Tag: US Navy

Navy Issues Final RFP for T-45 Goshawk Trainer Replacement

Defense Daily reports, “The Navy issued its final Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 26 for its Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) that aims to succeed the current T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft. The requirement for UJTS is to provide intermediate and advanced training for undergraduate U.S. Navy and Marine Corps jet aviators and flight officers.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)

Navy and Marines Corps Set to Install Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Systems in Boeing F/A-18s

Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, along with two partner operators, are set to install automatic ground collision avoidance systems in Boeing F/A-18 fleets—admitting that the technology could have prevented several fatal crashes. Both the legacy F/A-18 Hornet fleet in the U.S. Marine Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force and the F/A-18E/Fs and EA-18G Growlers in the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force passed major milestones in the process in November.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Navy to Create Drone ISR Services Through Basic Ordering Agreements

Defense Daily reports, “Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced it plans to establish delivery orders for land and sea-based Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services under four Basic Ordering Agreement (BOAs), according to a Nov. 20 announcement. All of the BOAs will be completed on a limited source basis exclusively to AeroVironment [AVAV], , Boeing [BA] subsidiary Insitu Inc., Shield AI and Textron [TXT].”
Full Story (Defense Daily)

U.S. Navy Installing Automatic Ground Control Avoidance System for F/A-18s, EA-18s

Aviation Week Network reports, “The U.S. Navy is proceeding with an effort to install an automatic ground control avoidance system (Auto GCAS) on Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. Naval Air Systems Command on Nov. 10 published a solicitation for a software update to redesign the digital map computer and flight control computer on the aircraft’s Tactical Aircraft Moving Map Capability (Tammac) in support of the Auto GCAS program.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

General Atomics Demonstrates MQ-20 Avenger UCAV’s Autonomous Flight Capabilities

Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has flown U.S. government-provided autonomy software onboard a company-owned MQ-20 Avenger® unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) during the Air Force Test Center’s Orange Flag 25-1 all-domain test series. A government-provided Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) was fitted aboard an Avenger jet-powered UCAV in the demonstration which took place February 19-21 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. GA-ASI also demonstrated the ability to rapidly swap between autonomy systems midflight over Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellites utilizing an autonomy product from Shield AI.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)

Textron to Provide Drone-Enabled ISR Support for US Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleets

The Defense Post reports, “The US Navy has awarded Textron Systems $64 million in contracts to provide drone-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services for ships of the 5th and 6th fleets. The contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) deals stipulate the deployment of the firm’s Aerosonde small expeditionary unmanned aerial system (UAS) with enhanced mission payloads as well as skilled personnel to aid a variety of the vessels’ maritime ISR tasks.”
Full Story (The Defense Post)

US Navy Partners with Lockheed, General Atomics to Test New Drone Control System

Breaking Defense reports, “US Navy pilots sitting comfortably in Maryland recently took a new carrier-based drone control center out for a spin for the first time, piloting a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger thousands of miles away using autonomous tech made by Lockheed Martin’s secretive Skunk Works division. The live-flight test of the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station (UMCS), conducted Nov. 5, was done ‘as part of an effort to advance technology for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA),’ Naval Aviation Systems Command wrote in a release on Thursday.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)

US Navy Receives First Two Textron T-54s

Janes reports, “US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) accepted delivery of the first two Textron T-54 Multi-Engine Training System (METS) aircraft at Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, Texas, the service announced on 22 April. The aircraft are set to begin training students at NAS Corpus Christi’s Training Air Wing Four in boreal spring 2025.”
Full Story (Janes)