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 Affairs, said in a Jan. 2 release.

Deanie Dempsey, wife of retired Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the ship’s sponsor. After spending several decades of service in support of just the Army, Deanie became a champion for all of the services in her role as the chairman’s spouse. She remains actively engaged in countless activities in support of military families and participates in dozens of private and charitable organizations in support of military spouses and their families.

Designed to operate in both coastal and deep-ocean environments, South Dakota will present leadership with a broad and unique range of capabilities, including anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operation forces (SOF) support; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. South Dakota is a part of the Virginia-class Block III contract, in which the Navy redesigned approximately 20 percent of the ship to reduce acquisition costs.

South Dakota features a redesigned bow, which replaces 12 individual Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes with two large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs) capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles each.

South Dakota has special features to support SOF, including a reconfigurable torpedo room which can accommodate a large number of SOF and all their equipment for prolonged deployments and future off-board payloads. Also, in Virginia-class SSNs, traditional periscopes have been replaced by two photonics masts that host visible and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. Through the extensive use of modular construction, open architecture, and commercial off-the-shelf components, the Virginia class is designed to remain at the cutting edge for its entire operational life through the rapid introduction of new systems and payloads.

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 Station Norfolk.

“Due to designation of Commander, Submarine Forces, as Deputy for Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, strategic establishment of COMSUBGRU TWO is necessary to better align flag officer responsibilities and to increase warfighter readiness for the Atlantic coast nuclear-powered general-purpose attack submarine (SSN) force,” the directive said.

The mission of the group will be, “To man, train and equip assigned forces to provide combat ready SSNs to Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, for force generation to combatant commanders; to serve as Commander Task, Force (CTF) 24, to Commander, Second Fleet, or as CTF-46 to Commander, Fourth Fleet; to be responsible for all SSN and guided-missile submarine operations and employment of anti-submarine warfare ready forces for the conduct of theater anti-submarine warfare; to ensure assigned personnel, staffs, and submarines achieve and maintain a level of training, personnel, and material readiness necessary to carry out their assigned missions,” the directive said.

An earlier Submarine Group Two was based in Groton, Connecticut, from 1965 until Aug. 22, 2014.

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. General Dynamics Bath Iron Works is a business unit of General Dynamics.

In the most recent multiyear competition, BIW was awarded four ships. The Navy held a separate competition for an option ship as part of its commitment to growing the fleet. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be funded in the fiscal 2019 budget.

“Bath Iron Works is privileged to continue producing state-of-the-art surface combatants for the longest running naval shipbuilding program in our nation’s history,” said Dirk Lesko, president of BIW. “This award demonstrates the vital role the DDG 51 plays in the security posture of the United States and the confidence the Navy has in our shipyard to produce these important assets.”

There are currently five DDG 51 destroyers in production at BIW: Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127). The shipyard’s backlog includes Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126) and the five ships that are part of the multiyear contract awarded this fall. BIW also is building the third Zumwalt-class destroyer, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002).

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 (LCS 14), the company said in a Dec. 23 release.

This effort encompasses all of the manpower, support services, material, nonstandard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the USS Manchester PSA. The work to be performed will include correction of government responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfer and the time of PSA, and incorporation of approved engineering changes that were not incorporated during the construction period which are not otherwise in the building yard’s responsibility under the ship construction contract.

“This order is evidence of the Navy’s confidence in Austal USA to provide significant post delivery services and support for the LCS fleet,” said Austal USA President, Craig Perciavalle, “and it directly supports our growth strategy in the service business in San Diego, and Mobile, as we continue to support an ever-growing fleet of small surface combatants.”

With nine ships delivered, five under construction and five more under contract, Austal USA is proving to be a major player in the Navy’s plan for a 355-ship fleet. The Independence-variant LCS, along with Austal USA’s expeditionary fast transport, are designed, constructed and well positioned to meet the needs of the fleet today and into the future.

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 Sea Ranger training helicopters, is a variant of the successful AW119, manufactured in the United States with strong local supplier base. By completing this important milestone, the TH-119 remains on track to achieve full FAA IFR certification early this year, making it the only single-engine IFR-certified helicopter in production in decades.

The TH-119 was flown by Leonardo pilot Patrick McKernan at the company’s Philadelphia plant where all variants of AW119s are built. The helicopter performed excellently during the flight which included an assessment of general handling and avionics systems. If selected by the U.S. Navy, a fleet of over 125 TH-119s will be built in Philadelphia utilizing the plant’s existing AW119 manufacturing and support facility.

“Already made in USA, the TH-119 is an affordable, off-the-shelf teaching helicopter that combines proven performance, flexibility and safety,” said Andrew Gappy, Leonardo director of U.S. government sales. “It is built to accomplish every current Navy undergraduate training mission and flight skill maneuver with plenty of room to grow over the venerable TH-57.”

A variant of the successful AW119 specifically configured for military training, the TH-119 is the only modern single-engine helicopter certified to operate in actual instrument conditions, resulting in more available training days. The TH-119 is a full-spectrum training helicopter, meaning that with a single-variant configuration the Navy can accomplish fundamental training flights like sliding landings, hovering and full autorotations (without offloading any of them to simulation) equally as well as advanced training flights including NVG, instruments, navigation, tactics, hoist, external cargo and search and rescue.

The TH-119’s dual-display Genesys Aerosystems advanced glass cockpit allows instruction from either pilot seat with full IFR capabilities including flight director and 3-axis full autopilot. Its unique 180-degree adjustable observer seat offers student pilots full view of the cockpit providing a better learning environment even while riding as a passenger. The TH-119 combines exceptional power margins, thanks to its popular and reliable 1,000-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-B engine, with the durability of a cocoon-type metal airframe and reinforced shock stabilized skids for touchdown maneuver training. To minimize time on the ground and maximize operational flexibility the TH-119 can “hot” pressure refuel.

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 said in a Dec. 21 release.

During acceptance trials, the ship and its crew performed a series of demonstrations for review by the U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). These demonstrations are used by INSURV to validate the quality of construction and compliance with Navy specifications and requirements prior to delivery of the ship to the U.S. Navy.

“The ship performed very well, which is a testament to the preparation and commitment of the Navy-shipbuilder team,” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office Ships. “The ship also previously performed a successful SM-2 shoot during builder’s trials, further demonstrating the readiness of the ship’s Aegis weapon system and ship’s force. These trials put the ship on a solid path towards delivery to the Navy.”

The DDG 51-class ships currently being constructed are Aegis Baseline 9 Integrated Air and Missile Defense destroyers with increased computing power and radar upgrades that improve detection and reaction capabilities against modern air warfare and ballistic missile defense threats. When operational, DDG 117 and its sister ships will serve as integral assets in global maritime security.

The future USS Paul Ignatius is expected to be delivered to the Navy early next year. HII’s Pascagoula shipyard is also currently in production on the future destroyers Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) and Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the first Flight III ship. HII was recently awarded a contract for the design and construction of six additional DDG 51 class Flight III ships.

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 a $4.2 billion contract for 78 Ospreys awarded on June 28.

Under the new order, Bell Boeing will deliver three CMV-22B carrier-onboard-delivery aircraft for the Navy and two MV-22B assault transport aircraft for the Marine Corps by October 2023.

The Ospreys ordered in June include 39 CMV-22Bs for the Navy, 34 MV-22Bs for the Marine Corps, one CV-22B for the Air Force and four MV-22Bs for the government of Japan.

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 simulation, warfighters accepted the first of many tactical production units, meeting key criteria for the EOC declaration milestone.

“This event is the culmination of successful partnerships with the U.S. Air Force, Navy and DARPA,” said David Helsel, LRASM director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This milestone serves as a great example of collaboration to bring critical capabilities to the warfighter at accelerated acquisition timelines.”

LRASM is designed to detect and destroy specific targets within groups of ships by employing advanced technologies that reduce dependence on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS navigation in contested environments. LRASM will play a significant role in ensuring military access to operate in open ocean/blue waters, owing to its enhanced ability to discriminate and conduct tactical engagements from extended ranges.

LRASM is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile based on the successful Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile–Extended Range. It is designed to meet the needs of U.S. Navy and Air Force warfighters in contested environments.

The air-launched variant, integrated onboard the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B, provides an early operational capability meeting the offensive anti-surface warfare Increment I requirement. LRASM is on schedule to achieve EOC on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 2019.

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 on the need to increase the agility of naval forces in a return of an era of peer competitors.

The initiative is one of the CNO’s goals in an updated version, 2.0, of his document “A Design for Maritime Security.

“Commander, 2nd Fleet (C2F) and Commander, 3rd Fleet (C3F) will be expeditionary: they will have the capability to command and control their forces while deployed forward,” the CNO said in the document.

U.S. 2nd Fleet, established in August to operate in the North Atlantic Ocean, is expected to reach full operational capability in 2019.

As a backstop for sustaining training of the fleet’s units in their at-home cycles, the fleets’ respective carrier strike group staffs in charge of fleet work-ups will be charged with building up deploying forces while the fleet staffs are deployed.

“In order to retain the capability for force generation while C2F and/or C3F are deployed, Carrier Strike Group (CSG)-4 and CSG-15 will develop the capability and capacity to generate forces, reporting directly to Commander, Fleet Forces Command, and Commander, Pacific Fleet, respectively,” the document said.

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 acquisition timeline of new ships, aircraft, weapons, and networks.

In the new “Version 2.0” of his “A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority” strategy document, Adm. John M. Richardson emphasized the Navy’s No. 1 acquisition priority, the Columbia-class SSBN, as necessary to sustain the nation’s nuclear strategic deterrent force.

Richardson stated his goal is to “be ready to deploy USS Columbia (SSBN 826) as quickly as possible — beating the current schedule — in order to preserve our ability to defeat the threat. Refresh and fortify the nuclear command and control system. Develop the nuclear capabilities directed in the Nuclear Posture Review.”

Construction of the first Columbia-class SSGN is scheduled to begin by 2021, with strategic certification expected in 2026, the first patrol in 2031 and complete replacement of the Ohio class by 2039. The tight schedule for the new submarine is dictated by the need for a seamless phase-out of the 14 Ohio-class SSBNs as they reach the end of their 42-year service lives and the nuclear deterrent patrols are assumed by the Columbia class.

With the new era of peer competition in the maritime arena, Richardson also is calling for rapidly acquiring other key platforms and payloads, as listed in the document.

Ships:

■ Award the Future Frigate contract in 2020 to deliver as soon as possible (ASAP).

■ Award the Large Surface Combatant contract in 2023 to deliver ASAP.

■ Award the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle contract in 2023 to deliver ASAP.

■ Award the Future Small Auxiliary contract in 2023 to deliver ASAP.

■ Award the Future Large Auxiliary contract in 2023 to deliver ASAP.

Underwater Unmanned Vehicles:

Contract for and field the family of Underwater Unmanned Vehicles (Orca, Snakehead, Razorback, Knifefish) ASAP, and no later than (NLT) 2025.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Aircraft, Weapons:

■ Reach MQ-25 first flight in 2021 and initial operating capability ASAP.

■ Reach MQ-4C Triton initial operating capability in 2021.

■ By the end of 2019, identify requirements across the family of systems to replace the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G by 2030.

■ Develop and field an offensive hypersonic weapon by 2025.

■ Develop and field the family of laser weapons (low-power lasers, high-power lasers, Surface Navy Laser Weapons System) beginning in 2019 and NLT 2025.

Networks:

Improve the performance of our current enterprise networks in 2019. Modernize these networks under the NGEN-R contract.