NMFS Biological Opinion on U.S. Navy training ... - Govsupport.us

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FINAL PROGRAMMATIC BIOLOGICAL OPINION ON U.S. NAVY ACTIVITIES IN THE HAWAII RANGE COMPLEX 2008-2013 Exercise events typically consist of 1 to 16 aircraft, carrying missiles or bombs (live and inert), rockets, precision guided munitions, or flying without ordnance (dry runs) are used during the exercise. At sea, Seaborne Powered Targets (occasionally a live bomb target), Improved Surface Towed Targets, excess ship hulks (live and intert bombs), and a computer-generated island that is located within the Barking Sands Underwater Range Expansion are used as targets. These exercises typically involve helicopters or 1 to 16 fixed wing aircraft with air-to-surface missiles, anti-radiation missiles (electromagnetic radiation source seeking missiles), high-speed radiation missiles (electromagnetic radiation producing missiles that simulate radar and radio transmitters), and/or bombs (live and inert), rockets, or precisionguided munitions. The exercise is typically conducted within PMRF Warning Area and typically last between 5 and 6 hours. Surface-to-surface missile exercises which are designed to provide training for fleet units in firing surface-to-surface missiles. The exercise involves one or more surface ships, submarines, and seaborne powered targets (SEPTARs). The surface ships and/or submarines can operate as a single unit or as multiple fire units against the SEPTARs. These exercises include 4 to 20 surface-to-surface missiles, a weapons recovery boat, and a helicopter for environmental and photo evaluation. At sea, SEPTARs, ISTTs, excess ship hulks, and a computer-generated island that is located within the BSURE are used as targets. The Naval Gunfire Scoring System gathers data for scoring of surface ships and aircraft conducting gunnery and bombardment exercises within Barking Sands Tactical Underwater Range. On land, terrain features, constructed props, and/or tank hulks are used as targets. All missiles are equipped with instrumentation packages or a warhead. Surface-to-air missiles can also be used in a surface-to-surface mode. These exercises are conducted within PMRF Warning Area. Each exercise typically lasts 2 hours, but could range from 4 to 35 hours. Anti-submarine warfare exercises which are designed to provide crews of anti-submarine ships, aircraft, submarines, and helicopters experience in locating and pursuing underwater targets and dropping inert torpedo weapons. The exercise involves locating and pursuing underwater targets and dropping inert torpedoes from anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters. Weapon recovery boats and helicopters are used to locate and recover the targets, torpedoes, and mines. Exercise events typically include ships, fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, torpedo targets, 1 to 10 submarines, and weapons recovery boats or helicopters. For example, five submarines participated in RIMPAC 2002 and six submarines participated in RIMPAC 2008. Weapons used encompass lightweight and heavyweight wire-guided inert long-range torpedoes launched from helicopters, aircraft, surface ships, and submarines. Sensors used during ASW events include sonars, sonobuoys, and non-acoustic sensors such as radars. These exercises are conducted within PMRF Warning Area, the Oahu Warning Areas or the open ocean. The use of sonobuoys is generally limited to areas greater than 183 meters (100 fathoms, or 600 feet) in depth. Before dropping sonobuoys, the crew visually determines that the area is clear of marine mammals and sea turtles. Although the altitude varies at which buoys are dropped, the potential for drift during descent generally favors release at lower altitudes, where visual searches for marine mammals or sea turtles are more effective. When the 10
FINAL PROGRAMMATIC BIOLOGICAL OPINION ON U.S. NAVY ACTIVITIES IN THE HAWAII RANGE COMPLEX 2008-2013 sonobuoy is released, a small parachute (about 4 feet in diameter) retards its entry into the ocean. For operational reasons, the sonobuoy is designed to float on the surface and, after a controlled period of time (no longer than 8 hours), the complete package (with the parachute) will sink to the bottom. Aerial and submarine mining exercises which are designed to provide practice with techniques for mines dropped from aircrafts and launced by submarines and to provide a basis for crew qualification in mining. The exercise involves one or more aircraft and both computer-simulated and inert exercise mines. Mine warfare exercises are limited to either the simulated laying of aircraft-deployed mines, where no actual mine ordnance is dropped, or the use of inert exercise mines or inert exercise submarine-deployed mines. Aerial mining requires one or more aircraft and submarine mining involves one or more submarinesAerial mining lines are generally developed off the southwest coast of Kauai and the southeast coast of Niihau, within PMRF Warning Areas W-186 and W-188. Submarine mining exercises are conducted within PMRF Warning Area W-188 and aircraft events are conducted within R3101. Aerial mining exercises typically last about 1 to 3 hours while mining exercises involving submarine might last from 1 to 4 days. Ship mine warfare exercises which are designed to allow surface ship sonar operators to train in shallow-water environments. Mine detection helicopter sonar operators can also train in this area. Two types of exercises are included. The first type is a structured exercise where PMRF tracking systems would monitor passing ships. Tracking data combined with shipboard or helicopter acquired data would provide the basis for analysis of the exercise. In the second type of exercise, a ship would traverse seaward of the buoy field and attempt to detect the buoys without monitoring. This type of exercise would occur when ships enter or depart PMRF instrumented areas for other exercises. The mine warfare training area is approximately 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) off shore and consists of 10 buoys in 2 columns oriented north-south. Each buoy is 94 centimeters (37 inches) in diameter and moored to the sea floor by a wire rope. The ocean depth varies between 45.7 and 107 meters (150 and 350 feet), and the buoys are at least 15 meters (50 feet) below the ocean surface. Various marine and aerial assets, capable of tracking underwater objects over a 2,590-square-kilometer (1,000-square-mile) area, would be used during the structured exercise. In the second type of exercise, only shipboard assets would be used. The mine warfare training area is located between 1.2 and 2 kilometers (0.75 and 1.25 miles) from shore and is adjacent to the PMRF Shallow Water Training Area. This exercise can take from 3 to 72 hours. Strike warfare exercises (STWEX) and close air support exercises (CASEX) which are designed to provide training for U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and multinational air groups in air-to-surface missile firing; conventional ordnance delivery including bombing (MK80 series bombs, live and inert), gunnery, and rocket and precision guided munitions firing; and close air support techniques. These exercises can involve 1 to 16 aircraft, carrying missiles or bombs (live and inert), rockets, precision guided munitions, or flying without ordnance (dry runs) are used during the exercise. At sea, a computer-generated island that is located within the Barking Sands Underwater Range Expansion are used as targets for aircraft missile firing and bomb drops. The Naval Gunfire Scoring System gathers data for scoring of surface ships and aircraft conducting 11
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