HUNT VALLEY, Md. — Textron Systems Corp. has been awarded a contract valued up to $18.3 million including all options by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command to provide continued unmanned aerial systems operations support for the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), the company said June 2.

The one-year base contract includes two 12-month options and two six-month options, for a total potential performance period of four years. The company was originally selected to support the ESB 4 in 2018.  

Under this contract, Textron Systems will continue to deploy its Aerosonde UAS to provide maritime operations aboard the ESB 4. The company’s personnel work alongside Sailors to provide on-demand Aerosonde UAS operations to support a variety of maritime missions.

“Our shipboard customers need UAS solutions that can deliver actionable data from multiple mission payloads without sacrificing valuable space on deck,” said Wayne Prender, senior vice president, Air Systems. “It’s equally important that we create a strong support ecosystem to keep availability and reliability rates high as operational tempo demands. In continuing to support our ESB 4 customer, we maintain our focus on setting the bar higher and higher in all these areas to keep our Sailors informed and out of harm’s way.”  

Textron Systems’ UAS operators also support U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers with the Aerosonde UAS, as well as multiple DoD and international customers with land-based contractor owned, contractor operated activities. 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s Air Combat Electronics program office (PMA-209) recently completed the first test flight of the T-45 trainer aircraft’s Mission Computer Alternative, intended to improve readiness for the legacy system, the Naval Air Systems Command said May 31. 

PMA-209 collaborated with the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems program office (PMA-273), which manages the T-45 aircraft, and Air Test Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 to execute the March 30 flight at Patuxent River and test out the design replacement for the existing Mission Display Processer. 

“The flight was flown successfully, proving MCA is on the right track,” said Lt. Alex Mensing, VX-23 test pilot. “We know what needs to be improved and will continue to work together to bring an accurate and reliable system to the fleet.” 

PMA-273 sought out MCA as a mission computing solution primarily to address the potential obsolescence issues the Navy may face on an aging platform. They plan to leverage the MCA to support additional capabilities such as required navigation performance/area navigation. 

The MCA is a Hardware Open Systems Technologies-conforming mission computer that drastically reduces schedule for regular hardware and software updates associated with mission computing. It can be economically and rapidly adapted to support platform requirements and processing needs. The system is on track to provide required navigation performance/area navigation in the near future. 

“The Navy developed this mission computer technology using OA standards, bringing the government one step closer to getting much needed capabilities and functionality to the fleet cheaper and faster,” said Capt. Margaret Wilson, PMA-209 program manager.  

The Navy will leverage investments made during the MCA’s development to support and minimize development cost of future MCA iterations, and lower the hardware and software logistics lifecycle funding footprint by using common, commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and software development designed to OA standards.  

SAN DIEGO — Twenty-six nations, 38 surface ships, four submarines, nine national land forces, more than 170 aircraft and approximately 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 29 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs, said May 31. 

RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. 

As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s interconnected oceans. 

The theme of RIMPAC 2022 is “Capable, Adaptive, Partners.” Participating nations and forces will exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy operations, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations. 

This year’s exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2022 will be led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, who will serve as Combined Task Force commander. Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Christopher Robinson will serve as deputy commander of the CTF, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Toshiyuki Hirata as the vice commander, and Fleet Marine Force will be led by U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Paul O’Grady of the Royal Australian Navy, who will command the maritime component, and Brig. Gen. Mark Goulden of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who will command the air component. 

During RIMPAC, a network of capable, adaptive partners train and operate together in order to strengthen their collective forces and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. RIMPAC 2022 contributes to the increased interoperability, resiliency and agility needed by the joint and combined force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict. 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The first E-6B Mercury arrived at Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Aircraft Maintenance and Fabrication Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for Block II modification on earlier this month, the Naval Air Systems Command announced May 31. 

The work is part of an Integrated Modification and Maintenance Contract (IMMC) awarded in February, which focuses on fielding improved airborne strategic communications sooner. 

“This is an important event because it’s the first time a single company will be responsible for executing the entire installation,” said Bob Stailey, Airborne Strategic Command, Control, and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) E-6B deputy program manager. “NGC Lake Charles built an integrated modification schedule that implements efficiencies and lessons learned from previous efforts.” 

The Block II upgrade consists of six modifications to improve the aircrafts’ command, control and communications functions connecting the National Command Authority with U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces. 

The previous modification contract was executed by two separate commercial activities and one organic activity with a 19-month average turnaround time. With this new IMMC, the team anticipates ultimately achieving a six-month modification turnaround timeline. 

“This contract streamlines how we are fielding our capability upgrades,” Stailey said. “We are fully engaged with the fleet and our partners as we reduce the time required for aircraft modifications.”    

Driving toward the timeline reduction goal has been a team effort with partnership between the program, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, Defense Contract Management Agency, Strategic Communications Wing One, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 4, Navy liaison officers and program representative’s onsite in Lake Charles.  

“I’m very proud of the entire team and all the work they’ve done to get to this point,” said Capt. Adam Scott, PMA-271 program manager. “It’s taken a big effort and they are constantly looking for ways to identify and overcome any challenges.” 

Faster turnaround times with the upgrades will lead to more aircraft being available with increased capabilities for the warfighter. 

“Our number one priority is ensuring SCW-1 accomplishes its mission providing assured airborne strategic communications and that the president is always connected to his nuclear forces,” Scott said. 

MANAMA, Bahrain — USS Sioux City (LCS 11) arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet region May 28, marking the first time a littoral combat ship has deployed to the Middle East, NAVCENT Public Affairs said May 29. 

The ship and crew of 75 personnel are currently sailing in the Red Sea after departing Mayport, Florida, in April. Sioux City is operating in support of a newly established multinational task force, Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, focused on maritime security and partner capacity building in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden. 

“We’re excited to welcome a littoral combat ship to the Middle East for the first time,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “Sioux City’s arrival is not only historic but essential to regional maritime security given its immediate integration with our new multinational naval task force.” 

CTF 153 is one of four multinational task forces organized under Combined Maritime Forces, the largest international naval partnership with 34 nations. Led by the United States, Combined Maritime Forces is headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. 5th Fleet. 

Littoral combat ships are versatile, enabling them to support a broad spectrum of fleet missions and operate alongside regional navies and coast guards. 

Last year, Sioux City operated in the Caribbean Sea where it seized 600 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $24 million from drug traffickers in April. In October, the ship seized nearly 500 kilograms of cocaine worth $20 million in the Caribbean. 

“We’re thrilled to have Sioux City join our team,” said Capt. Robert Francis, commander of CTF 153. “They’ve worked collaboratively in bringing enhanced capabilities to other regions and that’s certainly what we’re looking forward to here in the Middle East while operating with our international partners.” 

The U.S. 5th Fleet region 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. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will commission the future USS Oregon (SSN 793), the newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, during an 11 a.m. EDT ceremony on Saturday, May 28, at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, the Defense Department said in a release. 

The future USS Oregon is the third U.S. Navy ship launched to bear the name Oregon, but the first in more than a century. The first was a brig in service from 1841 to 1845. The second was an Indiana-class battleship commissioned in 1896, serving in the Spanish-American War, and ultimately decommissioned for the final time in 1919. 

The principal speaker is Gov. Katie Brown of Oregon. Additional speakers include U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut’s 2nd District; Tommy Ross, performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition; Adm. James Caldwell, director, naval nuclear propulsion program; and Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat. 

The submarine’s sponsor is Dana L. Richardson, wife of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and a native of Corvallis, Oregon. Oregon was christened at General Dynamics Corp.’s Electric Boat shipyard in Groton on Oct. 5, 2019. Mrs. Richardson will give the order to “man our ship and bring her to life.” 

“There is no doubt the importance this boat, named after the great state of Oregon, will play in the future of our nation’s security,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “This crew is vital to our undersea mission, and I look forward to all of their successes.” 

Oregon is the second Block IV Virginia-class submarine to enter service, designed to carry out the core missions of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and mine warfare. These capabilities allow the submarine force to operate anywhere, at any time, and contribute to regional stability and the preservation of future peace. 

Oregon is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. It has a crew of approximately 136 Navy personnel. 

The ceremony will be live-streamed at: https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/28517. The link will become active at 9:45 a.m. EDT. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Orca extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle (XLUUV) being built by Boeing for the Navy will carry a large payload module for covertly deploying sea mines and other payloads, a Navy official said. The Navy also will have an extra vessel built for test purposes. 

Capt. Scot Searles, the Navy’s program manager for Unmanned Maritime Systems, speaking May 25 in Monterey, California, at the 15th International Mine Technology Symposium of the Mine Warfare Association, said the payload module is 34 feet long, designed to be carried by an Orca to an area at which to lay the mines. 

Boeing is building five Orcas, the first of which will begin in-water testing later this summer, Searles said. The first Orca was placed in the water in April. 

The 80-ton Orca XLUUV is an open-architecture, reconfigurable UUV that will be modular in construction. The XLUUV core vehicle will provide guidance and control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, core communications, power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering, and mission sensors. The Orca, too large to be carried by a submarine, will be pier-launched. Mine laying will be the first role for the XLUUV. 

“Getting that large, unmanned diesel submarine put together and then putting it in the water is a big deal,” Searles said. “It’s an important step in the development of the program to be able to have the components together, do a fit check and then an in-water check. We will continue populating the hull and begin to do in-water testing later this summer, all driving program maturity forward.” 

The Orca is based on the smaller Echo Ranger UUV built by Boeing.  

“Leveraging that technology, we’ve decided to add another EDM [engineering development model] into that program as well,” he said. “We’re calling it XLE-0. It’s a risk-reduction asset in addition to the five articles that we will deliver to the fleet, [so] we’ll also have that test asset as well.” 

Searles pointed out the speed of the development of Orca as a first-of-class ship. 

“That capability is going to deliver in less than five years to the fleet,” he said. “There is no first-of-class ship out there that is going from concept to requirements development to fielding in that kind of timeline.” 

Searles praised “the very tight collaboration” between the science and technology community, academia, the defense industry and its internally funded research, and the various Navy research and acquisition offices for the rapid development of the Orca. 

LONDON — The commander for U.S. naval forces in the Middle East discussed the role of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence in naval operations at an international security conference in the United Kingdom, May 24, NAVCENT Public Affairs said May 25. 

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, spoke to an audience of nearly 800 international defense and industry leaders during the Combined Naval Event at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre. 

“We are on a path to build the world’s first international unmanned surface vessel fleet,” Cooper said. “Three weeks ago, we surpassed 10,000 total sailing hours for unmanned surface vessels throughout the region. Additionally, two vessels each exceeded 100 consecutive operating days at sea.” 

U.S. 5th Fleet is currently fielding multiple unmanned systems with artificial intelligence across the Middle East after establishing Task Force 59 in September. The task force works closely with members of industry and academia as well as other experts to provide operator feedback and help drive the innovation process forward. 

“The goal is a distributed and integrated network of systems, operated with our partners, to significantly expand how far we can see,” said Cooper. 

Over an eight-month period, the task force stood up operating hubs for unmanned systems and artificial intelligence in Bahrain and Aqaba, Jordan while deploying new unmanned systems to a half-dozen bilateral and multilateral exercises. Additionally, some of the systems are currently contributing to daily operations in regional waters by enhancing maritime surveillance. 

“Every partner and every sensor offers new information that can be added to what we call the ‘Digital Ocean,’ an intelligent synthesis of around-the-clock inputs encompassing thousands of images,” Cooper said. “Putting more eyes above, on and below the water’s surface enhances our picture of the surrounding seas and enables us to position our crewed ships to react more rapidly.” 

Earlier this year, U.S. 5th Fleet announced the goal of forming a multinational fleet of 100 unmanned surface vessels by the summer of 2023. 

“A network of partners can increase shared maritime domain awareness by 30 or 40 times, through an interconnected mesh of sensors and real-time data fused together,” Cooper said. “This is an ambitious goal, but it is achievable because of our incredibly talented team.” 

U.S. 5th Fleet led the world’s largest unmanned maritime exercise in February when 10 nations fielded more than 80 unmanned systems during International Maritime Exercise 2022. The exercise enabled operators employ advanced unmanned systems during 14 different operational scenarios. 

“We are clearly more capable when we operate together, which is why strengthening partnerships and accelerating innovation are intertwined,” said Cooper. “It is not just about the technology. It is our people who have us on a path to realizing this vision together with our partners in the region.” 

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The region is comprised of 21 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy put in another order for Tomahawk cruise missiles May 24, but this order also includes, for the first time, Tomahawks for the Marine Corps and Army.  

Raytheon Missiles and Defense, of Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $217.1 million fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price contract for 154 full-rate production Block V Tactical Tomahawk All-Up Round Vertical Launch System missiles, including 70 for the Navy, 54 for the Marine Corps, and 30 for the Army, the Defense Department said May 24. The full-rate production Lot 18 missiles are scheduled to be delivered by 2025. 

“This is a major accomplishment for the program as we move forward into a new era for the Tomahawk Missile System,” said Capt. John Red, Tomahawk Weapons System program manager (PMA-280), said in a May 24 release from the Naval Air Systems Command. “We look forward to delivering this capability not only to the fleet, but to our Marines and Soldiers around the globe.” 

The Lot 18 missiles will be of the Block V configuration, which has the capability for inflight course guidance and target location updates.  

“Future Block V capabilities will include the Maritime Strike Tomahawk variant and the Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System,” the release said.  

The Marine Corps is developing and fielding a ground-based Tomahawk launcher, which will be operated by ground units in support of Expeditionary Advance Base Operations.  

The Navy’s Tomahawk program office “worked closely with the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to execute the contract in an effort to deliver the missiles on an accelerated schedule,” the Navy said. “The Army is leveraging PMA-280’s ongoing modernization efforts, investment strategies, and joint test events for its Mid-Range Capability program, a system that is on track to be delivered to its first Army unit in FY23.” 

The same day, according to the Defense Department, Raytheon was awarded a $22.6 million contract modification that “provides for the production of the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Launcher Unit (NLU) and Weapon Control System (WCS) Production Representative Models. NMESIS is a land-based missile launcher platform that provides the Fleet Marine Force with an anti-ship capability. NMESIS integrates an NLU, capable of launching two NSMs, onto a remotely operated ground unit for Expeditionary Fires carrier. The NLU is controlled by the WCS located externally in a command-and-control vehicle.”  

ARLINGTON, Va. — The head of the Navy’s Unmanned Task Force said a control system common for aerial, surface and underwater unmanned systems is still the goal as the Navy develops and fields unmanned systems for the fleet, and is critical to enabling artificial intelligence for data management.

“Certainly,” said Michael Stewart, leader of the Unmanned Task Force, speaking to reporters May 25 at the Pentagon, when asked if the Common Control System is progressing to operate for all three domains.  

“If you’re going to enable AI [artificial intelligence], if you’re going to have multiple sensors, you have to solve the open-architecture data management problem and you have to have a common control system so that you can take all of this sensor data and then put it in something where you can run algorithms,” Stewart said.

“We’ve talked with some of our allies of their journey through that it only highlighted that that is the critically important thing,” he said. “When I showed up at NATO at first, some people were talking about standards and open architecture, I really didn’t understand the importance of it.

“Now that I’ve seen it in operation with some of the allies, I understand critically why it’s important and why we have to go do that right, because if you want to make AI a thing with a whole bunch of different sensors, you’ve got to be able to do that,” he said.

The Unmanned Task Force is a team of teams with the mission of “bending the curve” of fielding unmanned systems to solve operational problems and deliver solutions more rapidly.

“We’re doing unmanned to solve operational problems; we’re doing artificial intelligence to solve operational problems,” Stewart said. 

He also said funding had to be very agile to move funding around portfolios to achieve rapid development where it is needed most.

Stewart said the task force wants experimentation to establish the relative value of various unmanned concepts and systems while “dispelling the mythology of unmanned and AI.”

“Let’s let them prove what we think they can do,” he said.