Sub Commissioning. The Navy was to commission the newest Virginia-class (SSN-774) attack submarine during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. The event will mark the entry of the USS Minnesota (SSN-783) into the Navy’s fleet. The Minnesota, built by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding, is the 10th ship in the Virginia-class. The ship’s sponsor is Ellen Roughead, a native of Minnesota and wife of retired admiral Gary Roughead, the former chief of naval operations. “Minnesota and the success of our Virginia-class submarine program prove that acquisition excellence is a key element of building the future fleet,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says. The sub is the third ship to be named for the state.
Guiding Bombs. Lockheed Martin laser-guided bomb kits have been have been successfully tested in development exercises at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Fallon, Nev. During a two-day period and four missions, the Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb (DMLGB) was employed on 36 GBU-12F/B bombs and dropped from F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets on fixed targets, the company says. The DMLGBs are designed for precision strike on stationary and moving targets and can operate in laser mode, internal navigation/GPS or both, the company says.
No To VXX Prototypes. The GAO released a report Friday largely upholding the Navy’s decision to waive the competitive prototyping process for the VXX presidential helicopter program. A waiver is required under a 2009 law stipulating the need for competitive prototyping. The GAO report says the Navy adequately analyzed its options in seeking the waiver. One key aspect of it is the Navy’s requirement for the defense industry to use an existing airframe with mature technologies to minimize risk. However, it doesn’t appear there will be much of a competition for the VXX program. Industry was required to submit bids by Aug.1, and only Sikorsky, a division of United Technologies, did so. Boeing and AgustaWestland, a unit of Italy’s Finmeccanica, decided against submitting proposals. Both firms suggested the requirements overly favor Sikorsky.