ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has placed on order to Lockheed Martin to procure 12 more MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Australian government. 

The Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. a $503.7 million firm-fixed-price order for the production and delivery of the 12 MH-60Rs for the Commonwealth of Australia, an Aug. 29 Defense Department contract announcement said. Work on the order is expected to be completed by October 2026. 

The sale was approved in October 2021 by the U.S. State Department. The entire sale, including the helicopters, engines, mission systems, guns, spare parts, technical documentation, logistics support and other items was then estimated to total $985 million. 

Australia previously ordered 24 MH-60Rs, the last of which was delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in July 2016. One of these was lost in a mishap in the Philippine Sea in October 2021. 

The Royal Australian Navy uses its MH-60Rs to perform anti-surface, antisubmarine warfare vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay missions. 

In addition to the U.S. and Australian navies, the MH-60R is operated by or on order for the Royal Danish Air Force, the Royal Saudi Navy, the Republic of Korea Navy, the Indian Navy and the Hellenic Navy.   

MOBILE, Ala. — Austal USA and Saildrone Inc. announced Aug. 30 a strategic partnership to build cutting-edge, autonomous uncrewed surface vehicles. 

This new partnership combines Saildrone’s uncrewed surface vehicle technology with Austal USA’s advanced manufacturing capabilities. The partnership provides the U.S. Navy and other government customers a cutting-edge solution for maritime domain awareness, hydrographic survey, and other missions requiring persistent wide area coverage. 

The partnership ensures that production of the Saildrone Surveyor will accelerate to meet the rapidly growing demand for the ground-breaking technology. The Surveyor was developed and designed by Saildrone and will be manufactured exclusively by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.  

The Saildrone Surveyor, at 65 feet (20 meters) in length, is designed specifically for deep ocean mapping and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications, both above and below the surface. As with all Saildrone vehicles, the Surveyor is autonomous and uncrewed, offering extreme endurance, reliability and cost-effective operations. With its industry-leading expertise in aluminum shipbuilding, Austal USA is uniquely equipped to fabricate the Surveyor’s aluminum hulls and ensure rapid delivery to the fleet. 

“We are extremely pleased to enter into this agreement with Saildrone. It is a great fit as both of us are leaders in our respective markets and we both strive to provide leading edge solutions to the U.S. Navy,” said Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh. “With our lean manufacturing techniques and serial production capabilities, Austal USA will provide large scale fabrication of these vehicles and with our partner Saildrone rapidly get the capability to the Fleet.” 

Austal will begin manufacturing the first Saildrone Surveyor vehicles for the U.S. Navy in October 2022. 

MANAMA, Bahrain — The U.S. Navy prevented a support ship from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) from capturing an unmanned surface vessel operated by the U.S. 5th Fleet in the Arabian Gulf, Aug. 29-30, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs said in a release. 

While transiting international waters around 11 p.m. (local time), Aug. 29, U.S. 5th Fleet observed IRGCN support ship Shahid Baziar towing a Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel in an attempt to detain it. U.S. Navy patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) was operating nearby and immediately responded. U.S. 5th Fleet also launched an MH-60S Sea Hawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, based in Bahrain. 

The actions taken by U.S. naval forces in response resulted in the IRGCN vessel disconnecting the towing line to the USV and departing the area approximately four hours later. The U.S. Navy resumed operations without further incident. 

“IRGCN’s actions were flagrant, unwarranted and inconsistent with the behavior of a professional maritime force,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “U.S. naval forces remain vigilant and will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows while promoting rules-based international order throughout the region.”  

The Saildrone Explorer USV the IRGCN attempted to confiscate is U.S. government property and equipped with sensors, radars and cameras for navigation and data collection. This technology is available commercially and does not store sensitive or classified information.  

U.S. 5th Fleet operates a network of manned and unmanned systems in accordance with international law. The integration of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence into fleet operations enhances maritime vigilance for U.S. forces and international partners in waters across the Middle East.   

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy to begin the combat systems availability for the Zumwalt-class destroyer, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002), the company said Aug. 29.

During this availability, Ingalls will complete the installation, activation and testing of the combat systems to ensure a fully functional system is ready to operate in the Navy fleet, as part of the Navy’s phased delivery approach. 

“HII is excited to support our Navy colleagues in bringing this new capability to the fleet,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “As a dedicated partner in the construction and system activation of Navy destroyers, Ingalls is eager to leverage our shipbuilders’ expertise and modernized facilities in supporting the Navy’s future generation systems and platforms.” 

The $41.6 million cost-incentive-fee contract allows Ingalls to begin program management, labor, materials and facilities to accomplish industrial efforts and fleet industrial efforts to support the ship’s combat system. 

The DDG 1002 features a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. This ship will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Leonardo DRS Inc. has successfully completed factory acceptance testing and shipment of the first production unit of the main propulsion motor for the U.S. Navy’s new Columbia-class submarine, the company announced Aug. 30. The motor was recently shipped to General Dynamics Electric Boat for integration into the lead ship of the class.   

DRS was chosen by Electric Boat and the U.S. Navy to design and manufacture the major Columbia Electric Drive Propulsion system components including the main propulsion electric motor. All prototype components of this system successfully completed full power endurance and other testing at the Navy’s land-based test facility in 2020, where operational testing continues. In addition to the main propulsion motor, other lead ship components are being manufactured and are also preparing to ship to Electric Boat. 

The Columbia class program goal is to design and build a class of 12 new ballistic missile submarines to replace the U.S. Navy’s current force of Ohio class SSBNs. The Navy has identified the Columbia-class program as its top priority program. The Columbia-class submarines will be larger than the current class in terms of submerged displacement and will become the largest submarine ever built by the United States.  

The DRS Naval Power Systems business was awarded contracts for the electric propulsion system components which included design, test, qualification, and production of the full-scale components for both a land-based test facility and first two ships of the class. Over the past several years, the Navy has completed successful land-based tests of DRS’ electric propulsion components. With significant testing completed, the program is transitioning to production with DRS presently manufacturing the components for the first two ships of the Columbia Class.  

“We are proud to play a key role in developing and providing this capability for the U.S. Navy on this critical national defense asset,” said Jon Miller, senior vice president and general manager of the DRS Naval Power business. “Our long history of providing innovative technology to the U.S. Navy and continuing this work for Electric Boat ensures our Sailors will be defending this country with the most advanced submarine in the world.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — AeroVironment Inc. introduced Mantis i23 D, a multi-sensor daytime imaging payload compatible with the Raven B small unmanned aircraft systems, the company said Aug. 30.

An enhanced daylight variant of its predecessor, the Mantis i23, Mantis i23 D maintains its ruggedized design and uses the same modular interface to allow for quick and simple swapping between payloads with no software updates required to the avionics or ground control systems.  

At 13.4 ounces (380 grams), the imaging system features dual 18 megapixel electro-optical sensors and 24X digital zoom, providing four times improved target detection over the current Mantis i23 payload during daytime missions. Through its advanced suite of sensors, extended zoom capability, onboard processing and digital imaging stabilization, the Mantis i23 D payload allows operators to increase aircraft standoff distance without compromising image quality. 

“With the introduction of the next-generation Mantis payload, we have expanded the capabilities and adoption of the combat-proven Raven SUAS,” said Charles Dean, AeroVironment vice president of global business development, sales and marketing. “Customers can now operate their Raven systems at a greater standoff distance than before, enabling eyes-on-target from several kilometers away and reducing the risk of the target detecting or hearing the SUAS overhead.” 

LONDON — Dozens of Ukrainian personnel will be taught to use the autonomous mine-hunting vehicles by the U.K. Royal Navy and its U.S. partners over the coming months, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in an Aug. 26 release. 

The U.K. is giving unmanned underwater vehicles to Ukraine and training Ukrainian personnel in Britain to use them to clear their coastline of mines. 

Six autonomous minehunting vehicles will be sent to the country to help detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast. Three of these will be provided from U.K. stocks, with a further three to be purchased from industry. 

The lightweight autonomous vehicle is designed for use in shallow coastal environments, operating effectively at depths of up to 100 meters to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors so the Ukrainian navy can destroy them. 

Dozens of Ukrainian navy personnel will be taught to use the drones over the coming months, with the first tranche having already begun their training. 

Russia has been weaponizing food by destroying Ukrainian agriculture and blockading the country’s Black Sea ports to prevent exports, with devastating consequences for the world’s poorest people as food prices rise. 

A small number of ships carrying grain have left Ukraine since the United Nations brokered a deal in July to allow food exports, but efforts to get food out of the country continue to be hampered by sea mines left by Russian forces along Ukraine’s coast. 

“Russia’s cynical attempts to hold the world’s food supply to ransom must not be allowed to succeed,” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. “This vital equipment and training will help Ukraine make their waters safe, helping to smooth the flow of grain to the rest of the world and supporting the armed forces of Ukraine as they look to defend their coastline and ports.” 

The Royal Navy’s Diving & Threat Exploitation Group will conduct the three-week training courses, alongside the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet. Having considerable experience using the equipment already they will conduct training at sea to operate the vessels and interpret the data they send back to identify mock mines. 

“Through the expert skills being taught here, our Ukrainian allies will be able to clear their own waters of mines,” said Adm. Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord and chief of the Naval Staff. “These weapons target shipping indiscriminately, but particularly affect civilian traffic and trade and have had a devastating impact on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. This training is another powerful demonstration of the UK’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine in their fight to defend their country and repel Russian aggression.” 

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — With the words, “I hereby declare the keel of the United States Ship Enterprise truly and fairly laid,” Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky chalked their initials on respective steel plates, which were then embossed by skilled welders and affixed to the keel of the future USS Enterprise (CVN 80), Aug. 28 at the HII-Newport News Shipyard, in Newport News, Virginia.
 
Ledecky attended the historic keel laying ceremony for the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier in person, while Biles participated via a pre-recorded message from the World Champions Center in Spring, Texas, Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers said in a release. Five years earlier, on Aug. 24, 2017, Biles and Ledecky attended CVN 80’s First Cut of Steel ceremony, marking the initial major construction milestone for the Enterprise — the third ship in the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)-class of aircraft carriers. 
 
On Saturday, after NNS welders Ephony King and Jonathan Rishor finished welding the athletes’ initials on small, steel plates, NNS Lead Rigger, Mike “Chile” Williams, passed a radio to Ledecky, who gave the command for NNS Crane Operator Charlie Holloway to lower the 688-ton keel unit into the dry dock. This section of the ship will support the forward half of the Enterprise, when the CVN 80 is fully assembled. The ceremonial plates will be affixed permanently to the ship’s keel. 
 
Work on the Enterprise has been progressing on schedule, since NNS loaded the Enterprise’s keel unit during the ship’s first “super-lift,” on April 5. With the first main structural member in place, workers have continued erecting the aircraft carrier in the dry dock by joining together a series of pre-outfitted modules. 
 
The future USS Enterprise will be the ninth U.S. Navy warship to bear the name, with the first being a sloop-of-war, commissioned in 1775, after its capture from the British during the American War of Independence. The last Enterprise (CVN 65), served as the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from 1961–2017 and is currently moored nearby in the shipyard awaiting the results of an environmental impact statement and a Navy decision on disposal options. 
 
Under Secretary of the Navy Erik K. Raven delivered the keynote address. “The power of this ceremony — at this shipyard, in our country, on this day — is to mark another ship’s life being started to serve more generations of Americans, service members, friends, families, leaders, partners, and allies,” he said.
 
“Fittingly, in the presence of the previous Big E, we now lay the keel of the next Enterprise, the newest future naval warship, CVN 80.” 
 
The ship’s sponsors are internationally renowned. Ledecky is a three-time Olympian, participating in the 2012, 2016, 2020 Games, earning 10 medals. Biles is the most decorated U.S. women’s gymnast, with 32 World/Olympic medals.
 
The future USS Enterprise is scheduled to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), currently slated for inactivation in 2029. 

MANAMA, Bahrain — Maritime forces from Iraq, Kuwait and the United States conducted a joint patrol on Aug. 25 in the Arabian Gulf, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said Aug. 28. Ships from the Iraq navy, Kuwait naval force, Kuwait coast guard, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard participated in maneuvering exercises and maritime security drills. 

U.S. ships included patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC 6) and fast response cutter USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141). Sirocco and Charles Moulthrope are forward-deployed to Bahrain where U.S. 5th Fleet is headquartered. 

“Trilateral engagements like this demonstrate the shared commitment of partner nations to safeguarding the seas,” said Capt. Robert Francis, commander of Task Force 55 whose staff oversees operations for U.S. 5th Fleet surface forces. 

Cooperation among regional partners at sea helps ensure maritime security and stability in nearby waters, he added. 

The U.S. 5th Fleet operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal. 

TAIWAN STRAIT — Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Aug. 28 (local time) through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs said in a release. 

These ships transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state. The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the release said. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.