NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division hosted a keel authentication ceremony Dec. 11 for Virginia-class attack submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798), the company said in a release. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually, without an audience. 

“This construction milestone is typically a small ceremony with shipbuilders and the submarine’s crew in attendance,” said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. “Given the current COVID-19 environment and the precautions it requires, today’s event is smaller than usual in scope, but not in importance.” 

“Today’s event is a significant milestone in the life of the boat because it is the official construction kickoff, but it also marks the beginning of an important partnership between our shipbuilders who will build this mighty war vessel and the sailors who will bring her to life,” Boykin added. 

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, is the ship’s sponsor. In a pre-recorded video message, Sandberg etched her initials onto a metal plate, signifying the keel of SSN 798 as being “truly and fairly laid.” 

Ronnie Payne, a master shipbuilder who has worked on every Virginia-class submarine built at Newport News, then traced Sandberg’s initials with a welding torch at the company’s Supplemental Module Outfitting Facility. The metal plate will remain affixed to the ship throughout its life. 

“This year has been difficult for so many, and I am extra grateful for moments like this one when we can celebrate such an important milestone together,” Sandberg said. “I have a deep respect for the shipbuilders who will bring this vessel to life. I am so grateful for the opportunity to build a lifelong bond with this boat and its crew in my role as the sponsor.” 

Massachusetts is the 25th Virginia-class fast attack submarine being built under the teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. Construction began in March 2017 and is approximately 50% complete. The boat is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2023.  

“One of the privileges in establishing a command from the very beginning is developing a relationship with the boat’s namesake state — a relationship inherited from our forebears and one that will last the life of the ship and beyond,” said Cmdr. Erik Lundberg, commanding officer of the pre-commissioning unit. “Our mission is clear — deliver the most advanced, most capable warship to the Navy and our nation with an equally advanced and capable crew to bring her to life. The crew of Massachusetts stands ready.”   

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan, released Dec. 10, shows the planned battle force reaching a congressionally mandated level of 355 ships in the 2031-2033 time frame, including increasing numbers of smaller warships and a growing number of unmanned vessels.  

The plan, contained in the Department of the Navy’s Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels — prepared by the deputy chief of naval operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities — shows the future fleet architecture to reach 406 battle force ships by 2045, plus 119 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and 24 unmanned undersea vessels (UUVs). These numbers are within the ranges of the categories determined as needed by the Future Naval Force Study (FNFS) conducted by the Department of the Navy.   

The 2022-2051 shipbuilding plan affirms the Defense Department’s and the Navy’s top priority of strategic deterrence with the continued plan to build the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. The plan also shows investment in increased “lethality/modernization with the greatest potential to deliver non-linear warfighting advantages against China and Russia in mid-to-far-term,” the report said.  

The Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP), which looks ahead five years from the current fiscal year, plans for 12 Large USVs, one Medium USV, and eight Extra-Large UUVs over the period.  

Traditional ships to be funded over the FYDP include advanced funding for CVN 82; two Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines; 12 Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs); 10 Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (DDGs); 15 Constellation-class frigates; one America-class amphibious assault ship; two Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships; nine John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oilers, six Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transports; and two Navajo-class towing, rescue and salvage ships. New-designs to replace legacy ships include two AS(X) submarine tenders; five new-design T-AGOS(X) ocean surveillance ships; and two T-ARC(X) cable-repair ships. 

New types of manned ships in the FYDP include 10 light amphibious warships (LAWs) beginning in 2022, and, beginning in 2023, and six new generation logistic ships (NGLSs). These ships are to enable more distributed amphibious operations for the Marine Corps, especially for its new Marine littoral regiments.  

The FYDP continues the multi-year procurement of 10 Block V Virginia-class SSNs and plans for a multi-year procurement for 12 Block VI Virginia-class SSNs. The Navy plans to invest $1.2 billion into submarine construction facilities to increase annual production to three SSNs.    

The FYDP also reflects a Navy decision to cancel plans for a class of new-construction strategic sealift ships and instead procure 16 used vessels for conversion into sealift ships. 

The Navy plans to sustain 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers out to 2039 with minor variations, but its carrier force requirement could change, the report said, as the Navy studies options for light aircraft carriers.  

The 30-year plan recognizes the funding challenges of such a large naval build-up “with the “procurement of the Columbia-class SSBN – and the imperative to invest in readiness recovery, improved lethality, and a larger great power competition fleet,” the report said. “This shipbuilding plan reflects the necessary increased funding for both shipbuilding and ship sustainment funding. A combination of topline increases and major internal efficiency savings are used to procure, modernize, man, train, equip and sustain the fleet that the NDS [National Defense Strategy] and great power competition require.” 

“The plan calls for a larger fleet of both manned and unmanned vessels prepared to face greater challenges on, above, or under the sea by accelerating submarine construction, modernizing aircraft, extending the service life of cruisers, and increasing the number of destroyers,” said David L. Norquist, deputy secretary of Defense, in a statement. “Although we reach 355 ships by the early 2030s, the plan is about more than numbers of ships. It is about equipping our future force for the enduring defense of our nation.” 

The shipbuilding plan can be found here: https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/10/2002549918/-1/-1/0/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF 

TUCSON, Ariz.— The U.S. Navy and Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, successfully completed two flight tests with the franchise’s newest cruise missile variant, the Tomahawk Block V, the company said in a Dec.10 release.

During the tests, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) launched two Block V missiles, impacting targets at ranges on both San Nicolas Island and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California.  

Tomahawk is a highly accurate, GPS-enabled missile that can fly into heavily defended airspace and conduct precise strikes on high-value targets with minimal collateral damage. The advanced Tomahawk Block V includes improved navigation and communications.  

“These tests keep the Navy on schedule to introduce Block V into the fleet next year,” said Kim Ernzen, vice president of Naval Power at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “Our modernization and recertification efforts will also extend the missile’s service life by 15 years.”  

During the tests, the missiles were redirected mid-flight to different targets using their new advanced communications architecture systems.  

“The Block V capabilities reinforce Tomahawk’s unequivocal role as the Navy’s long-range strike weapon far into the future,” said Capt. John Red, the Navy’s Tomahawk Weapons System program manager. “These tests are tremendous milestones for our teams that have been working on these improvements for several years.” 

Additional Block V enhancements, such as a maritime strike capability (Block Va) and a programmable warhead for an expanded land attack capability (Block Vb), are in development for future deliveries. Block Va will strike moving targets at sea, while Block Vb will defeat a more diverse range of land targets. 

Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.—The Marine Corps’ new Amphibious Combat Vehicle has achieved two new major milestones, the Program Executive Office – Land Systems said in a Dec. 10 release.  

On Nov. 13, the Marine Corps’ Capabilities Development Directorate approved the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the ACV. Marines with 1st Marine Division aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, were the first to receive the vehicle.  

The Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault program office at Program Executive Officer (PEO) Land Systems manages the system.  

“We’re providing Marines with a modern, armored personnel carrier that offers tremendous capability with respect to survivability,” said Col. Kirk Mullins, program manager for Advanced Amphibious Assault at PEO Land Systems. “The ACV gives the Marine Corps a capable platform operational across the full-range of military operations.”  

Then, on Dec. 8, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) James Geurts approved the vehicle for Full-Rate Production (FRP). This means the Marine Corps can build and field higher quantities of the ACV at a sustained rate over the next several years.  

The ACV is a next-generation, eight-wheeled vehicle designed to move Marines from ship to shore. The vehicle will be the primary means of tactical mobility for the Marine infantry battalion at sea and ashore, replacing the Corps’ aging Assault Amphibious Vehicle.  

The ACV provides organic, direct fire support to dismounted infantry. The vehicle’s ability to leverage waterways to carry Marines and equipment make it well-suited for various operating environments, including Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. It is net-ready, secure, interoperable, operationally effective and built for future growth. In the future, the Corps intends to develop, procure and field three additional variants that specialize in command and control, recovery operations and increased firepower.  

“The fielding of the ACV is significant because we’re replacing the AAV, which has been effective for decades but was fielded in 1972,” Mullins said. “We’re providing Marines with a modern, more capable combat vehicle that is more adaptable to today’s battlefield.”  

Col. David G. Bardorf, the director of Ground Combat Element Division at the Marine Corps’ Capabilities Development Directorate, said the ACV has progressed significantly since its initial requirements discussions in 2014. Combat Development and Integration was responsible for developing the requirements set that would be needed to replace the older platform.  

“Reaching IOC is a testament to those involved in this program and the constant communication between the stakeholders: requirements, program managers, and [the vendor],” said Bardorf. “In the end, the Marine Corps is receiving an upgrade in capability ahead of schedule. We look forward to the program moving forward towards Full Operational Capability [FOC].” 

Mullins said the vehicle is projected to reach FOC in fiscal year 2028.  

In 2019, PEO Land Systems oversaw extensive testing involving the ACV that confirmed the vehicle’s ability to not only take on challenging surf, but also complete a long swim from ship to shore. The testing also indicated that the ACV has greater survivability and mobility than the AAV.  

In 2020, Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity performed independent operational testing involving the ACV’s achieved suitability, effectiveness and survivability. Results from the assessments, as well as feedback from Marines trained to employ the vehicle, came back positive. 

Mullins believes the ACV achieving IOC and FRP is a significant achievement for the Marine Corps, as Marines will receive an innovative vehicle that further supports their missions in various combat environments for years to come.  

“As program manager, I’ve spent a lot of time speaking with Marines who have trained with this vehicle in a variety of test environments,” said Mullins. “The feedback we’ve consistently received has been overwhelmingly positive. Marines seem to really love the vehicle.” 

WASHINGTON — James “Hondo” Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, announced the stand up of two additional Tech Bridges, one in Panama City, Florida, and one in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 9, his public affairs office said in a release. 

“Today’s Tech Bridge additions are a symbol of the Department of Navy’s momentum to rapidly deliver capabilities into the hands of our Sailors and Marines,” said Geurts. “There is nothing more exciting than seeing the speed and transition of technology that dramatically accelerates capability, and improved development processes – this allows our Navy and Marine Corps to provide the U.S. with the ability to adopt and scale its asymmetric advantage. I look forward to seeing these Tech Bridges serving as a ‘front door’ for emerging tech to work more seamlessly with the Navy.” 

The newest Tech Bridges offer direct access for companies and the fleet to test and evaluate emerging technologies purposed for undersea and space-going missions. The focus areas for the Gulf Coast Tech Bridge, located in Panama City, Florida, includes coastal sciences and technology, assured maritime access and operational meteorology and oceanography. The focus areas for the Hawaii Tech Bridge, in Honolulu, entail efforts to adopt technology advances for command and control, communications, cybersecurity, intelligence, space systems and resilient infrastructure. 

“The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, the U.S. Naval Research Lab in Stennis, Mississippi, and the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command partnered together to establish the Gulf Coast Tech Bridge, which spans a unique, vibrant region across four states,” said Holly Gardner, Director of the Gulf Coast Tech Bridge. “Our region is focused on the future, growing coastal science and unmanned vehicle development, hosting industry events and expanding strategic partnerships.” 

The Hawaii Tech Bridge represents a collaboration with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport Detachment Pacific, the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, and the University of Hawaii’s Office of Innovation and Commercialization. Future teaming is anticipated with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Commander, United States Pacific Fleet; and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. 

“In our logo, you will see the Hawaiian canoe (wa’a),” said Neal Miyake, dual-hatted as the Business Deputy at Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific and the Director of the Hawaii Tech Bridge. “This symbolizes that everyone has to work together in unity (lokahi) to achieve success. Like our Tech Bridge collaborators, each paddler may have a different role but they are all united by a common goal.” 

Tech Bridges are part of an initiative birthed from the Navy Agility cell, called NavalX, with support from the Office of Naval Research and the Navy’s System Commands and Warfare Centers. Since September 2019, Tech Bridges stood up across the country to shorten innovation timelines, improve the U.S. Navy’s relationships with emerging tech companies, and advance the U.S. Navy’s ability to bring technology solutions to the fleet. As of today, the Tech Bridges network exists in 15 locations — stretching from London (U.K.) to Honolulu — and works with the U.S. Navy’s Warfare Centers to align requirements and bring value to Sailors and Marines. 

More specifically, Tech Bridges collaborate and partner with startups, academia, corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, and private capital to match capability problems with technology solutions. Additionally, Tech Bridges serve within the growing ecosystem of the U.S. Department of Defense’s innovation groups — Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), U.S. Army Futures Command, AFWERX, SOFWERX — that bolsters NavalX’s overarching ability to connect people, companies, and technology solutions. 

“The new Tech Bridge locations bring in a deeper connection to the fleet, rapid prototyping mechanisms, test ranges, and access to talented students and entrepreneurs in Hawaii and the Gulf Coast Region,” said Whitney Tallarico, NavalX Tech Bridge Director. “We have seen this network mobilize during times of national crisis and are excited to watch them strengthen and serve our country during times of peace and otherwise, in the future.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy as exercised an option to order 48 more BQM-177A subsonic aerial targets, following a $29.2 million order in September for 35 in the first Full-Rate Production contract. 

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc. of Sacramento, California, a $38.7 million contract modification “to procure 48 BQM-177A subsonic aerial targets for the Navy as well as associated technical and administrative data in support of Full-Rate Production Lot Two deliveries,” according to a Dec. 9 Defense Department contract announcement. The deliveries will include replacement of one target expended by Australia.  

The BQM-177A is the U.S. Navy’s newest subsonic aerial target. It can be used to simulate hostile aircraft or highly dynamic, high-subsonic, sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles. The target is capable of speeds in excess of 0.95 Mach and a sea-skimming altitude as low as 6.6 feet, according to the Kratos website.  

The BQM-177A can carry “a wide array of internal and external payloads, including proximity scoring, identification friend or foe, passive and active radiofrequency augmentation, electronic countermeasures, infrared augmentation (plume pods), chaff and flare dispensers, and towed targets,” the website said. 

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp., has successfully completed modernizing the E-6B Mercury Block I aircraft fleet, part of the Navy’s Airborne Command Post and Take Charge and Move Out (ABNCP/TACAMO) Weapon System missions, the company said in a Dec. 7 release.  

The upgraded aircraft features a new command and control battlestaff, communications central control, multi-enclave voice/data/video distribution system, and an Internet Protocol Bandwidth Expansion (IPBE) digital backbone. Collins Aerospace acted as the Mission System Integrator (MSI), designing, developing, producing, installing, and qualifying the recapitalization of the mission system. 
 
“The Block I contract is an example and testament to Collins Aerospace’s ability to deliver comprehensive, integrated and durable solutions to the Navy and E-6B community,” said Heather Robertson, vice president and general manager, Integrated Solutions, Mission Systems, Collins Aerospace. “As a result of this upgrade, crews have a modern, multi-enclave mission system that provides a full picture of their operating environment.” 
 
As part of the ABNCP mission, the E-6B is an airborne command post and communications relay for U.S. nuclear forces. For the TACAMO mission, the E-6B provides the survivable communications link to our submarine forces using Collins Aerospace’s Very Low Frequency (VLF) terminal. 
 
The work was completed at Will Rogers Airport where the company’s co-located modification facility completed the 8-year full-rate Production (FRP) effort. With over 50 years of working within the TACAMO community, Collins Aerospace continues to deliver integrated solutions that ensure the utmost performance for the Navy’s critical, no-fail, missions. 

As the U.S. Navy’s corporate laboratory, the purpose of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., is to be cognizant of – and have world-class expertise in – the very basic sciences that are fundamental to all the technologies that we have in our society, and to create new technology through continued investment in science at the very basic level.

NRL comes under the Chief of Naval Research as head of the Office of Naval Research (ONR). ONR directs much of the work of the Naval Research Enterprise (NRE), of which NRL is a part, along with Navy warfare centers, academic institutions and federally funded research and development centers.

“We are a working laboratory at NRL, and we execute science and technology development and transition it to the fleet,” said NRL’s Acoustics Division Superintendent Dr. Brian Houston.

“Our work is basic and exploratory, all the way up to applied research and transitions. Unlike many of the organizations in the NRE, we do very basic science work — so-called 6.1 level work, where you have people on the lab, for example, that are developing new mathematical theories, and making new materials using surface science techniques, or developing new optics and lasers at the very fundamental level. Like much of NRL, in the acoustics division we intertwine that very basic science with exploratory research [6.2 research] where it’s more applied, taking what we’ve learned from the basic science and identify what can evolve into technology that might eventually benefit our warfighters,” Houston said.

According to Houston, NRL must be aware of the work being conducted by colleagues in the other organizations in the NRE. But, he said, while the other organizations tend to engage in engineering refinement, NRL explores new basic science and develops technologies from it.

“When you see some NRL research that’s resulted in a breakthrough technology or capability, you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg. That’s because there is so much basic science behind it. Our technology development teams that are bringing new capabilities and systems to our ships, aircraft and submarines have scientists who understand the very basic physics integrated with those technology teams.”

Houston came to NRL as a student, but says, “It just became a home very quickly because of the people, the facilities here and the really great problems we have to solve. I’ve been here 35 years and have never worked anywhere else.

“The acoustics piece of undersea warfare represents a lot of what we do — and it’s a very challenging area,” Houston said. “That includes finding things in the water, like submarines and things on the seabed, like mines. A major area encompassed by undersea warfare is mine warfare and not just offensive mines, but how to detect and localize adversary mines and how to deal with them. A mine is a very inexpensive weapon, and it’s relatively easy to make effective. It costs very little compared to the targets it goes after, like a billion-dollar warship, for example. They’re very difficult to detect and classify. We worry about mines today as much as we ever did.

“With regards to detection, there is a lot of stuff in the water column and even more stuff on the bottom. Mines are typically used in close proximity to the bottom, so you have to sort out the mines and detect and classify them in the context of all of this clutter and the topology of the bottom itself.”

Transcending Platforms

Houston said his work transcends platforms, sensors and processing, to include the systematic employment of all of that together. NRL has developed both a sensor approach as well as methods to analyze the data to carry out missions. From the sensor perspective, that whole technology area is what NRL calls low-frequency broad- band (LFBB), an active sonar that employs synthetic aperture processing, with processing that employs artificial intelligence for detection and classification.

“LFBB exploits the structural acoustics involved with underwater sonar. When you transmit sound, the acoustic return is very different depending on the physical object reflecting that acoustic energy. It might be a naturally occurring thing like a rock on the bottom or something that’s man-made, like a mine. In the water column, it might be a submarine versus a whale. What’s in the acoustic return is very different for each of those targets. Sonar has traditionally helped us know where something is, how far a way it is and sometime provides an image. But in addition to bearing and range, we can now determine what it is,” Houston said. “That return has specific physics in it that we can exploit, and we can know something about the physical object and based on how it responds.”

Houston said structural acoustics focuses on the inter- action of the sound with structures in a fluid — in this case, water.

“If I ping on an object underwater, the sound will propagate across the water volume and interact with the structure. The acoustic energy will cause the casing of a mine, or the hull of a submarine, to vibrate. So, the interaction of sound with a structure, and then the re-radiation of sound, is the realm of structural acoustics. Some years ago, we put together our one-of-a- kind Laboratory for Structural Acoustics here at NRL to focus on precision measurements.”

Houston’s team frequently uses unmanned systems in their research, and not just as platforms to hang sensors on or as scientific measurement tools.

“We’re also trying to figure out how to use them in under- sea warfare,” Houston said. “We’re engaging in the development of the artificial intelligence that’s needed to make those platforms work for the Navy. We’re figuring out how to best use them in terms of sensor platforms, in an applied way, the way the Navy might apply them in terms of an offensive capability. There’s a lot going on here.”

The NRL team has used their autonomous underwater vehicles Reliant and Black Pearl to develop LFBB for mine countermeasures, ASW and counter-UUV applications. Many mine-hunting UUVs employ change detection — knowing what’s on the bottom and coming back later to see if anything has changed.

“You can do change detection with almost any sonar system, including our systems, but we do not rely on change detection. Our system operates at a very high-performance level to go into an area and you can rely on the results from just a single pass,” said Houston. “That’s the objective.”

The Reliant and Black Pearl vehicles are unique compared with other platforms.

“The major difference is the sonar itself,” Houston said. “One of the reasons why we like the General Dynamics Bluefin Robotics 21-inch vehicle — both Reliant and Black Pearl are Bluefin vehicles — is they are ‘open ocean capable.’ They have a lot of energy on them, fairly high- end navigation systems, plus we have other things on them to make them very useable and capable in the open ocean. We also can go into shallow water areas and even very shallow water areas. So, we like that aspect of it. We want to have some ‘legs’ on the vehicle and navigate accurately. The sensors themselves aren’t consistent with a small vehicle, particularly because the low frequencies require larger sources and sensor apertures. We are doing a lot of onboard processing, so we can take the data and process it on board the vehicle to enable autonomous decision making enabled by the sensors, so it has access to the real-time processing of the sensor data, and it makes decisions based on that.”

Cuts Like a Knifefish

NRL has worked closely with the acquisition community. The LFBB sonar is now operational aboard the Knifefish Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Program, used to find buried, bottom and volume targets in highly cluttered environment. The system consists of two unmanned undersea vehicles along with support systems and equipment and is a critical element of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mine Countermeasure Mission Package. Knifefish received Milestone C approval last year, and the system entered low-rate initial production.

Knifefish is being built in blocks to incorporate new technology as it matures, to increase performance in each block. In addition to the LCS mine countermeasures mission package, the system can also be employed from other vessels of opportunity. Like NRL’s Reliant and Black Pearl reserve vehicles, Knifefish employs a General Dynamics Mission System Bluefin-21 vehicle.

“Knifefish’s common open systems architecture design and modularity provides the ability to quickly reconfigure the mission package to respond to evolving and dynamic mission requirements, and can be readily upgraded as new technologies or payloads are developed,” said Dr. Andrew Rogers, vice president, Undersea Defense Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems.

For Houston and the NRL team, the scientists, engineers, and the people who know how to bend metal and make it function, are all working together in an integrated fashion to accelerate the transition of scientific discoveries to applications.

“If you don’t have that connectivity, you just can’t make the arguments that will bring a new piece of science to an application that the fleet needs,” Houston said.

The result is a program of record that will help the fleet safely find mines. “We demonstrated at-sea performance and were successful in transitioning the technology into a program of record,” Houston said. “It was basic research — the science — that started it all.”

ST. LOUIS — Boeing and the U.S. Navy have for the first time flown the MQ-25 T1 test asset with an aerial refueling store (ARS), a significant milestone informing development of the unmanned aerial refueler, the company said in a Dec. 9 release. 

The successful 2.5-hour flight with the Cobham ARS – the same ARS currently used by F/A-18s for air-to-air refueling – was designed to test the aircraft’s aerodynamics with the ARS mounted under the wing. The flight was conducted by Boeing test pilots operating from a ground control station at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. 

“Having a test asset flying with an ARS gets us one big step closer in our evaluation of how MQ-25 will fulfill its primary mission in the fleet – aerial refueling,” said Capt. Chad Reed, the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager. “T1 will continue to yield valuable early insights as we begin flying with F/A-18s and conduct deck handling testing aboard a carrier.” 

Future flights will continue to test the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the ARS at various points of the flight envelope, eventually progressing to extension and retraction of the hose and drogue used for refueling. 

“To see T1 fly with the hardware and software that makes MQ-25 an aerial refueler this early in the program is a visible reminder of the capability we’re bringing to the carrier deck,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing’s MQ-25 program director. “We’re ensuring the ARS and the software operating it will be ready to help MQ-25 extend the range of the carrier air wing.” 

The Boeing-owned T1 test asset is a predecessor to the engineering development model aircraft being produced under a 2018 contract award. T1 is being used for early learning and discovery, laying the foundation for moving rapidly into development and test of the MQ-25. Following its first flight last year, T1 accumulated approximately 30 hours in the air before the planned modification to install the ARS.  

Earlier this year the Navy exercised an option for three additional MQ-25 air vehicles, bringing the total aircraft Boeing is initially producing to seven. The Navy intends to procure more than 70 aircraft, which will assume the tanking role currently performed by F/A-18s, allowing for better use of the combat strike fighters. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has ordered an additional CMV-22B Osprey carrier-onboard delivery aircraft, according to a Dec. 9 Defense Department contract announcement. 

The Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, was awarded a $170.4 contract modification by the Naval Air Systems Command for the CMV-22B and for the exercise of options the for V-22 Common Configuration Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) Lot 4 requirements and for planned maintenance interval inspections, repairs, shipping and storage containers and tooling in support of the V-22 CC-RAM program,” the announcement said. 

The Navy’s CMV-22B replaces the C-2A Greyhound for the Carrier On-Board Delivery (COD) mission. Its mission is to transport personnel, mail, supplies and cargo from shore bases to aircraft carriers at sea. Forty-four of the 48 Navy program of record aircraft will be delivered under the June 2018 multiyear procurement contract.    

The CMV-22B differs from the MV-22B by having a high-frequency radio, extra fuel capacity, improved fuel dump capability, improved lighting for cargo handling and a public address system. The aircraft can carry up to 6,000 pounds up to a range of 1,150 nautical miles. It is capable of internally carrying the F-135 engine power module for the F-35 Lightning II.   

The CMV-22B made its maiden flight on Dec. 19, 2019 at Bell Flight’s Amarillo, Texas assembly facility and later flew to Naval Air Station Patuxent River to continue flight testing in February 2020.   As of November 2020, seven CMV-22Bs have been delivered to the Navy.  

Operational Test and initial operation capability are scheduled for 2021; full operational capability is scheduled for 2024.