The U.S. Navy’s unmanned helicopter, MQ-8B Fire Scout, celebrated 10 years of flight on December 18, during a ceremony at Webster Field Annex, Maryland. The helicopter flew 15,000 hours during test and real-world operations since its first flight ten years ago. Fire Scout’s next variant, the MQ-8C w
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) concluded its participation in the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) and returned to its homeport of Everett, Washington, on December 23. During the two-month underway, Sampson became the first U.S. warship to visit New Zealand in
The U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center has awarded Lockheed Martin a $150.9 million contract for the Target Sight System (TSS) on the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter. The TSS is a large-aperture midwave forward-looking infrared sensor with a laser designator/rangefinder turret. The system provides the
Both James T. Kirk and James A. Kirk were commanders of a super-advanced ‘ship’. The former was at the helm of starship USS Enterprise while the latter commanded the U.S. Navy most modern destroyer, the USS Zumwalt. During a change of command ceremony in San Diego, California, Capt. James A. Kirk wa
The U.S. Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries a $1.46 billion contract to design and build the U.S. Navy’s new amphibious transport dock Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). USS Fort Lauderdale will be the 12th and final ship of the U.S. Navy’s San Antonio-class of amphibious transport ships. Ingalls
U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is preparing to take an extended 40-plus-month break for its Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) maintenance period after nearly 25 years of service. Throughout the first 25 years of an aircraft carrier’s life, it goes through
The U.S. Coast Guard joined the navy for two months of fisheries and law enforcement patrols in the Central and South Pacific under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative. The mission was concluded on Wednesday, December 14. A Coast Guard law enforcement detachment embarked USS Sampson (DDG 102) a
The U.S. Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries a $51 million contract modification for the first year of life-cycle engineering and support services on the U.S. Navy’s San Antonio (LPD 17) class of amphibious transport docks. Services provided in the contract include post-delivery planning
U.S. Navy’s Guam-based Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 Det. 6 returned home after a seven-month deployment in the western Pacific and South China Sea. The detachment departed Guam May 25, and supported Commander Amphibious Force 7th Fleet from naval air facility Atsugi and aboard amphibious
Sailors and marines from the U.S. Navy’s Makin Island amphibious ready group will spend the month of December in the vicinity of Djibouti rehearsing amphibious operations and conducting combat sustainment training. The exercise is dubbed Alligator Dagger and led by Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force
Colombian state-owned shipbuilder Cotecmar launched the third offshore patrol vessel for the Colombian Navy, during a December 1 ceremony in Cartagena. The vessel was named ARC Santander and christened in the presence of the Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos. ARC Santander is the third of six o
U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) sailed from Changi Naval Base in Singapore November 30, for a routine patrol following a scheduled maintenance period. The 2014-commissioned Coronado arrived in Singapore on October 16 after participating in the 2016 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) e
The U.S. Navy’s unmanned aircraft Tern, under development by DARPA and the Office of Naval Research, has made another step towards its goal of performing an initial flight test by 2018. In mid-October, the Tern team completed a critical design review (CDR) of the air vehicle’s General Electric engin
Sailors aboard the U.S. Navy’s Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM 14) and members of mine countermeasures squadron (MCMRON) 7 staff joined Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) MCM units for combined operations in the final phases of the bilateral mine countermeasures exercis
