The first of the Navy's two amphibious command ships will begin repairs and system overhauls this week as part of a service life extension program to keep the vessels in service until fiscal year 2039 or beyond, and one of the ships will eventually participate in defending the European continent from ballistic missiles.543 words

Four companies are competing for a Marine Corps program that will allow troops to integrate aviation and ground combat planning by sharing voice, video and sensor data, and industry anticipates a contract award at the end of the month, according to an industry official.766 words

Newport News Shipbuilding is "hopeful" the business case of reinstating a second Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2014 will prevail, according to Jim Hughes, vice president of submarines for NNS, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.375 words

The Navy is continuing to test two Unmanned Influence Sweep System prototypes and competitors are trying out their own offerings behind the scenes as the service gears up to release a request for proposals for the Littoral Combat Ship's unmanned mine-sweeping system by the end of the year, the program manager told Inside the Navy last week.512 words

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program office completed the first airborne engine start tests for the Marine Corps' F-35B short-takeoff, vertical-landing variant last week at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Test aircraft BF-2 completed the tests, which demonstrated the ability of the F-35B's propulsion system to restart during flight, according to a Sept. 4 statement from Naval Air Systems Command. The testing is part of the initial flight test program for the F-35 and a prerequisite for high-angle-of-attack testing, the statement reads.86 words

The Navy has designated the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Strike and Surveillance aircraft as the lead platform for the Common Control System for unmanned systems, and the service now expects to field the system five years later than originally planned.404 words

The Navy recently awarded Northrop Grumman a $67 million contract to continue operating the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator aircraft for up to two additional years, and a Navy spokeswoman said the service will continue to fly the aircraft until its replacement is available in late 2015.245 words

The Office of Naval Research is looking for an unmanned surface vehicle-based system to detect, identify and neutralize a mine in a single sortie, possibly creating a capability for the Littoral Combat Ship that currently is accomplished via multiple unmanned vehicles and sets of sensors.553 words

The Zumwalt-class next-generation stealthy destroyers are about four years from joining the fleet, and the advanced technology that goes into the three-ship class may reappear elsewhere in the fleet as well, Rear Adm. Thomas Rowden, director of the surface warfare division in the office of the chief of naval operations, wrote in a blog post last week.703 words

The Navy has issued a request for information asking for industry to provide information on quickly-fielded systems that can jam improvised explosive devices, with plans to buy 65 systems by September of next year, according to a recent notice on Federal Business Opportunities.380 words

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Indiana is seeking a subject matter expert in ultra-short pulsed-laser physics to help develop military applications for a high-energy laser, accoridng to a statement of work posted on Federal Business Opportunities Aug. 31.319 words

The Office of Naval Research is looking to industry for white papers, and eventually full proposals, for sea-based aviation aircraft science and technology solutions, according to a Sept. 6 Federal Business Opportunities notice.406 words

The Navy is seeking comments from the public as it prepares to construct and operate new range facilities and establish special-use airspace at Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman, OR, according to a Sept. 7 Federal Register notice.326 words

A recent classified assessment of design options for a new class of multibillion-dollar nuclear ballistic missile submarines endorses the current plan to build 12 subs, each with 16 missile tubes, according to Navy officials.851 words

The Marine Corps and Army are likely to shrink their force structures in the coming years more than senior military leaders have publicly acknowledged, according to analysts and active and former service officials.1062 words

The Navy's acquisition executive has granted a special waiver permitting Northrop Grumman to commence low-rate production of the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar -- the G/ATOR, a $3.3 billion effort to replace five legacy radar systems and the latest addition to the Pentagon's roster of big-ticket weapon programs.621 words

The Defense Department has advised Congress of a six-month schedule slip to Raytheon's Joint Precision Approach and Landing System program due to a delay in the planned integration of the new capability on the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush (CVN-77).540 words

The next few months will be "very challenging" for the Defense Department as it works to develop its fiscal year 2014 long-term investment blueprint amid uncertainty about its FY-13 budget submission to Congress, according to Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall.985 words

The deputy defense secretary has reestablished the Strategic Choices Group to help guide key decisions about the military's fiscal year 2014 spending plan, forming -- for the second year in a row -- a high-level body to debate issues affecting weapons programs, force structure and policy initiatives needed to implement the Obama administration's Strategic Defense Guidance.749 words

The Defense Department's top acquisition officials are conducting a major review of the military's largest acquisition project, the Joint Strike Fighter program, examining issues that include a proposed test and evaluation master plan required by law.377 words