General Atomics

Navy Cuts Super Hornet Production to Develop Next-Generation Fighter

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 sits chocked and chained on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) on Aug. 24, 2018. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to truncate production of the legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in favor of pumping money into accelerating the development of its long-gestating next-generation carrier-based fighter program, the service revealed in its Fiscal Year 2021 budget request.

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https://news.usni.org/2020/02/10/navy-cuts-super-hornet-production-to-develop-next-generation-fighter

CNO Gilday: Navy Still Mulling Post-F-35C Aviation Combatant; Could be Mix of Manned, Unmanned Aircraft

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the ‘Argonauts’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completes a flight over Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy is unclear how it will proceed with its next generation of aviation combatants following the introduction of the F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter into the carrier air wing, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said on...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/05/cno-gilday-navy-still-mulling-post-f-35c-aviation-combatant-could-be-mix-of-manned-unmanned-aircraft

Video: MQ-25A Stingray Makes First Test Flight

Boeing MQ-25A Stingray takes its first flight on Sept. 19, 2019. Boeing Photo

The prototype for the Navy’s first unmanned aerial refueler made its first test flight from an airfield in Illinois, Boeing announced on Thursday.

The MQ-25A Stingray test airframe — T1– flew for two-hours after taking off from the MidAmerica regional airport under the control of Boeing test pilots operating the aircraft from a ground station. The company moved the aircraft there in late April from its aviation...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/19/video-mq-25a-stingray-makes-first-test-flight

Navy Has No Plans Develop Lethal Carrier UAV Before MQ-25A Hits Flight Decks

X-47B Salty Dog 501 flies over USS Theodore Roosevelt on Aug. 17, 2014. US Naval Institute Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy won’t pursue the development of a lethal carrier-based unmanned aircraft before it fields its unmanned MQ-25A Stingray tanker sometime in the 2020s, the service’s requirements chief said last week.

The service is taking a deliberate approach to adding unmanned aviation assets to carrier decks, ensuring it successfully integrates the MQ-25A into the airwing before it studies...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/22/navy-has-no-plans-develop-lethal-carrier-uav-before-mq-25a-hits-flight-decks

Navy: First MQ-25A Stingray Flight Planned for Later This Year

MQ-25 Stingray. Boeing Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Later this year, Boeing’s prototype for the Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial tanker will make its first flight from an Illinois airport. When the Stingray will start operating from U.S. carriers is less clear.

On April 28, Boeing moved its MQ-25A prototype from its manufacturing facility near St. Louis, Mo. to the MidAmerica regional airport where it will conduct its first flight later this year, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/06/navy-first-mq-25a-stingray-flight-planned-for-later-this-year

Report: U.S. Carriers Need New Lethal Unmanned Aircraft, New Fighter to Stay Relevant

X-47B Salty Dog 501 flies over USS Theodore Roosevelt on Aug. 17, 2014. US Naval Institute Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. — To keep U.S. carriers relevant into the 21st century, the Navy needs to restart development of a lethal unmanned aircraft to fly from carrier decks, according to a new study on the future of the carrier air wing.

The Navy’s current air wing is composed of aircraft that don’t have the effective combat radius required to fight a far-flung island campaign in the Western Pacific,...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/05/report-u-s-carriers-need-new-lethal-unmanned-aircraft-new-fighter-to-stay-relevant

Navy Quietly Fires 20 Hyper Velocity Projectiles Through Destroyer’s Deckgun

Guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) transits the Pacific Ocean while underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. US Navy Photo

Last summer USS Dewey (DDG-105) fired 20 hyper velocity projectiles (HVP) from a standard Mk 45 5-inch deck gun in a quiet experiment that’s set to add new utility to the weapon found on almost every U.S. warship, officials familiar with the test have told USNI News.

The test, conducted by the Navy and the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office as part...

https://news.usni.org/2019/01/08/navy-quietly-fires-20-hyper-velocity-projectiles-destroyers-deckgun

Destroyer Paul Ignatius Passes Acceptance Trials Ahead of Early 2019 Delivery

The Ingalls-built destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) launched at first light Saturday morning, Nov. 12, 2016. Ingalls Shipbuilding photo.

Guided-missile destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) has completed its acceptance trials ahead of an expected early 2019 delivery to the Navy, Naval Sea System Command announced on Friday.

The Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico working through a series of demonstrations and tests for the U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and...

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/21/destroyer-paul-ignatius-passes-acceptance-trials-ahead-early-2019-delivery

Boeing Lands Contracts With Upfront R&D Investing

Testing Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray prototype in St. Louis. Boeing Image

Boeing landed the contract to build the Navy’s unmanned carrier-based refueling aircraft thanks to what company executives described as an aggressive up-front research and development investment.


In August, Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin and General Atomics to win the Navy’s $805-million contract to build the first four unmanned carrier-based tankers, the MQ-25A Stingray. The program ultimately could be worth $13 billion if...

https://news.usni.org/2018/10/25/boeing-lands-contracts-with-upfront-rd-investing

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