Washington: The Navy’s newest warship now has a new missile system to go with it. The Navy will deploy the Raytheon-built Griffin missile system on board its growing fleet of Littoral Combat Ships, Rear Adm. James Murdoch, program executive officer for LCS, said today. An unmodified version of the short-range, surface-to-air missile will be installed… Keep reading →

Washington: The Navy’s new ship network system may go online later than expected, if service officials press ahead with a $102 million cut to the program’s budget, the Navy officer leading the effort said today. The service is considering a $102 million reduction to the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) program, as part… Keep reading →

Aboard the USS Wasp: The sleek, angular plane pulls up to the flight line. The jet’s single engine rumbles slowly while waiting for the high-sign to takeoff. Once the member of the deck crew threw his thumbs up, the jet’s center fan — which gives the F-35 the ability to take off from smaller carriers… Keep reading →

Washington: Just as the Navy is planning to take on a larger strategic role in regional hot spots around the world, the service is considering massive fleet reductions — including a two-year delay on its new aircraft carrier — as part of its upcoming budget plan. The Navy may cut nine cruisers and three amphibious… Keep reading →

Until Tuesday Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta had been describing Pentagon budget cuts beyond the $450 billion over 10 years he and President Obama have already committed to in apocalyptic terms: “doomsday,” “catastrophic,” and “shooting ourselves in the head” to describe any cuts in the Pentagon’s budget. But on Tuesday, a new Leon Panetta was… Keep reading →

The Navy is testing the first unmanned aircraft designed to take off and land on aircraft carriers. In recent tests, Northrop Grumman’s X-47B was put through a rigorous set of tests in preparation for actual carrier landings and takeoffs, planned for 2013. Here’s a summary of the testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. During… Keep reading →

Arlington, Va: The Navy and Marine Corps have a plan in place to squeeze more flight time from their older F-18 Hornets, and could use funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to pay for it. Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, deputy assistant commandant for Marine Corps aviation, said today that the services plan to… Keep reading →

Washington: The Pentagon is hoping that a newly-revised price estimate will be the key to locking in a deal to sell the Global Hawk to the South Korean military. DoD plans to ship over that new estimate to Seoul within weeks, according to industry officials familiar with the program. Recent estimates by DoD have put… Keep reading →

National Harbor: A light-attack aircraft may yet find its way into the hands of U.S. aviators, but not with the service that some may have thought. Lockheed Martin and Hawker-Beechcraft are considering pitching its AT-6B light-attack counterinsurgency plane for the upcoming Navy-led Combat Dragon II program, according to sources familiar with the effort. The Navy… Keep reading →

Washington: The Navy says it will be able to crank out two new Virginia-class submarines within 60 months, or almost two years faster than in the past. The Naval Sea Systems Command has already begun construction on SSN 787 this month, which NAVSEA officials anticipate will be completed within 65 months, according to a command… Keep reading →