Two F/A-18F Super Hornets, assigned to the “Black Knights” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, shoot flares as they pass the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) during an airshow on Dec. 7, 2013. US Navy
The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee approved its Fiscal Year 2016 bill Tuesday morning, laying out $489.1 billion in base budget spending and $86.8 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funding. Read More
An artist’s concept of a proposed Lockheed Martin UCLASS design. Lockheed Martin Image
The Navy’s planned carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will help the service in a transition from manned strike aircraft to a future autonomous strike platform, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said on Wednesday. Read More
An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the Checkmates of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 211 launches from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in March. A Super Hornet from the squadron crashed in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday. US Navy Photo
An U.S. Navy F/A-18 F Super Hornet has crashed in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday at about 9:30 A.M. EST, Navy official told USNI News this afternoon. Read More
Undated photo of an aerial refueling test from a Marine Corps Bell-Boeing MV-22. U.S. Marine Corps Photo
The Navy has no immediate plans to explore using its planned fleet of V-22 Ospreys carrier onboard delivery aircraft to refuel its carrier aircraft, while the Marines are actively looking to include a tanking capability in its own tilt-rotor V-22s by 2017, service officials told USNI News on Monday. Read More
Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG-88) underway on April 18, 2015. US Navy Photo
The House Armed Services Committee added $120 million to pay for a total of three Aegis combat system upgrades to the Navy’s Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers (DDG-51) as part of the chairman’s mark for the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. Read More
F-22 Raptors deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, trained with U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets April 26, 2007, near the waters of Okinawa. US Navy Photo
The Navy and the Air Force could team up for their early look into their next crop of fighters due out in 2030, the Navy’s director of air warfare told USNI News on Thursday. Read More
Two F/A-18F Super Hornets, assigned to the “Black Knights” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, shoot flares as they pass the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) during an airshow on Dec. 7, 2013. US Navy
This story has been updated to include a statement about the Navy’s upcoming release of an Unfunded Requirements List.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) warned Congress of an upcoming Navy fighter shortfall just as Boeing is trying to determine whether to keep its Super Hornet and Growler production line open, setting the stage for intense talks between the service and company in the coming months about whether the Navy should and can afford to invest in additional fighters. Read More
F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Knighthawks of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 136 lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) on Jan. 30, 2015. US Navy Photo
CRYSTAL CITY, VA. — The head of the Navy’s aviation system command is working on ways to bring the tenants of the Pentagon’s larger push for open architecture computer systems to the development of new aircraft as well as bringing more open capability to existing systems. Read More
This is a Lockheed Martin concept for a sixth-generation concept aircraft to replace the F-22 Raptor. Lockheed Martin Illustration
CRYSTAL CITY, VA. – Stealth – the technology that masks aircraft and ships from enemy radars – needs to be an integral part of the next generation of U.S. fighter aircraft, the head of Lockheed Martin’s secretive Skunk Works division told reporters on Wednesday. Read More
A Boeing artist’s conception of a potential design for F/A-XX. Boeing Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy’s planned next generation fighter will likely rely less on the speed and stealth that has defined the current generation of U.S. tactical aircraft and could feature an unmanned option, the Chief of Naval Operations said on Wednesday. Read More
