ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has established a new unit to sustain a special mission capability in its maritime patrol community with the coming retirement of the P-3 Orion aircraft. A Sept. 10 internal directive from the Office of the…
Navy Nuclear Reactor Chief: Industrial Base Healthy, but Sustainment Requires High Energy
WASHINGTON — The Navy’s nuclear propulsion industrial base is meeting the needs of the Navy, but it requires a lot of attention to sustain it to ensure its availability. “The [nuclear industrial] base is small,” Adm. James F. Caldwell, director,…
Navy Air Warfare Director: C-130 Fleet Will be Full Up in Fiscal 2019
WASHINGTON — The Navy expects to have all of its C-130 Hercules transport aircraft back flying this fiscal year after grounding many for problems with their propellers. “We’ll have all the aircraft up by FY ’19 and all the aircraft…
President Signs Budget Boosting Navy Ship, Aircraft Procurement
ARLINGTON, Va. — The fiscal 2019 defense budget, part of a multiagency appropriations bill signed into law Sept. 28 by President Donald J. Trump, reflects the will of Congress to plus-up Navy Department ship and aircraft procurement. The law appropriates…
Navy Acquisition Chief: Navy Moving to Use Block Ship Maintenance Contracts
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s top acquisition official said the service is moving toward block bidding of ship maintenance rather than issuing contracts for single ship availabilities. The Navy also is working to rapidly address unplanned repair needs for its…
Navy to Combine F-35C Replacement Training Squadrons in 2019
Navy to Combine F-35C Replacement Training Squadrons in 2019ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy plans to deactivate one of its two F-35C fleet replacement training squadrons next year and combine its aircraft and personnel within the other replacement training squadron. According…
ONR Delivers Capability to Navy Divers
ARLINGTON, Va. — For U.S. Navy deep-sea divers, time is of the essence. While operating 100 feet down, with little to no natural light — often in frigid temperatures and limited oxygen — time is everything. But for divers, time…
Phase I Complete for Navy’s Range Support Aircraft Replacement
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Tactical Airlift Program Office (PMA-207) Commercial Modifications and Range Support (CMARS) Team accepted delivery of its newest commercial-derivative aircraft platform on July 30, Naval Air Systems Command said in a Sept. 6…
Rising Accident Rates Taking Toll on Navy, Marine Aircraft Availability
RENO, Nev. — The accident rate for the major Class A mishaps in naval aviation is “trending up” and there has been a “major increase” in the more minor Class C accidents, which is aggravating the lack of aircraft availability…
Rolls-Royce to Power Boeing MQ-25 UAV for U.S. Navy
INDIANAPOLIS — Rolls-Royce engines have been selected by Boeing to power the U.S. Navy’s new MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which will provide unmanned, carrier-based air-to-air refueling, Rolls-Royce announced in a Sept. 6 release. The U.S. Navy has awarded…
