This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.
2019 started with a surprise in the Navy budget request: the service needed to buy and test unmanned surface vehicles immediately to reach its ultimate goals for the surface force, and it was willing to sacrifice almost anything – including sidelining an aircraft carrier – to free up the funds to do so. Read More
Mr. Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, speaks to the audience Sept. 12, 2013, during a ceremony commemorating the delivery of the final U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, P-223, at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base, S.C. (Air Force photo)
Capping a year of bad news for Boeing, maker of the beleaguered 737 Max airliner and a vareity of military aircraft, announced Monday morning Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg was resigning immediately.
Adm. James G. Foggo, III, commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, shakes hands with Capt. Daniel Prochazka, the executive officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on on Dec. 9, 2019. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Russia continues to increase its submarine activity in the Mediterranean, Arctic and Atlantic, the U.S. Navy has made organizational changes to be more responsive but should invest in unmanned systems to support forces in the European theater, the four-star admiral who leads Naval Forces Europe said. Read More
A Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle is launched from USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) in 2012. US Navy Photo
Developing updated unmanned scout planes is the best way for the U.S. to have eyes on China’s military actions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, according to findings in a new Hudson Institute report.
A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the ‘Argonauts’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completes a flight over Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy is unclear how it will proceed with its next generation of aviation combatants following the introduction of the F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter into the carrier air wing, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said on Thursday. Read More
Boeing MQ-25A Stingray takes its first flight on Sept. 19, 2019. Boeing Photo
Boeing conducted the first flight of its prototype unmanned aerial refueling aircraft on Thursday, testing its handling and the Navy’s ability to fast-track a long-stalled program.
Boeing MQ-25A Stingray takes its first flight on Sept. 19, 2019. Boeing Photo
The prototype for the Navy’s first unmanned aerial refueler made its first test flight from an airfield in Illinois, Boeing announced on Thursday. Read More
An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, top, conducts laser designation of an AGM-114 Hellfire missile for an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter attached to the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) off the coast of San Clemente Island.
The Navy just graduated its first class of unmanned aerial vehicle test pilots from a new course designed to apply the lessons of manned test pilot programs to UAVs Read More
X-47B Salty Dog 501 flies over USS Theodore Roosevelt on Aug. 17, 2014. US Naval Institute Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy won’t pursue the development of a lethal carrier-based unmanned aircraft before it fields its unmanned MQ-25A Stingray tanker sometime in the 2020s, the service’s requirements chief said last week. Read More
MQ-25 Stingray. Boeing Photo
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Later this year, Boeing’s prototype for the Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial tanker will make its first flight from an Illinois airport. When the Stingray will start operating from U.S. carriers is less clear. Read More
