ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corp’s new amphibious vehicle has completed a major step in its acquisition program and is on track for a full-rate production decision in November, a service acquisition official said. 

The Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), already in low-rate production by BAE Systems, completed its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation on Sept. 4, said John Garner, program executive officer for Land Systems, speaking Sept. 21 at the Virtual Modern Day-Marine Exposition. 

Garner said early fielding of the personnel carrier version of the ACV to a Marine Corps amphibious assault battalion will begin in the first week of October and be completed by the end of that month. Other variants of the ACV under development include a command-and-control ACV; an ACV armed with a 30mm cannon; and a recovery version designed to tow damaged vehicles to repair facilities.   

The ACV is replacing the AAAV7 family of assault amphibious vehicles. Garner said he expects there will be a robust Foreign Military Sales potential for the retired AAAV7 vehicles. 

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — BAE Systems has unveiled the newest addition to its unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) portfolio, the Riptide UUV-12, the company said in a Sept. 22 release. The 12-inch diameter vehicle is the company’s entry into the medium UUV market – joining three small UUV variants – and marks the first new vehicle since last year’s acquisition of Riptide Autonomous Solutions.  

“The Riptide UUV-12 system significantly extends the Riptide family of UUVs by taking us into the medium UUV market,” said Jeff Smith, chief scientist at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organization. “With this medium-size platform, we are strategically aligning our modular, open architecture-based UUV platform to meet rapidly expanding applications and requirements.” 

Riptide UUV-12 can be easily adapted to meet a variety of mission needs, including those that require larger and more power-hungry payloads. When integrated with the company’s mission system payloads, it can deliver critical capabilities including combinations of Radio Frequency (RF) signal collection, RF electronic warfare, active acoustics, acoustic Identification Friend or Foe, acoustic and RF communications, mission autonomy, and navigation.  

Key Riptide UUV-12 features include: 

• Versatility – agnostic, modular system design enables easy modification and customization for various development needs;  
• Endurance – high-efficiency electronics architecture coupled with a highly efficient, low-noise propulsion system;  
• Open system – native integration with industry-leading sensors and technology.  

The Riptide family of UUVs is a combination of sophisticated yet simple, efficient, and highly flexible platforms that perform at great depth, at long range, with high endurance, and at significant speed to meet various commercial and military requirements.  

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Cutter Active and its crew returned to their home port in Port Angeles, Washington, Sept. 19 after a 56-day deployment off the Pacific Northwest Coast. 

Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, the crew of the Active continues to operate, executing all statutory missions. Throughout the patrol, the crew followed strict guidance and donned personal protective equipment to safeguard the public and the community upon their return to home port. 

Active covered over 7,300 miles patrolling the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Oregon and Washington coasts. As part of Operation Pacific Fortune, the crew boarded over 40 commercial fishing vessels to ensure compliance with U.S. fishery and maritime safety laws. The boarding teams made on-the-spot corrections with the vessel captains whenever possible and issued violations when needed. These enforcement actions are critical to safeguard the Pacific Northwest commercial fishing industry, which generates $500 million for the U.S. economy each year, as well as fuels three of the nation’s top 15 landing ports. The crew helped promote responsible fishing practices and ensured safety amongst those who live and work on the seas. 

Working with the Coast Guard afloat training office in Everett, the crew completed a fast-paced, multi-week training battery with “all hands on deck.” They practiced over 96 drills, responding to various contingencies, including simulated fires and flooding to the towing of disabled vessels. Every two years Coast Guard cutters go through a standardized evaluation process against objective performance standards and best practices from the fleet. 

The training paid off as the crew of the Active was called upon to respond to disabled vessels during the patrol. In both cases, the crew sprang into action and rendered immediate assistance to the mariners in distress. The crew’s actions ensured two people aboard a recreational vessel and four people on a commercial fishing vessel made it home to safe harbor. The latter rescue required an overnight tow over 80 miles offshore. 

“As the pandemic wears on, this crew continues to redefine what I understand as ‘resilience,’” said Cmdr. James O’Mara, commanding officer of the Active. “Going to sea, living in tight quarters, enduring tedious, but necessary protocols inport and underway – this crew does it all to stay healthy, protect the public, and perform our missions at sea for the taxpayer. Even after this busy summer transfer season with 30% personnel turnover, I was amazed at how quickly the team came together for such a productive patrol. This crew is rock solid, top notch.” 

The current 210-foot Cutter Active is the eighth Coast Guard vessel to bear its proud name. Launched in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on July 31, 1965, the ship was officially commissioned as a Coast Guard Cutter on Sept.1, 1966. 

LOCKPORT, La.–Bollinger Shipyards LLC (“Bollinger”) will construct a state-of-the-art, floating dry dock for General Dynamics Electric Boat to support the construction and maintenance of the United States’ new Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines, the company said in a Sept. 16 release. 

“Bollinger Shipyards is pleased to expand our current relationship with Electric Boat and to play a critical role in increasing the number of U.S. built dry docks to meet the expanding need to modernize and refurbish our nation’s aging fleet,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and chief executive officer. “We’re honored to have been selected to build this dry dock, which will be a national asset, to meet the complex needs of our Navy’s fleet modernization plans. To build 21st century American vessels, it requires 21st century American tools and equipment manufactured here in the United States. Bollinger is committed to continuing to be a leader in pushing our industry forward and ensuring that the U.S. industrial base is fully self-sufficient.” 

The detail design engineering will be performed at the Bollinger facility in Lockport, Louisiana. The concept and contract design for the 618-foot-by-140-foot dry dock was performed by the Bristol Harbor Group in Rhode Island.  The dry dock is scheduled to be delivered to Electric Boat’s Groton Connecticut shipyard in 2024.  

Electric Boat is the prime contractor on the design and build of the of the Columbia Class submarine, which will replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines. 

This is Bollinger Shipyards’ second contract awarded with General Dynamics Electric Boat. In late 2019, Bollinger Shipyards was selected to construct the 395ft x 100ft Ocean Transport Barge for Electric Boat, scheduled to be delivered in 2021.  

LONDON — BAE Systems has been awarded a contract worth up to £87 million by the U.S. Department of Defense to manufacture and deliver Archerfish mine neutralizers for the U.S. Navy. 

This is the fourth consecutive Archerfish contract awarded to BAE Systems since 2003 and will see the company deliver to the U.S. Navy over the next seven years. 

Archerfish is a remote-controlled, underwater mine neutralizer which can be launched and operated from a surface ship, helicopter or an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). Its fiber-optic data link relays real-time, high resolution, low-light video and high-frequency sonar pictures of targets of interest from its on-board sensors. The design reduces the time it takes to identify and neutralize targets, meaning clearance missions can be completed more quickly. Archerfish also protects personnel by eliminating the need to put divers into the water. 

Archerfish is used by the U.S. Navy’s MH-60S Helicopter squadrons (AN/ASQ-235) as part of the Airborne Mine Neutralization capability, deployed from the Littoral Combat Ship. 

Under the new contract, Archerfish will continue to support the U.S. Navy in live mine clearance operations and also provide capability to conduct training exercises between now and 2027. 

The contract also includes the supply of fiber optic spool kits, support equipment, surveys, repairs and program management and support, which will be provided by the Archerfish project team based in Portsmouth, U.K.  

Dr Brooke Hoskins, Director of Products and Training Services for BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business, said, “This contract builds on our strong partnership with the U.S. Navy which has seen BAE Systems supporting its minesweeping operations for almost two decades. Archerfish not only helps to keep sailors safer, it also reduces the number and cost of mine clearance missions. Its world-leading capability and outstanding service with the U.S. Navy makes Archerfish a highly attractive proposition to other major naval forces around the world.”  

Developed by BAE Systems under its own investment, Archerfish draws on the company’s extensive expertise in underwater effectors. Archerfish uses a flexible, open architecture command and control system that can be operated on its own or integrated into a higher-level command management structure. Wireless communications mean it can be deployed remotely. 

Investments continue to be made to enhance Archerfish to meet future mine countermeasure challenges and reduce the through-life cost of the system. Innovative fusing will allow it to be recovered and reused and an automatic target recognition function is being developed that will allow concurrent multi-shot Archerfish operations, enabling mines to be neutralized in waves.  

Archerfish is manufactured in the United Kingdom at BAE Systems’ Broad Oak facility in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and Hillend facility in Dunfermline, Fife. The contract with the U.S. Department of Defense secures 30 highly skilled jobs in BAE Systems in Portsmouth and Fife and further jobs in the U.K. supply chain. 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser (WPC-1116) repatriated 36 of 38 migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Sept. 19, following the interdiction of an illegal migrant voyage Sept. 17 in Mona Passage waters south of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. 

Two women in the migrant group who required medical attention ashore, were medevac’d and taken to a local hospital in Puerto Rico. During the interdiction, the Winslow Griesser crew also seized seven kilograms of cocaine, which are estimated to have wholesale value of more than $154,000. 

The interdiction is the result of ongoing multiagency efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group CBIG, and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force. 

“The professionalism and skill displayed by the crew, our partner agencies and Dominican Republic Navy allies led to a smooth interdiction and the safe recovery and repatriation of the migrants,” said Lt. Joel Wyman, cutter Winslow Griesser commanding officer. “These 38 lives were in great danger, their makeshift boat was grossly overloaded, they had little to no lifesaving equipment onboard, and were rapidly taking on water. The outcome could have been tragic.” 

The interdiction occurred during a routine patrol Thursday morning, when the crew of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection dash-8 marine patrol aircraft detected an illegal migrant voyage, approximately 20 nautical miles south of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. 

The migrant group was traveling aboard a 30-foot makeshift boat that was transporting 35 men and three women, who claimed Dominican Republic nationality. The crew of cutter Winslow Griesser safely embarked the migrants for safety of life at sea concerns, as the migrant vessel was taking on water and had accumulated over four inches of water inside. 

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants received food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdiction, Coast Guard crewmembers were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. There were no migrants in these cases reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

Cutter Winslow Griesser transported the remaining migrants to Dominican Republic territorial waters off Punta Cana, where it rendezvoused with a Dominican Republic Navy vessel, who received the repatriated migrants. 

Cutter Winslow Griesser is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

NORFOLK, Va. — Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 received its first MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter on Sept. 15 aboard Naval Station Norfolk, the squadron announced.

HSC-22 marks the first East Coast squadron to operate the MH-60S Knighthawk, MQ-8B Fire Scout and MQ-8C Fire Scout. The new added capability of the MQ-8C combines the capabilities of the MQ-8B with the MH-60S Knighthawk to improve the Navy’s ability to investigate and target hostile surface contacts, the squadron said. Both Fire Scouts are built by Northrop Grumman.

“Incorporating the MQ-8C will represent a significant improvement in our unmanned air vehicle mission capability,” said Cmdr. Matthew Wright, HSC-22’s commanding officer. “The ‘Charlie’ is bigger, faster, can carry more mission equipment, and remain airborne over twice as long as our already-proven MQ-8Bs.”

MQ-8B and C Fire Scout variants can be operated from ships or land, extending the ability to support distributed maritime operations. Most of the software is similar across both systems, but the crew must adapt to the C’s new capabilities and obtain additional qualifications to operate it.

“The MQ-8C Firescout is the latest step toward increasing the duration that UAS has on the battlefield as well as the impact,” said Lt. Ryan Jaenke, an MH-60s and MQ-8B/C pilot. “It advances the reliability of UAS as well as leaves a larger impact on the battlefield in missions that are not new to today’s warfighter.”

HSC-22’s mission is to provide manned and unmanned maritime attack and combat support capabilities to the fleet. HSC-22’s inherent versatility provides full-spectrum warfighting support across multiple mission sets and diverse and distributed platforms.

LITTLE CREEK, Va. — Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) announced the official name change for all Coastal Riverine Forces to Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces (MESF) Sept. 16. 

While history and tradition are important to the U.S. Navy there are times when a name does not capture the role and mission of a force.  The new name captures the MESF growing blue-water fleet integration and contributions to the high-end fight in an era of Great Power Competition, which are more robust than the legacy riverine roles. 

“As we maintain a connection to our legacy we must honor those warriors that come before us and learn from their heroism,” said Rear Adm. Joseph DiGuardo, commander of NECC, “we must continuously evolve to meet the needs of the Navy and the Nation for Great Power Competition, crisis, and conflict.  The change to Maritime Expeditionary Security Force clearly articulates the mission of our sailors to reinforce lethality in the blue water and dominate in the littorals.” 

“Navy Expeditionary Combat Force Sailors assigned to the MESF reinforce lethality and support the Navy-Marine Corps team in naval power projection ashore,” said Capt. David Rowland, commodore, Maritime Expeditionary Security Group (MESG) 2, “as well as in the littorals and open ocean, through missions such as port security/high-value asset escort and embarked security teams. Our mission is important and our name needs to match the mission we do today, in a time of Great Power Competition.” 

The Maritime Expeditionary Security Force provides a core Navy capability with littoral operations in contested environments through port and harbor security, high value asset security, and maritime security operations in the coastal and inland waterways. 

“Our crafts are very advanced and specialized to provide all facets of maritime security operations,” said Senior Chief Raymond Hoke. “The force protection we provide supports and enables the fleet to project power around the world.  The name change reflects the nesting of the force’s capabilities within the Navy Strategy and in support of national-level objectives.” 

Hoke is a boat captain for the Mark VI and second in charge of the Mark VI Team for Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 3, which falls under MESG 1 in San Diego. 

When asked about the training that boat crews go through Hoke as he explained that all Sailors receive the same small arms and crew-served weapons training.  The Sailors qualify as basic and advanced weapon operators and go through extensive communication equipment training, navigation training and medical training.  

“We train as one unit in realistic scenarios that better prepare us for mission tasking, said Hoke, “because of our extensive training and expertise of our seasoned operators, Sailors here, no matter what their rate is, will learn and possess specialized skills that enables the fleet to be a more resilient force.”  

The MESF consists of two groups; one in San Diego and one in Virginia Beach. With deployed units around the globe that include both active duty and reserve Sailors. This includes two expeditionary security detachments in Guam and Bahrain; seven Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons, and thirty-one Maritime Expeditionary Security Companies. 

MIAMI — The Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) crew offloaded approximately 12,100 pounds of cocaine and approximately 5,759 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $216 million, Thursday, in Port Everglades, Florida, the Coast Guard7th District said in a Sept. 17 release. 

The drugs were interdicted in 12 separate law enforcement cases by two Coast Guard vessels, three U.S. Navy vessels and two British Royal Navy vessels in both the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea during a two-week period spanning Aug. 27 – Sept. 8. 

• The Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC-903) carried out three interdictions in the Eastern Pacific, seizing approximately 3,882 pounds of cocaine and approximately 2,527 pounds of marijuana. 
• The USS Pinckney (DDG 91) with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) carried out two interdictions and a bale field recovery in the Eastern Pacific, seizing approximately 5,842 pounds of cocaine. 

• The Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba (WMEC-907) carried out one interdiction in the Eastern Pacific, seizing approximately 3,220 pounds of marijuana and approximately 11 pounds of cocaine. 
• The British naval vessel HMS Medway (P223) with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) carried out two interdictions in the Caribbean Sea, seizing approximately 1,433 pounds of cocaine. 
• The British naval vessel RFA Argus (A135) with an embarked Coast Guard LEDET carried out one interdiction in the Caribbean Sea, seizing approximately 789 pounds of cocaine. 
• The USS Kidd (DDG 100) with an embarked Coast Guard LEDET recovered approximately 145 pounds of cocaine while operating in the Caribbean Sea. 
• The USS Zephyr (PC 8) with an embarked Coast Guard LEDET recovered approximately 12 pounds of marijuana while operating in the Caribbean Sea. 

The Coast Guard’s Western Hemisphere Strategy assigns three specific priorities of combatting networks, securing borders and safeguarding commerce. To achieve success in these priorities, the Coast Guard continuously strives for close coordination between partnering naval assets as well as its own. Effective communication, persistence and teamwork are among many characteristics that contribute to mission success. The diversity of the assets that contributed to these interdictions demonstrates the effectiveness of the high level of cooperation between the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and British Royal Navy. The Coast Guard remains committed to the enhancement of counter-narcotic operations throughout the maritime domain to diminish transnational threats and maximize our country’s security. 

“This large amount of drugs was seized in just a short 13-day span, shows just how serious the issue is,” said Capt. Dorothy Hernaez, commanding officer of the Cutter Harriet Lane. “I am very proud of the efforts by not only the Harriet Lane crew, but also all the other Coast Guard, Navy, and British Royal navy assets involved in the interdictions. These crews overcame significant challenges related to COVID-19 to remain both operational and effective, in order to keep these drugs off our streets.”   

The Harriet Lane is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia. The Escanaba is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Boston, Massachusetts. The USS Pinckney is a 510-foot Arleigh Burke-class destroyer homeported in Naval Base San Diego. The USS Zephyr is a 179-foot Cyclone-class patrol ship homeported in Mayport, Florida. The USS Kidd is a 510-foot Arleigh Burke-class destroyer homeported in Naval Base Everett. The HMS Medway is a 297-foot River-class patrol vessel homeported in Portsmouth, England. The Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Teams (LEDETs) deployed from Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team, based in San Diego, California, and the Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, based in Miami. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The admiral in charge of developing the U.S. Navy’s unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned underwater vessels (UUVs) said the maintenance strategy for the vessels may require different approaches to maintenance, particularly at the operational level (O-level).    

Speaking Sept. 17 at a webinar panel of the Virtual Fleet Maintenance & Modernization Symposium of the American Society of Naval Engineers. Rear Adm. Casey Moton, program executive officer for Unmanned and Small Combatants, said that “for USVs, [that] probably puts a whole different take on O-level maintenance.”  

Moton said that “We are just in our initial prototype stage, so we haven’t actually picked what the maintenance strategy is going to be but looking at the maintenance strategy is part of our prototyping effort. So [Surface Development Squadron One] in San Diego is including looking at maintenance and helping us look at all that. The same is happening on the UUV side with [UUV Squadron One] up in Keyport [Washington].”  

For small USVs and UUVs, Moton said that a likely outcome for O-level maintenance would be like that performed by an aircraft squadron.” 

As for the Intermediate- and Depot-levels, “We still have to sort that out,” he said. “My personal thoughts are that it goes from a range of making sure that a LUSV, MUSV in particular, are maybe not much different from other surface ship classes in terms of the [Regional Maintenance Centers] doing their role.”  

Moton pointed out that the Navy also has “craft-level [UUVs and USVs] that are treated like a craft and [the question] is, “how are we going to maintain and modernize those?” 

The admiral noted that “the prototypes are going to make that really interesting and we will figure that out in the next couple of years. … We’ll try to make sure unmanned is not singled out as an aberration. I also don’t want to close the door to innovation. It’s more of a range of solutions.” 

He also said that lots of companies that are working the USV efforts, and that many “smaller and mid-sized yards able to participate. I’m really excited about that.”