By Vicky Uhland, Seapower Correspondent The U.S. Department of Defense is at an inflection point in maritime dominance through acquisition reform, said panelists at Tuesday morning’s fifth annual breakfast hosted by the Navy League’s Center for Maritime Strategy. The Department of War is not just a moniker, “it represents a sea change in…
Saildrone Unveils Spectre High-speed USV for Naval Operations
Saildrone (Booth 1315) today released the design of the Saildrone Spectre, a 52-meter-long, 250-ton uncrewed surface vessel intended for anti-submarine warfare. Capable of speeds up to 30 knots, Spectre is the largest, fastest, and most capable Saildrone platform to date, the company said. It leverages the endurance and reliability of the company’s Saildrone wing system but…
Department of the Navy Releases FY27 Budget Request
From the Department of the Navy, April 21, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Navy released their Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 President’s Budget request today focused on restoring American maritime dominance with a total Navy topline of $377.5B, an…
FRCSW Produces First Organic Super Hornet to Undergo Block III Modifications
From Fleet Readiness Center Southwest, April 21, 2026 SAN DIEGO — At Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW), innovation is not a buzzword, it’s a daily commitment to the warfighter. That commitment reached an historic milestone with the command’s completion of its first fully organic F/A-18 Super…
Ship Welding Goes to the Dogs
By Vicky Uhland, Seapower Correspondent Welding is a challenge in shipbuilding. There’s a critical shortage of skilled welders, and massive ship assemblies, inconsistent fit-up stages and large metal pieces that can’t be moved make it difficult to automate welding processes. Enter Rove, a quadruped robotic welding system the size of a standard poodle. Rove is produced by Path…
Australia, Canada, and U.S. conduct multilateral operations in South China Sea
By CTF-76 Public Affairs, April 20, 2026 SOUTH CHINA SEA – Ships from the Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Armed Forces, and U.S. Navy conducted multilateral operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific in the South China Sea, April 12-18. Participants included…
Kaine Discusses AUKUS Agreement During SASC Hearing
From the Office of Senator Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, April 21, 2026 WASHINGTON — Today, during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing on U.S. posture in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) asked Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Jr., USN, Commander…
Leidos, HavocAI Join Forces to Advance UAV Interoperability Across Domains
By Erika Fitzpatrick, Seapower Correspondent Leidos (Booth 1125)and HavocAI (D 17) have teamed to test a new fleet of autonomous uncrewed surface vehicles that offer unique capabilities in multidomain environments, company leaders said April 20 at Sea-Air-Space 2026. “Warfare is changing rapidly,” said Cindy Gruensfelder, president of Leidos Defense, a global defense contractor with 9,000 employees. “It’s really…
CH-53K lifts CH-53K expanding capabilities
From Naval Air Systems Command, Apr 20, 2026 NAS PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The CH-53K King Stallion helicopter, under the direction of H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office (PMA-261), achieved a major milestone by successfully lifting another CH-53K King Stallion. The test, performed by…
L3Harris Develops Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery System for AUVs
By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s requirement to develop a method of launching and — more challenging — recovering autonomous underwater vehicles from torpedo tubes of submarines is being met by L3Harris Technologies (Booth 937), which has been awarded an Other Transaction Authority contract…
