NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — An analysis of alternatives (AOA) is underway in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for a replacement for the Navy’s E-6B Mercury strategic communications aircraft.

Speaking to
an audience at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference here, Marine Maj. Gen
Greg Masiello, the Navy’s program executive officer for Air, ASW, Assault and
Special Mission PEO (A), said that his office is supporting the AOA. PEO(A)‘s
portfolio includes the E-6B aircraft.

The E-6B is
the legacy platform that relays strategic communications to and from the Navy’s
ballistic-missile submarines and national command authority, a program called
TACAMO (Take Charge and Move Out). The E-6B also serves in the airborne command
post (ABNCP) role for U.S. Strategic Command, flying with a battle staff
onboard.

The AOA is for the NEAT
program, which is a simplification of the terms NAOC (National Airborne Operations
Center)/EA (ABNCP/TACAMO). The AOC mission is performed by the Air Force E-4B
aircraft.

NASHUA, New Hampshire — BAE Systems worked
closely with Lockheed Martin to deliver Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM)
to the U.S. Air Force, achieving Early Operational Capability (EOC) for the B-1B
bomber ahead of schedule, BAE said in a May 6 release. The Air Force accepted
delivery of production LRASM units following successful simulation,
integration, and flight tests that demonstrated the missile’s mission
readiness.

“We’re quickly delivering critical capabilities to
warfighters to meet their urgent operational needs,” said Bruce Konigsberg,
Radio Frequency (RF) Sensors product area director at BAE Systems. “Our sensor
systems provide U.S. warfighters with a strike capability that lets them engage
protected, high-value maritime targets from safe distances. The missile
provides a critical advantage to U.S. warfighters.”

BAE Systems’ long-range sensor and targeting technology
enables LRASM to detect and engage protected ships in all weather conditions,
day or night, without relying on external intelligence and navigation data.

BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin are working closely together
to further mature the LRASM technology. The companies recently signed a
contract for the production of more than 50 additional sensors and are working
to achieve EOC on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 2019.

The advanced LRASM sensor technology builds on BAE Systems’ knowledge in electronic warfare (EW), signal processing and targeting technologies, and demonstrates the company’s ability to apply its world-class EW technology to small platforms. The successful LRASM sensor program demonstrates the company’s ability to quickly deliver advanced EW technology to warfighters.

As part of the company’s electronic warfare capacity expansion initiatives, it locates key programs where they will be optimally staffed to quickly transition from design to production, accelerate deliveries, and improve product affordability. The company’s work on the LRASM program is conducted at state-of-the-art facilities in Wayne, New Jersey and Nashua, New Hampshire.

ARLINGTON, Virginia
— China’s first home-built aircraft carrier is likely to join the People’s
Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) fleet this year, a highlight of China’s effort to
modernize its fleet with modern, farther-ranging platforms and weapons.

Construction
began on a second aircraft carrier in 2018, said a new report to Congress from
the Defense Department, “Military and Security Developments Involving the
People’s Republic of China 2019.” This carrier, which should reach the PLAN fleet
in 2022, is likely to be fitted with a catapult aircraft launch system,
according to the report.

A coastal
defense navy during the Cold War, the PLAN is continuing a two-decade build-up
with numerous blue-water platforms

“The PLAN is
rapidly replacing obsolescent, generally single-purpose platforms in favor of
larger, multirole combatants featuring advanced anti-ship, anti-air and
anti-submarine weapons and sensors,” the report said. “This modernization
aligns with China’s growing emphasis on the maritime domain and increasing
demands on the PLAN to conduct operational tasks at expanding distances from
the Chinese mainland using multimission, long-range, sustainable naval
platforms possessing robust self-defense capabilities.”

“Modernization
of China’s submarine force remains a high priority for the PLAN,” the report
said. “The PLAN currently operates four nuclear-powered ballistic missile
submarines (SSBN), six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) and 50
conventionally powered attack submarines (SS). The speed of growth of the
submarine force has slowed and will likely grow to between 65 and 70 submarines
by 2020.”

The PLAN also
continues to modernize its surface warship fleet.

“The PLAN is rapidly replacing obsolescent, generally single-purpose platforms in favor of larger, multirole combatants featuring advanced anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine weapons and sensors.”

A new Pentagon report to Congress on China’s naval modernization

China has
built new guided-missile cruisers (CGs), guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) and
guided-missile frigates (FFGs) that “will significantly upgrade the PLAN’s air
defense, anti-ship, and anti-submarine capabilities. These assets will be
critical as the PLAN expands operations into distant seas beyond the range of
shore-based air defense systems” the report said.

China has
built four Renhai-class CGs over the last two years and has several more under
construction. The lead CG is scheduled to join the fleet in 2019. At least
three Luyang-class DDGs joined the PLAN fleet in 2018, bringing the total to
nine with at least four more under construction. A larger variant forthcoming,
Luyang III, will be equipped with a vertical launcher system.

China also
emphasizes small surface combatants, with 27 or more Jiangkai II FFGs and more
than 40 Jiangdao-class corvettes, with more of both types under construction.

All new
attack submarines and surface combatants are being armed with modern anti-ship missiles.

“The PLAN
recognizes that long-range ASCMs require a robust, over-the-horizon targeting
capability to realize their full potential,” the new Pentagon report said. “China
is investing in reconnaissance, surveillance, command, control and
communications systems at the strategic, operational and tactical levels to
provide high-fidelity targeting information to surface and subsurface launch
platforms.”

China also is
building a fleet of amphibious warfare ships, adding three to the current five
Yuzhao-class amphibious transport dock ships.

China also is expanding the
PLAN marine corps from two brigades and 10,000 marines to seven brigades and
30,000 marines by 2020. The Chinese marine corps also now has its own commander
and a new central headquarters.

NORFOLK, Virginia
— A new class of towing and salvage vessels will join the U.S. Navy’s Military
Sealift Command (MSC) in fiscal year 2021. 

“The new
Navajo class replaces the Powhatan class T-ATF fleet tugs, which provide
towing, diving and standby submarine rescue services for the U.S. Navy, and the
Safeguard class T-ARS rescue and salvage vessels, whose mission includes,
salvage, diving, towing and heavy-lift operations,” said Tim Schauwecker, MSC towing
and salvage project officer.

“MSC and
the fleet commanders will benefit by having new, state-of-the-art and highly
capable platforms that can perform a wide range of missions ranging from towing
and salvage, diving operations and submarine rescue,” he said.

The
primary mission of the fleet tug is towing and submarine rescue with the
secondary mission of salvage. Rescue and salvage ships conduct salvage with a
secondary mission of towing. The Navajo class will combine the capabilities of
both classes into a single class for greater efficiency, Schauwecker said.

“This new ship class will … eventually restore the towing and salvage fleet to an end strength of eight hulls.”

Tim Schauwecker, Sealift command’s towing and salvage project officer

“The major
improvements include a significant bollard pull increase that will enable the
ship to tow virtually any ship currently in the [Navy] inventory. The new ships
include additional deck space to account for the requirements of the submarine
rescue diving and recompression system, including transfer under pressure, a
40-ton heave compensating crane to assist with underwater salvage operations
such as lifting aircraft wreckage out of the water, dynamic positioning, which
provides the ability to automatically maintain position and heading in the
water by using its propellers and thrusters despite the environmental
conditions, and berthing for an additional 42 personnel [other than crew] in two-
to six-person staterooms. The ship will also have modern automation and
engineering systems that include environmentally friendly main propulsion
diesel engines,” he said.  

MSC search-and-rescue
vessels have contributed to a variety of missions around the world, including
recovery efforts for John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crash, the USS Guardian
grounding, TWA flight 800, Hurricane Katrina and the SS El Faro sinking.

MSC took
delivery of the Powhatan class of fleet ocean tugs between 1978 and 1981. These
ships were designed and built based on commercial offshore towing vessels and were
manned by civilian mariners. Salvor and Grasp were commissioned in 1985 and
1986 and were sailed as USS ships by U.S. Navy Sailors. The Navy decommissioned
the Safeguard class of salvage ships in 2006 and 2007 and transferred them to
MSC, where they were redesignated as T-ARS and manned by civilian mariners.

According
to the Congressional Budget Office’s 2019 shipbuilding analysis, the
procurement of the new Navajo class aligns with the Navy’s plan to expand the
fleet to 355 ships.

“This new
ship class will bring a significant capability increase to the U.S. Navy and
Military Sealift Command and eventually restore the towing and salvage fleet to
an end strength of eight hulls,” Schauwecker said.

Secretary
of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced in March the new class of ships will
be named Navajo, in honor of the major contributions the Navajo people have
made to the armed forces.

The lead ship will start
construction in May, with delivery of the first five ships in fiscal 2021 and
2022, followed by one ship per year through 2025.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Lockheed Martin is set to deliver to the Navy the first Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare AOEW pods at the end of 2019, the company’s program manager said.

The first set of pods is on track for delivery in December 2019 or January 2020, said Joe Ottovanio, director of electonic warfare solutions for Lockheed Martin, speaking to reporters May 1 in Arlington.

Ottoviano also said the program expects a Milestone C decision for Low-Rate Initial Production of the AOEW pod in December.

The AOEW is a pod designed to be carried aloft by and MH-60R or MH-60S helicopter and function as an extension of a warship’s SLQ-32(V)6 electronic warfare system.

LEMOORE,
Calif. — Two Navy Super Hornet squadrons at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore,
California, have reduced maintenance turnaround times and are boosting aircraft
readiness as part of naval aviation’s maintenance reform initiatives under the
Naval Sustainment System (NSS).

The NSS
initiative leverages best practices from commercial industry to help reform
aspects of naval aviation’s fleet readiness centers, organizational-level
(O-level) maintenance, supply chain, engineering, and maintenance organizations
and governance processes. Initially, the NSS is concentrating on getting the
Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet healthy before rolling out the approach to every
Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

Strike
Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 22 and 122 were the first to implement O-level
maintenance reforms following visits from commercial aviation consultants in
December and January.

Reforms
include assigning crew leads to manage the maintenance on each aircraft and
reorganizing hangar spaces, parts cages and tools.

Squadrons Empower Petty Officers

The most
significant change has been the delegation of ownership over each aircraft in
for repairs from the squadrons’ maintenance material control officers, or
MMCOs, to individual crew leads comprised mostly of first-class petty officers.

Traditionally,
MMCOs must keep track of the status of each aircraft in for maintenance as well
as the Sailors working on them, and that’s in addition to deciding what
maintenance actions are required for each jet and which aircraft are safe to
release for flight. Assigning junior-level crew leads to each jet removes some
of that burden from the MMCOs and has led to improved communication and
increased accountability.

“The crew
leads are not making the maintenance decisions; that’s still done by the
maintenance controllers, but what it allows for is it sheds those maintenance
control chiefs of having to know every status of every jet, of every person,
all day long,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Michaelis, O-level reform champion for
Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF). “So they can focus on releasing safe
aircraft by empowering those first-class petty officers, who can now own that
process and know where the people are, know the status of the parts, and brief
that up the line.”

For the
petty officers accustomed to doing their job a certain way, reform did not come
easy. But the benefits have been evident, said Aviation Electronics Technician
1st class Victor Perez, the leading petty officer for VFA-122’s avionics shop
and one of the squadron’s selected crew leads.

“At first
the changes didn’t feel productive, because we didn’t really understand it, but
now that we’ve had some time with it, it’s definitely helped improve our
processes and communication,” Perez said.

Used to
focusing exclusively on avionics, Perez said serving as a crew lead has forced
him to approach the maintenance of his assigned aircraft more holistically. The
increased responsibility of bringing an entire jet back online ultimately leads
to a greater sense of accomplishment, he said.

“You get
kind of personal with an aircraft,” he added. “Some aircraft are easy, and some
are a struggle to get through. Rather than working on a jet for a couple hours
to complete the one thing assigned to your shop and then moving on to the next
jet, this way you take more ownership toward completing the whole thing.”

In some
cases, exceptional second-class petty officers have also been considered for
crew lead, including Aviation Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Michaela Zadra, a
member of VFA-22’s quality assurance division. Having crew leads that can focus
on individual jets — and communicate with the various maintenance shops —
relieves maintenance control from having to keep near-constant track of as many
as a dozen aircraft at a time, Zadra said.

“Crew
leads have cut down on empty communication, so now I, as a maintainer who is
not stuck behind a maintenance control desk, can walk around to each shop and
talk to them personally,” she said. “There’s a lot more communication
one-on-one, instead of one-to-one-to-one and then to maintenance control. It’s
definitely helped with communication and productivity with the jets.”

In tandem
with the crew lead concept has been the utilization of a whiteboard alongside
each aircraft that informs anyone passing by as to the jet’s status.
Information on the boards includes the names of the crew chief and additional
personnel assigned to the aircraft, what maintenance is needed, and the
expected completion date.

“If you
physically walk through one of our hangars today, you can tell which ones have
been reformed and which ones haven’t,” said Vice Adm. DeWolfe H. Miller III,
CNAF. “You know the exact status of that airplane, you know who’s working on
that airplane and when they expect that airplane to be up. There’s going to be
a crew lead who has that ownership.”

In
addition, the two squadrons have begun treating the spaces around each Super
Hornet in their hangars as dedicated workspaces, with all necessary tools and
parts kept beside the aircraft rather than back in one of the various
maintenance shops.

“We’re now
treating the airplane a little more, as an analogy, like a patient getting
surgery,” Miller said. “I am the doctor as the maintainer, and I said,
‘scalpel,’ and my tool is right there. What we’re seeing with that sort of
approach, having our tools next to the airplane, having our status board next
to the airplane, everything is going to the point of action being around that
airframe, and we’re seeing a really significant improvement in our mission
capable rates.”

Both
squadrons have also begun keeping larger parts in a centralized “parts cage” in
the hangar, dramatically reducing the amount of time Sailors spend traversing
the hangar in search of equipment rather than with their hands on an aircraft.

“It may be
five minutes here or five minutes there, but over the course of a day across
all those technicians, that’s a lot of time saved by having those parts close
to where the job is being done,” Michaelis said.

The 84-Day Corrosion Inspection

Together,
the changes have helped the squadrons achieve one of the first goals of O-level
reform — reducing the turnaround time for routine 84-day corrosion inspections
down from 10-14 days to three days.

The 84-day
inspection, so called because Super Hornets receive one every 84 days, is one
of the most common checks conducted on the jet and is officially supposed to
take three days.

“Our
average is about 10 to 14 days,” Miller said. “It’s really important for us to
put some discipline into achieving these checks on a predictable three-day
pattern.”

After
meeting with consultants, VFA-22 was the first squadron to pilot reforms aimed
at reducing the 84-day inspection time.

“They were
able to do it in two-and-a-half shifts, and as we’ve been going through the
process with other squadrons, we realize that yes, three days in itself is
sufficient, once we weed out the inefficiencies,” said Lt. Hasely Clarke,
assistant maintenance officer for Strike Fighter Wing Pacific.

Clarke
said many of those inefficiencies arose from work centers waiting on one
another to be finished with an aircraft before beginning their own tasks.
“There was a lot of waiting time in between,” he said.

Time
management, communication and multitasking between shops have all improved
following the O-level reform, Zadra said, noting shops were encouraged to
identify which of their tasks could be performed alongside another’s
simultaneously. For instance, Zadra said she can check the lights in the
cockpit from the side of the jet while someone from the avionics shop inspects
instrumentation inside the cockpit.

“It cuts
down a lot on worker hours, so we can minimize the time on the inspection,” she
said.

Initial Skepticism

A former
MMCO, Michaelis said he was skeptical of the O-level reforms when they were
initially proposed, but has come around after seeing how VFA-22 and VFA-122
have put the reforms into practice.

“It’s been
a tough pill to swallow, to see how inefficient even when I was in that
position, even though I thought we were on point every single time,” he said.
“To now look back and go, ‘Wow, there were a lot of places where I could have
improved.’ So, that’s what’s made me a believer, is being able to look in
hindsight and realize there’s tons of this stuff that I wish I had when I was
an MMCO.”

Michaelis
said the plan is to take the reforms to VFA squadrons at NAS Oceana, Virginia,
before rolling them out across the Super Hornet community and, ultimately, to
other platforms.

“As we
migrate this and expand it across all type-model-series, I’m excited about what
this is going to do for our future,” Miller said.

Further
evidence of the reform’s efficacy will come when squadrons can keep their
Sailors on normal work schedules while preparing for deployments, Michaelis
said.

“Before we go on detachments or on deployment, we often work Sailors 12 [hours] on, 12 off, sometimes seven days a week,” he said. “The proof is when, on a Thursday, we can let our people out for a three-day weekend because our jets are up and ready to go, and we saw that recently in one of our transformed squadrons.”

VIENNA,
Austria — Norway’s Andøya Test Center selected Schiebel’s market-leading Camcopter
S-100 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned air system (UAS) for
extensive search-and-rescue trials as part of the Arctic 2030 project, the
company said in a May 2 release.

In a typical
configuration, the Camcopter S-100 operates six hours continuously and is able
to simultaneously carry multiple payloads, offering significant payload
flexibility to the user. Therefore, the S-100’s missions deliver aerial views
that reach considerably farther than manned helicopters.

The S-100
also offers a number of key advantages for naval operations in the Arctic. As a
VTOL platform, the Camcopter does not require any additional start or recovery
equipment and its minimal footprint is perfect for offshore patrol vessels with
small deck sizes. The S-100 also distinguishes itself through its ability to
perform in the harshest weather conditions, flying at temperatures down to
-40°C. This has been proven in a series of intensive trials, such as the
Canadian icebreaker operations. In this particular case, the Camcopter S-100
was deployed 60 nautical miles north of Fogo Island, offshore Canada, providing
a wide-view image of the ice structure as well as identifying the boundaries
between flat and rough ice.

The goal of
the Andøy Municipality project is a demonstration of VTOL UAS use in the Arctic
region in an effort to increase maritime safety. For this purpose, the Camcopter
S-100 will be equipped with an electro-optical/infrared camera gimbal, an
Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch payload, an automatic identification system
receiver and a maritime broadband radio by Radionor. Such a combination of
payloads is intended to strengthen emergency preparedness in the region and
provide search and rescue mission support.

Tests are
scheduled to commence in the fall of 2019 with the UAS being deployed from
Norwegian Coast Guard vessels in Andfjorden, Northern Norway. More operations
are planned in Spitsbergen in the spring of 2020.

“This is
clearly an important milestone in the project,” said Gunnar Jan Olsen, general manager
of the Andøya Test Center. “We have already gained some experience with the
Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS during an impressive demonstration in 2017. We
believe that these current, more extensive S-100 trials will demonstrate that
maritime safety in the Arctic can effectively be increased with the help of
VTOL UAS.”

SAN DIEGO —
The Coast Guard commissioned the newest California-based 154-foot Fast Response
Cutter in San Diego, May 1, the Coast Guard 11^th District said in a
release of the same date.

The Benjamin
Bottoms is the fourth Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to be
homeported at Base Los Angeles-Long Beach.

While these
ships will be based in San Pedro, they will operate throughout the 11th Coast
Guard District, which includes all of California and international waters off
of Mexico and Central America. 

“Radioman
First Class Benjamin Bottoms is a Coast Guard hero,” said Adm. Charles
Ray, the Coast Guard vice commandant. “He was the embodiment of honor,
commitment and sacrifice — the motto of this new cutter.”

FRC’s are
154-foot multimission ships designed to conduct drug and migrant interdictions;
ports, waterways and coastal security operations; fisheries and environmental
protection patrols; national defense missions; and search and rescue.

To date, the
Coast Guard has accepted delivery of more than 30 FRCs. Each ship is designed
for a crew of 24, has a range of 2,500 miles and is equipped for patrols up to
five days. The FRCs are part of the Coast Guard’s overall fleet modernization
initiative.

FRCs feature
advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance equipment as well as over-the-horizon response
boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships
can reach speeds of 28 knots and are equipped to coordinate operations with
partner agencies and long-range Coast Guard assets such as the Coast Guard’s
National Security Cutters.

FRCs are
named in honor of Coast Guard enlisted leaders, trailblazers and heroes. The
four California-based FRCs are:

Forrest Rednour (WPC-1129): Rednour aided in the rescue of 133
people during the sinking of the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, Feb. 3, 1943. He was
awarded the Purple Heart and Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions.
Rednour lost his life in the sinking of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba in June
1943.

Robert Ward (WPC-1130): Ward operated beach-landing boats
during the Normandy invasion. He landed his craft on the Cotentin Peninsula and
rescued two stranded boat crews in the face of a heavily fortified enemy
assault.

Terrell Horne III (WPC-1131): Horne was murdered by suspected drug
smugglers who intentionally rammed the boat he and fellow Coast Guardsmen were
aboard during law enforcement operations near Santa Cruz Island off the
Southern California coast in December 2012. Horne pushed one of his shipmates
out of the way of the oncoming vessel attack and sustained fatal injuries.

Benjamin Bottoms (WPC-1132): Bottoms was part the Coast Guard
aircrew that rescued an Army aircrew from a downed B-17 off the east coast of Greenland
in 1942. Bottoms and the pilot conducted the first landing of a cutter plane on
an icecap and commenced a two-day rescue over a rugged arctic terrain that
required multiple flights. During the second day of rescue operations, radio
contact with Bottoms’ plane was lost and he was declared missing in
action. 

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the National Security Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) to the U.S. Coast Guard on May 1, the company said in a release. Midgett is scheduled to sail away in June and will be commissioned later this year.

“We have a mission statement in the NSC program that says
during the construction of each NSC we will provide the men and women of the
United States Coast Guard with the finest ship in their fleet,” said Derek
Murphy, NSC program manager. “This excellence will be provided by our
shipbuilders through working safely, attention to detail and ownership of work.
Since the beginning of construction on NSC 8, we’ve seen an amazing
transformation, made possible by the thousands of people who poured their heart
and soul into this ship.”

“From a homeland security and defense perspective, this ship provides unmatched command and control.”

Cmdr. Brian Smicklas, Midgett’s executive officer, acting commanding officer

Ingalls has now delivered eight Legend-class NSCs and has one more under construction and two more under contract. Stone (WMSL 758) is scheduled for delivery in 2020. In December of 2018, Ingalls received two fixed-price incentive contracts with a combined value of $931 million to build NSCs 10 and 11.

“From a homeland security and defense perspective, this ship provides unmatched command and control,” said Cmdr. Brian Smicklas, Midgett’s executive officer and acting commanding officer.

“We’ve reached a number of accomplishments and milestones up to this point. However, there’s more work to do on the water. We have record drug flows in the eastern Pacific, and there are traditional Western Hemisphere missions that our Coast Guard brothers and sisters are conducting on the water every day. We also see a large increase in demand for the geographic combatant commanders for this specific National Security Cutter capability, and we’re excited to fill that and be a part of the national fleet.”

NSC 8 is named to honor the hundreds of members of the Midgett family who have served in the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessor services. At least 10 members of the family earned high honors from the Coast Guard for their heroic lifesaving deeds. Seven Midgett family members were awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal, the Coast Guard’s highest award for saving a life, and three were awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal.

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls
Shipbuilding division has been awarded a cost-plus-award-fee contract with a
potential total value of $931.7 million for planning yard services in support
of in-service littoral combat ships (LCS), the company said in a May 1 release.
The contract, which includes options over a six-year period, also provides work
packages for HII’s Technical Solutions division.

“Ingalls Shipbuilding will build on 35 years of planning
yard experience to join our Technical Solutions division in fully supporting
this life-cycle work on the LCS program,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian
Cuccias said. “Our talented shipbuilding team has the resources and program
management experience necessary to ensure the post-delivery work on the LCS
program meets the requirements and missions of our U.S. Navy customers.”

“Our talented shipbuilding team has the resources and program management experience necessary to ensure the post-delivery work on the LCS program meets the requirements and missions of our U.S. Navy customers.”

Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias

The planning yard design services contract will provide
the LCS program with post-delivery life-cycle support, which includes fleet
modernization program planning, design engineering and modeling, logistics
support, long-lead-time material support, and preventative and planned
maintenance system item development and scheduling. Unique to this planning
yard effort is the requirement to manage the scheduling of all planned,
continuous and emergent maintenance and associated availabilities.

Most
of the work will be accomplished in Pascagoula and Hampton, Virginia, by
designers, engineers, logisticians, planners, program managers and a variety of
additional subject matter experts. Ingalls and Technical Solutions will also
provide waterfront support in the LCS homeports.