Aircraft ‘Safety Pause’ Ordered by Navy
A Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter participates in a vertical replenishment exercise aboard the USS Charleston in the Philippine Sea in December 2021. (Photo by US Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Breeden)
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Three US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft crashes in the past week and a half — two of which were fatal — have led the Navy’s aviation community to undergo a “safety pause,” reports Navy Times. During the pause Monday, all non-deployed units reviewed risk-management practices and conducted training “on threat and error-management processes.”
Navy aviation unit COs could earn a big bonus if they remain in the service for three more years, reports Navy Times. These commanding officers “skills and leadership experience are essential to the success of the Navy,” a NAVADMIN statement reads. Officers will initially receive a payment of $34,000, followed by two $33,000 payments annually.
CMDR Devine Johnson and Command Master Chief Earl Sanders have been relieved of their duties on the destroyer Bulkeley, reports Navy Times, due to a “loss of confidence” in their leadership abilities. No other details were provided.
Israel’s defense industry is expected to unveil new weapons at this week’s Eurosatory exhibition in France, reports Defense News. For the dozens of Israeli companies on the expo show floor the main theme will be advanced technology. Among those companies, Robotican will unveil Rooster, “a hybrid drone-robot for indoor and underground tunnel scanning missions,” and Rafael will be showing its new Spike NLOS sixth-generation precision missile.
Israeli company Spear has unveiled a new drone — the Ninox 103 — that launches from a submarine and loiters for nearly an hour, providing surveillance while the launch platform remains submerged, reports Defense News.
LT COL Brandon Nauta assumed command of the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada last week, reports Air Force Magazine. The aggressor squadron acts as an opposing force in sorties by replicating enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures. The squadron also unveiled the first F-35s assigned to the unit.
General Motors and Lockheed Martin want to build a line of moon vehicles, reports The Drive. The companies said they plan to have the vehicles ready by 2025.
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division now has a dedicated webpage to highlight its involvement with the new “Top Gun: Maverick” movie and its mysterious Darkstar. Lockheed provides a behind-the-scenes video with more views of the mockup, which you can watch here.
Overseas military spouses are struggling to continue teleworking for their federal agencies. Military Times reports that a number of federal agencies are receptive to the idea of military spouses continuing to telework for them when they move overseas, but spouses say they are experiencing roadblocks.
The US Senate is set to pass legislation this week helping soldiers exposed to toxic substances, reports The Hill. The Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act would largely benefit those who served after 9/11 and were exposed to toxic substances during that time.
National Nurses United has come out in support of the bill. “Nurses know it is time to finally treat veterans’ toxic exposure as a true cost of war, and we urge swift passage of this legislation that will allow us to continue our work healing and caring for our nation’s heroes,” said Irma Westmoreland, chairwoman of NNU-VA, the organization’s veterans division.
Business Insider reports that a redecoration of Air Force One ordered by former President Donald Trump has been nixed. The Air Force said that the new colors could contribute to excessive heating on the plane, reports Politico.
On Friday, Maryland advanced its proposal to build a third span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, reports Patch.com. Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the state will start the next step of its required environmental impact study.
NAS Patuxent River’s Air Controlman 1st Class Damon Haney was recently elected as Sailor of the Year for Naval District Washington, reports The Tester. As the Air Traffic Control Division’s RADAR branch chief, Haney is responsible for safety of operations within the Pax River RADAR Approach Control area of jurisdiction, encompassing 8,375 square miles of airspace around the National Capital Region.
More than 130 teams of elementary, middle, and high school students from around the world competed at the annual International SeaPerch Challenge on June 4 at the University of Maryland in College Park, reports the Office of Naval Research. “What better way to inspire students and encourage them to pursue STEM education and careers than with an underwater robotics competition?” said Sandy Landsberg, the Naval STEM Coordination Office executive and a division director in ONR’s Information, Cyber and Spectrum Superiority Department.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said the Army hasn’t done enough to improve the conditions of the horses in the service’s Old Guard Caisson Platoon following the death of two of the animals within four days and reports of mistreatment, reports Military.com. The senator said the lack of space and proper sanitation continues to be a problem for the horses, which escort the caskets of fallen service members and veterans to plots in Arlington National Cemetery.
An Essex, MD, man broke a decades-old record by catching a big fish in the Chesapeake Bay earlier this month, reports Patch.com. Logan Kurhmann, 24, caught a 49-pound carp while bass fishing in the Susquehanna Flats area of the bay.
There will likely be a shortage of sriracha sauce in the US this summer, reports Fox News. Huy Fong Foods — the nation’s leading sriracha sauce manufacturer — sent a letter to its customer base in April about the impending shortage, which would directly impact retailers and restaurants.
Contracts:
The Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a not-to-exceed $67,400,000 modification (P00012) to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive (firm-target) advanced acquisition contract (N0001920C0009). This modification increases the scope to procure long lead-time materials, parts, components, and effort for the production of eight Lot 17 F-35A aircraft for one Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (57%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); Nagoya, Japan (2%); and various undisclosed locations outside the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in May 2026. FMS funds in the amount of $67,400,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
SecuriGence LLC, Leesburg, Virginia, has been awarded a $76,494,912 modification (P00009) to previously awarded task order HR001121F0006 for information technology multi-network security services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the task order to $145,918,043 from $69,423,131. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of June 2023. Fiscal 22 research and development funds in the amount of $38,271,249 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
