SAN DIEGO — The F-35C Lightning II, the aircraft carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, has met all requirements and has achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC), the commander of Naval Air Forces and the deputy commandant of the Marine…
Fire Breaks Out on Icebreaker Polar Star 650 Miles North of Antarctica
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The 150-member crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star fought a fire at about 9 p.m. PST Feb. 10 that broke out in the ship’s incinerator room about 650 miles north of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica,…
Navy to Commission Littoral Combat Ship Charleston
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will commission its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship, the future USS Charleston (LCS 18), during a 10 a.m. ceremony on March 2 at Columbus Street Terminal in Charleston, S.C., the Defense Department said in a…
AN/AQS-20C Sonar System Completes Developmental Testing
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — The Navy completed developmental testing for the AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar system at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), on Feb. 26, the Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants Public Affairs announced in…
Mercury Systems Receives $5.5M in Follow-on Orders from Navy for DRFM Jammers
ANDOVER, Mass. — Mercury Systems Inc. announced that it received an additional $5.5 million in follow-on orders against its previously announced $152 million five-year sole-source basic ordering agreement to deliver advanced Digital RF Memory (DRFM) jammers to the U.S. Navy….
BAE Systems Updates F-35 Electronic Warfare Systems
NASHUA, N.H. — BAE Systems reached a critical program milestone with the successful insertion of new technology into its electronic warfare (EW) systems for the global fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft, the company announced in a…
Corps, DoD Test Office Differ on Effectiveness of New JLTV
The Marine Corps is beginning to field its new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and, after improved training and some physical adjustments, the Corps believes JLTVs are “operationally suitable and effective,” the program’s manager said Feb. 27. That conclusion is quite…
Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant Crew Returns Home After Caribbean Patrol
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant returned home Feb. 26 to Cape Canaveral after a two-month Caribbean patrol. Vigilant’s crew returned to their homeport of Cape Canaveral, concluding a patrol in which the crew…
Navy Picks BAE Systems to Develop Cyber Defenses
MCLEAN, Va. — The Navy has chosen BAE Systems to compete for future cyber-engineering task orders awarded under a seven-and-a-half-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, according to a BAE release. The contract is intended to be used by naval, joint and…
Coast Guard Cutter Returns Home After Seizing $43 Million in Cocaine
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Dependable returned home to Virginia Beach, Va., on Feb. 25 after a 59-day patrol in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard 5th District said in a Feb. 26 release….
