Category: United States Navy

Source: United States Navy

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, MD – The U.S. Navy announced today that it has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation a $3.549B contract to conduct the mission-systems integration for the E-130J, which will be the successor to the E-6B Mercury for the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission.

Under the contract, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation of Melbourne, Florida, will serve as the prime contractor to integrate TACAMO mission systems, including the Collins Aerospace Very Low Frequency system, into government-furnished C-130J-30 air vehicles built by Lockheed Martin Corp. The contract is for three Engineering Development Models (EDMs) and options for up to three System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTAs) and up to six aircraft in the first lot of production. Collins Aerospace and Lockheed Martin are directed subcontractors to support the integration and airworthiness.

“Our TACAMO mission is foundational to our nation’s nuclear Triad,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “The E-130J will carry on the proud legacy of Navy TACAMO aircraft and keep our nation safe.”

The acquisition effort is being led by the Navy’s Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) within the Program Executive Office for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission Programs (PEO (A)).

“Today is a tremendous day for the future of naval aviation’s contribution to our nation’s nuclear deterrence mission,” said Capt. Adam Scott, PMA-271 program manager. “With the selection of Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation as the prime contractor for the TACAMO Recapitalization Program, we are ready to move out with developing this critical asset. In carrying on the legacy of the E-6B Mercury, the E-130J will ensure our nation’s leadership is always connected to its nuclear forces for decades to come.”

Work developing this asset in conjunction with the prime contractor begins today.

The contract award is the result of a competitive source selection that included significant engagement with industry. PMA-271 released the request for proposals on sam.gov on Sept. 21, 2023, with proposals due by April 22, 2024.

The Navy selected the winner based on the proposal that offered the best value to the government, considering the offeror’s technical approach and cost.

The E-130J is a critical part of the United States’ nuclear modernization program, which includes new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, new bomber aircraft such as the B-21 Raider, and Sentinel, a new ground-based system to replace the silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The E-130J will ensure that leadership can always communicate with those nuclear forces to order or cancel strikes, even if ground-based communications are unavailable.

The E-6B is a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft. It provides survivable, reliable, and endurable airborne nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) for the president, secretary of defense and U.S. Strategic Command. It is a dual-mission aircraft capable of fulfilling the no-fail TACAMO mission and the Looking Glass mission, which facilitates the launch of U.S. land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles using an airborne launch control system. The E-130J will relieve the E-6B of the TACAMO mission.

PMA-271 is headquartered at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Its mission is to deliver and support survivable, reliable and endurable airborne command, control and communications for the president, secretary of defense and U.S. Strategic Command.

Media contact: PMA-271 Public Affairs Officer Kathy Hieatt, kathy.m.hieatt.civ@us.navy.mil, 301-757-1053

Source: United States Navy

In celebration of the upcoming holiday season, Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) civilian, military and contractor personnel have come together to support a collection benefitting Toys for Tots, a nationwide, not-for-profit organization that collects and distributes toys to families in need during the holidays.

Each holiday season, FRCE employees help make the season brighter for children in Eastern North Carolina by donating new, unwrapped toys for those who may not otherwise receive gifts. This year, the command collected over 500 toys, 88 bicycles and $500 in monetary donations to give to the cause.

For many members of the workforce, supporting the Toys for Tots Program has become a cherished tradition — a meaningful way to give back and ensure that every child experiences the joy of receiving a gift during the holidays. Staff Sgt. Matthew Jensen, the H-53 program assistant at FRCE, said helping coordinate this year’s collection has been a rewarding experience.

“Helping out with Toys for Tots is one of those things that makes me even more proud to be a Marine,” said Jensen. “Even though I’ve been donating to the program since I was a kid, this is the first year that I’ve been able to help with the actual collection part of it. Having the opportunity to make someone’s Christmas better has been awesome and I am so grateful to have been a part of something so special.” 

The goal of the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to spread the joy of Christmas by ensuring children have presents to open on Christmas morning. According to their website, Toys for Tots has distributed 677 million toys to 301 million deserving children since the program’s creation in 1947.

Some of the command’s employees have taken the drive a step further by organizing group collections, streamlining the process for everyone involved. The F-35 aircraft line, for example, pools monetary donations every year to purchase bicycles, which are then given to the cause. F-35 Branch Head Ike Rettenmair said he started this tradition among the F-35 team about five years ago to encourage his teammates to support the program.

“I’ve always donated to Toys for Tots, even back during my time in the Marine Corps,” said Rettenmair. “I’m the type of person who loves to give rather than receive gifts, especially during this time of year. My biggest motivation is simply helping kids in need. Not everyone is as fortunate as we are and I think we sometimes lose sight of that, which is why I started the group collection. It’s a great way to motivate folks to donate to a good cause.”

Last year, Rettenmair’s team donated nearly 40 bicycles to the Toys for Tots Program. This year, they collected 63 to donate to children in need. Rettenmair said every year, their goal is to donate more than the previous year.

“Our goal is to always donate more than we did last year,” said Rettenmair. “Every child should have a bicycle but, unfortunately, not everyone can afford them, which is why we’ve made it a tradition in our office. It’s something we look forward to every year.”

Other teams within the depot have also organized group collections. Production Controllers Lauren Day and Courtney Skinner, who led the Engines, Lift Fan and Dynamic Components Division’s group collection, developed a plan to pool monetary donations to purchase as many toys as the money could buy.

“We reached out to everyone we could in this division, and we probably spoke with around 500 people to see if they were interested in contributing,” said Day. “We mainly collected money to purchase toys, but we also accepted toys. We wanted to do everything we could to help.”

Skinner emphasized that the goal goes beyond simply giving children gifts; it’s about making the holidays memorable for families in need. She said each gift they purchased was carefully selected with the hopes of bringing joy and excitement to the children who receive them.

“I really enjoy how we are giving to the less fortunate and bringing joy to little kids,” said Skinner. “I have a child myself and I know what it feels like to see her face light up on Christmas morning, so helping give that same sense of happiness to other children feels really good. We even had my daughter give us ideas of what kinds of toys to buy. That way, we knew we were picking out toys that kids actually want.”

The division’s group collection efforts raised $2,309 in monetary donations, which allowed them to purchase 184 toys for children in need. Skinner said seeing everyone come together to support the program was inspiring.

“This is my first year helping with the group collection and it’s been nice to see everyone come out and donate their hard-earned money to this cause,” Skinner said. “It was such a fun and enlightening experience. We are both so thankful for the generosity of the people here at FRC East who helped make this happen.”

Whether the donations at FRCE come individually or as a group, in the form of bikes, toys or monetary donations, Jensen said the most rewarding aspect of supporting Toys for Tots lies in the impact the donations have on children in the community.

“Growing up, my mom and dad would take us shopping every year so we could pick out a toy to put in the Toys for Tots collection box,” said Jensen. “And now, my wife and I take my son to pick out a toy to donate just like my parents did with me. Seeing this side of it – collecting more than just one toy to put in the donation box – and the impact we can make with an entire semi-truck filled with toys has been very gratifying.”

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Source: United States Navy

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) held a graduation ceremony for Class 165 on Dec. 13. Thirty-one students successfully completed the intense, 11-month course of instruction and received their designations as Engineering Test Pilots, Engineering Test Flight Officers and Test Project Engineer.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, both retired U.S. Navy captains, with a guest appearance by NASA Astronaut and U.S. Space Force Col. Nick Hague, delivered the keynote address in a recording sent from the International Space Station (ISS), preceded by a special address from USNTPS alumnus Commodore Chris Smallhorn, Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Commander Fleet Air Arm.

Williams graduated in 1993 from USNTPS with Class 104 and returned as a Rotary Wing Department instructor in 1995. So far, she has spent a cumulative total of over 510 days in space and currently commands Expedition 72 on the ISS.

Wilmore graduated from USNTPS in 1992 with Class 102 and also served on staff as a systems and fixed-wing flight test instructor. He is a veteran of two spaceflights and has spent a cumulative total of over 370 days in space

Both Williams and Wilmore have been in space since June 5, 2024, on their most recent mission. They are currently living and working aboard the space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew and will return home in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

Smallhorn joined USNTPS Class 115 and graduated in 1999. He has served as Commander Fleet Air Arm in the RAN since January 2016.

The graduation ceremony took place at the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department in Lexington Park, Maryland. Graduates included members of the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Israeli Air Force, Italian Navy, French Defense Procurement and Technology Agency, Norwegian Defense Material Agency, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force.

Capt. Elizabeth Somerville, Commander, Naval Test Wing Atlantic; Cmdr. Travis Hartman, U.S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USNTPS; and Dr. John Tritschler, Chief of Academics, USNTPS, presented diplomas and offered congratulations to the new testers.

Army Capt. Kenneth Dailey received the Empire Test Pilots School’s Developmental Testing Thesis Award, recognizing his exceptional performance during the capstone exercise in Class 165. This prestigious award symbolizes the strong, longstanding partnership between the Empire Test Pilots’ School in the United Kingdom and USNTPS.

Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Daniel received the Captain Willie McCool Outstanding Student Award for the top performing student in the categories of academics, flight performance and technical report writing. He was also recognized with the Developmental Testing Thesis Award for the best final capstone report.

Army Lt. Col. Mark Salvati received the Syd Sherby Leadership Award, named after Capt. Sydney Sherby, the founder of the test pilot training division, now USNTPS. The award recognizes the student who displays exemplary leadership in the class.

Nineteen students completed the requirements for the engineering test pilot course, seven students completed the engineering test flight officer course, and five students fulfilled the requirements for the test project engineer course.

USNTPS trains pilots and engineers for development test and evaluation of aircraft and aircraft systems. USNTPS is a component of Naval Test Wing Atlantic under Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, Maryland. NAWCAD advances capability and operational readiness for naval aviation.

For more information about NAWCAD, please go to www.navair.navy.mil or follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MyNAWCAD/.

Source: United States Navy

The DESI program was established in 2001 by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and partners the U.S. Navy with South American submarine-operating navies as they participate in fleet readiness exercises. The initiative brings these South American submarines to the United States for a series of drills, exercises, and interoperability events. While in Southern California, Pisagua’s crew strengthened relationships with U.S. Navy personnel and honed their skills in a variety of areas, including damage control, communications, hoisting exercises, and undersea rescue fundamentals.

It is the focus on undersea rescue fundamentals that brought Pisagua’s crew together with the professionals of URC, the U.S. Navy’s sole provider for U.S. and allied submarine rescue support.

”This exercise enhances our coordination with allies and partners in the mission of submarine rescue. It enables us to develop, refine, and practice our TTPs [tactics, techniques, and procedures] for rescue while building relationships in the international community and strengthening relationships in critical regions,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Skiles, executive officer of URC. “It builds confidence for both parties in the ability to get our sailors and our allies and partners home safe in the event of a major casualty.”

This particular exercise involved Pisagua descending to the bottom of the ocean and establishing underwater communications with the would-be rescue team. The rescue team then coordinated with personnel assigned to UUVGRU-1 to localize the submarine while also using a DISSUB Response Team from URC to minimize the intervention time for a subsequent rescue.

It is the fourth time that URC has worked with DESI partners in this fashion, and the second time with BAP Pisagua. Working together through exercises like this demonstrates the deepening coordination with URC and international Allies and partners.

“The coordination for submarine rescue is a unique mission set in the international community. We all acknowledge the inherent danger in submarining and being part of one of the world’s rescue capabilities enables us to teach and learn from our international partners through that mission,” Skiles added. “Through events like DYNAMIC MONARCH and DESI, we can maximize the probability of a successful rescue through our own capabilities or international capabilities that we’ve had the opportunity to operate and train with. These events are even more crucial for countries that don’t have inherent submarine rescue capabilities and will rely on external support from other countries in the event of a DISSUB event.”

For the Peruvian Navy, this exercise further reinforced the importance of the DESI program and its ability to enhance cooperation and collaboration between the U.S. and Peru in a variety of areas and battlespaces.

“We have learned so much from this program with the U.S. Navy and we are already looking forward to our next opportunity to participate in DESI,” said Cmdr. Raul UGARTE Aguayo, Peruvian Navy Submarine Liaison Officer. “In 2026, we will further strengthen our cooperation by incorporating our new rescue seat recently installed on our submarine Chipana.”

URC, comprised of active and Reserve component Sailors, and civilian contractors, is the U.S. Navy’s only submarine rescue-capable command ready to deploy around the world in the event of a submarine emergency.

Commander, Submarine Squadron 11 provides training, material and personnel readiness support for the medium auxiliary floating dry dock ARCO (ARDM 5), Undersea Rescue Command and four Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines, capable of supporting various missions, including: anti-submarine warfare; anti-ship warfare; strike warfare; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

For more information, contact SPSC_CSS11_PAO@navy.mil, call +1 (619) 553-1278, or visit Submarine Squadron 11’s command website at https://www.csp.navy.mil/css11/.

Source: United States Navy

For Mineman Seaman Isaiah Fye, assigned to USS Dextrous (MCM 13), joining the Navy offered more than just a job, it was a lifeline to a better future. Working two jobs with little personal impact, Fye dreamed of something bigger. Inspired by his brothers who had joined the Army, he took a leap of faith and enlisted into the U.S. Navy in January 2024.

“My first visit with the Navy recruiter sold me,” Fye recalls. “The chance to see the world, do something meaningful and be part of something bigger than myself, it was an opportunity I could not pass up.”

From Basic Training to the Mine Warfare Training Center

After completing basic training at Recruit Training Command, Fye reported to Surface Combat Systems Training Command’s (SCSTC) Mine Warfare Training Center (MWTC) in San Diego. MWTC plays a critical role in the Navy’s mine countermeasure mission, training Sailors in mine detection, neutralization and overall mine warfare readiness.
 

“…The instructors were incredible. They really want you to succeed and are there for you every step of the way as long as you are willing to show up and put in the effort.”

During his time at MWTC, Fye attended the Apprentice Technical Training (ATT) program. The coursework introduced him to troubleshooting circuits and electrical systems, a challenging area he learned to excel in.

“The coursework was intense, especially with all the math and technical material I was not familiar with,” Fye admits. “But the instructors were incredible. They really want you to succeed and are there for you every step of the way as long as you are willing to show up and put in the effort.”

The combination of hands-on learning and world-class instruction helped Fye overcome initial hurdles and develop the technical skills he needed to excel.
 

Top of the Class

Through perseverance and hard work, Fye graduated at the top of his Mineman “A” School class, earning the highest GPA and a meritorious advancement in rank through the commanding officer’s recognition program.

“Being recognized as the top of my class was one of the proudest moments of my life,” Fye says. “It proved to me that hard work pays off and that the Navy values your effort and commitment.”
 

Heading to the Fleet

Fye is now set to report to the USS Dextrous in Bahrain, where he will apply his training as a Mineman, specializing in detecting and neutralizing naval mines. The role comes with unique challenges and opportunities that Fye is eager to embrace.

“This is the most stable and rewarding job I have ever had,” Fye says. “The Navy not only gives you the chance to travel and see the world, but also to do things most people will never experience. It’s a career that sets you up for success.”

With future goals of advancing in rank and using the GI Bill to further his education, Fye is determined to make the most of the opportunities the Navy provides.

A Message for Future Sailors

Reflecting on his journey, Fye encourages others to consider the Navy as a path to personal and professional growth.

“This is a chance to change your life,” he says. “Your hard work will be recognized, and you will get to do things you never thought possible. If you are looking for stability, adventure and a way to better yourself, the Navy is it.”
 

A Testament to NETC’s Mission

Isaiah Fye’s story highlights the transformative power of the Naval Education and Training Command’s (NETC) training programs. From SCSTC’s MWTC to advanced technical training programs like ATT, NETC provides Sailors with the skills and confidence to succeed in the fleet.

“The Navy has helped me grow into a more disciplined, accountable and mature person,” Fye reflects. “It is not just about learning a job; it is about becoming the best version of yourself.”

For more stories about how NETC transforms Sailors into fleet-ready leaders, follow @NETC_HQ and visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/