NORFOLK,
Va. — The U.S. 2nd Fleet declared the command has achieved initial operational
capability (IOC) May 29, less than one year after being established by senior
military leaders, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs said in a May 29 release.

Vice Adm.
Andrew “Woody” Lewis, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet, made the announcement onboard
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, the waterfront homeport of many 2nd Fleet
maritime assets.

“The North
Atlantic has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and with the opening
of waterways in the Arctic, this traffic will only grow,” Lewis said. “This is
a fact acknowledged by both our allies and competitors, and as such, it is
critically important U.S. 2nd Fleet reinvigorates the way our forces are
employed in this influential theater.”

In
achieving IOC, the command has reached the capability to command and control
forces assigned, as is expected of a numbered fleet, utilizing the functions
and processes of the Maritime Operations Center and Maritime Headquarters.

“The North Atlantic has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and with the opening of waterways in the Arctic, this traffic will only grow,” Lewis said. “This is a fact acknowledged by both our allies and competitors, and as such, it is critically important U.S. 2nd Fleet reinvigorates the way our forces are employed in this influential theater.”

Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis

By
focusing on the high-end training and employment of assigned assets, the new
2nd Fleet will be postured to support the employment of forces, whether that is
on the Western side of the Atlantic, the Eastern side of the Atlantic, or up
into the Arctic.

A few days
after achieving IOC, the new fleet will lead Exercise Baltic Operations
(BALTOPS), marking the first time the fleet will operate in the European
theater, and leveraging increased lethality, interoperability and integrated
warfighting capability with allies and partners in the region.

“BALTOPS
2019 is our collective opportunity to promote peace and security through
cooperation, collaboration, interoperability, and an unambiguous display of
strength in the Baltic region,” Lewis said. “As an alliance, increasing our
capabilities across all-domains as well as building a command-wide network will
give us the ability to deter aggression and project stability.”

U.S. 2nd
Fleet exercises operational and administrative authorities over assigned ships,
aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and the North Atlantic.
Additionally, it plans and conducts maritime, joint and combined operations as
well as trains and recommends certification of combat ready naval forces for
maritime employment and operations around the globe.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has allocated
funds for long-lead components for the next production lot of the MQ-4C Triton
high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, including one for Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF), according to a May 30 Defense Department contract
announcement.

The Naval Air Systems Command has awarded
to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. a not-to-exceed $65 million advance
acquisition contract toward the Lot 5 low-rate initial production of three
Tritons, two for the U.S. Navy and one for the RAAF. The contract also provides
for three ground stations, two for the U.S. Navy and one for the RAAF.

As of last month, Northrop Grumman had
delivered three production MQ-4Cs to the U.S. Navy.

The Australian government has identified a
requirement for seven Tritons for the maritime surveillance role. Two have been
ordered to date.

The U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19,
the first Triton squadron, is on track to deploy the Triton for an Early
Operational Capability deployment to Guam later this year. It will take two
MQ-4Cs to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to support the U.S. 7th Fleet.

Rear Adm. Brian Corey, program executive
officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, speaking May 6 at the Navy
League’s Sea-Air-Space expo in National Harbor, Maryland, said the two Tritons
making the first deployment will be in the aircraft’s baseline configuration.

The baseline configuration, Integrated
Functional Capability 3 (IFC 3) includes the Northrop Grumman AN/ZPY-3
Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) maritime radar, Raytheon MTS-B electro-optical/infrared
sensor turret, Automatic Identification System receiver and an electronic
support measures system.

Corey said the current priority of the
Triton program is to “put forward the IFC 4 [Integrated Functional Capability
4] capability [in the Triton] to do much of the EP-3E mission.”

The MQ-4C is scheduled to replace the EP-3E
electronic reconnaissance aircraft when the UAV’s IFC 4 multi-intelligence
capability is installed and certified for operations.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Digital technology marked the exact location where Huntington Ingalls Industries landed the island onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) during a ceremony May 29 at the company’s shipbuilding division, the company said in a release. The event coincided with the birthday of the carrier’s namesake, President John F. Kennedy.

“Landing
the island is a key milestone in preparing the ship for launch in the fall,”
said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. “Reaching this
milestone on schedule demonstrates the significant lessons learned we are
applying to this ship’s construction as well as the strides we’ve made to use
new technologies to gain efficiencies.”

The 588-ton island, which will serve as the command-and-control center for flight deck operations, is one of the last steel structures, known as a superlift, to be placed onto the ship, signifying that the Kennedy is a step closer to being launched.

The
ship is being built in sections with more outfitted equipment — valves, pipe,
electrical panels, mounting studs, lighting, ventilation and other components —
than any other aircraft carrier built at Newport News. The use of new
technologies, including digital work instructions that provide shipbuilders
digital 3D data versus traditional paper drawings, has increased efficiency and
productivity.

With the island, the Kennedy is more than 90% structurally complete. The island stands 72 feet above the flight deck and is 56 feet long and 33 feet wide.

In
keeping with the Navy tradition, Capt. Todd Marzano, the ship’s commanding
officer, placed his aviator wings underneath the island during the ceremony.
This custom, known as mast-stepping, recognizes an ancient maritime custom of
placing a coin at the base of a mast of a ship under construction to bring good
fortune.

“It’s an absolute honor and privilege to be selected as the first commanding officer of the new aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, and I’m truly humbled to be joining such an impressive team of highly talented shipbuilders who have worked so hard to make this historic event possible,” Marzano said.

“Landing the island on the flight deck is a significant construction milestone, bringing John F. Kennedy one very important step closer to being commissioned into the fleet, where its value to our nation cannot be overstated.”

Caroline
Kennedy, President Kennedy’s daughter, serves as the ship’s sponsor. She could
not participate in the May 29 event but shared a 1964 silver Kennedy half
dollar that Marzano placed under the island house.

“The
island landing is an important milestone in the life of this ship,” Caroline Kennedy
wrote in a letter. “I know how proud my father would be of the ship that will
bear his name and the patriotism and dedication of all who sail in her.”

Boykin
placed a Newport News Shipbuilding president’s coin, which was designed to
recognize dedication, service and leadership — three qualities that the ship
and its crew will demonstrate when they set sail in our nation’s defense, she
explained.

The
other ceremony participants — James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for
research, development and acquisition; Rear Adm. Roy J. Kelley, commander,
Naval Air Force Atlantic; and Rear Adm. Brian Antonio, program executive officer
for aircraft carriers — also placed coins.

A
time capsule containing all the items placed under the island will be welded
into the ship at a later time.

The Kennedy is scheduled to move from the dry dock to an outfitting berth in the fourth quarter of 2019, three months ahead of schedule. The ship’s christening is planned for later this year.

More than 4,500 shipbuilders and 2,000 suppliers from across the country are supporting the construction of the new aircraft carrier.

The nation’s top military officer validated the
intelligence that raised concerns of possible Iranian attacks on U.S. forces in
the Persian Gulf region and said the deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico
border was legal and an appropriate mission to “fill gaps” in the Department of
Homeland Security’s capabilities.

In a detailed survey of global and domestic
national security issues May 29, Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said U.S. and South Korean forces are still “ready
to go to war tonight,” despite reductions in large-scale military exercises,
and he defined the rising tensions with China in the South China Sea as a “rule
of law” issue that must be addressed by other than military means.

With his four-year term as Joint Chiefs chairman
nearing an end, Dunford advised his successors to ensure that whatever future
funding the military receives emphasizes “capability” rather than just
“capacity” or numbers.

Taking questions at the Brookings Institute,
Dunford repeated the view he expressed at his Senate confirmation hearings in
2015 that Russia is the “existential” threat to the United States, but said he
has worked hard to maintain a dialogue with his Russian counterpart to reduce
the chances that President Vladimir Putin’s belligerent actions would lead to
conflict.

Asked about the controversy over the alleged
threats from Iran that led to dispatching the Abraham Lincoln carrier battle
group and B-52 bombers to the Central Command region, Dunford said U.S. intelligence
had detected Iranian actions and statements that created the appearance of a
possible “campaign” against U.S. forces and allies, rather than the persistent
hints of “a single action.” The intelligence also indicated that Tehran
questioned U.S. willingness to hold Iran responsible for any third-party
attacks on Americans in the region.

He said the initial reinforcements were part of
an effort to “address that gap in perception” and to let Iran know that if
anything happened “it would be attributed to them.” The later decision to send
about 1,000 additional troops and extend the deployment of a Patriot air and
missile defense battery was to enhance force protection of U.S. personnel in
the region.

On the politically controversial border issue,
Dunford did not address the use of defense funds to build a border wall and
said his focus was to ensure that the troops sent to the U.S.-Mexico border
were properly equipped and trained and were performing legitimate military
functions. He acknowledged that the work at the border might reduce combat
readiness but said that was no different than when troops are sent on
humanitarian relief missions and is addressed by rotating units to minimize any
erosion of capability.

Dunford disputed the claims that the reduction
in large military exercises in South Korea because of President Donald Trump’s
courtship of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un had reduced the coalition’s
combat readiness.

He said the field exercises had been reoriented
to focus on ensuring the infantry battalions and Air Force squadrons were
combat ready, while table-top drills kept commanders sharp. He said U.S. Army
Gen. Robert Abrams, the joint forces commander in Korea, knows that if he
became “uncomfortable” about his readiness all he had to do was tell him.

On the disputes over China’s creation of
militarized artificial island in the South China Sea, Dunford said he does not
view that as an issue of “a pile of rocks,” but as violations of “the rule of
law” and the need to hold the violators accountable. He stressed, however, that
did not mean by military action, but the use of “other tools” such as
diplomatic and economic efforts.

Looking at the overall condition of the military
since he became chairman, Dunford said the increased defense budgets the last
three years have helped fill depleted munitions stocks, improve the condition
of aircraft and ground equipment and the combat readiness of the troops. But,
he added, the U.S. technological “competitive advantage” over potential
adversaries has eroded due to the earlier budget cuts and spending by Russia
and China.

A detailed analysis by the Joint Chiefs showed
the need for future defense budget increases of 3% to 5% a year to meet the
services’ drive to increase force levels. To those who will come after him,
Dunford said, “if you are going to grow capacity, make sure it has
capabilities. I wouldn’t grow the force more than can be sustained.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — Ceremonies and a flyaway May 23 at Eglin Air
Force Base, Florida, marked the deactivation of the Navy’s first F-35C fleet
replacement squadron and its consolidation with the second F-35C FRS as the
service moves to conduct all F-35C flight training at one base.

Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the “Grim Reapers,” officially
will be deactivated on July 1, but the deactivation ceremonies were held May
23. The squadron flew out its last F-35Cs on that date to Naval Air Station Lemoore,
California, the home of VFA-125, the FRS that is training future F-35C pilots
and conducting transition training of VFA squadrons to the F-35C.

Reactivated in 2012 at Eglin AFB, VFA-101 has been training
instructor and test pilots to fly the F-35C Lightning II strike fighter. The
Navy decided to reactivate VFA-125 at NAS Lemoore to become an F-35C FRS.
VF-125 conducted the transition of the first fleet F-35C squadron, VFA-147,
which took the F-35C to Initial Operational Capability in February. VFA-147 is
scheduled to deploy on board USS Carl Vinson in 2021.

Although it is not of the lineage of World War II’s Fighter
Squadron 10 (VF-10), VFA-101 adopted the Grim Reaper traditions of the famous
squadron. VF-10 flew the F4F Wildcat and later F6F-3 Hellcat off USS Enterprise
(CV-6) in the Pacific during WWII. The squadron later deployed twice into
combat on board USS Intrepid (CV-11) in 1945, first with F4U-1D and later F4U-4
Corsair fighters. VF-10 was deactivated in 1945.

VF-101 was activated in 1952 at NAS Cecil Field, Florida, and took
on the nickname and traditions of VF-10 “Grim Reapers.” VF-101 flew F4U-4 Corsairs
in the Korean War and went on to operate the F2H Banshee, F4D Skyray, F3H
Demon, F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 Tomcat. VF-101 was deactivated in September
2005.

The squadron was reactivated in May 2012 as the F-35C FRS.
According to a May 23 release from the Joint Strike Fighter Wing, VFA-101 trained
more than 75 Navy and Marine Corps F-35C pilots, accepted more than 30
aircraft, trained more than 1,200 F-35C maintainers and flew nearly 11,000
flight hours.

“The contributions that VFA-101 has made to the F-35C community
will not diminish as this program grows,” VFA-101’s commanding officer, Cmdr.
Adan Covarrubias, said in the release. “The original cadre of maintainers and
pilots have left a legacy that is evidenced in all aspects of this community. Their
influence will continue long after the squadron’s doors are closed.”

WASHINGTON — The
U.S. Senate has confirmed Adm. Bill Moran to become the 32nd chief of naval
operations (CNO).

The chief of
naval personnel, Vice Adm. Robert Burke, also was confirmed for promotion to
admiral and appointment as the next vice chief of naval operations (VCNO), the
Office of the Navy Chief of Information said in a release.

“I am deeply
humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to continue to serve as our
Navy’s next chief of naval operations,” Moran said in a statement released
after his confirmation May 24.

“[CNO] Adm. [John]
Richardson and his wife, Dana, are an amazing team that has consistently
advocated on behalf of our Sailors and their families. My wife, Patricia, and I
are grateful for their service to our Navy and our nation. I look forward to
the honor of leading the men and women of the world’s greatest Navy in service
to our nation.”

Acting
Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan announced President Donald J. Trump’s
nomination of Moran and Burke on April 11.

Moran will be
the first naval aviator to become the Navy’s top officer since Adm. Jay L.
Johnson, who served as CNO from 1996 to 2000. In the years since, three surface
warfare officers and two submariners have served as CNO, according to another Navy
press release.

Moran, a
native of Newburg, New York, also would be the first CNO since Adm. Thomas H.
Moorer, who served from 1967 to 1970, to have been a patrol plane pilot. Moorer
flew PBY Catalina aircraft in World War II. Moran is a P-3 Orion pilot.

At the time
of Moran’s nomination, Richardson said that Moran “is an amazing leader and
good friend. He has been central to the Navy adopting a fighting stance in this
‘Great Power Competition.’ As I turn over and go ashore, I will rest easy
knowing that, pending confirmation, Adm. Moran has the watch.”

Moran served
in Patrol Squadron 44 (VP-44) in Brunswick, Maine, and twice as an instructor
pilot in VP-30 in Jacksonville, Florida. He commanded VP-46 and later Patrol
Reconnaissance Wing Two in Hawaii. He also served on the staff of commander,
Carrier Group 6, aboard USS Forrestal (CVA-59).

As a flag
officer, he has served as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group; director,
Air Warfare (N98) on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations; and most
recently as the 57th chief of naval personnel, according to his official
biography. Ashore, he served as executive assistant to the chief of naval
operations; executive assistant to Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; deputy
director, Navy staff; and assistant Washington placement officer and assistant
flag officer detailer in the Bureau of Naval Personnel.

Moran
graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981 and a
master’s from the National War College in 2006.

Burke is a
nuclear submariner who has served onboard USS Von Steuben (SSBN-632), USS
Maryland (SSBN-738) and USS Bremerton (SSN-698), according to his official
biography.

He commanded
USS Hampton (SSN-767) and later became commodore of Submarine Development
Squadron 12. Burke was recognized by the United States Submarine League with
the Jack Darby Award for Leadership in 2004 and the Vice Admiral James Bond
Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership in 2005.

His staff assignments
include tours as an instructor and director for the Electrical Engineering
Division at Naval Nuclear Power School; junior board member on the Pacific
Fleet Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board; submarine officer community
manager/nuclear officer program manager; senior Tactical Readiness Evaluation
Team member at Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; the deputy
director for Operations, Strategy and Policy Directorate (J5) at U.S. Joint
Forces Command; division director, Submarine/Nuclear Power Distribution
(PERS-42); and director, Joint and Fleet Operations, N3/N5, U.S. Fleet Forces
Command.

Burke’s
assignments as a flag officer include deputy commander, U.S. 6th Fleet;
director of operations (N3), U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa; commander,
Submarine Group 8; and director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy (OPNAV
N13). He assumed duties as the Navy’s 58th chief of naval personnel on May 27,
2016.

Burke, from Portage,
Michigan, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from
Western Michigan University and the University of Central Florida,
respectively.

KEY WEST,
Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Thetis (WMEC-910) returned to their
homeport in Key West, Florida, on May 23 after a three-month U.S. Africa
Command patrol, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The Thetis
crew concluded their patrol, in which they conducted multiple joint law-enforcement
exercises and operations with West African countries with U.S. Africa Command
and U.S. 6th Fleet to maintain and strengthen international partnerships and
maritime security.

“By
conducting joint maritime law-enforcement operations, we were able to establish
best practices providing the West African navies and coast guards with the
tools to enforce their laws and secure their maritime borders,” said Cmdr.
Randall Chong, commanding officer of the Thetis. “The U.S. Coast Guard’s
involvement in the African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership has had a
positive impact on the region, and I am proud of all the hard work my crew has
put into this mission.”

Thetis crew members
and U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South worked to build,
strengthen and maintain relationships with the African nations of Cabo Verde,
Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, São Tomé and Príncipe, Togo and Benin. Together, they
conducted joint maritime safety, security and law enforcement training and
missions in support of Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership 2019
operations.

While at sea,
the crew conducted joint fisheries and law-enforcement boardings with Nigerian navy
and Cabo Verde coast guard law-enforcement teams. The Thetis crew saved the
lives of two men who were lost at sea for three days and safely transferred
them to the Sierra Leone maritime authority. The crew also rescued two
loggerhead sea turtles that were entangled in fishing nets in the Gulf of
Guinea.

Thetis is the
first U.S. Coast Guard cutter to support U.S. 6th Fleet and deploy to U.S.
Africa Command since 2012.

U.S. 6th
Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full spectrum of joint and
naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, to
advance U.S. national interests, security and stability in Europe and Africa.

The Thetis is a multimission
270-foot medium-endurance cutter whose missions include illegal drug and
migrant interdiction as well as search and rescue. The Thetis patrols
throughout the Caribbean basin, eastern Pacific and Atlantic seaboard.

Huntington
Ingalls Industries hosted a ceremonial first-cut-of-steel event today at its
Newport News Shipbuilding division to mark the start of advance construction
for the Columbia-class submarine program, the company
announced in a press release. The event also marked the first class of
submarines that will be built using fully digital blueprints.

“Today is a
historic day,” said Jason Ward, Newport News’ vice president for Columbia-class construction. “It has been a half century
since Newport News Shipbuilding has constructed a ballistic submarine. Today,
we celebrate the decade-plus effort spent working with Electric Boat on the
design of this new class of submarine as we formally transition from design to
material procurement and now to construction execution.”

The Columbia-class boats will replace the fleet of Ohio-class nuclear ballistic submarines. Newport News is
starting its work three weeks ahead of schedule to support its advance
construction efforts, according to the release.

“The first cut
of steel is a major construction milestone that signifies our shipyard and
submarine industrial base are ready to move forward with production,” Ward
said. “We have worked to engage the submarine industrial base and leveraged
lessons learned from the successful Virginia-class
program to building the Columbia-class
submarines in the most efficient and affordable manner to provide the best
value to the Navy.”

Ceremony
participants included Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin; Rear
Adm. Scott Pappano, Columbia’s program executive officer; Capt. Jon Rucker, Columbia’s
program manager; Will Lennon, vice president of the Columbia-class
submarine program for General Dynamics Electric Boat; and shipbuilders.

Construction
of the 12-boat Columbia class will take place in
Virginia, Rhode Island and Connecticut, with Electric Boat assembling and
delivering all of the submarines. The lead boat is scheduled to be delivered to
the Navy in 2027.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The Navy established a new unit at Naval Base San Diego on May 22 that
will serve as a fount of experimentation for the surface warfare community to
accelerate the lethality and combat readiness of the Navy’s surface warships.

In a May
20 teleconference with reporters, Vice Adm. Richard Brown, commander, Naval
Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said that he was establishing Surface
Development Squadron One (SURFDEVRON ONE) to:

• Execute operational testing and evaluation of new and emerging surface warfighting capabilities.
• Develop material and technical solutions to tactical challenges.
• Coordinate doctrine, organization, training, material, logistics, personnel and facilities requirements for unmanned surface systems.

“We want
to rapidly be able to experiment and move at a faster pace,” Brown said, noting
that the new squadron is modeled in part after the Navy’s submarine development
squadron and unmanned underwater vehicle squadron.

Brown said
the new squadron was a renaming and a repurposing of the “Z-RON”—the squadron
for the two, soon to be three, Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers.

Brown said
the Zumwalt class DDGs would still deploy with carrier strike groups in
accordance with the Optimized Fleet Response Plan despite their assignment to
the development squadron.

He said
the Zumwalt DDGs were ideal for the squadron because if their advanced
capabilities and potential.

“There is
no reason why a Zumwalt could not control USVs,” Brown said.

He also
said he is working to get the Navy’s Sea Hunter medium-displacement unmanned
surface vehicle (USV) transferred to the squadron from the Office of Naval
Research. The Navy is experimenting with the Sea Hunter in the eastern Pacific
to develop navigation capabilities, concepts of operation and sensor
configurations for USVs. He also plans to assign the second Sea Hunter now
under construction to the squadron.

Brown
expects that the Large USVs (LUSVs) and Medium USVs (MUSVs) that are envisioned
for the fleet in the 2020s will be assigned to the development squadron as
well. The concept of operations of these USVs include the possibilities of
being controlled by another ship, a strike group commander or a fleet
commander.

“The
possibilities are endless,” he said. “We need an organization that is doing
that.”

The growth
of Surface Development Squadron One will be in phases. Phase 1, the name change
from Z-RON and the leveraging of the Zumwalt-class DDGs, will be complete by
the end of fiscal 2019.

Phase 2 will
be about building capacity, Brown said, including the absorption of the two Sea
Hunter USVs.

Phase 3,
expected to begin in 2024, will involve addition of the new LUSV and MUSV.

Brown said
the Navy’s first four littoral combat ships (LCS) — Freedom, Independence, Fort
Worth and Coronado — would be transferred to the development squadron at the
end of Phase 2 or Phase 3. These LCS are currently considered nondeploying test
ships to support development of the fleet of successor LCS and their mission
packages.

Capt. Hank
Adams is the first commanding officer of Surface Development Squadron One. He
will report directly to Brown.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — With the U.S. Navy resuming manufacture of Mk48 torpedoes for its
submarines after a two-decade hiatus, the engineering effort to restore the industrial
capability to build the torpedo has required some resourcefulness on the part
of defense contractors.

SAIC won a competitive contract to build the torpedo’s aft section, consisting of the propulsion section and the propeller, said Stephen Rigdon, SAIC vice president for programs in the Defense Systems Customer Group, speaking to Seapower on May 6 at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition in National Harbor, Maryland.

The guidance-and-control
section is being built by Lockheed Martin. Rigdon said the warheads and fuel
tanks in the middle section of the torpedo are on hand in the Navy’s inventory.

“This is a
build-from-scratch program,” Rigdon said. “They haven’t been built since the
mid-90s. The biggest challenge we faced is reinvigorating the supply chain, finding
suppliers that can provide the assemblies that go inside this torpedo.”

He said there
was no new technology in the propulsion sections, dating to the late 1980s and
early 1990s. The Mk48 originally was built by Gould.

“We’re
building this from a government print,” he said. “What we’re finding out in
some cases is that if you build it to the print it doesn’t necessarily work
perfectly. If you go back to the ‘90s, there was a guy that worked for the
company that knew how to do that. That person is retired now. So, it’s been an
engineering challenge to figure those things out.”

“The Navy has programs underway to look at improved engines and things like that,” he said.

SAIC is under
contract to build 95 propulsion sections for the Mk48, with two more options on
the contract.

“The Navy may
buy up to 199 more,” Rigdon said.

SAIC is
building the torpedo assemblies at its facility in Bedford, Indiana.