PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy is working to develop a new mine countermeasure sensor suite for the MQ-8C Fire Scout that that will enable the unmanned helicopter to detect and localize mines and obstacles on land and at-sea, Naval…
Rep. Wittman Responds to CNO’s 500-Ship Fleet Aspirations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee, released the following statement in response to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday’s recent assertion the Navy needs a…
MQ-9A RPV Passes 2 Million Flight Hours
SAN DIEGO — The MQ-9A remotely piloted aircraft has surpassed 2 million flight hours in support of global customers, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. said March 2. The workhorse unmanned aircraft combines unmatched persistence and mission flexibility with a greater…
Navy’s Second F-35C Fleet Squadron Declared Safe for Flight
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s second fleet squadron to operate the F-35C Lightning II strike fighter has been declared safe for flight in that aircraft. Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) — the Warhawks — reached that status Feb. 18, a…
Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star Reaches Southernmost Navigable Waters on Earth
MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) reached the southernmost navigable waters on the planet Feb. 17 while underway in the Bay of Whales, Antarctica, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said March 1. Polar…
HII Completes Inaugural Maintenance, Modernization Period for USS Gerald R. Ford
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The first planned incremental availability for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) has been completed, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division announced March 1. Gerald R. Ford is the first ship in…
CNO and Connecticut Congressman Visit Commands and Industry Partners
GROTON, Conn. — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney traveled to Rhode Island and Connecticut to visit with Sailors, tour Navy commands and meet with industry partners on Feb. 28, the CNO’s Public Affairs…
Atlantic Fleet Name a No-Go, for Now
ARLINGTON, Va. — Just over a year ago, the president approved the proposal to re-designate the U.S. Fleet Forces Command as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The proposal — for now, at least — is in the dustbin of history. In…
University of Maine Manufactures World’s Largest 3D-Printed Boat for Military
ORONO, Maine — The world’s largest polymer additive manufacturing machine printed the world’s largest 3D printed vessel at the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono, Maine. In fact, it printed two of them. The prototype vessels…
Cutter Diligence Returns to Homeport after 60-Day Eastern Pacific Ocean Patrol
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence returned to their homeport of Pensacola, Florida, Feb. 20 following a 60-day counter-drug patrol in Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard 8th District said Feb. 25. Partnering with three other…
