After 12 years of idleness in port, U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) deployed this year for a busy 2016. After six months underway, the ship is now set to return to Norfolk on December 24. Once there, Wasp will undergo a planned maintenance availability that is expected to be fin
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
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $146.7 million contract modification to increase the design support requirements for the Columbia-class submarine. The new class of submarines, formerly known as the Ohio Replacement, are replacing the U.S. Navy’s curren
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) entered the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations after departing its homeport earlier his month. Cole, assigned to Commander Task Force 65, entered Europe on December 21 to conduct a regularly-scheduled deployment in support of
A junior U.S. Navy officer embarked on a Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy ship as part of the newly created Combined Edge junior officer exchange program, December 21-23. Combined Edge was formed to improve combined warfighting integration between the U.S. and ROK navies by allowing U.S. Navy officers t
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Boeing a $207.5 million contract to produce 51 Harpoon weapon systems components, and spares for the governments of Egypt, Korea and Brazil. Egypt is getting 20 of the anti-ship missile systems, South Korea 19 and Brazil 12. The countries are acquiring
U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) docked at the Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan on December 22. The port visit is part of its Indo-Asia-Pacific patrol. “Alexandria departed the shipyard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire a little over one year ago,” said Cmdr. Todd San
Sailors aboard the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush came one step closer to deployment by completing their composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) on December 21. The 3-week-long assessment tested the ship’s ability to collaborate with other ships in the strike grou
Scientists and engineers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division have developed a way to change unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) mission information easier and faster. Autonomous systems engineers, Drs. Matthew Bays and Drew Lucas, refer to the system as “Autonomy in a Box.” Autono
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Raytheon a $64.6 million contract for design agent engineering and technical support services for the Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS), SeaRAM, and land-based Phalanx weapon system. CIWS is a fast-reaction terminal defense against low- and high-fly
U.S. Navy shipbuilding projects have become a target of an oversight report released by U.S. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Part of an ongoing series of reports dubbed America’s Most Wasted: Indefensible, the report identified $13 billion in wasteful spending a
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. Navy recently test fired two Standard Missile-6 Dual I guided missiles from the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53), intercepting a medium-range ballistic missile target at sea in its final seconds of flight. Developed by Raytheon Missile Systems, SM-6 is the new sea-based terminal variant missile
The Royal Canadian Navy has selected Halifax-class frigate HMCS St. John’s as the next RCN ship to deploy on NATO’s operation Reassurance in early 2017. The frigate will support the standing NATO maritime group 2 (SNMG 2) in the Mediterranean Sea contributing to regional security and stability. HMCS
