The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $50 million contract option to upgrade four additional Mk 45 naval guns on guided missile destroyers (DDG 51s), converting the guns to a fully-digital Mod 4 configuration. The option, exercised under an initial 2015 award, brings the full value of the contract
A U.S. Navy helicopter squadron made history earlier in September when the MQ-8B unmanned helicopter they operated successfully tracked a target and served as a laser designator for an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter to fire an AGM-114N Hellfire missile The Northrup Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout detected targe
The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) kicked off the seventh-annual naval engagement activity (NEA) Vietnam with a welcome ceremony at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang, September 28. NEA Vietnam has evolved from annual port visits to Da Nang by U.S. Navy ships, which began more than a decade ago,
Norfolk Naval Shipyard has removed the sail of former U.S. Navy Los Angeles-class submarine USS La Jolla (SSN 701) earlier in September and will use it as a shipyard training platform. While the complete conversion of the submarine will dispose of a substantial portion of La Jolla, shipyarders will
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Momsen (DDG 92) arrived in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands for a regularly scheduled port call on September 24. The port call provided Momsen’s crew an opportunity to refresh after four months of operations in the Western Pacific and South China Sea as part
U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) arrived in Guam for a routine port visit on September 24. While in Guam, Chancellorsville sailors had the opportunity to experience the culture and take part in morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) events. The crew wil
In response to recent North Korean provocations, the U.S. and Republic of Korea navies (ROKN) joined forces to stage a naval drill East of the Korean Peninsula and send the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “a strong message of unified resolve against continuing acts of aggression”. On September 26, U
American defense technology company Boeing has received an $81 million contract to deliver 22 Lot 89 Harpoon missiles to the government of India. The U.S. Department of Defense said Friday that the sale of anti-ship missiles and associated containers and components was approved under the foreign mil
Sailors aboard U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) and USS Lassen (DDG 82) tested their skills in fighting against drones during exercise Black Dart off the coast of Destin, Florida. During the exercise which took place September 20, both Jason Dunham
Cmdr. Stefan Walch is the commanding officer of USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer currently sailing off the coast of Canada taking part in the international exercise Cutlass Fury 2016. Undeterred by the exercise’s busy schedule, Cmdr. Walch has found time to take
Air and surface units from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force came together to conduct a concept of operations simulated exercise during Valiant Shield 2016, Sept. 17. The concept of operations simulation is designed to improve the interoperability and tactics between multiple U.S.
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) launched the NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile to engage a target drone during a fleet firing exercise. The missile was launched on September 18 off the coast of the U.S. territory of Guam during the biennial Valiant Shield exerc
Ships assigned to the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (BHR ESG), with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, joined the U.S. military exercise Valiant Shield 2016, on September 15. Valiant Shield is a biennial exercise held between the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force in an effor
U.S. ships and aircraft used live fire munition to sink a decommissioned U.S. Navy guided missile frigate in waters 30,000 feet deep and 117 nautical miles northeast of Guam on September 13. The boat sank in five hours after sustaining 22 missile hits, finally succumbing to hellfire missiles shots b
