ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has ordered the first lot of Navy’s AMG-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) following approval from the Defense Department. 

Naval Air Systems Command Awarded Alliant Techsystems Operations — a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems — a $41.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for low-rate initial production lot 1 of the AARGM-ER, according to a Sept. 14 Defense Department contract announcement.  

“This contract provides for the production and delivery of 16 AGM-88G AARGM-ER All Up Rounds, six AGM-88G AARGM-ER Captive Air Training Missiles, four Common Munitions BIT Reprogramming Equipment Plus interface devices, initial spares, and required supplies and support,” the announcement said. 

The AARGM-ER received Milestone C approval on Aug. 23. 

The AGM-84G AARGM-ER, designed to attack hostile emitters, particularly radars that guide surface-to-air missiles, is a development of the AGM-84E AARGM that has been in service since 2012 with the role of destruction of enemy ground-based air defenses. The ER missile is considerably different in planform and appearance than the basic AARGM. The ER version is slightly shorter (160 inches versus 14 inches) than the basic AARGM but has a larger diameter (11.5 inches versus 10 inches) and is controlled by its tailfins rather than fins at the mid-body. The ER features a new rocket motor that takes up more of the length of the missile and is equipped with a new warhead. The aerodynamic characteristics of the ER plus its larger motor give the missile twice the tactical range in the same amount of time.   

The AARGM-ER will be carried on Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. The missile also is sized to eventually be carried in the weapons bay of F-35A and F-35C Lightning II strike fighters and on wing stations of the F-35B version.  

The Navy plans to continue captive and live-fire flight testing of the AARGM-ER through 2022. Initial operational capability is planned for 2023. 

ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Navy and Boeing have used the MQ-25 T1 test asset to refuel a U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II fighter jet for the first time, again demonstrating the aircraft’s ability to achieve its primary aerial refueling mission, the company said Sept. 14. 

This was the third refueling mission for the Boeing-owned test asset in just over three months, advancing the test program for the Navy’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft. T1 refueled an F/A-18 Super Hornet in June and an E-2D Hawkeye in August. 

“Every test flight with another type/model/series aircraft gets us one step closer to rapidly delivering a fully mission-capable MQ-25 to the fleet,” said Capt. Chad Reed, the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager. “Stingray’s unmatched refueling capability is going to increase the Navy’s power projection and provide operational flexibility to the Carrier Strike Group commanders.” 

During a test flight Sept. 13, an F-35C test pilot from the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) conducted a successful wake survey behind T1 to ensure performance and stability before making contact with T1’s aerial refueling drogue and receiving fuel. 

“This flight was yet another physical demonstration of the maturity and stability of the MQ-25 aircraft design,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing’s MQ-25 program director. “Thanks to this latest mission in our accelerated test program, we are confident the MQ-25 aircraft we are building right now will meet the Navy’s primary requirement — delivering fuel safely to the carrier air wing.” 

The T1 flight test program began in September 2019 with the aircraft’s first flight. In the following two years, the test program completed more than 120 flight hours, gathering data on everything from aircraft performance to propulsion dynamics to structural loads and flutter testing for strength and stability. 

MQ-25 is benefitting from the two years of early flight test data, which has been integrated back into its digital models to strengthen the digital thread connecting aircraft design to production to test to operations and sustainment. Boeing is currently manufacturing the first two MQ-25 test aircraft. 

T1 will be used to conduct a deck handling demonstration aboard a U.S. Navy carrier in the coming months to help advance the carrier integration progress. 

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — RE2 Robotics has received a $9.5 million contract from the Office of Naval Research to create an underwater robotic system for the autonomous neutralization of underwater mines for the U.S. Navy, the company said in a Sept. 14 release. 

The program, called Maritime Mine Neutralization System (M2NS), will utilize the RE2 Sapien Sea Class system to precisely place and attach neutralization devices to underwater mines and water-borne improvised explosive devices (WBIEDs).  

RE2 will serve as the systems integrator for this program. In addition to RE2 Sapien Sea Class, the M2NS will use components, including RE2’s advanced computer vision and autonomy software, RE2 Detect and RE2 Intellect, to enable the precise, autonomous, and clandestine neutralization of a target.  

“The detection and neutralization of WBIEDs and other underwater explosives is a critically dangerous task for Navy divers. Consistent with our mission of improving worker safety, the M2NS will enable the Navy to find and autonomously neutralize targets in deep ocean waters, while experienced divers supervise from a safe distance,” said Jorgen Pedersen, president and CEO of RE2 Robotics. 

The M2NS comprises best-in-class technologies such as RE2’s Sapien Sea Class arms and VideoRay’s Defender remotely operated vehicle, which both exhibit unprecedented power density. In particular, RE2 Sapien Sea Class arms, which were originally designed and developed for the ONR, feature a compact, strong, electromechanical design with human-like dexterity (seven functions per arm) that is neutrally buoyant. The fusion of these key technologies provides superior strength and precision while manipulating neutralization devices.  

“The M2NS will use RE2 Detect computer vision software to locate targets underwater, and RE2 Intellect to autonomously and precisely place devices on those targets,” said Amanda Sgroi, director of computer vision and autonomy at RE2. “We also will integrate new sensors to provide situational awareness and aid autonomy, allowing the system to potentially navigate to extended depths in the ocean.”  

In addition to defense tasks, the human-like capability of the M2NS allows it to be used for complex offshore infrastructure and maintenance applications in the oil & gas and renewable wind industries. For example, M2NS can be used for weld inspection of rig piles, ships and FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) systems, mooring inspection and measurement and valve inspection and manipulation.  

ARABIAN SEA – Amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), flagship of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESX ARG), along with amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD 27), dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) and embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Sept. 12, Petty Officer 2nd Class Brett McMinoway said in a Sept. 14 release. 

While in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, the ESX ARG and 11th MEU will operate and train alongside regional and coalition partners. 

As an inherently flexible maneuver force, capable of supporting routine and contingency operations, the ARG/MEU’s presence demonstrates the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps commitment to regional partners and maritime security. 

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 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. 

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) awarded a $500-million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architecture-engineering contract Sept. 7 for structural and waterfront-related projects at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) in Hawaii and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) in Washington state, NAVFAC Announced in a Sept. 13 release.  

The five-year contract will mainly support construction, repair, and alteration projects at both shipyards as part of the Navy’s comprehensive Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) and will help ensure that both shipyards — originally designed and built in the 19th and 20th centuries — are able to maintain, modernize, and repair Navy ships and submarines and return them to the fleet on time.  

“To create the public shipyards that our nation needs requires investments to improve their capacity and capability,” said Capt. Warren LeBeau, program manager for SIOP. “This contract directly supports the vital roles that Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard have in terms of our national defense by executing maintenance and modernization on submarines and aircraft carriers to provide combat-ready ships to the fleet.”  

SIOP is a joint effort between Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), NAVFAC, and commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) to recapitalize and modernize the infrastructure at the Navy’s four public shipyards, including repairing and modernizing dry docks, restoring shipyard facilities and optimizing their placement, and replacing aging and deteriorating capital equipment.  

“SIOP will provide critical infrastructure investments into the shipyards that enable our Navy’s lethality and ability to operate forward in the era of strategic competition,” said Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, commander, NAVFAC Pacific. “The award of this contract provides NAVFAC with the capacity and capability to plan and execute critical NAVSEA and CNIC projects at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to meet urgent fleet readiness needs.”  

Honolulu, Hawaii-based WSM Pacific SIOP, a joint venture, was awarded the indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity architect-engineer contract under a competitive process via the www.sam.gov website. 

St. LOUIS — The most advanced Super Hornet in history has completed its first flight, Boeing News Now said Sept. 10. 

Boeing test pilots Ty “Grouch” Frautschi and Sam “Splat” Platt last week lifted off from Boeing’s St. Louis flight ramp and checkout center in the first combat-capable Block III F/A-18 Super Hornet.  

“It was a good day. The jet flew great,” Frautschi said. “It is a real pleasure to fly and I know the Navy is looking forward to getting all this capability that Block III is going to bring to the fleet.” 

The previous 28 F/A-18 Super Hornet deliveries to the U.S. Navy have been fighters for the Kuwait Air Force as outlined by the Foreign Military Sales process. Block III is a return to putting new fighters in U.S. Navy squadrons.    

“It means a lot to me, I was in the Navy for 20 years,” Platt said. “The reason I like to do this job is to bring these airplanes back to the sailors I still care about.”  

F/A-18 Block III capabilities include the advanced cockpit system (ACS) with a 10-inch-by-19-inch touch-screen display, enhanced networking, open mission systems, increased survivability and a 10,000-hour airframe. The ACS is the largest cockpit screen of any fighter in the world, shared with the F-15.  

“It’s like the difference of a dial telephone and your cellphone,” Platt said. “All these integrated displays put on a big piece of glass where you can really get an idea of what the sensors are doing and have a much more tactical display for the operator. It’s a revolutionary increase in capability.”  

Block III capabilities were developed in partnership with the Navy. The flight is the result of years of work and hundreds of Boeing employees — a fact not lost on the test pilots.   

“It’s a team effort. There’s a lot of preparation that goes into not just getting ready for the flight but building it and even earlier than that — the engineering and development,” Fraustchi said. “It is not a short list of activities to get to today, that’s for sure, and we appreciate everything they do to keep us safe.” 

The first production Block III F/A-18F is construction number F288. 

SAN DIEGO — General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has been approved as an Alteration Installation Team (AIT), a qualification that enables the Navy to contract with GA-EMS subject-matter experts capable of independently performing alterations and system installations onboard U.S. Navy ships during maintenance availability periods, the company said in a Sept. 9 release.   

“AIT qualification is recognition of the outstanding work our teams have performed over the years installing and maintaining first-of-kind electromagnetic aircraft catapult launch and recovery systems on land-based sites and onboard Ford-class carriers,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “The AIT designation provides ease of access for the Navy to contract GA-EMS’ integrated team of experts. Our team’s depth of knowledge and ‘hands-on’ skillsets building and maintaining these critical systems enables them to work independently to complete shipboard modification and installation tasks to help ready ships for redeployment within the allotted maintenance period.”   

GA-EMS has made significant investments in developing its facilities, workforce, quality management, and ISO 9001-compliant processes to support a broad range of critical naval programs. GA-EMS will manage the AIT effort from its newly expanded Hampton, Virginia, facility, which provides close proximity to the Newport News shipyard where Ford-class carriers are under construction, and where the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is undergoing a Planned Incremental Availability maintenance period. In addition, GA-EMS’ office in Patuxent River, Maryland, will serve as a customer engagement center supporting maritime and naval aviation programs, including delivery of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) to the Naval Air Systems Command for Ford-class aircraft carriers.   

“The Navy regularly experiences the challenge of sourcing a qualified workforce when shipyards must simultaneously manage new ship construction and maintenance tasks for ships already in the inventory,” said James Donnelly, GA-EMS director of Maritime Program Operations. “Our decades of experience managing large, complex programs, and our expertise in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of next generation system technologies such as EMALS and AAG have equipped GA-EMS to provide best-value support to meet the challenge. This expertise is applicable not only for Ford-class carriers, but for other ship classes in the U.S. Navy’s inventory as well.”    

ARLINGTON, Va. — Getting the right mix of unmanned air, surface and undersea vehicles in the U.S. Navy’s future fleet is so critical, the Chief of Naval Operations is creating an unmanned systems task force to sort out nagging issues like scalability, reliability, command, and control.

In a virtual appearance Sept. 8 at the Defense News online conference, Adm. Michael Gilday said he was unsatisfied with the Navy’s pace of unmanned development, citing reservations about the reliability of unmanned vessels for long range, long duration missions, as well as command and control issues.

“Over the next few months, we’ll be standing up an unmanned task force,” similar in terms of scope and  purpose to Project Overmatch, Gilday said. A group of technical experts, along with operators, will focus on problems “to move forward in all three domains, at speed, to make unmanned a reality by the end of this decade.”

Gilday likened the new unmanned task force to Project Overmatch, the Navy’s plan to develop a new fleet architecture using artificial intelligence (AI) and manned/unmanned teaming to enable distributed maritime operations. Highly mobile and widely distributed Navy and Marine Corps element are a basic game plan for dealing with near-peer adversaries like China in contested areas of the vast Indo-Pacific region.

As the Navy plans future fleet battle problems, “One of the things I’ll be looking for is how we utilize unmanned [systems] at scale into the fleet, because we know that in the future. They’re going to be a significant part of distributed maritime operations,” Gilday said.

Gilday said the task force will include both Sailors and Navy civilians. “We have a lot of technical expertise in the Navy today that we can leverage,” including warfighting labs and systems commands, he said. Still in the early stages of planning, Gilday said he would be able to share more details about the task force “by early 2022.”

Gilday, and some key lawmakers, have expressed concern about the reliability of unmanned surface and undersea vessels deployed at sea for extended periods of time with little or no maintenance. The CNO said he’s seen progress in that area this year, noting three successful missions by unmanned surface vessels transiting more than 4,000 miles from the Gulf Coast, through the Panama Canal to California, while operating autonomously 98% of the time. However, “we’re not yet satisfied where we need to be with respect to reliability but we are quickly moving in that direction” although it’s still a few years before the Navy can go to the Pentagon and Congress with a plan to produce unmanned vessels at scale.

Concerns about command and control over unmanned systems was the genesis for Project Overmatch, Gilday said. With an initial plan to have a third of the fleet unmanned or minimally unmanned “we knew we couldn’t command and control, let’s say well over 100 vessels, without changing the way we were networked,” the CNO said.

“I do think as we look at AI applications for unmanned, it’s going to be a journey for us before we talk about an autonomous, unmanned fleet,” Gilday said. Initially, such platforms will be minimally manned or teamed with manned vessels. “The man in the loop is going to be an important piece for a while,” he said.

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) also will establish a new task force to accelerate integration of unmanned systems of all domains and artificial intelligence, the NAVCENT commander said recently. 

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet and commander, U.S. Naval Forces U.S. Central Command, speaking Sept. 8 to reporters by phone conference, said Task Force 59 (TF59) would be established on Sept. 9 in Manama, Bahrain.  

SOUTH CHINA SEA — The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (VINCSG) is operating in the South China Sea for the first time during the group’s 2021 deployment, said Ens. Charina Camacho, a spokesperson for the Carl Vinson. 

While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units. Carrier operations in the South China Sea are part of the U.S. Navy’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific.  

“The freedom of all nations to navigate in international waters is important, and especially vital in the South China Sea, where nearly a third of global maritime trade transits each year,” said Rear Adm. Dan Martin, commander, Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group. “As we’ve transited the Pacific from San Diego to the South China Sea, we have had the privilege and pleasure to work alongside our allies, partners, and joint service teammates in training, exercises, engagements and operations – all with a common goal to ensure peace and stability throughout the region. It is in all of our interest that the international community plays an active role in preserving the rules-based international order.” 

The carrier strike group is led by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 and includes aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70); embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2; embarked staffs of CSG 1 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1; Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57); Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90); and Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16).    

In the month prior to entering the South China Sea, the VINCSG participated in Large Scale Exercise 2021, conducted interoperability flights with U.K. Carrier Strike Group (CSG-21), and conducted a bilateral exercise with Joint Maritime Self Defense Forces units.  

The strike group is committed to upholding a rules-based international order with regional allies and partners, demonstrating the capability of forward-deployed naval forces to quickly respond across the region.  

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict. 

GREENLAWN, N.Y. — The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $26 million contract for Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) spares for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, the company said in a Sept.9 release. Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide Beamforming Networks (BFNs), an integral part of antenna control for the AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system, onboard the carrier-capable tactical aircraft. 

“These sets will provide situational awareness and early warning for U.S. Navy sailors and warfighters,” said Donna Linke-Klein, director of Tactical Systems at BAE Systems. “The Advanced Hawkeye is essential for battle management command and control, and our interrogator systems enable operators to identify friendly forces and make informed decisions in a variety of threat environments.” 

The AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system provides positive identification of friendly aircraft, giving E-2D Advanced Hawkeye operators the situational awareness they need to safely complete their missions. These missions include command and control, border security, search and rescue, and missile defense. The AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system is produced exclusively for the E-2D, due to the extraordinary requirements for this aircraft.