JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Boeing has delivered the first Super Hornet test aircraft for the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angel flight demonstration squadron, the company said in a June 3 release. The unpainted aircraft now enters the flight test and evaluation phase…
Navy’s Advanced Aerial Sensor Deployed on P-8As to Western Pacific
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s Advanced Aerial Sensor (AAS) has been deployed to the western Pacific, according to a release from the squadron that deployed the AAS on its P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft. Patrol Squadron 45 (VP-45), based out of Naval Air…
Navy Announces New Flag Officer Assignments
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy secretary and chief of naval operations on June 2 announced these assignments: Rear Adm. James S. Bynum is serving as director, warfare development, N72, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Bynum was director, Assessment Division, N81, Office of the Chief of…
BAE Systems Completes First Tactical Configuration Ground-Launched Test of APKWS Laser-Guided Rockets
BAE Systems announced June 2 that it had completed test shots of its APKWS laser-guided rockets from a tactical configuration ground-based weapon system for the first time. The proof-of-concept testing demonstrated the APKWS rockets’ ability to deliver standoff precision-strike capabilities…
Ford Air Wing Ready to Arm Up for Training From Carrier
ARLINGTON, Va. — The carrier air wing assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford is working up on its flight deck and conducting air operations with inert ordnance, the wing commander said. Speaking June 1 to reporters by teleconference while…
Braithwaite Sworn in as 77th Secretary of the Navy
ARLINGTON, Va. — Kenneth J. Braithwaite was sworn in as the 77th secretary of the Navy on May 29, the Navy said in a release. At the May 29 ceremony at the Pentagon, officiated by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper,…
Navy Exploring Options for Multi-Engine Training Aircraft to Replace T-44
ARLINTON, Va. — Naval Air Systems Command is looking at options for an aircraft to replace the T-44C Pegasus multi-engine training aircraft, but the ultimate choice may not be “new.” The Navy is exploring options for adapting an existing aircraft…
FBI: No Second Suspect in Foiled Texas Naval Air Station Attack
ARLINGTON, Va. — Following “intense investigation,” the FBI says concerns that a second person may have assisted the gunman in the thwarted attack May 21 on Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, have been allayed. One member of the Navy…
Third Unsafe Intercept by Russia in U.S. 6th Fleet in Two Months
MEDITERRANEAN SEA — For the third time in two months, Russian pilots flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner while intercepting a U.S. Navy P-8A maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft in the U.S. Sixth Fleet on May 26, the 6th Fleet said in a release. “On May 26,…
USS Portland Tests Laser Weapon
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland disabled an unmanned aerial vehicle with a Solid State Laser-Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mk 2 Mod 0 on May 16, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a release. LWSD is a high-energy laser weapon…
