SAN DIEGO — The MQ-9A remotely piloted aircraft has surpassed 2 million flight hours in support of global customers, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. said March 2. The workhorse unmanned aircraft combines unmatched persistence and mission flexibility with a greater…
Navy’s Second F-35C Fleet Squadron Declared Safe for Flight
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s second fleet squadron to operate the F-35C Lightning II strike fighter has been declared safe for flight in that aircraft. Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) — the Warhawks — reached that status Feb. 18, a…
Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star Reaches Southernmost Navigable Waters on Earth
MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) reached the southernmost navigable waters on the planet Feb. 17 while underway in the Bay of Whales, Antarctica, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said March 1. Polar…
HII Completes Inaugural Maintenance, Modernization Period for USS Gerald R. Ford
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The first planned incremental availability for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) has been completed, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division announced March 1. Gerald R. Ford is the first ship in…
CNO and Connecticut Congressman Visit Commands and Industry Partners
GROTON, Conn. — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney traveled to Rhode Island and Connecticut to visit with Sailors, tour Navy commands and meet with industry partners on Feb. 28, the CNO’s Public Affairs…
Atlantic Fleet Name a No-Go, for Now
ARLINGTON, Va. — Just over a year ago, the president approved the proposal to re-designate the U.S. Fleet Forces Command as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The proposal — for now, at least — is in the dustbin of history. In…
University of Maine Manufactures World’s Largest 3D-Printed Boat for Military
ORONO, Maine — The world’s largest polymer additive manufacturing machine printed the world’s largest 3D printed vessel at the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono, Maine. In fact, it printed two of them. The prototype vessels…
Cutter Diligence Returns to Homeport after 60-Day Eastern Pacific Ocean Patrol
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence returned to their homeport of Pensacola, Florida, Feb. 20 following a 60-day counter-drug patrol in Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard 8th District said Feb. 25. Partnering with three other…
U.S. Coast Guard Patrols EEZ in Partnership With Samoa
HONOLULU — Working with the government of Samoa, crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Juniper (WLB 201) and USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) conducted security patrol operations in Samoa’s exclusive economic zone throughout February 2022, to protect fisheries and…
SECNAV Names Future T-AO USNS Thurgood Marshall, Sponsors for USS Doris Miller
WASHINGTON — During Black History Month, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on Feb. 25 the sponsors for the USS Doris Miller and that a future John Lewis-class replenishment oiler (T-AO) ship will be named USNS Thurgood Marshall…
