The U.S. Navy and Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the first production contract for the air-launched variant of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on July 25. Worth $86.5 million, the contract will see the company deliver 23 missiles and engineering support. Low-rate initial production Lot 1
The U.S. Navy future Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) completed builder’s trials on July 20 after spending four days underway in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command announced. Builder’s trials consist of a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations that a
Warm-up exercises are already underway as Japanese and U.S. forces prepare for more complex scenarios of the annual 2JA mine countermeasure exercise (2JA MCMEX). The annual exercise, which officially began July 19, brings together Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and U.S. Navy surface and a
The ballistic missile defense (BMD)-capable guided missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) will be deploying to Japan once it completes testing and certification. The U.S. Navy announced the destroyer would become part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) based at Commander Fleet Activities Yok
The U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) is back at her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, after spending six months with the George H.W. Bush Carrier strike group in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility (AOR). Under the leadership of Cmdr. Jason Labott, Laboon officers
The U.S. Military Sealift Command chartered heavy lift ship MV Ocean Giant set sail for the annual resupply mission to Thule Air Base in the Arctic. Under an operation called Pacer Goose, the ship departed Naval Station Norfolk on July 16 to bring food, spare parts and other manufactured goods to th
Peru is hosting naval forces from 19 countries for this year’s edition of the annual exercise UNITAS. Scheduled to conclude on July 26, the exercise will be commanded by Peruvian navy Rear Adm. Alberto Alcala. Participating countries include the United States, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Aust
The U.S. Navy has test fired two Tomahawk cruise missiles from the newly designed submarine payload tubes on the Virginia-class USS North Dakota (SSN-784) for the first time ever. The tests took place in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida and proved the submarine’s ability to load, carry and vertically
Royal Australian Navy’s Armidale class patrol boats joined their much larger counterparts for the northern component of exercise Talisman Sabre proving they can play a role in complex war drills. The Darwin-based HMAS Bathurst and Broome took on a superior force including guided missile frigates HMA
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems a $4.6 million contract to work on enabling submarines to detect other submerged vessels at greater distances, while minimizing the risk of counter-detection. BAE will work under DARPA’s Mobile Offboard Clandestine Co
Ships, submarines and aircraft from the U.S., India and Japan concluded their participation in the week-long Bay of Bengal exercise Malabar 2017 The exercise was designed to advance military-to-military coordination and capacity to plan and execute tactical operations in a multinational environment.
U.S. Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) pulled into Pearl Harbor on July 14 for its first scheduled port visit of the 2017 deployment. The ship’s arrival at its namesake location marks the first time Pearl Harbor has visited Hawaii since completing Pacific Partnership in 2
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders gathered in Pearl Harbor last month for the “Joint Strike Fighter Sustainment Summit” in anticipation of the first shipboard deployment of the F-35B Lightning II. The attendees focused on planning and preparing the logistical support for the F-35B Lightning II’s fi
The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS John Finn (DDG 113), in a ceremony at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor on July 15. The destroyer is named after Chief Aviation Ordnanceman John Finn, who was World War II’s first Medal of Honor recipient. Adm. Chester Nimit
