NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy’s newest fast-attack submarine, USS South Dakota (SSN 790), will be commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, Feb. 2 as the 17th Virginia-class submarine to join the fleet, commander, Submarine Forces Public…
Navy to Establish Submarine Group in Norfolk
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has directed the establishment of a submarine group command in Norfolk, Virginia, later this year. According to an internal Navy directive, commander, Submarine Group Two (COMSUBGRU TWO) will be established on Sept. 30 at Naval…
Bath Iron Works Awarded Contract for Fifth DDG 51 Destroyer
BATH, Maine — The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) a contract to build a fifth DDG 51 destroyer as part of the multiyear award announced in September, the company said in a Dec. 21 release….
Austal USA Receives $21 Million Order for Post-Delivery LCS Work
MOBILE, Ala. — The Department of Defense has awarded Austal USA, as the prime contractor, a $21 million order against a previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreement to accomplish the post-shakedown availability (PSA) execution for the littoral combat ship USS Manchester…
Leonardo’s Contender for U.S. Navy Training Helicopter Performs First Flight
ROME — Leonardo has successfully completed the initial flight test of the TH-119 instrument flight rules (IFR) training helicopter Dec. 20, the company said in a release. The TH-119, Leonardo’s bid to replace the U.S. Navy’s aging fleet of TH-57…
Future USS Paul Ignatius Successfully Completes Acceptance Trials
PASCOGOULA, Miss — The future USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) successfully completed acceptance trials on Dec. 20, returning to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII’s) Pascagoula shipyard after spending two days at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, Naval Sea Systems Command…
Navy Orders Five Ospreys from Bell-Boeing
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has ordered five more V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft under a modification to a multiyear contract. Naval Air Systems Command awarded to Bell Boeing a $367 modification for five Ospreys on Dec. 28, an addition to…
LRASM Reaches Early Operational Capability Status on U.S. Air Force B-1B
ORLANDO, Fla. — Lockheed Martin has delivered the first Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) to U.S. Air Force operational units, achieving early operational capability (EOC) status ahead of schedule. After successfully completing the required integration, flight testing and modeling and…
CNO: U.S. 2nd, 3rd Fleets to Become Expeditionary
ARLINGTON, Va. — Two of the Navy’s U.S.-based numbered fleets will become expeditionary, backed up at home by their respective training carrier strike groups (CSGs), the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson aid. The move is a reflection…
CNO’s Revised ‘Design for Maintaining Maritime Security’ Pushes Columbia SSBN Schedule
ARLINGTON, Va. — The chief of naval operations (CNO) is pushing to accelerate the development of the Navy’s next-generation ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) so that it is ready to deploy “as quickly as possible.” He also is pushing the more rapid…
