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ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy is operating and sustaining 10 MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), having place the rest in storage, from which the service can easily restore them to service. The Navy also has retired its fleet of smaller MQ-8B versions of the Fire. 

According to information provided by the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Strike and Unmanned Aviation, the Navy will keep in service 10 MQ-8Cs in service of the 38 procured and keep the remaining MQ-8Cs in Level 2 preservation. 

Last year the Navy moved to keep all MQ-8Cs on the West Coast, operated by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons 21 and 23. The decision is congruent with the stationing on the West Coast of the Independence-class littoral combat ships on which the Navy will deploy the Mine Countermeasures Mission Package. The MQ-8C, built by Northrop Grumman, is an integral module of that mission package.  

“As Fire Scout’s mission sets continued to evolve, an MQ-8C Endurance Upgrade Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) effort was approved in Feb 2012,” the Navy said. “The larger MQ-8C, based on the Bell 407 airframe, incorporates the same control avionics as the MQ-8B but with an increased payload capacity and increased endurance. The air vehicles share a common mission control system, which is integrated with the ship’s combat systems. Additionally, the MQ-8 can be controlled by the Mobile Mission Control Station from land-based and larger ship-based sites and has developed a “portable” MCS (MCS-P) that is host platform agnostic. 

“Designed to operate from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Suitably Equipped air-capable Ships, the MQ-8C Fire Scout system is capable of more than eight hours of operations providing coverage out to 150 nautical miles from the host ship,” the Navy said. “A baseline payload that includes electro-optical/infrared sensors and a laser designator enables Fire Scout to find, track and designate tactical targets, accurately provide targeting data to strike platforms and perform battle damage assessment. The system provides a significant improvement to organic surveillance capability.”  

The Navy will add an optical mine countermeasures payload to the MQ-8C in the future. 

The first deployments of the MQ-8C began in 2022 on USS Milwaukee in the 4th Fleet and USS Jackson in the 7th Fleet during 2022.  

The Navy retired its fleet of MQ-8Bs by October 2022 after 13 years of operations, including operations from frigates off Libya and two years of operations inside Afghanistan. The MQ-8B deployed on board an LCS for the first time in 2014. The Navy procured a total of 30 MQ-8Bs from Northrop Grumman. 

Release from RMC

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Appointment reflects firm’s growth trajectory in defense and commercial markets   

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 31, 2023 — RMC, the leader in Mission Assurance, Risk Management and Industrial Cybersecurity solutions, today announced the appointment of Admiral James Foggo III, U.S. Navy (Ret.) as Chairperson of its Board of Directors. The appointment will support the company’s high-growth trajectory in the defense and commercial markets. Foggo, a senior executive, industry leader and distinguished military officer, has served on the RMC Board since 2021.  

Foggo is an accomplished strategist, innovator, diplomat and technology integrator who achieved the rank of four-star admiral, formerly serving as commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Naval Forces Africa as well as the U.S. Sixth Fleet. He currently is Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy at the Navy League of the United States and a distinguished fellow of the Center for European Policy Analysis and the Council on Competitiveness.  

“Admiral Foggo sits at the intersection of federal, commercial and public interests, providing a unique and expert perspective on the dynamic threats facing our world,” said Vince Kuchar, CEO of RMC. “We are grateful for his invaluable leadership as we expand our mission assurance work and bring military-grade industrial cybersecurity expertise to the commercial sector.”  

Mission Assurance 

RMC has been delivering mission assurance and cybersecurity solutions to U.S. military leaders worldwide for more than a decade. As cyber adversaries increasingly gain malicious access through neglected and unsecured operational technology and industrial control systems, the company has been supporting a growing number of defense and commercial organizations to better protect their operational assets and critical infrastructure.  

“In our growing and complex global threat environment, RMC is helping reduce risks to the critical systems upon which our way of life depends,” said Foggo. “I’m excited to support RMC in harnessing their immense expertise for efficient, accelerated growth.”   

About RMC 

RMC provides a full lifecycle of Mission Assurance and Risk Management solutions, with deep expertise in Critical Infrastructure Protection and Industrial Cybersecurity, to protect our country’s most important and vital assets. Operating worldwide, RMC provides federal government and commercial organizations the analysis, assessments, strategy and remediation required to protect personnel, facilities, networks and critical infrastructure. Founded in 2011, RMC’s headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia. www.RMCGlobal.com 

Release from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs 

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By U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs | January 31, 2023 

MANAMA, Bahrain — 

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel seized illegal drugs worth a total estimated U.S. street value of $33 million from a fishing vessel transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman, Jan. 30. 

U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) was patrolling regional waters in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when it seized 4,000 kilograms of hashish and 512 kilograms of methamphetamine from the smuggling vessel. 

Currently led by the United Kingdom Royal Navy, CTF 150 is one of four task forces organized under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). This was the first drug seizure in 2023 for CMF. 

“This is just the beginning of our work in delivering maritime security operations in the region to stop illicit activities and drug smuggling,” said UK Royal Navy Capt. James Byron, the CTF 150 commander. “This comes as a result of a valued partnership between CTF 150 and all partner nations in Combined Maritime Forces.” 

Byron assumed command of the multinational task force Jan. 18 after Royal Saudi Navy Rear Adm. Abdullah Al-Mutairi led the unit for six months. 

Under Al-Mutairi’s leadership, CTF 150 ships logged more than 10,000 hours on regional patrols and intercepted six shipments of illegal drugs that included opium, heroin, hashish and amphetamines. The combined estimated value of the seized drugs totaled more than $250 million. 

Since 2021, CMF has interdicted $1 billion worth of illicit narcotics during maritime patrols. CMF is the largest international naval partnership in the world consisting of 38 member-nations and partners. 

Release from Naval Air Systems Command

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Published: Jan 26, 2023 

Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. — 

The MQ-4C Triton test team conducted the first flight to assess the unmanned aircraft system’s ability to fly with wing ice accumulation Jan. 25 at Patuxent River. 

This was the first of approximately 15 flights planned through spring 2023 that will clear Triton to fly in icing conditions. 

“Triton’s ability to fly in icing conditions is a top priority for the fleet,” said Capt. Josh Guerre, MQ-4C Triton Program Manager. “The greater ability we have to fly in harsh weather conditions, the more capability we can provide to the fleet.” 

In late 2022, the Integrated Test Team (ITT) installed 3D-printed nylon ice shape blocks designed to simulate ice accumulation on the wings and V-tail if the aircraft were to fly through moderate icing. The orange-colored ice shapes are coated with a coarse grit that makes them textured and rough like ice that accumulates on the inside of a freezer, said Amanda Marge, MQ-4C Triton lead test engineer. 

“The objective is to verify that there’s sufficient stability and control in order to remove the restrictions in the flight clearance for flying in icing conditions – which could significantly increase the fleet’s sortie rate,” she said. 

During the initial flight, the team executed basic flying qualities maneuvers such as control surface pulses, sideslips, and sustained turns at 20,000 feet. The team will analyze data from the flight to confirm that the aircraft responds as predicted to inputs and that the team can safely proceed with further testing.  As flights continue, the average planned duration for ice shape testing will increase to approximately five hours. 

Triton will fly with this simulated ice accumulation on the wings throughout points in the operational envelope to determine the impact on aircraft flying qualities and performance. The testing will enable MQ-4C transits through moderate icing later this year. ”This timeline will support deployment of the latest MQ-4C multi-intelligence variant,” Guerre said. 

The MQ-4C Triton is a long endurance, high altitude UAS that provides up to 24 hours of flight time.  It is currently conducting Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions overseas. 

Release from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs

January 29, 2023

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MEDITERRANEAN SEA — 

U.S. naval forces participated in the largest-ever bilateral exercise between the United States and Israel last week, which culminated in a visit to aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Jan. 26 by senior military leaders from both nations.  

During exercise Juniper Oak 23-2, the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group operated in the Mediterranean Sea in support of U.S. 5th Fleet while still under the operational control of U.S. 6th Fleet. The command-and-control setup demonstrated the inherent flexibility of U.S. naval forces to simultaneously support operations in two regions – Europe and the Middle East.    

“I’m proud of the effort from our team to support Juniper Oak, which showcased a high level of dedication, professionalism and readiness from our Sailors alongside our Israeli partners,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, the strike group commander. “The command-and-control arrangement in Juniper Oak also highlighted the flexibility U.S. Navy carrier strike groups have to operate across multiple theaters of operation, and reflects the value the Navy provides to national security and regional stability anywhere in the world.”  

The strike group coordinated complex, combined military operations with Israel on land, in the air and at sea, involving all elements of the team. Guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) participated in a live-fire drill in addition to a large-scale strike with air assets from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7.  

Aircraft from CVW-7 involved in the strike exercise included 16 F/A-18 Super Hornets, four E/A-18G Growlers and two E-2D Hawkeyes. Four GBU-16 laser-guided bombs were expended on training targets.  

Additionally, strike group ships also sailed in formation with Israeli vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean. Participating ships included George H.W. Bush, Truxtun, guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94), and Israeli Navy Sa’ar corvettes INS Hanit, INS Eliat, INS Oz, and INS Tarshis. The Israeli Navy submarine INS Dolphin also joined.  

During Juniper Oak’s final day, top U.S. and Israeli military leaders flew out to George H.W. Bush to meet and discuss the results of the exercise as well as observe carrier flight operations.  

“Juniper Oak has raised our level of planning and our level of implementation of combined operations,” said Israeli Lt. Gen. Hertzi Halevi, chief of the general staff for Israel Defense Forces. “It is always good to have our best partner here with us to learn from each other. This interoperability strengthens our ability to cope with a range of security challenges over the area.”  

The U.S. 5th Fleet operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.  

Release from Naval Sea Systems Command 

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Jan. 26, 2023 

Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Carl Levin 

By Team Ships Public Affairs 

Bath, Maine – The Navy accepted delivery of the future guided missile destroyer USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Jan. 26. 

Delivery represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy. Prior to delivery, the ship conducted a series of at-sea and pier-side trials to demonstrate its materiel and operational readiness. 

“Delivery of this ship will provide critical capacity to our surface fleet today and well into the future,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “All who serve aboard DDG 120 will be a reflection of Sen. Carl M. Levin’s commitment to our Nation through service.” 

A Flight IIA destroyer, DDG 120 is equipped with the latest Aegis Combat System.  The Aegis Combat System provides large area defense coverage against air and ballistic missile targets, and also delivers superior processing of complex sensor data to allow for quick-reaction decision making, high firepower, and improved electronic warfare capability against a variety of threats. 

The shipyard is also in production on future destroyers John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), William Charette (DDG 130), and Quentin Walsh (DDG 132). 

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, boats and craft. 

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ARLINGTON, Va. — President Joe Biden has nominated two Navy rear admirals for the rank of vice admiral and as numbered fleet commanders. 

In a Jan. 27 announcement, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said that Navy Rear Adm. George M. Wikoff and Rear Adm. Frederick W. Kacher had been nominated for the next rank and as commanders of the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. 7th Fleet, respectively. Wikoff also would become commander, Combined Maritime Forces, Manama, Bahrain. Both admirals currently serve in the Joint Staff, Wikoff as vice director and Kacher as vice director of operations.  

Wikoff, a native of New Brunswick, New Jersey, is a naval aviator and served as a fighter pilot. He commanded a fighter squadron, a strike fighter fleet replacement squadron, a carrier air wing and a carrier strike group. Kacher, a native of Oakton, Virginia, is a surface warfare officer who served on cruisers and destroyers. He commanded a guided-missile destroyer, a destroyer squadron and an expeditionary strike group. 

If confirmed, Wikoff would succeed Vice Adm. Brad Cooper and Kacher would succeed Vice Adm. Karl Thomas. 

Dr. Lee Willett, London 

The UK’s forward-deployed frigate programme in the Gulf is demonstrating operational value for the UK, senior Royal Navy (RN) officers told Seapower as HMS Montrose – the Type 23 frigate that was the first ship deployed under the programme – returned home on 17 December 2022. Type 23 sister ship HMS Lancaster took over on station in late November. 

Under the forward-deployed programme, a Type 23 frigate operates across the Gulf and wider region, using the UK’s Naval Support Facility in Manama, Bahrain and other regional facilities (including Duqm Naval Dockyard, Oman) for operational support, maintenance, and rotation of the ship’s two crews (port and starboard). Montrose arrived in the Gulf region in April 2019, having sailed from the UK in November 2018 and conducting a global deployment en route. 

The programme’s purpose is to improve availability at sea in a critical region by eliminating rotational ship transits; and to improve effect on station by building understanding of the region and partnerships with regional countries. 

As regards availability, Montrose was on operations for 1300 of the 1509 days it was away from the UK, Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse, the RN’s Director Force Generation, told a media briefing onboard Montrose as the ship sailed back into HM Naval Base Devonport, Plymouth, UK. In current operational terms, that increased availability allowed the UK to maintain increased presence around the critical choke points located in the region, Rear Adm. Moorhouse explained: in future operational terms, it allowed the RN to learn lessons to feed into the planned forward deployment for the incoming Type 31 frigates (which are scheduled to enter service from the mid-2020s).  

Keeping Ships in Shipshape Condition 

“The key lesson is the model and the concept work,” Rear Adm. Moorhouse told Seapower. “It will change almost everything in how we traditionally go about our business …. Every element changes and modernises, such that we get the best value for money out of the hull.” Such changes, he explained, included ensuring the platform is fully prepared before deploying, for example conducting major refit and upgrade work in the UK, but also conducting maintenance at various partners’ dockyard facilities across the Gulf region. In training terms, there is a need to complete crew and individual training prior to the crew departing from the UK, including through using simulation; in theatre, training can be supported through working with allies and partners or by dispatching training teams from the UK. 

As regards in-theatre upkeep, Commander Claire Thompson – commanding officer (CO) of Montrose‘s starboard crew – told Seapower that conducting “operational spring cleans” with a “little and often” approach has been the model used for Montrose. Little and often helps build a maintenance baseline, Cdr Thompson explained. “When you get the opportunity, you can get above that baseline – but don’t drop below it is the key thing.” 

As regards improved regional understanding, forward deployment enables the RN to maintain presence for much longer periods. “[The ship’s crews] understand the region far, far better now because they’re persistently there,” said Rear Adm. Moorhouse. 

Cdr Thompson added that the handover process with Lancaster‘s CO included detailed discussion of operational routines based around this improved understanding – how to employ the best tactics, how to achieve the mission, and what operational approaches Montrose‘s crews found successful. 

Release from U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area 

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KEY WEST, Fla.— The crew of the USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913) returned to their home port in Key West, Monday, after a 46-day deployment in the Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea.  

Mohawk patrolled the Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea in support of Homeland Security Task Force—Southeast and Operation Vigilant Sentry in the Coast Guard Seventh District’s area of operations. While underway, Mohawk’s crew conducted counter drug and maritime safety and security missions while working with other Coast Guard cutters and air assets to detect, deter and intercept unsafe and illegal migrant ventures bound for the United States. 

During the patrol, Mohawk’s crew cared for 670 migrants interdicted at sea and rescued personnel from seven different unseaworthy vessels. Notably, Mohawk’s crew assisted with the repatriation of 110 Haitian migrants to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, and 273 Cuban migrants to Matanzas, Cuba.  

Mohawk’s patrol efforts highlight the Coast Guard’s critical mission of maintaining safety at sea and preventing the potential for loss of life by deterring migrants from taking to the sea in dangerously overcrowded vessels while attempting to enter the United States through non-legal channels. 

“It’s never easy being deployed over the holidays, away from family members,” said Cmdr. Andrew Pate, Mohawk’s commanding officer. “I am incredibly proud of the women and men aboard who continue to position Mohawk for success – their role in this historic effort, alongside our state and local partners as well as other Coast Guard units, is nothing short of heroic.”   

Mohawk is a 270-foot, Famous-class medium endurance cutter with a crew of 100. 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. 

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. 

For more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

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ARLINGTON, Va. — Marine infantry force-wide will be firing at moving robotic targets, not just static paper targets, as the Marine Corps continues integration of the new Advanced Rifle Qualification (ARQ) course to meet the requirements of warfighting in the future, the Corps said. 

“We have in our mind how we’re going to build [Marines] to be cognitive warfighting thinkers for the future,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin M. Iiams, commanding general of Training and Education Command, discussing with reporters Jan. 24 about the upcoming rollout of the Marine Corps’ Training and Education 2030 (TE 2030) concept, launching a series of initiatives in concert with Force Design 2030, the concept initiated three years ago by the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. David H. Berger. These initiatives are designed to lay the foundation for future training and education of Marines and assigned Sailors for warfighting in the future. 

“We’re getting away from where we were previously in the Marine Corps where we were about rote, repetitive training. We want cognitive, problem-solving thinkers for the future,” Iiams said. “It is more offensively minded. It’s combat related. It’s positional shooting. Its teaching how they’re actually going to employ their weapons in combat instead of just marksmanship.” 

In the more challenging and rigorous ARQ, Marine infantry in a combat scenario will start firing at the 500-meter line instead of the 200-meter line. 

Advanced Simulation 

Iiams said the Corps will introduce advanced simulation capability “to be able to train them to higher levels, to be able to use some of the robot targets that we’re putting out there, to give them more realistic training scenarios in the field, not just shooting paper static targets but actually 3-dimensional roaming targets throughout the battlefield, which create a completely different scenario for them and cause them to figure out, are they going to shoot or not shoot as they move through some of these regimes.” 

“One of the systems currently being fielded is the Trackless Mobile Infantry Target (TMIT). TMITs are 3-dimensional, free-roaming, variable speed / variable acceleration moving targets with 360 degrees of untethered mobility that maneuver with teleoperation and semi-autonomous control,” the TE 2030 document said. “They provide a dynamic and realistic representation of human targets in both live-fire and non-live fire training environments.” 

The pilot ARQ course has been completed and the course is being implemented Corps-wide, progressing toward full operational capability. 

The Corps also will be developing and incorporating an automatic scoring range to use training time more efficiently.