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CH-53K. Sikorsky photo.
This post has been updated to include a statement by Sikorsky and the NAVAIR program office.
Naval Air Systems Command awarded Sikorsky $304 million for the first two CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters for the Marine Corps. Read More
Boeing image of the company’s MQ-25A Stingray bid. USNI News Photo
The inclusion of the unmanned MQ-25 Stingray aerial tanker into the U.S. carrier air wing could increase the effective strike range of the strike fighters aboard aircraft carriers by up to 400 nautical miles, the commander of Naval Air Forces told U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings. Read More
Aug. 17, 2017 LRASM launch from a US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber. Lockheed Martin Photo
The Navy’s next-generation anti-ship missile scored in its first tactical configuration test launching from a B-1B Lancer bomber, Lockheed Martin announced on Friday. Read More
An early artist’s concept of the General Atomics Sea Avenger taken from a display monitor. The design shows a wing-body-tail configuration US Naval Institute Photo
POWAY, Calif. – The Navy, in its latest draft request for proposals issued last month, pitched four major defense firms to submit concepts for a future unmanned aerial refueling tanker that top officials say could be flying with the first aircraft carrier wing as early as 2019 or 2020. Read More
The following is the Aug. 8, 2017 Government Accountability Office report to Congress, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: DOD’s Proposed Follow-on Modernization Acquisition Strategy Reflects an Incremental Approach Although Plans Are Not Yet Finalized. Read More
An artist’s rendering of the planned Sikorsky VH-92A presidential helicopter. Sikorsky Image
Lockheed Martin announced the successful first flight of a test VH-92A, configured for use by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), and ultimately destined to transport the President and other dignitaries. Read More
Boeing image of the company’s MQ-25A Stingray bid. USNI News Photo
The Navy issued its latest draft request for proposals for what will be the service’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle, U.S. Navy officials confirmed to USNI News on Thursday. Read More
Outspoken Littoral Combat Ship and frigate critic Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said today he is “cautiously optimistic” after reading the Navy’s first official account of what the updated frigate requirements may look like, according to a statement from his office. Read More
The House Armed Services Committee passed its annual defense bill on Thursday after a 14-hour markup, sending the bill to the full House of Representatives with no major changes to its recommended procurement profile.
Though few amendments that passed directly affect Navy and Marine Corps programs, several that failed or were withdrawn sparked serious debates about how the Navy ought to address pressing issues of the day: hypoxia concerns in the Navy’s fighter fleet, how to transition from the Littoral Combat Ship, industry’s ability to upgrade to the Flight III guided-missile destroyer design and more. Read More
USS Tulsa (LCS-16) launched on March 15, 2017. Austal USA photo.
The Navy awarded Austal USA up to $584.2 million for one Littoral Combat Ship, while the service is still negotiating with Lockheed Martin for the second ship and weighs its options for the third ship, USNI News understands. Read More
