An experimental unmanned surface vessel program initiated by Pentagon research agencies and bound for the Navy has fallen behind schedule by several months with a contract to build a prototype now expected early next year.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
Justin Katz was Inside the Navy’s associate editor until November 2020. He was previously a local news reporter in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. A New York native, he graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, with a bachelor’s degree in communication.
An experimental unmanned surface vessel program initiated by Pentagon research agencies and bound for the Navy has fallen behind schedule by several months with a contract to build a prototype now expected early next year.
The Navy this week awarded Boeing a $17 million contract for the nascent steps of developing a new system the service hopes will help prevent F/A-18 pilots from having physiological episodes.
The Navy this week said it began the second phase of a secretive unmanned surface vessel program but is still not disclosing what industry teams are participating.
The Navy this summer created an offshoot of an aviation maintenance initiative championed by top Pentagon brass that is aimed at improving the turnaround times of shipyard maintenance availabilities.
The Navy's No. 2 civilian today defended the decision to keep two general officers "multihatted" as deputy chief information officers despite a critical report published earlier this year that said doing so leads to fighting over budget dollars.
The Navy is restructuring several high-level acquisition directorates alongside the recent establishment of a new senior civilian position for sustainment, according to a memo obtained by Inside Defense.
The Navy's new chief information officer says one of his top priorities will be ensuring prime contractors help the Pentagon hold subcontractors accountable for cybersecurity.
The Navy announced today Aaron Weis will become the service's chief information officer and special assistant to the secretary for cyber and information management.
The Navy announced Tuesday the service has achieved its 80% mission-capable rate target for both the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18 Growler fleets.
Leonardo announced today it plans to build an aircraft maintenance facility near Naval Air Station Whiting Field in the Florida panhandle contingent on winning the service’s training helicopter competition.
The Navy said yesterday it has completed testing a mine countermeasures mission package onboard the expeditionary sea base Hershel "Woody" Williams (T-ESB-4).
U.S. Transportation Command this week announced a major exercise of more than two dozen auxiliary ships to test the fleet’s readiness but says a recent RAND study that sharply criticized the agency’s testing methodology as ineffectual did not drive changes.
BAE Systems said today it will "simultaneously" dry-dock two Navy destroyers during upcoming maintenance availabilities at its San Diego facility.
The Navy plans to use rapid prototyping authorities to develop its submarine-launched hypersonic strike weapon through the Conventional Prompt Strike program, a Senate panel revealed last week.
The Navy's second most senior civilian today acknowledged the service will not achieve its 355-ship goal in a "reasonable" amount of time and that without a $20 billion to $30 billion increase in annual funding, the Navy could only maintain between 305 and 308 ships.
The Navy has concluded the data-collection portion of an assessment to determine if it can double the Littoral Combat Ship dry-docking interval and expects to make a technical decision by the end of this year, according to the admiral overseeing the effort.
With its public shipyard improvement efforts in full swing, the Navy is now developing a plan that would "mirror" those efforts for private shipyards, according to top Navy officials overseeing shipbuilding.
The Navy plans to issue a solicitation for a medium unmanned undersea vehicle geared toward mine countermeasures and collecting oceanographic data, according to a Sept. 12 Federal Business Opportunities notice.
A Senate panel wants the Navy to continue with previously abandoned upgrades for a developmental air-launched, anti-ship missile, and is recommending the service receive an additional $50 million for that purpose.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the only one of four key congressional panels overseeing the Pentagon's budget expressing support for the Navy's plan to purchase two unmanned surface vessel prototypes.