June 2020 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


Damen Shipyards Group has recently delivered a new lifeboat, a Damen RHIB 975 Inboard, to the Naarden Lifeboat Brigade (Reddingsbrigade Naarden). Following a training period, during which the crew will familarise themselves with the new vessel, the Damen RHIB will conduct rescue operations on the Gooimeer, IJmeer and southern Markermeer lakes in the Netherlands.

According to a contract released by the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) on June 29, 2020, Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $360,800,000 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract modification (P00038) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract N00019-17-C-0001. This modification provides for the procurement of four F-35C Carrier Variant Lot 14 aircraft for the Navy.

According to a contract published by the U.S. Department Of Defense) on June 29, 2020, Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $936,032,309 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2307 to exercise the fiscal 2020 option for the construction of a USS Arleigh Burke DDG-51 class ship (DDG 135), the future USS Thad Cochran.

According to a Tweet published by the Royal New Zealand Navy on June 26, 2020, the new tanker/replenishment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa (A 11) has arrived in Auckland Harbour after 15 days at sea from Ulsan, South Korea. The Aotearoa is a new Polar-class support vessel built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, as part of the Maritime Sustainment Capability (MSC) project for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

L3Harris Technologies announced its new man-portable Iver4 580 unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). The new Iver4 580 is the second vehicle in the Iver4 family of next-generation UUVs to address a wide variety of customer missions, including survey; multi-domain intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; anti-submarine warfare; seabed warfare and mine warfare.

According to information released by the Naval Air Systems Command website on June 24, 2020, the U.S. Navy CH-53K King Stallion completed a two-week period of sea trials in the Atlantic earlier this month. This was the first opportunity to see the aircraft working in a modern naval environment. Testing took place on the USS Wasp, a landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship operated by the U.S. Navy.

According to a contract released by U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) on June 25, 2020, the Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $16,543,143 firm-fixed-price order (N00019-20-F-0870) against previously-issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001. This order procures retrofit modification upgrades to the series aircrafts’ F/A-18 Block II Super Hornet and Growler display suites within the Block III Super Hornet and Growler Advanced Cockpit Systems.

According to a contract released by the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) on June 25, 2020, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $333,401,760 modification (P00007) to previously-awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract N00019-19-C-0008. This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of three low-rate initial production MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, two main operating bases and one forward operating base in an integrated functional capability-four and multiple-intelligence configuration, with associated export compliance support for the government of Australia.

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Oakland (LCS 24) Independence-class littoral combat ship June 26, 2020, during a ceremony at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. Four additional Independence-variant ships are under construction at Austal USA: Mobile (LCS 26), Savannah (LCS 28), Canberra (LCS 30) and Santa Barbara (LCS 32). Three additional ships are awaiting the start of construction.

French Navy Alouette III helicopter conducts deck landing qualification aboard the U.S. Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) during joint flight operations, June 24, 2020. The Bataan is conducting operations in U.S. 6th Fleet with French Navy amphibious assault ship Mistral in support of regional allies and partners, and U.S. national security interest in Europe and Africa.

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