WASHINGTON — Digital modernization of U.S. Navy back-office operations is a largely overlooked activity that can improve readiness, cut costs and deliver educational content and training to personnel, acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly said on Feb. 21. Participating in…
USS Dewey Receives First ODIN Laser Weapon to Counter Enemy UAS
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy recently installed the first Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN), a laser weapon system that allows its ships to counter enemy unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Naval Sea Systems Command said. The first system was installed on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey during the ship’s recently completed dry-docking. …
Keel Laid for Future USNS Cherokee Nation
HOUMA, La. — A keel-laying ceremony was held Feb. 12 for the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), the second ship of the Navy’s Navajo class of towing, salvage and rescue vessels. The ceremony was held near Gulf Island Shipyard at the Houma Terrebonne Civic…
USS Normandy Seizes Illegal Weapons in Arabian Sea
The USS Normandy, while conducting maritime security operations in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, boarded a dhow in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 9 in accordance with international law and discovered a large cache of weapons, according to a Feb. 13 U.S. Central Command release. The…
EMALS, AAG Systems OK’d for All Carrier Aircraft
SAN DIEGO — General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced that the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) have been cleared for shipboard launch and recovery of all currently deployed naval aircraft types aboard USS Gerald R. Ford…
Navy 2021 Budget Relatively Flat; Only 8 Ships Funded, Ship Retirements Accelerated
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S Navy’s 2021 budget seeks funding for only eight battle force ships, financed by $19.9 billion of a $207.1 billion Department of the Navy budget that is only slightly larger than the $205.2 billion budget enacted for fiscal 2020. The Future Years Defense Plan also forecasts some accelerated retirements or reductions…
First Navy V-22 arrives in Patuxent River
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The first U.S. Navy CMV-22B Osprey arrived at Patuxent River on Feb. 2 after completing its ferry flight from Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas, Naval Air Systems Command said. This is the first of two CMV-22B…
Navy Orders Two MQ-4C Triton UAVs Plus Operating Base
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has ordered another two MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles from Northrop Grumman Corp. According to a Feb. 6 Defense Department contract announcement, Naval Air Systems Command awarded a $172.4 million contract modification for the two…
Laser-Guided Excalibur S Munition Aces Navy Test
YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — Raytheon’s new Excalibur S precision-guided munition scored direct hits on moving targets in a U.S. Navy test, the company said in a Feb. 5 release. Testing validated the projectile’s ability to survive the shock and…
Boeing Delivers First F/A-18 Service-Life Modification Jet to Navy
ARLINGTON, Va. — Boeing has given the F/A-18 a new lease on life after delivering the first Super Hornet under Service Life Modification (SLM) to the U.S. Navy, the company said Feb. 6. The second SLM jet will deliver by…
