Naval Air Systems Command News

Lyon Shipyard Inc., in Norfolk, Va. has been awarded a $13,489,440 firm-fixed-price contract to provide the management, technical, procurement, production, testing and quality assurance necessary to plan, prepare and execute all maintenance, repair and alterations required to complete the docking phased maintenance availability onboard the USNS Narragansett (TSV-4), the U.S. Department of Defense announced.Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed…

The Navy is known for its big ships. It has a lot of smaller boats and craft, too—3,200 of them.The three primary stakeholders for these craft are the Surface Fleet, Commander Navy Installations Command and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Other stakeholders include Submarine Forces; Air Forces (which own the aircraft carriers); Naval Special Warfare; the Coast Guard; Naval Facilities Command and the Naval Warfare Centers.Boats and craft are procured and managed by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Program Executive Office for Ships (PEO Ships)…

Defense and security company Saab said it has received a $16.8 million order from the U.S. Navy to provide the Sea Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (AMB), Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) – a 3D, electronically scanned phased array radar – to be deployed on the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). The MMR provides high radiated power, selectable waveforms, and modern signal processing to consistently achieve high performance across various marine environments. The initial order covers the procurement of two systems with options for additional radars providing a total potential contract value of up to $118.5 million. “The U.S. Coast Guard is increasingly called upon to support an array of critical missions in the most challenging conditions.

Less than one week after Pres. Donald J. Trump commissioned the U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) launched and recovered its first fixed-wing aircraft July 28, 2017, off the coast of Virginia. The first arrested landing, or "trap", occurred at 3:10 PM (EST) and the first catapult launch happened at 4:37 PM (EST). Lt. Cmdr. Jamie Struck of Tallmedge, Ohio piloted the F/A-18F Superhornet from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 based at Patuxent River, Maryland. The Superhornet caught the number two arresting wire of Ford's advanced arresting gear (AAG) system and was launched from catapult one using the electromagnetic launch system (EMALS). "Today, USS Gerald R.

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division's (NSWC PHD) Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), ex-Paul F. Foster went underway for final-phase testing of two alternative fuels, May 31. The SDTS traveled to San Diego, where it took on approximately 30,000 gallons of two types of alternative fuels. The ship then proceeded on a normal cruise, demonstrating that the alternative fuels could function as a drop-in replacement, requiring no changes to equipment or operating procedures.

General Atomics Selects General Tool Company to provide EMALS and AAG for U.S. General Tool Company (GTC) announced today it has been selected by General Atomics (GA) to deliver $48 million in hardware for the U.S. Navy’s future aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division. This procurement will include Critical Safety Items (CSI) such as the motor support structures, trough covers and other associated components.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has begun a new era, as Rear Adm. Mathias W. Winter-a decorated aviator with advanced degrees in both computer science and national resource strategy-was sworn in as the chief of naval research (CNR). Winter officially took the helm of ONR, the organization that leads Navy and Marine Corps research efforts, during a change-of-command held on Dec. 30. The ceremony was held at the Pentagon and officiated by the Honorable Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy (research, development and acquisition). "As the next Chief of Naval Research, I look forward to leading the ONR team in stretching the limits of physics and discovering the next generation of breakthrough technologies to ensure a dominant…

The Navy's X-47B unmanned aircraft has completed its final test aboard 'USS Theodore Roosevelt' (CVN 71) and has returned to its home base at Naval Air Station Patuxent River after eight days at sea
, informs U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. While underway, the X-47B flew in the carrier pattern with manned aircraft for the first time and conducted a total of five catapult launches, four arrestments and nine touch-and-go landings, including a night time shipboard flight deck handling evaluation. "This is another detachment for the record books; all tests were safely and effectively executed," said Capt. Beau Duarte, Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager. Testing began Aug. 17 when the X-47B performed its initial cooperative launch and recovery cycle with an F/A-18.

U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded General Atomics (GA) an initial sole-source contract for Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) for the CVN 79 aircraft carrier to be named John F. Kennedy. This contract is for the initial procurement of the long-lead-time materials in support of a full production contract for installation of EMALS and AAG into CVN 79, the second of the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. CVN 79 is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2023. GA Electromagnetic Systems Group will manufacture EMALS and AAG components at its state-of-the-art 367,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Tupelo, Miss. “These are exciting times.

The 2014 Navy Opportunity Forum paired small businesses and researchers with potential partners, funding sources, acquisition professionals and resource sponsors. Companies—small businesses in particular— were able to present their new materials, processes and manufacturing techniques to prime contractors and Navy and Marine Corps program managers. The focus of the event was the Department of the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. It also touched on related programs designed to help small business contribute to the nation’s defense…

The first-ever launch of an unmanned aircraft from a modern aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, was described by Rear Adm. Mat Winter 
Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, as – "An inflection point in history". "These are exciting times for the Navy as we are truly doing something that has never been done before – something I never imagined could be done during my 29-year naval career. This historic event challenges the paradigm of manned carrier landings that were first conducted more than 90 years ago.

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD) completed Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH19) Anemometer Positioning Evaluation (APE) testing in support of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Military Sealift Command (MSC), Feb. 8.  The testing focused on measuring the airflow of anemometers, wind measurement sensors that are installed on the superstructure of U.S. Navy ships. The APE testing is required to complete the aviation certification process following a new helicopter hangar installation on the ship’s superstructure.

Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) has been awarded a follow-on contract by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). Under this new contract, LCE will continue to provide alternative fuel qualification testing for the US Navy. This work is similar to a contract that LCE already has underway to test the first set of alternative F-76 and JP-5 test fuels which will be completed by mid-2013. The cost plus fixed fee contract award has a ten-month period of performance with a value of $3.6 million. The work will be managed in Pittsburgh, PA. “Award of this contract allows Life Cycle Engineering to continue our support of the Naval Air Systems Command by providing testing for up to two additional fuels as well as to incorporate several lessons learned from the first round of tests…

MSHIP to Team with Huntington Ingalls Industries' subsidiary, AMSEC LLC. under U.S. Navy's SEAPORT-E Electronic Procurement Program. M Ship Co., LLC of San Diego, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded acceptance as a subcontractor of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ subsidiary, AMSEC LLC, under U.S. Navy’s SeaPort Enhanced (SeaPort-e) electronic procurement program providing naval architecture and marine engineering services. SeaPort-e enables electronic procurement of support services in 22 functional areas including engineering, financial management and program management. It provides a standardized, efficient means of soliciting offers from amongst the diverse population of large and small businesses and their approved team members.

Following extensive product development and factory and sea trials, Kongsberg Maritime have successfully delivered the first of its new generation of innovative ultra low light cameras to the US Navy, via Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), for use within the existing Kongsberg supplied Helicopter Operations Surveillance System (HOSS) for amphibious class ships. The new high resolution camera is a drop-in replacement for the previous generation HOSS camera, allowing for a cost-effective and seamless system performance upgrade.

General Atomics signed a fixed-price contract modification for the production of the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) for the U.S. Navy’s new CVN 78 aircraft carrier, to be named Gerald R. Ford. This action modifies the existing contract awarded in 2009 by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. It includes a delivery incentive, based on the contract schedule of delivery of the EMALS equipment to the shipyard. “Our production efforts started last June for EMALS and in November for AAG. All long-lead materials are on order and component manufacturing is in process for a number of subsystems. We are on track for CVN 78,” said Electromagnetic Systems Division Vice President R. Scott Forney, III.

The Navy's first littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Freedom (LCS 1), has successfully completed another major milestone in preparation for her upcoming maiden deployment. Freedom conducted independent ship deployment training and certification at sea from Nov. 13-21, operating with ships from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Carrier Strike Group during their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the southeastern coast of the United States. Freedom conducted effective complex training as part of the Maritime Security Surge certification for the ship's Gold Crew…

A Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC)-led team has successfully demonstrated the integration of the AN/SPQ-9B radar and Naval Expeditionary Overwatch (NEO) system sensor data into the Integrated Combat Management System (ICMS) at the Navy's Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) at Dam Neck, Va. The team included Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren and Harris Corporation. NEO is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The demonstration illustrated the open architecture capabilities of ICMS to rapidly and affordably integrate both shipboard and off-board sensor data into a combat system network to support enhanced Fleet combat operations.

Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded at $11,344,500 for firm fixed price task order #0010 under a multiple award construction contract (N62742-04-D-1302) for repairs to Pier B4 and Wharf B5 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by May 2010. Funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this t ask order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $33,676,912 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00019-08-C-0044) for the Low Rate Initial Production Lot V of the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) AN/ALE-55(V) Subsystems and associated technical support and non-recurring engineering for the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18E/F aircraft. The AN/ALE-55(V) subsystem consists of an electronic frequency converter (EFC) and a fiber optic towed decoy (FOTD). This modification provides for a total of 70 EFCs for the U.S. Navy, (58) and the Royal Austra lian Air Force, (12); and 323 FOTDs for the U.S. Navy, (251) and the Royal Australian Air Force, (72).

The Coast Guard's first Legend-class National Security Cutter, Bertholf, returned to its homeport here Sunday marking the completion of the cutter's first operational patrol. Bertholf's crew conducted a shakedown of the ship's systems and carried out flight operations, small-boat operations and weapons testing. A primary goal of the patrol was to complete flight tests – known as dynamic interface testing – to determine the limits of wind and sea conditions in which a helicopter can land safely upon Bertholf's flight deck.

The Navy's unique, high-tech simulator of shipboard emergencies to test Recruits at Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes won a national award for construction project excellence Nov. Battle Stations 21's USS Trayer, a life-like mockup of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and its surrounding 157,000-square-foot building, was recognized by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) as the best overall design-build project in the United States for 2008, cited for exemplary interdisciplinary teamwork, innovation and problem-solving in creating the one-of-a-kind facility.

L3 Communications Titan Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $5,617,177 modification on a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0071), to exercise an option for the Phase II study and analysis to develop innovative solutions to be used in mission requirements for the Affordable Weapons System. This weapon system is being designed to fill a sea-based land attack and strike mission, to operate from ships, with potential for a sea-based Navy and Marine Corps aircraft launch capability. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed in November 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.