By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Raytheon is demonstrating its Next-Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) electronic attack arrays for ground-based or shipboard use, particularly in a counter-UAS (unmanned aerial system) role. 

The NGJ-MB currently serves in the airborne electronic attack role on the Navy’s EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. Raytheon is looking at expanding its use in other domains. One reason is to use non-kinetic solutions to save on ammunition. 

“What we’re finding with high munitions usage, a lot of our customers are looking for non-kinetic options in products and capabilities to solve their problems,” said Camille Wilson, vice president for Requirements and Capabilities for the Raytheon Naval Power sector. 

“From a defense perspective, we need a number of different solutions,” Wilson said. 

She said that the NGJ-MB array itself can be used for such applications. 

“We’ve explored one array up to two, three, four arrays depending on what effect you need, what electric power out you need,” Wilson said. “With one array I could do a myriad of different things. I could use it on a vehicle. I could use a smaller system. If I wanted more capability and more power out or coverage, I could add more arrays. The interesting thing about the land-based variation that we’re looking at is I don’t have the same power and cooling constraints as I do on the airborne side, so there’s a lot more that we could do with it. There are a lot more configurations that we could use those arrays for.” 

Wilson was not at liberty to discuss “the full complement of capabilities for a ground-or-ship-based NGJ array, but what a lot of our customers are asking for is counter-UAS.” 

She noted that software changes on the NGJ-MB would be required for the counter-UAS role, but that “taking something that is in production, TRL-9 [Technology Readiness Level 9], that we know works, can we make a few software tweaks and optimize for a different mission set?”  

She said that in the counter-UAS role, the NGJ-MB could be used to jam or decoy drones. 

Raytheon has a demonstration system and is actively demonstrating the ground-based electronic attack capability, Wilson said. “We have multiple U.S. Government and departments and entities [with which] we’re discussing options for deployment. 

By Brett Davis, Editor-in-Chief 

Ongoing operations against Iran are the “early expression of the Golden Fleet design” the Navy is pursuing, which will require a new way of doing business with the defense industry, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle said at the opening luncheon at Sea-Air-Space 2026 on Monday, April 20. 

The Golden Fleet Initiative “integrates a high-low mix of crewed and uncrewed platforms,” including uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles, into “tailored force packages” for combatant commanders, he said. 

All of these will be “enabled by advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, directed energy and containerized capabilities,” he said, “because the era of platform-centric thinking is over.” 

The low side would be attritable uncrewed systems that could be built and deployed rapidly, and the high side would be the main battle force, including submarines, destroyers and the new battleship, which would begin design work under the new Pentagon budget. 

“It creates a continuous engine that can produce, adapt and employ combat power faster than any adversary, levering the hedge strategy in order to optimize our Navy,” Caudle said. 

His message to the industry officials in the room was simple: “Build systems that integrate. Build systems that scale. Build systems that sustain in contact. And build them fast.” 

To that end, Caudle said he has introduced the Fleet Introduction Operating System, or FIOS.  

“Under FIOS, when the Navy receives a new capability, subsequent updates and upgrades should be as seamless as updating an app on your phone,” he said. “That means common interface standards. It means modularity. Open architecture. Virtualization with digital twins. Familiar look and feel. Modern training content that matches the style of what we are doing … FIOS is how we end the era where the fleet is the integration lab. If a capability shows up, it’s ready to fight, day one.” 

Sailor Concerns  

Earlier in the day, Caudle met with reporters to discuss his priorities and to push back on recent news reports about poor Sailor food during Operation Epic Fury. 

“Nutrition for Sailors has been one of my top priorities,” he said, as he wants to treat Sailors “like world-class athletes.” 

He said at least some of the photos sent to media reports appear to have been taken on shore facilities, not at sea, and all ships in the operation had at least 10 days’ worth of food, and most had more than 30. 

“But in no way, shape or form has there been a time, at least in this deployment, where they’ve not meant the nutritional requirements” of Sailors, Caudle said. 

Sailors occasionally might grumble about individual meals but otherwise he had heard no food complaints until the story broke. 

The food is just part of the Navy’s push to better the lives of its service members, which Caudle said will be reflected in the pending defense budget request. 

The Navy tries to get a quick jump on unsafe living conditions if there is a “tactical” issue, he said, but a recent unhealthy leak situation at the Red Hill facility in Hawaii led to a pilot program where responses to public works issues have been moved from Naval Facilities Command, a systems command, to a local captain and region commander to align solving those issues with the base command. 

“public work divisions is not only base operations stuff … but it’s also tied into NAVFAC, so it’s not that easy just to split that out, so we had to figure out how to do that, so we’re working that with the mid-South region now down in Norfolk and Hampton Roads.” 

The Navy has been pushing to improve unaccompanied housing for Sailors. “When the budget rolls out, that the administration and secretary of the Navy are certainly behind funding barracks and getting more and better quality situations there … you’re going to see that in the budget and you’re going to see that as a high priority for us,” he said. 

From the Department of the Navy, April 21, 2026 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Navy released their Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 President’s Budget request today focused on restoring American maritime dominance with a total Navy topline of $377.5B, an increase of more than $70.B compared to last year. This generational investment in our future fleet represents a 23% growth over the previous fiscal year and signals a clear commitment to the Golden Fleet Initiative, modernization and readiness.   

The budget request is part of President Trump’s historic $1.5T topline provided for national defense submitted to Congress on April 3, that ensures the United States is able to maintain the world’s most powerful and lethal naval force. 

“This is a strategy-driven budget,” said Secretary of the Navy John Phelan. “It’s not about business as usual – it’s about making generational investments in real, usable capability for our warfighters.” 

This year’s budget submission was guided by Secretary of the Navy John Phelan’s priorities: strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industrial base; fostering a more adaptive, accountable, and innovative warfighter culture; and investing in the health, welfare and training of our people. The submission was also guided by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle’s Fighting Instructions and the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith’s Force Design Strategy. 

This budget request will launch a new age of American shipbuilding, bolster munitions supplies, enhance operational strength, sustain the force, and improve the health, welfare and training of our people and their families. 

“This is the money that builds the future fleet,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget Rear Adm. Ben Reynolds. “It funds the acquisition of 34 new ships and 123 new aircraft, directly translating dollars into the steel and systems that will guarantee our maritime dominance for decades to come.” 

To usher in America’s Golden Fleet Initiative, the Department of the Navy is requesting $65.8 billion in shipbuilding funds to buy 18 battle force ships and 16 auxiliary ships. This funding will allow the Navy to purchase one Columbia-class submarine, two Virginia-class submarines, one FF(X) Frigate, one Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer, one America-class Amphibious Assault ship, one San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Dock, six Medium Landing Ships, two John Lewis-class Oiler Tankers, two Submarine Tender Replacements, and one Ocean Surveillance Ship. The request also continues incremental funding for the third Ford-class carrier, CVN 80, and fourth Ford-class carrier, CVN 81. This request will also support the design and development of the Navy’s premier large surface combatant, the BB(X) Battleship. 

For aircraft procurement, the Department’s request of $34.4B billion supports the purchase of 123 aircraft, including 47 F-35s, 12 P-8As, 6 E-2Ds, 22 CH-53Ks, 3 MQ-25s, 5 MQ-9As, as well as modification, spares, and support equipment. This request doubles F-35 procurement and accelerates aircraft procurement to ensure a robust industrial base. 

The weapons procurement request of $22.6 billion includes significant investments in a variety of munitions including Standard Missiles, Tactical Tomahawk Missiles, and Patriot PAC-3s. 

The ground procurement request for the Marine Corps for $6.3B supports units across the Fleet Marine Force, investing in key warfighting capabilities including 32 Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) Launchers and 103 Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) that enhance precision fires capabilities and contribute meaningfully to the joint kill chain. The request also invests in ground based air defense, supporting 42 Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems (MADIS) and 16 Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) systems along with 410 missiles that enable Marines to maneuver and operate under complex aerial threat conditions. 

“This budget significantly enhances our ability to be a globally responsive, resilient, and lethal naval expeditionary force in readiness,” said Gen. Smith. “It delivers much-needed investment in amphibious warships and medium landing ships, strengthens our aviation combat element, increases our magazine depth, and takes care of our strategic advantage, our Marines. Together, these investments ensure we are ready to fight today and modernizing to meet the demands of the future fight.” 

Fostering a More Adaptive, Accountable, and Innovative Warfighter Culture 

The budget request invests smartly in our capabilities – acquiring the new FF(X) frigate to take-on lower priority missions and freeing up our advanced destroyers for high-end combat. Additionally, we are investing heavily in unmanned platforms to provide a strategic hedge and multiply our force. We are making key investments in the Golden Fleet Initiative that will revitalize America’s maritime industrial base and restore American maritime dominance. 

The Department of the Navy includes a $150B request for operations and maintenance, emphasizing our desire to drive platform readiness towards an 80% combat surge ready posture by reducing maintenance delays and applying a disciplined focus across manning, training, modernization and sustainment. This investment supports training, deployment costs and flying hours to ensure our Sailors and Marines remain the most lethal force in the world. 

Ensuring the United States maintains the world’s most innovative and capable military, the Department of Navy is investing $36.2B in research and development. The Department will continue to focus on a major modernization effort across the force, from strategic deterrence recapitalization to air and surface warfare posturing to counter emerging threats and maintain our decisive edge 

“The FY27 budget request is a definitive order to shift our Navy from a peacetime posture to a warfighting footing,” said Caudle. “Operationalizing the Foundry, Fleet and Fight framework, we are ensuring our Sailors have the lethal platforms and the delegated autonomy they need to win decisively. We are not just observing the security environment; we are actively shaping it with credible tailored forces to ensure peace through strength.” 

Investing in the Health, Welfare and Training of our People 

Our greatest asset continues to be the extraordinary men and women of our United States Navy, Marine Corps and civilian workforce. This budget request dedicates $70.1B to military personnel, funding an overall military end strength of 621,500 Sailors and Marines, and dedicating $2.5B to enhance the quality of life for our Sailors and Marines so that they can continue providing the expeditionary force necessary to promote and protect America’s interests at home and abroad. The Department of the Navy is taking direct action to improve unaccompanied housing, deliver healthier and more accessible dining, and expand child and youth programs. 

To view the proposed FY27 DoN budget documents, visit: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/Pages/Fiscal-Year-2027.aspx 

Media may direct further queries to the U.S. Navy Office of 

By Erika Fitzpatrick, Seapower Correspondent 

The U.S. military and allied nations are ramping up their strategic offensive and defensive capabilities in the Arctic to confront an expanding presence from adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, said Vice Admiral Doug Perry, U.S. Navy Commander of Joint Force Command Norfolk, at Sea-Air-Space on Monday, April 20.  

“We have to acknowledge that is not a situation we want to allow to continue, to the detriment of free nations and certainly [of] the United States,” Perry said during a polar issues panel moderated by Dr. Abbie Tingstad, professor of Arctic Research at the Center for Arctic Study and Policy at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. 

The Arctic polar region is primarily ocean, surrounded on its edges by the eight member states of the Arctic Council: Canada; the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands; Finland; Iceland; Norway; the Russian Federation; Sweden; and the United States, where Alaska includes a 1.5-million-square-mile exclusive economic zone in its surrounding waters.  

Council decisions are achieved in agreement with six “permanent participants” that represent Aleut, Arctic Athabaskan, Gwich’in, Inuit, Saami, and Russian Indigenous people, who have inhabited the Arctic for millennia and are about 10% of the 4 million Arctic residents. 

The Arctic in the last four decades has warmed three times faster than the worldwide average, according to a 2024 Arctic Council report, by its Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. The has led to new concerns, collaborations, and potential conflicts among Arctic nations, all touched on by the Sea-Air-Space panelists.  

For instance, Russia is revitalizing assets throughout the high north, including air bases; granting oil and gas rights to China; and refilling liquid natural gas tankers that are now built for the Arctic’s northern sea route. Although some of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation is focused elsewhere, Perry said its northern fleet is “large unimpacted by the Ukrainian fight.”  

A More Arctic NATO 

Those are emerging threats, Perry said, but on the plus side: “Also what has changed in the last couple years is that Finland and Sweden joined NATO.”  

With the exception of Russia, Perry works directly with these and other Arctic nations in his other role as the director of the U.S. 2nd Fleet Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence (CJOS COE), established in May 2006. Representing 13 nations, CJOS is the only such center based in the United States and one of 27 NATO-accredited COEs worldwide to collaborate on maritime-based joint operations. 

Perry said Arctic allies and partners in his geography under NATO are shoring up defenses against new Russian capabilities; increasing domain awareness and readiness through synchronized, scheduled exercises; and providing deterrence through an enhanced presence in the region.  

Cooperation is key because it’s an “ugly endeavor” to operate ships, icebreakers and submarines in the harsh Arctic climate “all the time,” Perry said, adding that it’s not feasible to operate foot patrols across Greenland and Canada. “It’s not achievable and it would be really expensive.”  

But allies must be a regular show of force in the region. “That’s where the missiles are going to fly — they’re going to fly over the polar region,” Perry said, “whether they’re coming from North Korea or China or Russia, and so we need to understand how to defend against that.” 

Icebreakers on the Way 

And “the icebreakers are coming,” said an excited Vice Admiral Nathan Moore, deputy commandant of Operations at the U.S. Coast Guard. “For us in the Coast Guard, that is something that we have not been able to say — well, ever.” Two of three planned heavy icebreakers, being built at “world record speed,” should be operational in fiscal 2028. 

This bigger fleet — including 11 Arctic Security Cutters — expands USCG patrol capabilities amid a 37% rise in U.S. Arctic maritime traffic, including of foreign military vessels traversing the area. “There’s a lot of icebreaker capacity coming,” Moore said. He added that allies have broadened their focus beyond search and rescue and pollution response to safety and sovereignty. 

USCG still has to designate Arctic-trained personnel to command the new vessels and figure out how to supply, maintain and sustain the fleet in the remote region. For instance, Dutch Harbor, on Alaska’s Amaknak Island in Unalaska, is seven or eight days away by sea from the deep waters of the high north. 

That’s why it’s essential to maintain relationships with allies, who operate deep water ports and bases the United States needs to use, Perry said.  

Although there are challenges, the United States and partner nations still have immense knowledge that positions them well to compete in the region, said retired Navy Vice Admiral Bill Merz, a former submarine commander who is now senior vice president of Aerospace and Defense Technologies at Oceaneering.  

“It’s a fascinating place to operate,” Merz said of the Arctic, teaming with life and spectacular visuals above and below the ice. But the operational environment is ever-changing and dangerous, he said, describing a cacophonous riot of crashing and shifting floes of varying thicknesses in areas that are almost impossible to map.  

Leverage the Magic 

Allied Arctic nations can partner with industry to gain even more intelligence of the region. The U.S. oil and gas industry, he said, has unparalleled experience operating on the ocean floor for long stretches, including with uncrewed vehicles that can function without human intervention for months. “So, there’s a lot of magic there,” he said.  

He conceded that China’s Navy is disciplined and will be a regional player eventually. “But I tell you, they got a lot to learn,” Merz said. “There’s a difference between showing up at the Arctic and living and sustaining yourself in an environment where … communications are horrible, navigation’s tough” and there’s very little, if any, infrastructure. 

“That understanding is a tremendous advantage that we have and that we need to take advantage of,” he said. “And as we bring industries and the navies together, that’s a powerful partnership.” 

By Matt Reisener 

America’s maritime industrial base (MIB) is in crisis. Decades of deindustrialization, inconsistent policy support, labor attrition and increasingly globalized supply chains have left the United States struggling to produce ships on time and on budget, all while strategic competition at sea intensifies. America’s MIB is unable to support the needs of its Navy, compete with rising naval and shipbuilding powers such as China, or reliably contribute to the protection of America’s most vital national interests in the decades to come.  

However, many of the United States’ maritime allies are experiencing similar challenges to their domestic shipbuilding industries and have adopted creative approaches to solving them. The United States must utilize the experience, knowledge and resources of its allies to develop the best strategy possible for building a stronger, more resilient MIB.  

Accordingly, the Center for Maritime Strategy conducted a study of America’s allied maritime industrial base to examine how five American allies (South Korea, Italy, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom) build commercial and naval ships, how they support their shipbuilding industries and what lessons America can learn from its allies about how to revitalize its MIB.  

Each country faces similar shipbuilding challenges to America but has taken a different approach to addressing them. Although South Korea and Italy have successfully maintained strong commercial and naval shipbuilding sectors, Canada and the United Kingdom have largely allowed their commercial sectors to atrophy while primarily focusing on warship construction, while Sweden has seen both sectors significantly diminish and maintains only marginal naval shipbuilding capabilities. Many of America’s allies have successfully maintained strong MIBs by streamlining the process for designing and building ships. Among the countries studied, the most successful nations at sustaining strong commercial and naval shipbuilding industries have found ways to minimize late-stage design changes, build a greater variety of ships based on a common design and establish a shipbuilding culture which emphasizes delivering ships on time and under budget.  

Similarly, the study illustrates how government investments in their MIBs can set their shipbuilding industries up for success, including by training the next generation of skilled tradespeople and supporting greater supply chain resilience. America’s most successful shipbuilding allies have also heavily invested in integrating new technology into their shipyards, fully embracing automation, digitization and artificial intelligence to support their work — often with strong government support for these efforts. 

America can build a stronger, more capable MIB by partnering with and learning from its allies. Accordingly, this study provides recommendations for how America can apply these insights to support its MIB while embracing greater multilateral maritime cooperation.   

CMS and speakers from the allied nations in the report will host a panel discussion on the new report on Tuesday, April 21 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Cherry Blossom Ballroom.  

Read the full report here.

In February 2026, Fincantieri Marine Group (Booth 1223) issued the following release: 

“As you may have seen in NAVSEA’s press release, the U.S. Navy tapped Fincantieri to build four of the first wave of Medium Landing Ships (LSMs) for the Marine Corps. Our $1B investment over the last 18 years to create concurrent production lines across our Wisconsin system of shipyards has positioned us to be a prime player in the American shipbuilding renaissance. This announcement represents a good start of follow-on workload, part of the framework agreed with the Navy to ensure stability following the announcement in November. Details are still being worked out between us and the Navy, and we will communicate any developments, as soon as they solidify. Our intent is to quickly build as many vessels as the Navy will trust us with, in the LSM class and other classes that our armed forces require, to contribute to our nation’s needs.” 

Fincantieri Marine Group CEO George Moutafis later discussed the LSM program’s vessel construction management (VCM) concept with Senior Editor Richard R. Burgess. 

The Vessel Construction Management concept proved successful with Philly Shipyards and its National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program. What advantages and disadvantages do you see with the VCM concept? 

MOUTAFIS: Advantages: I trust our Navy wants to see whether this mechanism can deliver quality vessels fast, by streamlining oversight and creating unity of effort. Such benefits can be achieved if the concept is applied in its intended form: 

A key aspect is to empower the VCM to make decisions on construction, favoring schedule, without compromising quality and without seeking constant guidance or approval from the Navy. When combined with a complete and final design and a commercial-type relationship between the VCM and shipbuilders, this can be truly powerful and harness efficiency in decision-making and speed. 

So, overall, this concept is aimed at simplifying things. From that vantage point, this approach aligns perfectly with our goal of fast serial production of naval vessels, and we are ready to continue our partnership with the Navy and help them test this concept.   

Disadvantages: More than disadvantages, it will be key for all parties involved (the Navy, the VCM, the shipbuilder(s) to embrace the concept, draw the relevant lines and collectively ensure we do not fall into mishaps of the past that might jeopardize what this concept is trying to achieve. 

With the VCM chosen as the LSM program management concept, what changes will Marinette have to institute to accommodate the concept? 

MOUTAFIS: We are ready. In Wisconsin we have a system of yards where we have executed successfully programs for our Navy, for our Coast Guard, but also for commercial customers, under a variety of contractual setups.  

We will wait to see the details of how the Navy will position itself towards the program and how the VCM will seek to exercise oversight and work with us. We are ready to adjust to whatever those requirements are. 

At first glance, an oversight and collaboration similar to the one witnessed during the NSMV program and a “build-to-print” design, for now, appear to alleviate some demands in terms of administration and engineering, allowing us to swiftly get into what we do best: swift serial construction … but it all remains to be seen.  

What adjustments, if any, will be needed for your workforce as you shift from LCS production to the LSM? 

MOUTAFIS: Using a “build-to-print” approach allows construction to happen quicker. Plus, it minimizes change and prevents extensive and time-consuming design iterations.   

We will need to review all the technical details, but we do not foresee major adjustments to workforce. Our system-of-yards configuration ensures agility in the workforce, rendering them able to jump from Navy standards to commercial or ABS standards.  

And with the right level of sustained demand signal, we will be able to improve efficiency and speed, which will be a win for all parties. Our system of yards can accommodate multiple parallel lines, almost concurrently. 

How is Marinette fairing with the nationwide shortage of skilled shipyard workers? 

MOUTAFIS: No doubt, shipbuilders and the related trades remain in high demand. We have expanded our recruiting efforts over the previous few years, and we are blessed to say that our efforts worked. Last year alone we hired nearly 800 employees and improved our retention by 50%.   

Our Wisconsin operations saw positive feedback on several new initiatives over the previous 18 months, aimed at stabilizing the workforce. Efforts like cash bonuses to incentivize employee retention and tax-free subsidized childcare had a positive effect on our employees and our operations. 

In years past Marinette had difficulty in retention of shipyard workers because of housing shortages in the region. Has that situation been alleviated to any degree? 

MOUTAFIS: Yes, there has been a concerted effort by the local communities and developers to expand the number of local housing options that closely align to our growing workforce and their families. We believe this is less of an issue given the development and community support over the last couple of years in Northeast Wisconsin.       

Is Marinette continuing with cooperative relationships with community colleges for workforce development? What is your assessment of the cooperation?  

MOUTAFIS: Yes, we are continuing and seeking to expand our network of such collaborations. We have a continuously growing relationship with Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to not only reinforce the need to up-skill current employees, but also to introduce new technologies and digital tools to attract the shipbuilders of the next generation.  

Imagine a not-so-distant future replete with examples of shipyard welders leveraging cobots (collaborative robots) to weld in places where it’s difficult for humans to easily work. That is the future of shipbuilding and why we’re equipping our employees with digital tools like exoskeletons for demanding and repetitive tasks and augmented and virtual reality that allows workers on the deckplates to communicate challenges directly to the engineering team using a wearable digital device.    

By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor 

Raytheon Missiles & Defense (Booth 911) doubled production of the Block II RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) in 2025 as it addressed the increased demand from the U.S. Navy and its partners in the NATO consortium, a company official told Seapower. 

“Last year, we produced over 350 ESSM missiles, which more than doubled what we were able to deliver in 2024,” said Misty Holmes, vice president for the Shipboard Organization within the Naval Power division. Her portfolio includes the ESSM, the Rolling Airframe Missile and the Standard family of surface-to-air missiles. She noted Raytheon delivered the 500th Block II version of the ESSM last September. 

“We’re continuing to increase production this year to deliver over 400 all-up rounds, and we have a North Star in terms of our production capacity to go beyond 700 per year to meet that increased demand signal and service the needs of all of our customers’ navies,” Holmes said. 

The ESSM, which became operational in 2004, is a short-to-medium shipboard surface -to-air missile deployed on several classes on U.S. Navy ships, including many guided-missile destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. The missile is designed to counter advanced, highly maneuverable threats, and features a warhead specifically designed to defeat hardened anti-ship cruise missiles. In 2007, a surface-to-surface/anti-low-velocity air threat capability was introduced on the missile. The missile was developed by a consortium of 12 NATO nations and has been acquired by Japan through direct commercial sales. 

“I believe that gives ESSM a unique and a distinct advantage in today’s munitions programs over those that are solely developed and managed by one nation,” Holmes said. “The consortium is NATO’s largest and most successful cooperative weapons project, and it’s been together for over 15 years supporting international military industrial cooperation. 

The Block II ESSM, which became operational in 2020, features an active guidance system in addition to semi-active guidance, reducing the need for shipboard radar illumination.  

“This particular capability does come with significant digital processing margin,” Holmes said, “[A]s we are focused on innovation, [we] can continue to upgrade this capability to keep it ahead of pace with the threat to ensure that we’re keeping our ships and our Sailors, both U.S. and international allies, safe and coming home.” 

Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Red Sea have spurred demand for such weapons as the ESSM, which was fired against Houthi missiles and drones during 2023 and 2024. 

“I do see this as a multi-factor issue, Holmes said. “We are seeing increase in the defense budget across numerous of our customers largely in Europe as well as others due to the threats, the war in Ukraine, the realization of expenditures in the Red Sea and others. So, we are seeing that increased demand signal come in pretty globally.” 

Holmes said Raytheon is focused on the increased demand signal.  

“This production really does showcase exceptional program performance that has been heavily supported by a very robust supply chain that’s been meeting and exceeding targets, and that supply chain is extremely diverse and global, she said. “Our suppliers, in ESSM’s case, are not just suppliers, there are partners, international industrial-based partners. Two areas that have been really big on this production are our industrial partners delivering on their contracts to make all those components ready for integration, and then the dedicated action by the Raytheon factory teams to improve throughput and remain focused on the goal that we have to meet and exceed our production targets. We’ve been working on test efficiencies, optimization and throughput to ensure we can continue to improve on our delivery.” 

Is Raytheon working on a Block III ESSM? Holmes would only say, “We are working on enhanced kinematics and maneuverability, things that will keep this weapon system ahead of the threat for the next few decades. But we’re eager to participate with the U.S. in the consortium in their next significant variant. 

“We don’t sit back and rest on our laurels that what we’ve delivered is good enough,” she said. “We’re constantly adding capability to the suite of capabilities to make sure [that we are] staying ahead of the threat and those are investments we’re making in future ESSM capabilities as well in terms of funding new research and development ahead from government requirements.” 

By Brett Davis 

Shipbuilding giant HII (Booth 923) has added another artificial intelligence partner to its shipbuilding program, taking another step toward adding “physical AI” to the process of constructing Navy ships. 

In early April, the company announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with Carson, California-based GrayMatter Robotics to explore integrating GMR’s physical AI into shipbuilding operations, including for surface preparation, coating and inspection. 

The companies will identify and potentially pursue future opportunities in four areas that include autonomous shipbuilding capability development; integration of GMR technologies with other shipbuilding technology initiatives; workforce training to extend automation; and acceleration and scaling of unmanned system production.  

“Our shipbuilding throughput was up 14% in 2025 and we are looking for an additional 15% increase in 2026,” said Eric Chewning, HII’s executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy. “By working with new partners like GMR we can further augment our workforce and speed up U.S. Navy shipbuilding production.” 

This follows on to a similar announcement from February, when HII signed an MOU with Ohio-based Path Robotics to incorporate physical AI for welding.  

HII said much of the work that would be pursued by these companies currently is “hands-on and highly skilled,” but AI-driven technologies “offer promising opportunities to support these critical processes by reducing repetitive work and improving consistency to help accelerate delivery timelines and meet the U.S. Navy’s growing demand.” 

Chewning said the introduction of physical AI is just one step of a series of actions HII is taking to improve shipbuilding, from increasing its supplier base to hiring and retaining new workers to making capital investments. 

“And finally, what brings us here today, we are investing in new industry 4.0 technologies like digital engineering, additive manufacturing, enterprise AI and physical AI to drive overall shipyard efficiency,” he told reporters in a call about the announcement. “By working with new physical AI partners like GrayMatter Robotics and integrating them into our high-yield production robotics initiative, or HYPR, we can further augment the AI workforce and speed up the shipbuilding process by bringing automation into more areas of production.” 

So far, shipyard automation remains limited to repeatable activities, where one robot might do a single task 100,000 times, but “there’s a broader set of industrial use cases where we need a single robot to do a hundred thousand tasks just once,” Chewning said. “And that’s where physical AI is a game changer and our partnership with GrayMatter Robotics is so important.” 

Ariyan Kabir, GrayMatter Robotics’ CEO and cofounder, said his company’s technology will help HII do the work it needs at a time when there aren’t enough skilled workers to do it. 

“These are physically brutal tasks,” he told reporters on the press call. “These require incredible precision and we don’t have enough people, skilled people anymore in the U.S. to do these jobs, who are capable of doing these jobs. And that is the problem we solve at GrayMatter Robotics. We build physical AI systems that learn how to perform these skilled manufacturing tasks autonomously — no pre-programmed robots — robots that understand complex material physics and environmental physics, the physics of force friction, contact tool wearing out, temperature and humidity affecting the material behavior, so on and so forth.” 

HII will discuss its physical AI efforts at 1:30 p.m. today at its booth, along with the CEOs of its new physical AI partners. 

The annual STEM Expo kicked off Sea-Air-Space 2026 by giving students of all ages a look at the various technologies that underpin the maritime world of the sea services. 

Attendees got examples of chemical reactions from Mad Science presentations, learned some of the principles of aerodynamics, saw how many marbles an aluminum foil boat could hold, and more, including getting a close-up look at welding to build ships. 

STEM Expo sponsor HII featured a variety of exhibits at its booth, including the marble-carrying boats and welding systems. John Walker, O43 facilities manager at Newport News Shipbuilding, helped students work with an introductory welding program. 

“This introduces these kids to things that they’re probably not exposed to on a daily basis,” he said. “Even at the schools, they probably don’t talk a lot about welding, or fitting up steel, or even shipbuilding. So, STEM is very important to expose these kids to this type of technology and the things we do at the shipyard.” 

The Navy League created the STEM Expo to give students interested in science, technology, engineering and math an opportunity to enjoy interactive workshops and hands-on demonstrations while accessing real-world career information.  

HII’s Buzz Donnelly, vice president of customer affairs and a former Navy carrier pilot and ship commander, said he has “spent a lot of time reaping the benefits of forums like this.” He said the STEM event is a great lead-off event for local visitors and for Sea-Air-Space attendees from all over the world to share with their families.  

“It’s extremely important to what we need as a defense industry, because these are the future engineers, the future tradesmen and laborers, that our heavy labor-centric force structure depends on. Regardless of how much we modernize with technology, automation, robots and cobots, we still rely on the people,” Donnelly said. 

“Having these young folks here today to see how exciting all the different aspects are, from the shipbuilding to the missiles and aerospace industry, [and] medicines here, is just a real motivating opportunity for them to get them excited about all the things that we do in this industry, to get excited about school, and I know for certain we’re going to have some of them that come in and benefit our nation and this industrial base in the future.” 

Exhibitors at the event, which was also sponsored by Smart Learning Solutions, included universities, defense-related government agencies, science organizations and others. 

Navy Awards Marinette Marine $30 million Contract toward Medium Landing Ships 

By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has awarded a contract to a shipbuilder for materials and engineering activities for the first four Block 1 medium landing ships (LSMs). 

“Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin, is awarded a $30,000,000 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract action for advance procurement of long lead time material and associated engineering and design activities in support of four Medium Landing Ship Block 1,” the Department of War said in an April 14 contract announcement. 

Marinette Marine Corp. is a unit of Fincantieri Marine Group FMG), which also is building two Constellation-class guided-missile frigates for the U.S. Navy. The Naval Sea Systems Command obligated $15 million of fiscal 2025 funda at the time of the contract award. 

The Navy plans to procure 35 LSMs to support the Marine Corps’ expeditionary advance base operations. 

“Enhancing our maritime dominance depends on a modernized fleet and a strong industrial base, and today’s contract helps with both — it reduces schedule risk and enables our shipbuilders to rapidly transition to ship construction,” said Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan in a post on X that also announced the contract award.  

“Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (46%); De Pere, Wisconsin (39%); and Kenner, Louisiana (15%),” the Department of War’s announcement said. “Work is expected to be completed by September 2027.” 

In December 2025, the Navy and Marine Corps jointly announced Damen Naval’s LST 100 landing ship would serve as the baseline to field a “proven, non-developmental design – would serve as the baseline to help rapidly field LSM capability,” according to the Naval Sea Systems Command. “The LSM will fill the capability gap between smaller, short-range landing craft and the Navy’s long-duration, multi-purpose amphibious warfare ships. It is essential for the maneuver and sustainment of Marine forces, providing the critical littoral mobility required in contested environments. The program will deliver a 35-ship fleet that enhances expeditionary agility and supports the Marine Corps’ concept of distributed maneuver and logistics.”   

Key points made in Fincantieri’s follow-up email announcement included the following:  

• The contract supports long‑lead materials procurement and early engineering and production readiness activities, enabling a potential start of construction as early as Q4 2026.  

• The LSM program is a foundational element of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps force design, with up to 35 vessels planned; FMG is designated to build at least the initial four.  

• The award builds on more than $800 million in U.S. shipyard investments by Fincantieri over the past decade, supporting long‑term naval and industrial capacity.