El Segundo, Calif. — Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, has completed Milestone C for the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band, or NGJ-MB, the company said in a June 29 release. 

“We’re well into development testing. It’s time to move towards production,” said Annabel Flores, vice president of Electronic Warfare Systems at Raytheon Intelligence & Space. “We’re ready to give the Navy and our Australian partners a leap forward towards the electromagnetic spectrum superiority they need.” 

The recommendation from the Milestone Decision Authority is based on the program’s achievements to date and an assessment of readiness to enter low-rate initial production, or LRIP.   

“The Milestone C decision drives home the stability and maturity of NGJ-MB,” said Flores. “The system is ready for validation and LRIP, and we’re gearing up for the delivery of this critical capability to the fleet.” 

To date, NGJ-MB has successfully completed over 145 hours of developmental flight-testing using mission systems and aeromechanical pods. NGJ-MB has also completed over 3,100 hours of anechoic chamber and lab testing at Naval Air Stations Patuxent River, Maryland, and Point Mugu, California. Chamber tests evaluated the system’s performance both on and off the EA-18G Growler aircraft, in addition to jamming techniques and reliability testing.  

NGJ-MB is the Navy’s advanced electronic attack system that offensively denies, disrupts and degrades enemy technology, including air-defense systems and communications. NGJ-MB uses the latest digital, software-based and Active Electronically Scanned Array technologies. This allows operators to non-kinetically attack significantly more targets and at greater distances. 

INDIAN HEAD, Md. — When the Navy’s Expeditionary Exploitation Unit-1 (EXU-1) teamed up with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization (LEON) group for the first joint evolution with Marine explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operators, they received some unexpected help from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division’s (NSWC IHD) Energetics Manufacturing (M) Department, the NSWD IHD said in a release.  

Due to the inherent mission of EXU-1 and their expertise in expeditionary exploitation, the Marine Corps saw an opportunity to bolster that capability with the innate ordnance disassembly and inerting capability used by Marines for ordnance exploitation.  

“Recognizing these complimentary capabilities, and the need for naval integration to succeed in the power competition, we devised an internal exercise to demonstrate the utility in Marines augmenting EXU-1,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Jamie Lee, the EOD chief for the Marine Corps Detachment at NSWC IHD. “As this plan developed, additional opportunities with the Energetics Manufacturing Department and LEON were presented, allowing the Navy-Marine Corps EOD team to execute on a larger scale with support from Marine Corps Base Quantico EOD.”  

This ultimately led to continued integration and successful capability development at the recent Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise: the annual maritime-focused U.S. European Command and U.S. Naval Forces Europe exercise in the Baltic region.  

“Navy and Marine EOD units possess the core EOD capabilities necessary to support [Department of Defense] and service level mission essential tasks. We differ slightly in the service specific niche EOD capability development,” said Lee. “In this case, Marine EOD is unique amongst the services in their ordnance disassembly and inerting skillsets, to include the depth of information and reporting generated in a tactical/expeditionary environment. Augmenting the technical exploitation capability of EXU-1 with Marine Corps ordnance exploitation skillsets provides the ability for on-site ordnance exploitation and analysis for near real-time information to support the intelligence cycle.” 

According to Greg Johnson, EXU-1’s foreign materiel director, what started out as a joint exercise between the LEON platoon and EXU-1 became an opportunity to gather unused ordnance to use as training aids thanks to the input and hard work from the department’s employees. 

“We had a requirement we were working on which generated a relationship between the U.S. Marine Detachment (MARDET) and EXU-1 so we were looking to push our combined capabilities out to the field for the operators to integrate,” he said. “We were meeting with M Department personnel on a separate issue when the subject came up about them having excess ordnance they were planning on disposing.” 

This joint initiative was the first time this was done to such a large scale, in a compact timeline to support multiple Navy and Marine Corps exercises. A large quantity of excess ordnance items including landmines, anti-tank and anti-personnel munitions, and shallow water mines were made inert by the MARDET operators for use as training aids and various exercises at Camp Pendleton, California. This evolution between the three groups occurred in approximately two months, resulting in quicker deployment of these training aids to the joint force EOD operator and at a significant cost savings as new material purchases were not required.  

M Department personnel “were instrumental with logistics such as transportation of the ordnance to Quantico, inspection of the equipment and handling the paperwork,” said Johnson. “There was no work plan. They just jumped on board and fully supported us the entire time. They came in early, they stayed late, they did everything they could to help us accomplish the mission.” 

According to Christopher Bruce, a supervisory technician with the department’s Explosives and Energetics Division, what originally happened as circumstance turned into an opportunity to provide the joint service warfighter with much-needed training aids quicker than anyone expected.  

“A few meetings occurred and we discussed EXU-1’s needs and wants,” he said. “From there we began coordination with them directly to provide information into items they felt would help support their needs in training and exploitation.”  

After several planning meetings, the department’s Explosives and Energetics Division and Magazine Logistical Support gathered the requested items and began inspections at the command’s Explosive Production Facilities to allow the ordnance to be safely shipped from NSWC IHD to various training sites. Once the inspections were complete, both divisions and EXU-1 collaborated to load multiple vehicles in just a few days to be transported off station to training sites. 

“Our hope is that this collaboration is one of many. We want to continue to provide real-world items to the warfighter for training to help develop knowledge and understanding,” said Bruce. “I personally am extremely grateful for all the time and dedication from all members involved. So many hours of sacrifice for an urgent need and it all accumulated with a great outcome.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps has retired its two UC-35C operational support airlift (OSA) jets. 

Last month, the two UC-35Cs — military versions of the Cessna Citation V Ultra business jet — were sent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to be placed in storage. 

The UC-35Cs, were based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana, and were “responsible for the transport of high-priority passengers and cargo with time, place or mission sensitive requirements,” according to the Naval Air Systems Command said. 

The first UC-35C was delivered on Nov. 22, 1999. The aircraft replaced Beech UC-12B Huron turboprop aircraft in the OSA role. 

Ten of 11 UC-35D Citation Encore versions continue in service with the Marine Corps in the operational support airlift role. 

SAN DIEGO — Blue Sky Network has been selected by MARTAC, an innovative provider of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), to equip their USVs with Blue Sky Network’s device and data management solution, SkyLink, Blue Sky announced in a release. 

SkyLink by Blue Sky Network leverages the Iridium Certus network as well as local GSM/LTE services for continuous, end-to-end sensor reporting, two-way messaging, asset utilization, and IoT/M2M monitoring. The device is small-form and low space, weight and power (SWAP) for use in any location or environment, with demonstrated versatility in both manned and unmanned maritime applications. 

“To work with MARTAC is a great honor,” said Tucker Morrison, CEO of Blue Sky Network. “Autonomous missions are becoming more prevalent, and it’s the powerful, cutting-edge solutions like MARTAC’s USVs that inspired us to develop SkyLink.” 

“We look forward to partnering with MARTAC to provide real-time command and control datalink for autonomous and remotely-piloted operations via our SkyLink solution,” said Jason Hicks, vice president of business development at Blue Sky Network. “SkyLink is a lightweight, durable, and low-latency solution that enables Iridium Global Line of Sight for beyond-visual-line-of-sight performance, supporting the vast needs of MARTAC’s Devil Ray and MANTAS USVs.”  

“We are very excited to be working with Blue Sky Network’s leading edge, low SWAP, multi-carrier network for our USVs. Our Devil Ray and MANTAS vessels operate beyond human capability and therefore reliable, robust, low-latency communications anywhere in the world is critical,” said Tom Hanson, COO of MARTAC. 

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Premier Iain Rankin, also minister responsible for military relations, participated in the June 26 commissioning of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Harry DeWolf, the Royal Canadian Navy’s lead ship in its class of Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels, the premier’s office said. 

The Harry DeWolf is the first ship completed as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy and was built at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard. The ship is named after Vice Adm. Harry DeWolf, a former head of the Royal Canadian Navy from Bedford. This is the first time a class of ships will be named after a prominent Canadian navy figure in the RCN’s 108-year history. 

the Harry DeWolf will help to assert Canadian sovereignty in Arctic and coastal Canadian waters in addition to supporting international operations as required. It will deploy for its first mission in August. 

“Nova Scotia has long been known for its expertise in shipbuilding, and now we have the first commissioned vessel ready for deployment,” said Rankin. “The economic value of these ship contracts is vital to Nova Scotia, providing millions of dollars in direct and indirect impact. Over 1,100 Nova Scotians were directly employed in the construction of HMCS Harry DeWolf at the Halifax Shipyard, and the construction of the remaining ships will provide opportunities for thousands more. Since 2015, 2,100 employees were hired in Halifax alone, with more jobs to come.” 

In support of the multi-billion-dollar shipbuilding contract awarded to Irving Shipbuilding, the government of Nova Scotia launched programs to help Nova Scotian workers and companies take part in shipbuilding opportunities, including partnering to provide the Pathways to Shipbuilding program. 

Pathways to Shipbuilding provides equitable access to opportunities, programs and training for Nova Scotians who are historically underrepresented in the shipbuilding trades. Through the program, women, African Nova Scotians and indigenous people are able to gain skills allowing them to take part in shipbuilding opportunities. More than 65 apprentices from underrepresented groups have completed the pathways program. 

“Many Nova Scotian families have long histories serving our country on land, sea and in the sky,” said Rankin. “I want to congratulate them today, along with all our expert shipbuilders on the momentous commissioning of the Harry DeWolf into the service of the Royal Canadian Navy. It’s a proud day for Nova Scotia and for our country.” 

“Irving Shipbuilding and its many partners take great pride in seeing HMCS Harry DeWolf officially join the Canadian Navy,” said Kevin Mooney, president of Irving Shipbuilding. “Today’s commissioning is proof that Canada’s bold initiative to revive its shipbuilding industry is working. As the lead vessel of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship [AOPS], our Navy has taken Harry through many demanding trials since delivery last July and achieved one success after another. Irving’s new generation of talented shipbuilders is ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead, with the remainder of the Navy AOPS ships on track, the Coast Guard AOPS variant completing the design phase, and design and build plans well underway on the new Canadian Surface Combatant.”  

The Pathways program is funded through federal and provincial governments and with support from the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, Nova Scotia Community College, Irving Shipbuilding, Unifor and many community partners such as Women Unlimited, the East Preston Empowerment Academy and Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre. 

“I was looking for a new career path with opportunity for growth. I’d worked in male-dominated professions all my adult life,” said Antonia Wareham, graduate of the first Pathways to Shipbuilding Program in 2015, and currently a journeyman welder and mentor at the Halifax Shipyard. “I knew I could do anything I put my mind to. It’s an unexplainable feeling to know that you’ve worked on something that may very well outlive you. I’m incredibly proud.”  

HERNDON, Va. — Peraton has been awarded a position on the Unmanned Maritime Systems Support II (UMSS II) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide hardware and software development, as well as in-service operational support, for the U.S. Navy’s unmanned maritime systems, the company said in a June 29 release. 

The IDIQ covers work across both unmanned surface and subsurface systems engaged in waterborne and underwater mine countermeasures missions on behalf of Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal. The IDIQ is worth up to $250 million over an eight-year period. 

Peraton will compete for task orders covering a broad range of requirements, including specification and design, fabrication, installation, testing and evaluation, fielding, maintenance, training, and configuration and program management for the Navy’s unmanned maritime systems. 

Peraton has supported the Navy’s unmanned activities since 2001. Over the span of the first UMSS IDIQ, Peraton has received 20 task orders, providing technical and operational support to Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific for unmanned underwater vehicles, marine mammal systems and CONUS and OCONUS fleet units. 

“We are honored to continue our decades-long partnership supporting the Navy’s mine countermeasure mission,” said Jeff Bohling, president of the company’s Defense Solutions sector. “We are committed to delivering next-generation capabilities to the warfighter.” 

“Our experience fielding unmanned technology and our familiarity with the evolving needs of the fleet operator enables Peraton to provide sailors operating around the world with the critical tools they need for successful mission outcomes,” said Matt Clements, UUV program manager. “We are excited to build upon our trusted relationship with the Navy and continue supporting the nation’s national security mission at sea.” 

POINT MUGU, Calif. — Vanilla Unmanned successfully demonstrated multi-day maritime domain awareness (MDA) operations during the Pacific Fleet’s (PACFLT) inaugural Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) in April, the company said in a release. 

Vanilla’s 45-hour, 23-minute unrefueled flight took off from Naval Air Station (NAS) Point Mugu and performed maritime domain awareness (MDA) tasking in coordination with manned PACFLT units. The beyond-line-of-sight flight provided high-definition electro-optical video over satellite communications at ranges greater than 200 nautical miles from Vanilla’s ground control station.   

The multi-mission Vanilla took off partially fueled and returned to base on schedule with fuel reserves sufficient for nearly doubling the length of this MDA sortie. 

The UxS IBP event also showcased Vanilla’s proprietary truck-mounted launch and recovery system, a key enabler for runway-independent operations that has been proven in repeated off-road launches and recoveries. 

“This flight showed Vanilla can provide a tactical capability without necessarily needing to be launched from the front line. It’s a concept of operations unique to Vanilla’s endurance and propulsion,” said Dan Edwards, Platform Aerospace chief technology officer. In addition to the heavy lift multi-mission variant that flew in UxS IBP, a vertical-takeoff-and-landing variant is in advanced development and will begin flights in early 2022. 

Prior to the flight, Vanilla was showcased at the UxS IBP Distinguished Visitors event for senior Navy leadership, including Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker, Commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet Vice Admiral Scott D. Conn, and Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby. The overall event demonstrated how Vanilla could integrate into the Navy’s Unmanned Campaign Framework, providing a variety of C5ISR capabilities in coordination with both manned and unmanned units. 

Vanilla’s participation in UxS IBP was supported by PACFLT and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), as well as NAS Point Mugu and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard’s top officer said the service has taken steps to increase its integration with allies and partners in the Western Pacific Ocean area to provide more effective cooperation and provide more presence. 

In a June 28 webinar discussion with the Brookings Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon, Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, detailed some of the ways in which the Coast Guard is reaching out to promote international cooperation. 

Schultz said the Coast Guard assigned an attaché to Australia in 2020 who will represent the service in that nation plus New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Australia has new patrol boats, some of which will operate in Oceania, and the U.S. Coast Guard could provide training on law enforcement on the high seas. New Zealand has a new auxiliary ship that could provide opportunities for cooperation.   

Next summer the Coast Guard will assign an attaché to Singapore. It already has an adviser in Vietnam, to which the Coast Guard has or will transfer three Secretary-class high-endurance cutters. 

The service also has transferred three Secretary-class cutters to the Philippines, which is growing its own coast guard from 5,000 personnel to 40,000 personnel. 

The Coast Guard also is helping Indonesia set up a new training center. 

Schultz also has assigned a captain to the operations/plans directorate of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and a captain and a commander to the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. 

“We’ve got mobile training teams that operate through the region,” the admiral said. “We bring Indo-Pacific partners into our schoolhouses here [to the United States], to the International Maritime Officers Course.” 

The Coast Guard also has been backing up the U.S. Pacific Fleet, providing two national security cutters in 2019 and one in 2020 to help fill a void left while the USS John McCain and USS Fitzgerald were being repaired following their collisions. These cutters performed sanction work against the North Koreans. The USCGC Kimball also conducted a patrol of the South Pacific this year, calling in Fiji. In the future, the USCGC Kimball will patrol in the Western Pacific on patrol against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.  

The three fast response cutters [FRCs] assigned or slated for Guam, combined with the ocean-going buoy tender assigned there, will give the Coast Guard an increased reach and presence in the Western Pacific. 

“I anticipate our being throughout the Oceania region with those patrol boats [FRCs], [and] a periodic national security cutter,” Schultz said.  

The commandant stressed the value of the Coast Guard presence in providing “human-to-human partnership to counter Chinese checkbook diplomacy. 

“The Chinese Coast Guard is antagonistic, running down Philippine, Indonesian, Malaysian fishermen in dispute,” he said, also noting the abusive maritime actions of the Chinese Peoples Armed Militia. 

“We don’t use our Coast Guard as an arm of the government to press in coercively over disputed regions,” he said. 

Ships and aircraft participating in one NATO’s signature maritime exercises head to the waters of the high north for Dynamic Mongoose 2021 (DYMO 21). The exercise, sponsored by NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), based at Northwood, U.K, will take place between June 29 and July 9.

Vice Admiral Didier Piaton of the French navy, the MARCOM deputy commander, said MARCOM is organizing planning and conducting the exercise in the maritime joint environment. “It’s important to our nations and our navies to maintain and enhance our collective skills in maritime warfare,” he said.

Dynamic Mongoose exercises are held annually in the North Atlantic, in which NATO trains and practices anti-submarine warfare (ASW) skills under various circumstances. MARCOM also leads the annual ASW exercise Dynamic Manta in the Mediterranean. Together, they represent NATO’S premier deep water, high-end ASW and anti-surface warfare exercises.

Ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), under the command of Commodore Bradley Peats, Royal Canadian Navy, will participate along with submarines from the U.S. and Norway. Peats commands SNMG1 ships from Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and the U.K. from his flagship, HMCS Halifax (FFH 330).

Dynamic Mongoose exercises “will improve our surface, subsurface and maritime air forces abilities to work together effectively and seamlessly while enhancing our joint warfighting capabilities and proficiency in the surface and sub-surface threat subsurface domain,” said Peats. “These efforts pay dividends in times of crisis and conflict and proves NATO’s collective capability to respond in a timely and effective manner to potential threats to maritime security, stability and commerce in the region.”

Peats, speaking to reporters today, said ASW requires complex and close coordination between surface ships, submarines, maritime helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft to effectively find, track, and, if necessary, neutralize submarines. “Each type of asset brings its own unique capabilities to the table. For example, surface ships have a long endurance and can host anti-submarine warfare capable maritime helicopters. Fixed-wing patrol aircraft can cover long distances and wide areas relatively quickly. Submarines are excellent and covert searches and tracking,” he said.

Aviation units from Canada, Germany, U.K., Norway, U.S. and the Netherlands are participating. Rotary winged aircraft will operate from the ships and land-based maritime patrol aircraft will operate from Lossiemouth, U.K., Keflavik, Iceland, and Andoya, Norway.

Representing the host nation, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy Rear Adm. Rune Andersen said allied maritime presence in the North Atlantic is very welcomed. “NATO is the  cornerstone for Norwegian security. Our ability to operate together is vital for our security. Supporting allied training and activity in and around Norway is a key task for the Norwegian armed forces.”

Andersen said the significance of exercises like Dynamic Mongoose has grown with the increased military activity in the North Atlantic. “Anti-submarine warfare is a complex undertaking. The undersea domain is a challenging operating environment. It requires good command and control and coordination between surface and air units. Operators at sea and in the air need advanced exercises to train, practice and to improve and maintain their skills.”

Rear Adm. Andrew Burcher, who is Commander Submarines NATO and the officer-in-charge of the exercise, said an in-stride debriefing team has been established, as it has for several previous Dynamic Mongoose and Dynamic Manta exercises, to provide real-time feedback to the assets that are at sea. The team is supported by the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation in La Spezia, Italy, to gather data and evaluate what the different assets are doing, collating that information and then providing feedback on how the units they are performing.

“It’s a real value to the units participating in the exercise to get real-time feedback that they can then put into practice for the next case-ex or serial that they do,” Burcher said. “With each subsequent exercise we’ve increased the level of detail and information provided through this methodology. It gives us a significant advantage.”

Burcher said it’s all part of a process of continuous improvement. “We make improvements, and with the next iteration we can we make improvements on top of that, and part of that process is practice. Each time we have an exercise like Dynamic Mongoose, we practice that capability, and demonstrate it in the environment where it’s going to be utilized.”

Reporters wanted to know if the exercise was an attempt to send a message to Russia. Piaton said Dynamic Mongoose, like all exercises in NATO, is conducted in a transparent and unprovocative manner with a declared defensive posture.  “NATO’s daily mission is deterrence. We’re here to train our crews and make sure our deterrence is credible.”

Andersen noted the annual exercise has been taking place for many years, and is occurring within Norway’s EEZ. “It’s quite far from Russia, actually,” he said.

According to NATO spokesman Cmdr. S. Korhan Zorlu of the Turkish navy, appropriate COVID 19 protocols are being observed afloat and ashore.

MOBILE, Ala. — Austal USA delivered the future USS Savannah, the 14th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), to the U.S. Navy June 25, the company said in a June 28 release. Savannah (LCS 28) is the seventh ship Austal has delivered to the Navy in less than two years, highlighting Austal’s unique capability in the serial production of ships for the U.S. Navy. 

“Delivering yet another quality ship on time and on budget demonstrates the important role Austal USA plays in the shipbuilding industrial base and value of Austal USA’s highly skilled workforce. Delivering two major ship programs on schedule and on budget is something our team is incredibly proud of, ”Austal USA Interim President Rusty Murdaugh said. “It has been especially rewarding to hear the very positive feedback from the Navy commanders and Sailors on how well these ships are performing operationally, especially in the in the South China Sea where they are conducting routine patrols.” 

Austal’s production efficiency continues to soar. Already a leader in on-time and on-budget delivery, the company has reduced overall time of construction from ship to ship. LCS 28 was completed in just under three years, a full 12-month improvement over earlier ships in the program. 

Five LCS and two expeditionary fast transports are currently under construction at Austal’s Alabama shipyard. Two additional ships, LCS 38 and EPF 15, are under contract and will soon be under construction. Austal USA was recently awarded a design contract for the U.S. Navy’s light amphibious warship that would be manufactured on Austal USA’s new steel construction serial production line.  

LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. The Independence-variant LCS integrates new technology and capability to support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals.