Thursday, October 30, 2025
Abby Shepherd is a Navy reporter. Before joining Inside Defense in November 2023, she was an intern with Politico's E&E News and a city government reporter with the Eudora Times in Kansas. She graduated from the University of Kansas in May 2023, with degrees in journalism and political science.
A new bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation will seek to address incentives for shipbuilders, innovation in shipbuilding and the alignment of maritime regulation and will likely be introduced following the upcoming election, two lawmakers announced Wednesday.
The Navy's E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office didn't effectively manage deficiencies found during operational tests for modifications made to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, according to a report released by the Defense Department's inspector general earlier this week.
As the Navy explores the possibility of implementing alternative warheads for its nuclear-armed sea-launched program, a new group was created earlier this year to guide the effort.
The Navy has awarded aircraft repair companies AAR Government Services and Standard Aero each over $1.2 billion to provide depot-level engine maintenance, repair, overhaul and field assessment and repair for the P-8A Poseidon aircraft, according to a Thursday contract announcement.
In her first public address since publishing the 2024 Navigation Plan earlier this week, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti emphasized the goals outlined in the plan may be difficult to achieve but are realistic.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti has identified seven different targets to increase force readiness by 2027 -- all while highlighting existing budgetary constraints that may impact this goal.
The Navy is taking a novel approach to meeting the munition needs of coalition partners by developing and producing a foreign military sale-only version of a hypersonic cruise missile, a weapon for which the service does not have a requirement.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking proposals for systems that will defend against uncrewed underwater vehicles that may enter U.S. harbors and ports, according to a solicitation posted Sept. 11.
Naval Air Systems Command's F/A-18 and EA-18G program office is requesting industry input on aircraft range extension, according to a request for information posted Friday.
The Navy's Science and Technology Board will meet today to review recommendations for innovation, ship maintenance, additive manufacturing and electronic warfare, according to a Federal Register notice.
The Navy recently awarded L3Harris Technologies a contract worth over $587 million for the engineering and manufacturing development of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band system, part of the plan to replace the current ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System used on the EA-18G Growler aircraft. (UPDATED)
The Navy plans to complete an autonomy roadmap by late fall, which will “capture autonomy-based mission gaps over the next 10 years” to inform the service where to invest, a spokesperson told Inside Defense.
The Navy is partnering with technology company Shield AI to integrate autonomy and AI software into its advanced subsonic aerial target, the BQM-177A, and awarded a contract to the company on Aug. 16 to further this effort.
The Navy's program for airborne nuclear command, control and communications is now set to transition to a major capability acquisition pathway in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, according to a Navy spokesperson -- a minor delay compared to the timeline projected by the Government Accountability Office in its recent weapon systems assessment.
The Navy is aiming its focus on successfully fielding unmanned systems -- particularly unmanned underwater vehicles -- officials said Thursday, with another demonstration of the Manta Ray program potentially planned soon.
The Maritime Administration is seeking public relations help to boost its National Marketing Campaign -- an initiative meant to bring more workers into the merchant marine and shipbuilding industries.
The Office of Naval Research is seeking information on technology that will assist in subsea and seabed warfare and plans to use this knowledge for technology operational experimentation event (TOEE) 25.2 -- part of a series of experiments that take place in operationally relevant conditions.
The MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft system recently experienced significant unit cost increases, mirroring what some other Defense Department programs go through every year.
Although unmanned technology may provide the Navy an edge when countering Houthis in the Red Sea, the long-term solution is not any one weapon system, Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, said yesterday.
As the shutdown of the production line for Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is imminent, the Navy's steps to acquire the aircraft's technical data will boost sustainment -- allowing the service to operate the Super Hornet over the next two decades, at least.