March 19, 2024

Navy Aims to Recover & Restore P-8A in Bay

The US Navy is optimistic it can recover and restore to flight status the Boeing P-8A Poseidon that slid off the runway last week into the shallow waters of Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

Dahlgren Proposes Expanding Zone for Weapons Testing

Weapons Tests Dahlgren

Some boaters and watermen say they are worried about a proposed expansion of the zone for weapons testing on the Potomac River. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division filed a notice seeking public comment on expanding the middle “danger zone” that extends about 20 miles downriver from Dahlgren, VA.

Pax Alum 1st Native Woman to Fly Into Space

Pax Alum

NAS Patuxent River alum Nicole Mann will be the first Native woman to fly into space this fall. She is scheduled to be aboard the SpaceX Crew-5 mission to go to the International Space Station.

Future Unclear on Littoral Combat Ships

Littoral Combat Ships

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said he will offer an amendment to save five US Navy littoral combat ships from an early retirement. Three separate congressional committees have approved defense budget plans that would block the Navy from scrapping five vessels from the problem-plagued ship class.

New Helicopters Headed to Andrews

Andrews

Joint Base Andrews, MD, will be the next location to receive the new MH-139 helicopter. The Grey Wolf will replace the aging UH-1N Huey and expand the base’s fleet size.

DoD Creates New UFO Task Force

UFO

The Defense Department will streamline the collection and analysis of UFO reports, following the government’s acknowledgment that these reports are worth studying and might pose a threat to national security.

IG Report: P-8A Readiness Rates Drop

P-8A

An evaluation of the readiness of the US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon says the aircraft’s mission capable rates have fallen below the targets set by Naval Air Forces. The May 19 report was released by the DoD’s Office of the Inspector General.

P-8A Decoy Prototype Test Completed

P-8A

An Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 P-8A Poseidon successfully completed an airworthiness test of a pod-mounted radio frequency countermeasure prototype at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Atlantic Test Ranges on March 12.

SpaceX Delivers Astronauts to Space Station

Astronauts

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arrived at the International Space Station following the historic launch on Saturday. The pair of astronauts docked to the space station’s Harmony module at 10:16 a.m. Sunday as the microgravity laboratory flew 262 miles above the border northern China and Mongolia.

‘Serious Concerns’ with DC July 4th Celebration

DC July 4th

Lawmakers from the National Capital Region called on the Trump administration to drop plans for a second “Salute to America” Fourth of July celebration in Washington, DC, July 4th. They cite pandemic safety concerns and also the cost of such a celebration during a time of economic distress.