RENTON, Wash. — Boeing debuted on July 21 the first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for New Zealand in its Royal New Zealand Air Force livery, the company said in a release. New Zealand is one of eight nations to have acquired the P-8 as their new multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft.  

“The aircraft features the iconic Kiwi roundel, a native bird to New Zealand,” said Sheena Vince Cruz, Boeing P-8 Asia-Pacific region program manager. “Although flightless, the Kiwi bird is recognizable and will continue ‘flying’ as a symbol on the P-8A for decades to come.” 

The New Zealand government purchased four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft that will eventually replace the current fleet of six aging P-3K2 Orion aircraft. The P-8As will provide advanced capabilities to maintain situational awareness in neighboring waters on and below the surface of the ocean. 

First flight is scheduled in the coming weeks followed by mission systems installation. The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to the New Zealand Ministry of Defence later this year. 

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The USCGC Seneca (WMEC 906) returned to homeport in Portsmouth July 21 after a 54-day deployment in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Coast Guard 5th District said July 22. 

The Seneca crew supported the U.S. Coast Guard 1st District as they conducted a series of commercial fishing vessel boardings from New York to Maine to ensure compliance with federal safety, fisheries, and environmental regulations. The boardings conducted by Seneca’s crew resulted in 17 notices of violation and two voyage terminations.  

“This rewarding patrol showcased the devotion and hard work of an amazing crew,” said Cmdr. James F. McCormack, commanding officer of Seneca. “The crew exhibited selfless service during a high-tempo patrol. The 53 boardings promoted safety at sea and sustainability of marine life for generations to come. Our presence strengthens trust between the Coast Guard and the fishing fleet, while setting the standard for Coast Guard operations in the North Atlantic Ocean.” 

Additionally, the Seneca’s crew responded to seven search and rescue cases, three of which resulted in lives saved or assisted.  

During one of the search and rescue cases, the crew of Seneca worked in partnership with a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60T helicopter crew to medically evacuate two critically injured people from a sailing vessel 350 nautical miles offshore. The Seneca crew also rescued the two remaining stranded sailors.  

During a second search and rescue case, the cutter crew rendered assistance and towed a disabled fishing vessel 70 miles.

The Seneca is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth with 100 crew members. The cutter’s primary missions include search and rescue, living marine resources, illegal drug interdictions, counter narcotics, migrant interdictions, ensuring the safety of life at sea and enforcing international and domestic maritime laws in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — A family of high-speed unmanned surface vehicles has been getting a lot of play in naval exercises over the last year, helping the U.S. Navy to determine future requirements for USVs in roles such as maritime domain awareness.

Maritime Tactical Systems (MARTAC) operates a fleet of USVs the Navy has used in experimentation in such areas as the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command region and Australia.

The MARTAC USVs are contractor-owned and contractor operated. The small, fast craft can be operated in any weather. They are equipped with a forward-looking infrared sensor and can be fitted with various other sensors as the mission demands, such as signals intelligence sensors and sonars.

The missions being performed this summer require the MARTAC craft to be “a remote surveillance platform that can get places quickly and hang out for extended periods of time with high-res cameras,” said Bruce Hanson, CEO of MARTAC, a company based in Melbourne, Florida.

Hanson told Seapower that MARTAC’s USV’s participated in several demonstrations in International Maritime Exercise 22 under the control of Task Force 59, the U.S. 5th Fleet’s task force for experimentation of unmanned systems. The USVs also participated in Autonomous Warrior 22 in Australia.

“We’re too small, too dumb to realize what we can’t do, so we did a lot of stuff that people said we really couldn’t do, then we’re pretty successful at it, so some people are going to realize that these things operate pretty well,” Hanson said. “There are no going to replace people, but they are going to augment and enhance capabilities by a lot.” 

Hanson said the company’s Devil Ray USV has extended persistence and would be a good partner with Saildrone’s USVs, which also have operated with Task Force 59. With its high speed, the Devil Ray can intercept a contact detected by a Saildrone.

The Devil Ray “can also protect the Saildrone,” Hanson said. “We can do things like picket lines …  [and] non-lethal interdiction.”

He said the ranges on MARTAC’s USVs is greater than 1,000 nautical miles. MARTAC has sent its USVs, which are designed to be autonomous but can be optionally manned, on autonomous runs from Florida to the Bahamas and back.

The USVs can be shut down remotely and reactivated on command. Hanson said during Autonomous Warrior the company demonstrated the autonomous “launch and recovery of a T-12 USV off of the back of a T-38 USV.” He said the boats work very well in swarms or groups.

MARTACs family of USVs include the man-portable Manta series — 12 feet or less — which are battery and solar electric-powered. The Devil Ray series is 24+ feet long and can be diesel-or gasoline-powered. The company is working on hybrid versions, including fuel cells for power, which give exceptional range.

The various MARTAC craft have a high degree of component interchangeability, Hanson said. They are payload agnostic. They can be operated by different control systems with the flick of a switch, enabling the same craft to be operated by different nation’s navies.

Hanson said the MARTAC USVs will be participating in future large-scale exercises, including one in 2023.

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Air Anti-Submarine Warfare Systems Program (PMA-264) awarded a multiple award delivery order contract for production sonobuoys Naval Air Systems Command said July 20. 

A MADOC is a special type of indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract with multiple awardees. This format provides a marketplace for qualified vendors to compete for annual quantities of production sonobuoys. The MADOC sonobuoy production ordering period will begin in fiscal 2023 and continue through fiscal 2027 for the U.S. Navy, international cooperative partners and foreign military sales customers. The contract will also be used to replenish sonobuoys expended in daily antisubmarine operations while maintaining inventory levels as required by the Navy munitions requirement process. 

“This unique contract award is critical to the future of sonobuoy production,” said Capt. Dennis Lloyd, Anti-Submarine Warfare Systems program manager. “Sonobuoys are essential to the execution of air ASW mission within the US Navy and our allies. It is a testament to our team that these awards occurred in such a timely manner.” 

The MADOC approach allows for long-term competitive dynamics and an environment to help foster and maintain the industrial base by opening up delivery order competitions to all qualifying offerors. This is to encourage new entrants, with qualified sonobuoys, to continuously enter the marketplace throughout the duration of the contract. 

Sonobuoy qualification occurs by way of other transaction authority allowing the Department of Defense to carry out prototypes, research and more. For sonobuoy development and production, the OTA process enables companies the opportunity to build and qualify independent designs and production lines of all sonobuoys variants without disrupting current supply. 

PMA-264 is responsible for the manufacturing and delivery of sonobuoys. They are air launched expendable, electro-mechanical ASW acoustic sensors designed to relay underwater sounds associated with ships and submarines to sophisticated remote processors principally on P-3C Orion, P-8A Poseidon, and MH-60R Seahawk aircraft. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Out of an abundance of caution, Lt. Gen. David J. Furness, the deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for Plans, Policies, and Operations, has directed the pause of all waterborne Amphibious Combat Vehicle operations in light of the July 19 ACV training incident at Camp Pendleton, Headquarters Marine Corps announced in a July 20 release.

The incident did not result in injuries to the Marines and sailors aboard the ACVs.  

The pause of waterborne operations will allow for an investigation into the incident and ensure the assault amphibian community can review best practices and procedures to remain capable, safe, and ready, the Corps announced.

“This is the right thing to do,” said Furness. “A pause on ACV waterborne operations will give us time to conduct an investigation, learn from this event, and ensure our assault amphibian community remains ready to support our nation.” 

The Marine Corps will continue to conduct ACV land operations, to include live-fire training, during this pause. 

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — More than 4,300 Marines and Sailors from Marine Forces Reserve are mobilizing from across the country as part of Marine Air-Ground Task Force 23 to conduct Integrated Training Exercise 4-22 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center here from July 18 to Aug. 2, Headquarters Marine Corps said in a July 20 release.  

ITX is a live-fire exercise combining infantry, artillery, aircraft, combat logistics and all the supporting elements to train battalion and squadron-sized units in the tactical application of combined-arms maneuver, offensive and defensive operations during combat.    

“As the Marine Corps Reserve’s premier annual training event, ITX provides us opportunities to rehearse mobilizing geographically dispersed forces for a deployment; to increase our combat readiness and lethality; and to exercise command and control of battalions and squadrons across the full spectrum of warfare,” said Col. Quintin Jones, MAGTF-23 commanding officer. “MAGTF-23 has been planning and preparing for this exercise for months and we are ready to face the challenges that come with ITX.”   

This year’s iteration of ITX will be led by 23rd Marine Regiment Headquarters, based in San Bruno, California, and is the command element. The ground combat element is made up of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri, and 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, headquartered in Garden City, New York. The aviation combat element is formed from Marine Aircraft Group 41, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and the logistics combat element is made up from Combat Logistics Battalion 23, headquartered at Joint Base Lewis McCord, Washington.   

“As outlined in the recent Force Design 2030 annual update, we are incorporating active-duty Marine units into the Reserve MAGTF to increase Total Force integration and proficiency,” said Jones. “As iron sharpens iron, having the active component working alongside the Reserve component helps forge an operationally ready Reserve for employment across the full spectrum of crisis and global engagement.”   

Active component Marines from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, based at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, and augments from 10th Marines, based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will be fully integrated with MAGTF-23.   

At the conclusion of ITX 4-22, MAGTF-23 will have attained a heightened level of readiness and will be the first Marine Forces Reserve unit called upon in the event of a global contingency.   

HONOLULU — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Juniper crew provided assistance to Kiritimati Island, Kiribati, by off-loading potable water and supplies following their extreme drought, July 19, the Coast Guard 14^th district said. 

In a unified effort with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, the U.S. Coast Guard provided much needed assistance by supplying over 4,000 gallons of safe drinking water, 200 buckets with lids, 600 10-liter water containers, and two 10,000-liter water bladders. 

“We are honored to be given the opportunity to assist in the effort being made to help the people of Kiribati,” said Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Bonner, the Junipers’ commanding officer. “This mission to provide safe drinking water and supplies to Kiritimati Island was made possible by the timely coordination conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, and the Kiribati government.”  

In addition to providing humanitarian assistance, the Juniper crew supported Kiribati maritime law enforcement efforts during Operation Blue Pacific, providing patrol coverage in Kiribati’s exclusive economic zone in the effort to deter illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, strengthen maritime governance in Oceania, and support Kiribati resource security. 

“This mission is a great example of the Coast Guard’s commitment to being a partner in the Blue Pacific and helping respond to a climate crisis,” said Rear Adm. Michael Day, the 14th Coast Guard district commander. “We are proud to work alongside USAID and UNICEF to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Kiribati. The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to partner with Pacific Island Countries building climate resilience in the region.”  

The Coast Guard Cutter Juniper (WLB 201) is a unique platform with capabilities to conduct a wide array of Coast Guard missions including maintaining aids to navigation and law enforcement.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division announced July 20 several promotions designed to optimize its shipyard operations and accelerate execution. 

“We have been on an aggressive journey to transform the way we run our business. Accomplishing this transformation while running our complex business is not a simple task,” said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. “Our Navy customer expects us to deliver ships on time and on budget so they can meet the evolving demands of the global security environment. Our ultimate success depends on the acceleration of these efforts led by experienced leaders.” 

Boykin announced several leadership changes, effective immediately. 

Matt Needy moves to vice president and chief transformation officer, from vice president of Navy programs. In this new position, the 34-year shipyard veteran is responsible for the overall Newport News strategy execution, advanced development of business growth, including the next-generation attack submarine SSN(X), enterprise-wide continuous improvement, overall operational health and risk-opportunity management. 

With Needy’s transition, Bryan Caccavale moves to vice president of Navy programs, from vice president of material and manufacturing. In this role, Caccavale’s diverse leadership and strong financial experience will benefit program execution and financial performance of the ships built and maintained by Newport News. 

Additionally, the material and manufacturing parts of Newport News are being restructured back into two stand-alone divisions. Julia Jones remains vice president of manufacturing, while Cullen Glass, director of supply chain procurement, moves to vice president of supply chain management. In this role, Glass is responsible for all procurement, outsourcing and material logistics functions across Newport News. 

These leadership changes build on a multi-year shipyard modernization effort to enable safe and efficient delivery of the highest quality aircraft carriers and submarines, the company said. The modernization effort, including the shipyard’s Integrated Digital Shipbuilding program, has been instrumental in recent completion of the first USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) planned incremental availability, launch of Virginia-class submarine New Jersey (SSN 796) and construction of the first digitally designed and built Ford-class carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). 

GOA, India — Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet successfully completed operational demonstration tests at Indian Naval Station Hansa in Goa, India, reinforcing the Super Hornet’s ability to effectively and safety operate off Indian Navy carriers, the company said July 20. 

Two U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets completed multiple ski-jumps, roll-in and fly-in arrestments, as well as performance flights, in a variety of weights in the air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-surface configurations, meeting the Indian navy test requirements. 

“The Boeing team was privileged to showcase the F/A-18 Super Hornet’s compatibility with Indian carriers in Goa,” said Alain Garcia, vice president, India business development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Boeing Global Services. “As the most advanced frontline multi-role naval fighter, the F/A-18 Super Hornet is one of the world’s most proven and affordable multi-role fighters and continues to evolve with the development of the next-generation Block III capability which will be game-changing for India.” 

“With the Super Hornet Block III, the Indian navy would not only get the most advanced platform but would also benefit from tactics, upgrades and knowledge related to the naval aviation ecosystem that the U.S. Navy offers,” he added. 

The tests followed eight ski-jumps in various weights and configurations during previous tests held at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland in late 2020 that demonstrated the Super Hornet’s ability to operate from a short-takeoff-but-arrested-recovery aircraft carrier. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — General Dynamics Mission Systems was awarded a U.S. Navy contract to support development, production and installation of fire control systems for the Columbia- and Dreadnought-classes of ballistic missile submarines, the company announced July 20. 

The contract as awarded has a value of $272.9 million over the next six years. This contract is the second for General Dynamics Mission Systems and is comprised of development, production and installation support for U.S. and U.K. submarine strategic weapons systems and subsystems. It will also support strategic weapons systems upgrades on currently fielded U.S. and U.K. strategic ballistic missile submarines. Work will primarily be performed in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by July 2028. 

General Dynamics Mission Systems’ Maritime and Strategic Systems line of business will deliver the fire control system for the U.S. Navy’s second and third Columbia-class submarine and the third U.K. Dreadnought class submarine as well as installation support and pre-deployment planning for both U.S. and U.K. sites. This contract also includes Columbia and Dreadnought design completion scope and continuation of design activities for the first planned refresh of the Columbia and Dreadnought fire control system.  

“The U.S Columbia and U.K. Dreadnought class submarines are of strategic importance to our nation and our allies. General Dynamics has been supporting previous submarine programs for more than 65 years and we are extending our support through the development, production and installation of mission critical systems for this new fleet of submarines,” said Carlo Zaffanella, vice president and general manager at General Dynamics Mission Systems.