ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has not officially announced it yet, but its newest version of the Navy’s Fire Scout unmanned helicopter — the MQ-8C — apparently is on its first deployment, according to Navy photographs. An MQ-8C Fire…
USS George Washington Next Carrier in Line for F-35C Capability
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s next aircraft carrier to receive modifications to operate the F-35C Lightning II strike fighter is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), according to a Navy official. USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)…
7th Fleet Destroyer Conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation in South China Sea
YOKOSUKA, Japan — On Jan. 20, USS Benfold (DDG 65) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law. At the conclusion of the operation, USS Benfold exited the excessive claim and continued…
CNO Visits Stennis Space Center
STENNIS, Miss. — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler, the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence, visited Navy commands at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Jan. 20, the…
Navy Still Plans to Start New Frigate Construction in April 2022
ARLINGTON, Va. — As the first new U.S. Navy frigate works its way through detailed and functional design phases, officials still plan an April start for building the lead ship of the Constellation class. “Right now, as far as construction, we’re…
SECNAV: Allies, Partners Are ‘Huge Advantage’ for U.S.
WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Navy stressed forward presence and engagement with U.S. allies and partners as advantageous in pacing the threat of China and Russia in the maritime domain. Allies and partners “are our huge advantage,” said Navy…
Record Seizures in 2021 after NAVCENT and CMF Increase Patrols
MANAMA, Bahrain — U.S. and international forces operating under U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces have seized record amounts of illicit cargo during maritime interdictions in 2021, the forces said Jan. 18. Led by…
Cooper: LCS Deploying to U.S. 5th Fleet in 2022
ARLINGTON, Va. — The long-planned forward deployment of littoral combat ships to the Persian Gulf is approaching execution, with the anticipated first deployment of an LCS to the U.S. 5th Fleet, the fleet commander said. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander,…
Navy Trains to Counter Drone Threats at Point Mugu
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — The Pacific Target Marine Operations, a division of Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s Threat/Target Systems Department, recently deployed small drones over Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, to provide cost-effective unmanned aerial system familiarization and…
Official: Navy Seeks Integration of Combat Systems Across the Fleet
ARLINGTON, Va. — A senior Navy program executive said that the service is moving toward integration of combat systems across the fleet to achieve commonality of sensors and weapons and the benefits derived from fielding common and scalable systems. Bob…
