WASHINGTON — Textron Airborne Solutions, a business unit of Textron Inc., announced on May 1 that its Airborne Tactical Advantage Company subsidiary (ATAC) has been selected as a provider of contracted air services under the U.S. Navy’s Terminal Attack Controller…
Lockheed Develops Rack to Make F-35A/C a Six-Shooter
ARLINGTON, Va. — The builder of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter has designed a new weapons rack to enable the aircraft to carry two more missiles internally. The new rack, called Sidekick, enables each of the two weapons…
Black to Become 19th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black has been selected to be the 19th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the Corps announced in a release. Black is the current Sergeant Major of Manpower and Reserve Affairs and will replace the current…
Lack of Well Deck Seen as a Wash for LHA USS America
ARLINGTON, Va.— The transfer of the new amphibious assault ship USS America to the Forward-Deployed Naval Force (FDNF) next fiscal year will bring a change in capabilities to the 7th Fleet’s amphibious ready group, but the Marines that will go…
Marines to Rebuild WWII B-29 Airfield on Tinian for Training Use
ARLINGTON, Virginia — The airfield that launched the B-29 bombers that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan in World War II is being partially refurbished for use as a divert field and refueling point for Marine Corps aircraft in training…
Marine Corps Plans to Replace LAV with New, ‘Transformational’ ARV
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia —The Marine Corps plans to begin replacing its legacy Light Armored Vehicle with a modern Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle late in the next decade, Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) said in a release. The ARV will…
C2, Air Defenses Against UAS Attack Among Corps’ Top Acquisition Priorities, Berger Says
Some of the top acquisition priorities for the Marine Corps to prevail against the emerging security threats are maintaining the ability to command and control a naval expeditionary force in a degraded electronic environment and acquiring air defense capabilities against…
Marine Corps May Extend AV-8B Harrier Service to 2028
WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps’ fleet of AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft may serve until 2028, the Corps’ aviation chief told Congress, a two-year extension of the previous plan. “We will continue to be a fourth-gen/fifth-gen [tactical aircraft] fleet out…
Marine Corps Sees Cargo UAVs as the Future of Logistics in Distributed Operations
WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps plans to continue experimentation with its two K-Max cargo unmanned aerial vehicles (CUAVs) and hopes to procure more to add to experimentation in logistics for distributed operations. “We see this as the future of distributed…
Marine Pilots Killed in AH-1Z Helicopter Crash; First Naval Aviation Loss of 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. — The loss of a Marine Corps AH-1Z helicopter March 30 was the first crash of a U.S. naval aviation aircraft since the beginning of the calendar year. Two Marine pilots were killed when the AH-1Z Viper helicopter…
