FORT WORTH, Texas — The Bell V-280 Valor recently completed flight demonstrations ahead of schedule of its low-speed agility key performance parameter in the U.S. Army-led Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program, Bell Helicopter announced. The V-280 Valor, which…

Marine AV-8B Harrier Attack Jet Crashes Near Cherry Point; Pilot Ejects Safely
ARLINGTON, Va. — An AV-8B Harrier II based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, crashed May 20 near Cherry Branch, according to May 20 and May 21 releases from 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Strategic Communications. The pilot…

Contract Awarded to Sikorsky for 12 CH-53K Heavy-Lift Helos
WASHINGTON — Naval Air Systems Command has awarded a $1.3 billion contract to Sikorsky for 12 U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K King Stallion helicopters, the command said in a release. “The Marine Corps is very appreciative of the efforts by the…

Robots are Real, but AI’s Full Promise is Still on the Horizon
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Artificial intelligence in all its forms, from machine learning algorithms to unmanned systems, is a sure thing for the sea services and its partners, but there is still much to determine in terms of the technological…

Marine Corps to Procure Naval Strike Missile
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Using the congressionally approved Other Transaction Authority with the Marine Corps Systems Command, Raytheon will integrate the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) into the Marine Corps’ existing force structure. In recent years the Corps has determined a…

Cybersecurity Sits at the Crux of Government, Industry, Commerce for Sea Services
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Citing recent high-profile comments by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller on cybersecurity’s importance, panelists at a May 7 event at Sea-Air-Space agreed that it is…

Unmanned Systems Cited as Key by Future of Aviation Panelists
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Future naval aviation will benefit from the fifth-generation F-35s, manned-unmanned teaming and the possibility of greatly enhanced rotary wing aircraft being developed under the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, a panel of Navy, Marine Corps and…

Indo-Pacific Policy More Complex Than Only China and Russia
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — As the nation grapples with striking a balance between competing with great power challenges and preparing for the possibility of conflict, the Indo-Pacific region poses perhaps the most significant challenge, Dr. Mara Karlin believes. Karlin, director…

SAS Panelists Express Full Support for Space Force; Warn of Personnel, Logistical Challenges of Standing Up New Military Branch
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Sea services leaders expressed unwavering support during a May 6 panel discussion for the nation’s future ventures in space — no matter whether the effort is split among the nation’s existing military branches or a new…

Service Chiefs Tout Agility, but MARAD in Need of Funding to Flex Muscle
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The sudden order to send the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the U.S. Central Command theater in response to threats from Iran is a great example of the value of the Navy’s dynamic deployment concept,…