SAN DIEGO — Austal USA has finalized a deal to establish a repair facility in the Port of San Diego, the company said Dec. 15. The deal includes a long-term lease of a waterfront site in National City adjacent to Naval Base…
Fairbanks Morse Defense Acquires Fluid Filtration Specialists LLC
BELOIT, Wis. — Fairbanks Morse Defense, a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has acquired Fluid Filtration Specialists LLC, a leader in flushing and filtration services for marine vessels and other facilities that operate large, highly sophisticated engines and systems. The acquisition of FFS further…
Coast Guard, Partners Stop 3 Human Smuggling Attempts, Detain 100 People
MIAMI — Coast Guard, U.S Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and U.S. Border Patrol officers stopped three human smuggling attempts and detained 100 people between Dec. 12 and Dec. 14, the Coast Guard 7th District said in…
Berger: Pacific Stand-In Forces Will Rely on Allies, Joint Force Sensors to Avoid Another Wake Island
ARLINGTON, Va. — Marine Corps Stand-In Forces are needed in the contested sea lanes and littorals of the Western Pacific as the leading edge of a maritime defense-in-depth that can disrupt the plans of potential adversaries, according to the Corps’ commandant….
Navy Down-Select for Compact Rapid Attack Weapon Expected in February
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s down-select of a company to manufacture the Compact Rapid Attack Weapon is expected in February 2022, a defense industry official said. David Portner, Northrop Grumman’s senior program manager for undersea weapons, said during a Dec. 15…
Navy Cuts Ribbon on Unmanned Vehicle Testing Facilities at Port Hueneme
NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — The Navy conducted a joint ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 8 for the first purpose-built and co-located facilities for unmanned maritime vehicle testing, Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants Public Affairs said in…
BAE Systems to Advance F-35 Electronic Warfare Capabilities
NASHUA, N.H. — BAE Systems has received a $493 million contract modification from Lockheed Martin to significantly upgrade and modernize the electronic warfare system for the F-35 Lightning II, enabling the fifth-generation fighter to quickly detect and address evolving electromagnetic threats in…
Reliability Most Challenging Aspect of Large, Medium USV Designs
ARLINGTON, Va. — The most challenging aspect of designing large unmanned surface vessels for the Navy is building reliability of its systems, a senior defense industry official said. “We can solve the autonomy challenge,” said Kevin Knowles, senior manager of strategic…
MIND Technology to Collaborate with Navy on Mine-Hunting Sonars Research
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — MIND Technology Inc. has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, the company said Dec 13. The CRADA, “Advanced Mine Finding,” will allow scientists and engineers from MIND…
President Biden Nominates Erik Raven for Under SECNAV
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Erik K. Raven for undersecretary of the Navy, the White House said Dec. 13. Erik K. Raven is the majority clerk of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, where he oversees more than…



