************ ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s new SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar is scheduled to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, a Raytheon official said. The radar, which first went to sea…
Congress Orders Report on Plan for Future of Navy’s Expeditionary EA-18G Squadrons
ARLINGTON, Va. — Congress rejected the U.S. Navy’s 2023 budget proposal to deactivate five electronic attack squadrons (VAQs) that operate the Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack jet in the defense policy bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden. Instead,…
Navy Orders Fourth Lot of TH-73A Thrasher Training Helicopters
ARLINGTON, Va.—The U.S. Navy has exercised a contract option to order a fourth lot of Leonardo TH-73A Thrasher training helicopters. Leonardo said in a Dec. 24 release that it was awarded a $110 million firm, fixed-price contract modification through AgustaWestland…
Capt. Shea S. Thompson Commodore, Surface Development Squadron One (SURFDEVRON 1)
A native of San Marcos, California, Thompson received his commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997. His sea tours included USS George Philip (FFG 12), USS Cape St. George (CG 71), and USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53). He served…
Muslim Civil Rights Group Protests Name ‘Fallujah’ for U.S. Navy Ship
ARLINGTON, Va. — A Muslim civil rights group is protesting the U.S. Navy’s selection of the name “Fallujah” as the name of a future amphibious assault ship. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), self-described as the nation’s largest Muslim civil…
Marine Corps Adds Cherry Point Squadron to F-35B Operators
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corp is converting another AV-8B Harrier II attack squadron to F-35B Lightning II strike fighters, the first F-3B fleet squadron to be based on the East Coast. Marine Attack Squadron 542 (VMA-542) — the Tigers…
Coast Guard Establishes Cyber Reserve Component and Cyber Billets
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Coast Guard is creating three reserve entities to strengthen its cyber capabilities, the service’s headquarters announced in an internal message. The Coast Guard’s Office of Cyberspace Forces’ team in charge of implementing the cyber mission specialist…
Navy Requests Concepts for Attritable Mother Ship for Unmanned Systems
ARLINGTO, Va. — The U.S. Navy has issued a Request for Information for concepts for an attritable unmanned mother ship to “cost-effectively deliver large numbers of UxVs (unmanned systems) to forward locations in a contested environment,” the published notice of…
USS Zumwalt Returns from First Western Pacific Deployment
ARLINGTON, Va. — The guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), lead ship of its three-ship class, completed a short deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean on Nov. 11, marking the first operational employment the class as part of the fleet…
HII Announces REMUS 620 Next-Generation, Submarine-Deployable Medium UUV
ARLINGTON, Va. — HII’s Mission Technologies division has developed a new generation of medium unmanned underwater vehicle (MUUV) — the REMUS 620 — that leverages advances incorporated in its smaller REMUS 300 UUV, the company said in a Nov. 7…
