The Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) developmental pod recently completed a portion of developmental testing in the Air Combat Environmental Test and Evaluation Facility anechoic chamber at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

The NGJ-MB Engineering Development Model (EDM) pods, developed by the Raytheon Company in El Segundo, California, completed more than 400 hours of basic functionality, Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) data collection and performance testing over a period of three months.

As the F-35B is set for its debut aboard Italy’s and the United Kingdom’s aircraft carriers, sailors from both navies spent the last month learning how to maintain the ships’ instrument carrier landing system (ICLS), graduating Feb. 27 during a small ceremony at Webster Outlying Field.

Jonathan Myers goes to work every day and tries to break stuff.

Deck lights, pulley systems and network switch racks are all items that have seen his wrath. On this particular day, it’s a deck edge light for USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) that is getting the business – it’s being heated to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and submerged in a tank of 55-degree water, a stress test designed to see if it can withstand the realities of life on a ship.

The Navy’s newest instrument landing system (ILS) is installed at NAS Patuxent River’s Trapnell Airfield, required inspections are underway, and the system is expected to be fully operational by mid-February.

“ILS is becoming a program of record for the Navy because we’ve finally reached the point where more than 50% of the Navy’s fleet of aircraft are capable of using this equipment,” said Pax River’s Air Traffic Control Facility Officer Lt. Steve Palmer.

The first Service Life Modification (SLM) F/A-18E/F Super Hornet rolled off the production line in St. Louis, marking a major milestone for the U.S. Navy. After undergoing Department of Defense operational readiness review inspections, the jet was released to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 on Jan. 21, fully mission capable, and successfully completed a functional flight check within just three business days of arrival.

The U.S. Navy announced on Jan. 13, 2020 that AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation (Leonardo) was awarded a contract for $176.5M for the production of 32 TH-73A helicopters in support of the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) program.

Navy leaders took a bold step in establishing an enduring and disciplined sustainment management process by launching the first sustainment program baseline (SPB) pilot for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in fiscal 2020.

Achieving and maintaining predictable and affordable readiness across the fleet requires a disciplined performance driven sustainment process.

The Navy’s newest aircraft recovery system, Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), successfully completed the system’s most demanding test event to date with 22 aircraft arrestments in just over 26 minutes at the Runway Arrested Landing Site (RALS) in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

The two-day series of testing Oct. 23-24 evaluated the AAG thermal management system’s ability to remove excess heat generated during fast-paced flight operations as experienced aboard the aircraft carrier to validate the system’s capability to meet USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) operational requirements.

The Navy has awarded contracts to BAE Systems and Raytheon in October for the development and demonstration a next-generation, dual band towed decoy. The contracts, valued at $36.7 million and $33 million respectively, will help determine the best fit to meet F/A-18E/F decoy requirements through a 27-month development and demonstration phase.

The Advanced Tactical Aircraft Protection Systems Program (PMA-272) based in Patuxent River will carry out testing and demonstrations of the next-generation dual band towed decoy capability on F/A-18E/F.

The Navy demonstrated its new Shipboard Air Traffic Radar, AN/SPN-50, for the first time Oct. 23 at Webster Field in St. Inigoes, Maryland.

The AN/SPN-50 , which is currently in the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase, is scheduled for a production decision in late 2020.The AN/SPN-50 radar will begin replacing the Navy’s current radar system, AN/SPN-43C, on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships in fiscal 2021.