Mechanical Failure Downs Global Hawk
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
Navy investigators concluded that a mechanical failure, not the crew’s actions, caused a Global Hawk RQ-4A UAV deployed from NAS Pax River to spiral out of control and crash on the Eastern Shore in 2012, reports delmarvanow. The investigation concluded that an electrical problem inside the ruddervator’s control mechanism was to blame. It remains the only crash since 2006 under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator program which has been laying the technical groundwork for wider US Navy UAV use.
The Navy’s latest 30-year shipbuilding plan states that it can’t meet its funding needs for surface warships and a new class of nuclear attack submarines from 2025 to 2034, according to Bloomberg. The document says the Navy’s plan “requires funding at an unsustainable level” unless spending on shipbuilding is increased.
The New York Times provides a commentary on unanswered moral and legal questions regarding the government’s use of armed UAVs to kill people considered terrorist threats.
Lockheed Martin’s Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson, is interviewed by Aviation Week about issues facing the company and its programs including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Navy has announced plans to bring the next generation of unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft to Guam, according to Stars & Stripes. A pair of MQ-4C Tritons will arrive on the island in 2017 for initial operational tests and evaluation.
A sailor who was unable to attend a June court hearing because he was at sea was threatened with jail time and losing custody of his 6-year-old daughter, reports the Navy Times. The custody hearing was postponed until October after an outcry by service members and civilians. There is a federal law that protects deployed troops from such a scenario.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded a sole-source, NTE $200 million contract to Lockheed Martin for accelerated acquisition of the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, according to SEAPOWER Magazine. It will be deployed on Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and Air Force B-1B bombers, and also is being adapted for launch from the vertical launch systems on board Navy ships.
