas-Gomora said. 'Later, between (1481 and 1486), the Mexicas were ruled by a problematic tlatoani (Aztec ruler), Tízoc, who destabilized the Empire's dominance,' he said in an email. 'We see in this period that obsidian diversity was reduced to only two sources, Sierra de Pachuca and Otumba, which were historically the primary supply sources for the Mexica. After 1486, when a new ruler came to power, obsidian diversity increased again to seven sources. Therefore, our diachronic perspective on obsidian consumption revealed that the availability of this raw material was related directly to the transformations of the capital city.' Next, to better understand the ancient obsidian trade, Matadamas-Gomora wants to uncover how obsidian moved across Mesoamerica, including other archaeological sites, and arrived at Tenochtitlán. 'Archaeologists still know surprisingly little about Tenōchtitlan, the Mexica capital, largely because it lies beneath the modern sprawl of Mexico City,' Millhauser said in an email. 'Every new study offers fresh insights into the lives of its ancient residents.'

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This New Beach Landing Vessel Is Being Bought By The Marines

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

Obsidian Solutions Group Joins Groundbreaking Initiative to Support NASA and the Firefighting Community With Wildfire Modeling and Analytics, Management, and Decision Making

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This New Beach Landing Vessel Is Being Bought By The Marines

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

Hundreds of obsidian artifacts show how the Aztec Empire evolved

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