Navy

The Navy is considering fast-tracking the acquisition of a big-deck vessel to replace the fire-damaged amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said Wednesday.

U.S. Southern Command is looking to shift a technology demonstration of unmanned, persistent surveillance systems into a Defense Department program of record, according to the command's chief.

Senate lawmakers have recommended funding to upgrade the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA, a move that would add more than $100 million to the Pentagon's fiscal year 2021 budget for an engineering change proposal for improvements to the newest Aegis interceptor which has not yet cleared hurdles to full-rate production.

The Marine Corps has identified changes it can make to the VH-92A presidential helicopter's Auxiliary Power Unit exhaust system that will reduce the risk of damage to the aircraft's landing zone.

The Trump administration has asked Congress to fund a second Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2021, following congressional concern when the administration proposed funding just one of the submarines in its original budget.

The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center's new director is imploring Defense Department components to understand AI and it uses, rather than just spend money on it, including through the creation of a new "missions directorate" to work with DOD organizations on how they can use AI and machine learning.

Lawmakers have proposed a nearly $40 million addition to the Pentagon's budget in fiscal year 2021 to advance efforts aimed at adding a layer to the Ballistic Missile Defense System for detecting and tracking cruise missiles to address the growing threat to the United States and Canada from Russian bombers.

The Navy has conducted successful tests of its Submarine-Launched Unmanned Aerial System, a senior service official said yesterday.

The Navy is entertaining future scenarios where the size of the Columbia-class submarine fleet grows beyond current plans for 12 boats, a potential option that would involve extending the production line beyond 2035 and require adjusting procurement plans for a follow-on Trident missile and associated weapon system the service is in the early stages of defining.