PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Specialized and Proven Aircraft program office (PMA-226) recently completed a modification on several U.S. Navy F-16A Fighting Falcon aircraft to increase readiness and service life, according to Naval Air Systems Command. The FalconUp modification improves F-16A readiness by extending their fatigue…
NAVAIR Orders Two MV-22B Osprey
ARLINGTON, Va. — Naval Air Systems Command has ordered two MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft and provided funds to continue the modernization of the Osprey fleet. According to the Feb. 28 Pentagon contract announcement, NAVAIR awarded Bell-Boeing a $165.3 million contract under the fiscal…
Navy to Christen Littoral Combat Ship Cooperstown
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy will christen its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Cooperstown (LCS 23), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony on Feb. 29 in Marinette, Wisconsin, the Pentagon said in a release. Alba Tull will serve as the ship’s sponsor. In a…
Modly: Integrated Navy Force Structure to Steer Away From Large Surface Combatants
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s forthcoming Integrated Naval Force Structure Assessment (INFSA) differs from the 2016 FSA by some inflection points, including a reduced emphasis on large surface combatants, the Navy’s top official said. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly, speaking Feb. 28 at the…
Navy Accepts Delivery of USS Tripoli
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The U.S. Navy accepted delivery on Feb. 28 of the future USS Tripoli, the newest America-class amphibious assault ship, from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, the Navy announced. Amphibious assault ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready…
Navy Crew Begins Training in Completed Spaces Aboard JFK
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Huntington Ingalls Industries has reached an important milestone in the construction of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy as the first of 2,700 compartments were turned over to the ship’s crew, the company announced. The completed spaces…
Navy E-2 Hawkeye Squadrons Renamed to Reflect Expanded Capabilities
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has given its E-2 Hawkeye squadrons a new designation to more accurately reflect the aircraft’s expanded capabilities and missions. The service has changed the name from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron to Airborne Command and Control Squadron, effective Jan….
USS Delbert D. Black Completes Builder’s Trials
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The future guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black successfully completed builder’s trials on Feb. 22 after spending three days underway in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Navy’s Program Executive Office (PEO)-Ships. The trials were conducted by the shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Ingalls Shipbuilding Division. The…
Second Virginia-Class Sub in Fiscal 2021 Tops Navy’s Unfunded Priority List
ARLINGTON, Va. — A Virginia-class attack submarine heads the U.S. Navy’s fiscal 2021 unfunded priorities list, according to Feb. 19 letter to Congress from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday. Three types of aircraft and one logistics proof-of-concept ship round out the top…
12th Expeditionary Fast Transport Launched
MOBILE, Ala. — The U.S. Navy’s 12th expeditionary fast transport (EPF), the future USNS Newport (EPF 12), was launched at Austal USA’s shipyard on Feb. 20, according to the Navy’s Program Executive Office-Ships said. The launching of an EPF is a multistep process. The ship modules are…
