March 29, 2024

Morning Coffee: Boeing Pushes for Growler Funding

A pair of Boeing EA-18G Growlers, XE 573 166857 and XE 571 166855 of the VX-9 "Vampires" bank over the desert.

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.Morning Coffee logo

Boeing wants Congress to add 22 EA-18G Growlers to the Pentagon’s 2015 fiscal budget because the contractor believes that it has an edge over the Lockheed F-35 fighter in responding to threats across the electromagnetic spectrum, reports The Motley Fool. Boeing and some Navy officials believe that, without accompanying Growlers, the F-35 is vulnerable to detection by search radars that are advancing to the point where stealth is being outpaced. Not surprisingly, Lockheed disagrees and said, “The stealth capabilities in the F-35 are unprecedented in military aviation. Extensive analysis and flight test of the survivability of the F-35 with its combination of stealth, advanced sensors, data fusion, sophisticated countermeasures, and electronic attack demonstrate conclusively its superior advantages over earlier generation aircraft.” Currently, the Pentagon’s 2015 budget doesn’t included any funding for the Growler.

Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush believes that despite sequestration driven budget cuts the defense industry can rely on the military’s continuing need for advanced technology, personnel training and growing export opportunities to provide growth, according to MarketWatch. Mr. Bush said last week, “We have the best trained service men and women around the world, that is the core underpinning of our national security strategy. But secondly, we equip those men and women with the very best technology and our strategy fundamentally relies on technological superiority.” He also looks to overseas allies for Northrop revenue growth with the current 10 percent of sales expected to grow this year.

USNews provides a commentary on the budget driven damage that is compromising the US military’s capability to respond to multiple national defense emergencies. “This growing gap between what the nation demands of the military and what its capacity, capability and readiness will allow, thanks to reduced budgets, will eventually lead to unacceptable outcomes and consequences, many of which will be borne uniquely by those in uniform and their families. The good news, however, is that these outcomes are avoidable should Washington’s leaders choose to reverse course and rebuild American military strength.”

InvestorPlace analyzes five defense contractors and the possible effects of continuing sequester budget cuts on their future stock performance. Although the defense industry performed surprisingly well last year and many even increased profits, it is going to get tougher for defense stocks to avoid downturns resulting from the next round of automatic budget cuts. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics are all reviewed for potential ongoing sequestration impacts.

Navy leadership continues to work on a plan to initiate a special pay program for sailors on long deployments, where the average sailor could receive an additional $500 to $1,000 for each overseas cruise, according to the Navy Times. The policy could begin in the next year or two and, depending on where the ship is deployed, the additional pay could be tax free.

At least 48 transportation workers were denied access to Navy bases on the East Coast because of their criminal histories since more stringent rules were put in place following the fatal shooting aboard a destroyer in Virginia, reports the AP. The new guidelines prohibit anyone with a felony in the past 10 years from using a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card to get onto base. Denials occurred at Navy installations in Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. NAS Patuxent River was not listed in the report.

The Number 2 officer at Naval Base Coronado was fired Friday after allegations arose regarding his conduct while in command of the Blue Angels, reports the Navy Times. Capt. Gregory McWherter was relieved after initial findings resulting from a March 24 complaint alleging misconduct and an inappropriate command climate.

The US government announced Monday that it approved the potential sale of 18 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico, reports Reuters. Congress has 30 days to block the $680 million sale, although such action is rare.

 

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