By Matt Reisener America’s maritime industrial base (MIB) is in crisis. Decades of deindustrialization, inconsistent policy support, labor attrition and increasingly globalized supply chains have left the United States struggling to produce ships on time and on budget, all while strategic competition at sea intensifies. America’s MIB is…
Q&A: Fincantieri Marine Group CEO George Moutafis
In February 2026, Fincantieri Marine Group (Booth 1223) issued the following release: “As you may have seen in NAVSEA’s press release, the U.S. Navy tapped Fincantieri to build four of the first wave of Medium Landing Ships (LSMs) for the Marine Corps. Our $1B investment…
Raytheon Doubled ESSM Production in 2025
By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor Raytheon Missiles & Defense (Booth 911) doubled production of the Block II RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) in 2025 as it addressed the increased demand from the U.S. Navy and its partners in the NATO consortium, a company official told Seapower. “Last year, we produced over 350…
HII Moves Further into Physical AI for Shipbuilding
By Brett Davis Shipbuilding giant HII (Booth 923) has added another artificial intelligence partner to its shipbuilding program, taking another step toward adding “physical AI” to the process of constructing Navy ships. In early April, the company announced it signed a memorandum…
STEM Expo Enchants Students with Science, Games and Fun
The annual STEM Expo kicked off Sea-Air-Space 2026 by giving students of all ages a look at the various technologies that underpin the maritime world of the sea services. Attendees got examples of chemical reactions from Mad Science presentations, learned some of…
Navy Awards Marinette Marine $30 million Contract toward Medium Landing Ships
Navy Awards Marinette Marine $30 million Contract toward Medium Landing Ships By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has awarded a contract to a shipbuilder for materials and engineering activities for the first four Block 1 medium…
L3Harris Announces Billion Dollar Expansion to Boost Solid Rocket Motor Production in Orange County, Virginia
From L3Harris ORANGE COUNTY, Va., April 15, 2026 — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX), Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the Orange County Board of Supervisors have announced an agreement to further expand L3Harris’ solid rocket motor production capacity at its site in…
Secretary of War Announces Marine General, Navy Flag Officer Nominations
From the Department of War, April 15, 2026 ARLINGTON, Va. — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that President Donald J. Trump has made the following nominations: Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Roger B. Turner Jr. for reappointment to the grade of lieutenant general,…
RTX’s Raytheon completes first flight test for RAIVEN® sensing system
April 15, 2026 Next-generation intelligent sensor provides superior situational awareness ARLINGTON, Va., April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, has successfully completed the first flight test of its RAIVEN® Staring system, an air-cooled sensor suite that delivers greater situational awareness…
Airbus and Lakota Connector Partners Successfully Execute Fourth Autonomous Flight Test
WASHINGTON (April 15, 2026)—Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, in partnership with Shield AI, L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX), and Parry Labs, completed its fourth autonomous flight test on the H145 Airbus helicopter and successfully integrated all four company’s technologies into a…
