U.S. Navy redesigning its submarines to accommodate women
Every submarine in the U.S. fleet was designed with the height, reach and strength of men in mind, from the way valves are placed to how display screens are angled.
That’s going to change.
With women now serving aboard submarines, defense contractor Electric Boat is designing what will be the first Navy subs built specifically to accommodate female crew members.
The designers are doing the obvious things, such as adding more doors and washrooms to create separate sleeping and bathing areas for men and women. But they’re also making more subtle modifications.
For example, they’re lowering overhead valves and making them easier to turn.
The Navy lifted its ban on women on submarines in 2010. The first vessel built with modifications is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2021. AP
U.S. aircraft carrier to reach waters near North Korea next week
The Navy says an aircraft carrier that is intended as a show of force to North Korea will arrive in the region next week.
The USS Carl Vinson has been making its way from Singapore to the Sea of Japan since last week, making stops in Asia along the way.
Top U.S. officials have described the deployment as a message to North Korea as it conducts missile tests and may be planning a nuclear test.
The United States periodically sends aircraft carrier strike groups to waters near the Korean Peninsula to project power. The Carl Vinson took part last month in the U.S.-South Korea war games.
The Carl Vinson is accompanied by a destroyer ship with an Aegis combat system to track and intercept missiles. AP
U.S. intercepts 2 Russian bombers off Alaska’s coast
The U.S. military says it intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off Alaska’s coast.
Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, says a pair of F-22 Raptor aircraft intercepted the Russian TU-95 Bear bombers April 17.
Ross says the intercept was “safe and professional.”
North American Aerospace Defense Command monitors air approaches to North America and defends the airspace.
Fox News said April 18 the Russian planes flew within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Alaska’s Kodiak Island.
It said the American jets escorted the Russian bombers for 12 minutes. The bombers then flew back to eastern Russia. AP