SEAPOWER Expo Online 2009

Marine Corps' EFV on Track

Tue, 12 May 2009 15:16:06 -0400

In a presentation on the exhibit floor at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 6, program managers for the U.S. Marine Corp’s Program Executive Office Land Systems said the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) will achieve initial operating capability by 2015.

Stackley: Continuity, Not Quick Fixes, for Procurement

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:41:23 -0400

Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. "The issues facing defense procurement in 1988 remain the issues in our day," Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told an audience at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition luncheon May 6.

LCS Is 'Revolutionary Step' for U.S. Navy

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:39:37 -0400

From an operator's perspective, driving the U.S. Navy's first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is “a dream come true,” Cmdr. Michael Doran, commander of the LCS 1 Gold Crew, told a briefing audience at the Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Exposition May 6. “The ship is very sporty.”

International Frigate Working Group To Meet

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:38:32 -0400

The Navy will hold its first International Frigate Working Group meeting this month in Mayport, Fla. The meeting is designed to promote an understanding of where in the FFG 7 Class Squadron community the Navy can exchange ideas.

Services Face Acquisition, Modernization Challenges

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:32:16 -0400

Panelists speak on "Acquisition Outlook and Priorities: The Art of the Possible" at the 2009 Navy League Sea Air Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md.

Panel Underscores Logistics, Operations Challenges

Wed, 6 May 2009 14:11:54 -0400

Operations leadership from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed a wide range of topics relating to the wartime shipment of goods during a military logistics panel May 6 at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

Services Face Acquisition, Modernization Challenges

Wed, 6 May 2009 14:09:38 -0400

The Navy is facing a pair of tough challenges: building a larger acquisition work force while continuing to address evolving regional issues, one acquisition official said during a panel discussion on “Acquisition Outlook & Possibilities: The Art of the Possible” May 6 at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md.

CNO: Understand the Importance of the Sea

Wed, 6 May 2009 12:47:38 -0400

Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations (CNO), urged sea service leaders and maritime industry executives to encourage public discourse about the importance of the sea and naval strength.

DON Will Field 2,000 UASs Over Next Two Years

Wed, 6 May 2009 12:36:25 -0400

The Navy and Marine Corps will put approximately 2,000 unmanned aerial systems (UASs) into service over the next two years, Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, the Navy's program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, said May 6 at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

Navy League Honors Bath Iron Works' Shipway With Nimitz Award

Wed, 6 May 2009 12:34:39 -0400

The Navy League of the United States presented its 2009 Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz award for exemplary leadership in the maritime defense industry to former General Dynamics executive and retired Navy Rear Adm. John F. “Dugan” Shipway at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition dinner May 5.

Unified Commanders Stress Collaboration, Cooperation

Tue, 5 May 2009 18:55:13 -0400

Unified commanders from U.S. Joint Forces Command, U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Northern Command declared an operational shift for their commands that today rely heavily on intergovernmental, interagency and international partnerships in order to effectively execute their missions, during a panel discussion at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 5.

Navy Making Headway With Renewable Energy

Tue, 5 May 2009 18:16:41 -0400

The Navy is making strong headway on the renewable energy front through the use of wind turbines and the greater integration of simulators for training, fleet representatives said during the Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 5.

Initial P-8A Flight Begins Intensive Test Program

Tue, 5 May 2009 17:41:55 -0400

Only three minor discrepancies were noted on the first flight of the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, said Capt. Mike Moran, the Navy's program manager for maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 5.

EA-18G Electronic Attack Aircraft Completes Evaluation Flights

Tue, 5 May 2009 17:40:26 -0400

The Navy's new carrier-based electronic attack aircraft completed the test flights for its operational test and evaluation on May 5, said Capt. Mark Darrah, the Navy's program manager for the EA-18G Growler.

ONR Continues Work to Ensure Technological Edge

Tue, 5 May 2009 16:52:44 -0400

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) expects no major shifts in how it does business during the next year, Paul Essig, assistant chief of research, said during a Sea-Air-Space Exposition briefing at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md., May 5.

Lockheed Touts Small Tactical Craft for Navy

Tue, 5 May 2009 16:51:13 -0400

Lockheed Martin wants to have its newly built Small Tactical Craft (STC) under contract by January. The 39-foot ship, which can be manned or unmanned, completed sea trials last August in Port Angeles, Wash., at Armstrong Marine.

Panel Addresses 'Smart Bombs to Smart Power'

Tue, 5 May 2009 15:42:33 -0400

The Coast Guard has no adequate solution for underwater security, said the service's assistant commandant for marine safety, security and stewardship. “Are there gaps? Yes," Rear Adm. Brian Salerno said during an afternoon panel discussion on "Smart Bombs to Smart Power" at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md., May 4.

F-35 Planned for Full Warfighting Capability by 2014

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:44:52 -0400

The Program Executive Office for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter expects to have 200 F-35s in service, test and production by 2014, the year the aircraft will reach full warfighting capability.

MOCs Making Progress, Manpower Still an Issue

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:36:17 -0400

The Navy's Maritime Operations Center (MOC) Project has made significant headway, but still has a ways to go before achieving full operational capability, said the project's director, Capt. Steve Snyder, at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md., May 5.

BAMS Increment 2 to Feature Satellite-Independent Capability

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:34:38 -0400

The Navy's spiral development of the RQ-4N Broad-Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) system will add a capability to operate in support of maritime forces independent of space-based systems.

Mullen: Focus Shifting to Afghanistan

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:30:24 -0400

Noting “these are the most demanding times that I've seen,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. military is “shifting its weight” to Afghanistan, and by extension Pakistan, a region he described as “the most challenging part of the world right now.”

Panel Addresses 'Smart Bombs to Smart Power'

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:28:50 -0400

The Coast Guard has no adequate solution for underwater security, said the service's assistant commandant for marine safety, security and stewardship.

Coast Guard Must Plan for Arctic Change

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:27:57 -0400

The Coast Guard needs to recapitalize its polar ice breaker fleet, the service's surface acquisition program manager said during the Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md., May 4.

Electric Boat Delivers First Virginia Payload Tube

Tue, 5 May 2009 14:25:01 -0400

General Dynamic's Electric Boat has delivered the first payload tube for the Block III of the Virginia-class attack submarine program, said John D. Holmander, the company's vice president for the Virginia program, at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 4.

Globally Engaged Navy Needs 'Utility Infielders'

Mon, 4 May 2009 18:06:40 -0400

With so many different missions worldwide, and in a resource-constrained environment, the Navy cannot afford to have specialized platforms, we have to have utility infielders, said Rear Adm. Robert Thomas, director of the Navy’s strategy and policy division.

Security Paramount for NGEN, CANES

Mon, 4 May 2009 18:04:30 -0400

Network security was named as the prime requirement for the Navy's next-generation shore-based and shipboard computer networks, Navy officials said May 4 at the 2009 Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

Sea Service Chiefs Address Short-, Long-Term Concerns

Mon, 4 May 2009 16:11:04 -0400

Building and maintaining the right mix of hard and soft power within the U.S. sea services is a challenge in today's difficult budget environment. Tackling the topic of “Seapower and America's Security” May 4 during the first in a series of professional seminars at the 2009 Sea-Air-Space Expo were Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations; Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps; Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard; and James E. Caponiti, acting maritime administrator at the Maritime Administration (MARAD).

NECC Integrates Capabilities for Combatant Commanders

Mon, 4 May 2009 16:09:31 -0400

The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command [NECC] integrates the Navy’s multiple expeditionary capabilities and is a force provider for the regional combatant commanders, Capt. David Balk, NECC’s chief of staff, told an audience at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

Coast Guard Interest Gains As Fire Scout Testing Advances

Mon, 4 May 2009 14:38:51 -0400

Northrop Grumman's MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) made a three-hour test run aboard the frigate USS McInerney off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., in late April. It marked the first time the Navy had successfully operated an autonomous flight operations test with a VTUAV aboard a surface combat vessel.

MK110 Gun Production Under Way in Louisville

Mon, 4 May 2009 13:03:44 -0400

BAE Systems has shifted production of its Mk110 57mm gun system from Sweden to its facilities in Louisville, Ky., and is on track to build four guns for the Zumwalt-class DDG 1000 destroyer there, said Tom Danczyk, BAE's program manager for the gun.

Lockheed Martin Upgrading Desert Hawk III UAS

Mon, 4 May 2009 13:02:15 -0400

Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems, Egan, Minn., is upgrading its Desert Hawk III unmanned aerial system (UAS) with a new sensor and larger wing, Bill Daly, the company's business development manager for the system, said at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition May 4 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md.

Sea Air Space Opens May 4

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:50:09 -0400

The Navy League’s 2009 Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Exposition will be held May 4-6 at its new location, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor complex, just outside of Washington.

SAS 2009 offers a unique opportunity for key decision-makers in the U.S. military and government to meet and mingle with defense contractors, research and development specialists, and foreign military attachés.

The National Harbor complex, situated along the Potomac River, will provide new opportunities for attendees to see the services and their equipment in action. Among the planned special events are a landing demonstration by U.S. Navy Riverines, a visit by the first Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom, and a U.S. Coast Guard rescue demonstration.