Release from HII

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NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HII (NYSE: HII) and Babcock International Group have entered into a strategic agreement to collaborate on naval and civil nuclear decommissioning and construction opportunities in the U.K. and U.S.

HII and Babcock will apply their complementary capabilities to existing nuclear decommissioning contracts for U.S. ships and U.K. submarines, to share best practices and provide the opportunity to upskill and enhance both organizations’ capability for the benefit of the U.S. and U.K. programs.

The Memorandum of Understanding also identifies opportunities for cooperation in civil nuclear, including power plant and component design, fabrication and construction in North America and the U.K. For Babcock, this will include leveraging the capability of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cavendish Nuclear, a leader in the U.K. nuclear civil industry across the nuclear lifecycle.

“As we expand our presence globally this is an important agreement to leverage more than 60 years of HII expertise in complex nuclear processes on behalf of civil and defense customers,” said Chris Kastner, president and CEO of HII. “We are excited to explore with Babcock potentially promising opportunities for both companies.”

“This collaboration supports our expanding global reach and capability,” said David Lockwood, CEO of Babcock. “We look forward to working with HII to realize the benefits that our collaboration can bring to the nuclear programs in the U.K., U.S. and beyond.”

HII and Babcock will also explore how their combined capability as global leaders in defense can be applied in support of the Australia – United Kingdom – United States (AUKUS) programs.

Release from Coast Guard 11th District

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SAN PEDRO, Calif. – U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach and U.S. Customs and Border Protection recovered 223 pounds of cocaine today from a vessel that became disabled on July 4, off the coast of Columbia.

Two individuals on a disabled panga-style vessel flagged down a good Samaritan en route to Long Beach, California. The good Samaritan vessel recovered the two individuals and their boat.

As they approached Long Beach, the crew contacted the Coast Guard to assist with disembarking the two individuals and recovering their boat.

During that process, the crew notified the Coast Guard that drugs were possibly aboard the vessel. A subsequent search revealed that narcotics were concealed within a false bottom.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection took the two individuals into custody and seized narcotics and the vessel.

“This operation exemplifies the outstanding interagency collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and CBP,” said Lt. Cdr. Keith Robinson, chief of law enforcement at Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach.

Release from Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs 

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July 13, 2023 

From Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs  

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced, today, that a future Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue ship will be named USNS Billy Frank Jr. (T-ATS 11).   

The future T-ATS 11 honors Billy Frank Jr., who was a Nisqually tribal member and is an iconic Native American environmental leader and treaty rights activist. The name selection follows the tradition of naming towing, salvage, and rescue ships after prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes.   

“I am honored for the opportunity to name a naval ship after Billy Frank Jr., a man who was a proponent and leader for Native American rights,” said Del Toro. “Billy Frank Jr. spent his life serving others and his namesake ship will do the same as it travels around the world enabling humanitarian assistance and the maintenance of freedom.” 

William “Billy” Frank Jr. was born in 1931 as a member of the Nisqually tribe in Washington.  After serving as a military policeman in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War, Frank returned to Washington where he became an electrical lineman and continued to fish on his traditional grounds.   

By the 1960s, the local salmon fishery was in decline due to increased sport and commercial fishing.  In response, state officials began targeting and arresting Native American fishermen like Frank, blaming the decline in salmon stock on them instead.  Escalating arrests and raids led to protests at the state capitol and “fish-ins” arranged by Frank and others.  Over the course of these demonstrations, Frank was arrested over 50 times and became the face of the movement.   

In 1974, the matter was taken up by the Federal District Court in Tacoma, Washington.  Judge George H. Boldt ruled in favor of the Native Americans for their right to fish in their “usual and accustomed places.”  Frank went on to serve as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for over 30 years and received the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award, among other accolades.  He passed away in 2014. His son, Willie Frank III, serves as the chairman of the tribal council of the Nisqually tribe. 

The Navajo-class will provide ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support Fleet operations. The current capabilities are provided by Powhatan-class T-ATF Fleet Tugs and Safeguard-class T-ARS Rescue and Salvage vessels, which reach the end of their expected service lives starting in 2020. Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing U.S. Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems. 

More information on our towing, salvage, and rescue ship programs can be found here. 

Release from U.S. Coast Guard Atantic Area 

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July 13, 2023 

PORTSMOUTH, Va. —The crew of the USCGC Legare (WMEC 912) returned to their home port in Portsmouth Thursday following a 69-day maritime safety and security patrol in the Florida Straits. 

Legare deployed in support of Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast and Operation Vigilant Sentry in the Seventh Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility. While underway, Legare’s crew conducted maritime safety and security missions while working to detect, deter and intercept unsafe and illegal maritime migration ventures bound for the United States. 

Legare’s crew interdicted seven different migrant vessels attempting a dangerous and irregular journey to the United States. Legare’s crew processed, cared for and repatriated 116 migrants. 

During the patrol, Legare also worked alongside other Coast Guard assets to protect the safety of life at sea, including rescuing a man after his 37-foot sailing vessel became disabled 86 miles off Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 

“The officers and crew of Legare performed admirably in what is a very taxing mission of securing our maritime borders while showing compassion and care for migrants who are often in harm’s way on the sea,” said Cmdr. Jeremy Greenwood, Legare’s commanding officer. “Deterring dangerous and irregular migration to the United States by sea is not only a matter of ensuring U.S. border security but also a matter of saving the lives of those who take to the sea without understanding the hazards and perils of that journey. We reiterate our plea to those wishing to come to the United States to do so by official channels, taking to the sea is never the answer.” 

Legare is a 270-foot, Famous-class medium endurance cutter. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcement of federal fishery laws and search and rescue in support of U.S. Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

The Coast Guard is one component of HSTF-SE, a standing Joint Task Force that integrates the capabilities of local, county, state and federal agencies to effectively respond to maritime migration events. HSTF-SE serves as the DHS lead for operational and tactical planning, command and control, and as a standing organization to deter, mitigate and respond to maritime mass migration in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry, the 2004 DHS plan to respond to irregular maritime migration in the Caribbean Sea and the Florida Straits. 

For information on how to join the U.S. Coast Guard, visit GoCoastGuard.com to learn about active duty and reserve, officer and enlisted opportunities. Information on how to apply to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy can be found here. 

Release from Philly Shipyard 

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July 12, 2023 

PHILADELPHIA – Philly Shipyard, Inc. (“Philly Shipyard”), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA (Oslo: PHLY) today announced the contract award to conduct the T-AH(X) Hospital Ship Feasibility Study for Gibbs and Cox, a Leidos Inc. company. The six-month design study will cover a solution for preliminary designs to replace the two current hospital ships – USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort – owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC). Philly Shipyard will subcontract to Vard Marine Inc. (“VARD”) to provide engineering and technical services for this effort. 

“This contract win highlights our commitment to pursuing and securing work in the government market,” said Steinar Nerbovik, Philly Shipyard President and CEO. “Along with our current commercial and government backlog of shipbuilding projects, we have completed previous design studies for the U.S. Navy and are very interested in pursuing government opportunities that fit our production delivery cycles and skill sets. We are excited and grateful to team up, once again, with Vard Marine on this important industry study.” 

Philly Shipyard and VARD will leverage design work performed as part of a special study completed for the U.S. Navy’s Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform (CHAMP) program, which was won in 2019. 

 About Philly Shipyard 

Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) is a leading U.S. shipbuilder that is presently pursuing a mix of commercial and government work. It possesses a state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility and has earned a reputation as a preferred provider of oceangoing merchant vessels with a track record of delivering quality ships, having delivered around 50% of all large ocean-going Jones Act commercial ships since 2000.  PSI is the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. Philly Shipyard ASA is listed on the Euronext Expand Oslo (Oslo: PHLY) and is majority-owned by Aker Capital AS, which in turn is wholly-owned by Aker ASA (Aker). Aker is an industrial investment company that exercises active ownership to create value. Aker has ownership interests in oil and gas, renewable energy and green technologies, maritime assets, marine biotechnology and industrial software, and its portfolio includes companies like Aker BP, Aker Horizons, Aker BioMarine, Cognite, and Aker Solutions. For more information about Philly Shipyard, visit www.phillyshipyard.com. 

Release from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. 

New MQ-9B SkyGuardian^®/SeaGuardian^® Models Add More Than 4,000 Hours  

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SAN DIEGO – 14 July 2023 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GAASI) today announced that its family of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which includes the Predator^®, Reaper, Gray Eagle, Avenger^®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian^®/SeaGuardian^® lines, has surpassed eight million flight hours. GA-ASI aircraft have completed 566,000 total missions in nearly 40 countries around the world.  

Adding to the total are 13 MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian UAS that have flown more than 4,000 flight hours, including the new Protector RG Mk1 being delivered to the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. The first three Protectors are currently undergoing Integrated Test, Evaluation, and Acceptance trials. In addition, MQ-9Bs are being operated by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) and Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), as well as supporting various U.S. Navy exercises.  

“GA-ASI continues to be a leader in developing reliable, cost-efficient, and sustainable unmanned aircraft systems that perform advanced operations for our customers around the world,” said GA-ASI CEO Linden P. Blue. “Eight million flight hours is another achievement on our list of historic firsts, which demonstrates our relentless commitment to quality.” 

The exact aircraft and customer that achieved the milestone is unknown, as it’s estimated that more than 50 Predator-class Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) RPA are airborne worldwide every moment of every day.  

GA-ASI aircraft average 40,000 hours per month, supporting programs with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, NASA, the Italian Air Force, the UK Royal Air Force, the French Air Force, the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, the Spanish Air Force, the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the Indian Navy, the Polish Air Force, JCG, JMSDF, and others, with more customers coming online soon. Missions include helping protect ground units on the battlefield, supporting first responders in the wake of natural disasters, and providing critical ISR around the world. These aircraft systems continue to maintain some of the highest mission-capable rates in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army aircraft inventories.  

GA-ASI has produced more than 1,000 aircraft and nearly 500 Ground Control Stations (GCS) in more than three decades of business. In addition to UAS and GCS, GA-ASI produces Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) systems, as well as sensor payloads that deliver radar and video imagery, detect moving targets on the ground and over water, and provide Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) on signals of interest. GA-ASI has also developed a Detect and Avoid (DAA) system to facilitate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into civil airspace in addition to combat environments. 

The Predator-series family includes Predator A and Predator XP, Predator B/MQ-9A Reaper, Predator B Extended Range (ER), Guardian, Gray Eagle, Gray Eagle ER, Predator C Avenger/ER, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian. 

Release from Northrop Grumman 

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REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – July 13, 2023 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office to design an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft system capable of operating from a moving Navy ship at sea. 

• SAN DIEGO – 14 July 2023 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GAASI) today announced that its family of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which includes the Predator^®, Reaper, Gray Eagle, Avenger^®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian^®/SeaGuardian^® lines, has surpassed eight million flight hours. GA-ASI aircraft have completed 566,000 total missions in nearly 40 countries around the world.  
• The AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) demonstrator will be designed as a cost-efficient, multiple-mission capable vehicle built on an agile platform that is runway independent. 
• Northrop Grumman’s ANCILLARY demonstrator will be capable of carrying a large 60-pound sensor payload with greater endurance of 20 hours’ time on station and mission radius range of 100 nautical miles, which is more than current systems, without using significant additional infrastructure aside from what is on board the air vehicle. The system will also have capability to land on a ship in adverse weather conditions. 
• The aircraft will be capable of performing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting missions, and supporting expeditionary missions for special operations forces and logistical missions with significant affordability impacts for ship-to-shore transition of parts and supplies. 

Expert: 

Tim Frei, vice president, research and advanced design, Northrop Grumman: “In collaboration with DARPA, Northrop Grumman will work to significantly enhance how future autonomous vertical lift aircraft will operate at sea and ashore. The ANCILLARY program enables us to combine our digital engineering expertise with extensive knowledge and insights from past successes in developing and operating uncrewed vertical lift aircraft for the U.S. Navy.” 

Details on DARPA ANCILLARY: 

DARPA’s ANCILLARY program aims to develop and flight demonstrate an X-plane with the critical technologies required for a leap-ahead in long endurance, VTOL unmanned air system (UAS) performance. The UAS would be able to launch and recover from ship flight decks and small austere land locations in adverse weather without additional infrastructure equipment, thus enabling expeditionary deployments. Unlike large VTOL systems, the small UAS size would allow many aircraft to be stored and operated from one ship creating a tactical beyond-line-of-site, multi-intelligence sensor network capability. 

Release from U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

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Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy while providing critical training opportunities for Polar sailors and future operations in the Arctic. 

“We’re excited to begin our Arctic deployment to the high latitudes,” said Capt. Michele Schallip, Healy’s commanding officer. “Our deployment will support scientific exploration to increase understanding of the changing Arctic environment and associated impacts. We’ll also have opportunities to deepen the Coast Guard’s cooperation with our allies, and partner nations through engagements and joint exercises to promote regional stability, security and strengthen our collaborative partnerships.” 

Schallip assumed command of the Healy in June, having previously served as the cutter’s executive officer. 

The Healy deploys annually to the Arctic to support multiple science missions and Operation Arctic Shield, the service’s annual operation to execute U.S. Coast Guard missions, enhance maritime domain awareness, strengthen partnerships, and build preparedness, prevention, and response capabilities across the Arctic domain. 

Commissioned in 2000, Healy is one of two active polar icebreakers in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) is a Polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976. 

The Coast Guard is recapitalizing its Polar icebreaker fleet to ensure continued access to both Polar regions and support the country’s economic, commercial, maritime, and national security needs. 

Release from the U.S. Department of Defense 

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JULY 13, 2023 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced today that the president has made the following nomination: 

Navy Rear Adm. John B. Skillman for appointment to the grade of vice admiral with assignment as deputy chief of naval operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources, N8, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Skillman is currently serving as director, Programming Division, N80, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

Navy Captain Michael T. Spencer for appointment to the grade of rear admiral (lower half).  Spencer is currently serving as commander, Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, Fallon, Nevada. 

Release from Air Industries Group 

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JUL 11, 2023 

BAY SHORE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul. 11, 2023– Air Industries Group (the Company) (NYSE American: AIRI), an integrated Tier 1 manufacturer of precision assemblies and components for mission-critical aerospace and defense applications, and a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense, today announced that it has been awarded two new contracts valued at a total of $5.2 million to produce components for the U.S. Navy E-2D aircraft and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. 

The first order is valued at $2.0 million for E-2D arresting gear components. The order originates from a long-time customer of Air Industries Group, which has manufactured these flight safety components for many years. Deliveries under this new order are expected to begin in 2025. 

The second order is valued at $3.2 million for F-35 arresting gear components for the CV and CTOL versions of the aircraft. This order is from a new, non-U.S. customer for Air Industries Group. Deliveries under this order are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023. 

Mr. Lou Melluzzo, CEO of Air Industries, commented: “We are very pleased to have received two sizeable orders for mission-critical components. The E-2D aircraft is essential to controlling the airspace above U.S. Navy carrier battlegroups. Air Industries has supported the E-2D for many years and is proud to continue to do so. 

“The new order for the F-35 aircraft is particularly gratifying as it is from a non-U.S. customer. Our business development strategy has focused on broadening our customer base and expanding our geographic reach. This contract from a European manufacturer is a positive step in both regards.”