October 2014 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 7. UNITED STATES NAVY NEWS
Navy’s Triton Unmanned Aircraft Com- pletes First Cross-country Flight From Naval Air Systems Command
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River Sept. 18 after completing its inaugural cross-country ferry fl ight, bringing the Navy closer to delivering this new capability to the fl eet. This fl ight marked the transition from
initial fl ight test, which established basic safety of fl ight, to testing that will demon- strate Triton’s capability to perform opera- tional missions in the maritime domain. “Today we brought Triton home to the center of research, development, test and evaluation for naval aviation,” said Rear Adm. Mat Winter, who oversees the Program Executive Offi ce for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO (U&W)) at NAVAIR. Winter, along with the fl ight crew and members from the Triton’s Persistent Mar- itime Unmanned Systems Program Offi ce (PMA-262), witnessed the historic landing at 7:53 a.m. During the approximately 11- hour 3,290 nautical mile fl ight originating from Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, Cal- ifornia, facility, the Triton fl ew along the southern U.S. border, the Gulf of Mexico and across Florida via an approved instru- ment route. Operators navigated the aircraft up the Atlantic Coast and Chesapeake Bay at altitudes in excess of 50,000 feet to ensure there were no confl icts with civilian air traffi c.
“The coordination to bring the Navy’s
largest unmanned asset across the country was signifi cant and involved many organi- zations,” said Capt. Jim Hoke, PMA-262’s program manager.
Hoke said this perfect execution was no surprise to him since the system has exceeded performance standards during the course of the last year. Triton has completed 15 test fl ights prior to today’s ferry fl ight, demonstrating its ability to operate at vari- ous speeds and altitudes. PMA-262 has scheduled Triton opera- tions to start at Pax River within the next sev- eral weeks. The Triton integrated test team will conduct further envelope expansion, sensor, communications and interoperabil- ity testing. Three Triton test vehicles will fl y ap- proximately 2,000 hours before achieving initial operational capability in 2017.
USNS Fall River (JHSV 4) Delivered From Team Ships Public Affairs
MOBILE, Ala. (NNS) -- The Navy accepted delivery of Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Fall River from the Austal USA shipbuilder, Sept. 15.
The delivery marks a major milestone,
the offi cial transfer of the vessel from the shipbuilder to the Navy. USNS Fall River is the U.S. Navy’s fourth Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV).
Joint High Speed Vessels are versatile, non-combatant transport ships built from a commercial design with limited modifi ca- tions for military use. These ships enable the fast, intra-theater transport of troops, military vehicles and equipment. Each JHSV is capable of transporting 600 short tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots.
The unique characteristics of JHSVs include a versatile off-load ramp and fl ight deck for helicopter operations. This further enhances port access and the Navy’s opera- tions in littoral areas.
USNS FALL RIVER, a Joint High Speed Vessel, is delivered to the U. S. Navy.
The USNS Fall River has a core crew of 22 civilian mariners who operate and navigate the ship as part of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. The ship is de- signed to be used in support of a variety of different missions.
Delivery of Fall River follows the com- pletion of its builder’s and acceptance trials in July. The program continues to progress with JHSV 5’s launch which is expected to occur in the coming weeks. All ten ships
of the JHSV class are under contract with Austal USA.
As one of the Defense Department’s
largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the develop- ment and procurement of all destroyers, am- phibious ships, special mission and support ships, and special warfare craft. Delivering high-quality war fi ghting assets - while bal-
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