The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems a $55 million contract to deliver an additional five Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned air systems and two lightweight fuel cells. The company is expected to complete work on the contract by August 2021. The MQ-8C is the larger of two Fir
The US Navy is set to retire its last F/A-18C Hornet fighters in a final flight ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana on February 1. The final single-seat, twin-engine, carrier-capable legacy Hornets are still operational with Strike Fighter Squadron 34 and the “Blue Blasters” are the only squadron f
The US Navy awarded Vigor Marine a contract worth up to $60 million with all options exercised to complete the drydocking selected restricted availability (DSRA) of USS Coronado (LCS-4). Work will be performed at Vigor’s Portland shipyard. Vigor will begin work on the USS Coronado (LCS 4) in March a
Construction on the first ship in a new class of US Coast Guard cutters started with a steel cutting ceremony at Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s facilities in Panama City, Florida, on January 7. The steel cutting for offshore patrol cutter (OPC) Argus (WMSM-915) was a significant milestone for the comp
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division announced it has delivered the first 3-D-printed metal part to the US Navy for installation on an aircraft carrier. The milestone was recognized during a brief ceremony on Monday at Naval Station Norfolk. The part was presented to Rea
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and ships from its carrier strike group (ABECSG) departed Naval Station Norfolk for the final pre-deployment exercise on January 25. The undertaking is called the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and is designed to assess a strike group’s abili
The Russian Navy commissioned its third Aleksandrit-class minesweeper Ivan Antonov in a ceremony on January 26. The flag raising ceremony for Ivan Antonov was held in Baltiysk and the ship will be homeported in Sevastopol as part of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Sea fleet. The Sredne-Nevsky shipbuilding
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) seized close to 5 tons of narcotics from a stateless vessel in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden on January 24. Chung-Hoon’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team conducted a flag verification boarding and seized 4,700 kilo
US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) exited the Black Sea after nine days of operations in the region. The destroyer transited the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Mediterranean Sea on January 28 after a port visit to Batumi, Georgia, and training with the country’s coast guard
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched the navy’s ninth FREMM frigate – the future ITS Spartaco Schergat – at its Riva Trigoso, Genoa, shipyard on January 26. Godmother of the ceremony was Mrs. Anna Rosa Aonzo Grillo, daughter of the Golden Medal for Military Value, Giuseppe Aonzo. After the launc
The US Navy commissioned Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) in a ceremony on January 26 at Naval Air Station North Island, California. Twenty Gold Star families and four Medal of Honor recipients witnessed the second Zumwalt-class destroyer enter the fleet. The ship honors Petty
US Navy destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) departed Naval Station Norfolk on January 25 to start a regularly-scheduled deployment to conduct maritime security operations. The ship, and its roughly 300 sailors, is trained and ready to conduct a wide range of tasks, to include ballistic missile defense. “T
US Navy’s San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) and embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Singapore for a scheduled port visit, Jan. 26. Prior to arriving in Singapore, Anchorage visited India and trained with Indian Navy counterparts at the end o
The US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Module Program recently completed shipboard integration testing of two unmanned systems on board USS Independence (LCS 2). The two systems — General Dynamics-developed Knifefish unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) and Textron-developed Unmanned Influence
