Latest news with #P-8
Axios
5 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Northrop eyes Norway as it works on Tritons for Australia
Northrop Grumman is bullish on the international appeal of its MQ-4C Triton, with Norway among the potential buyers of the massive maritime drone. Why it matters: Militaries want more smart machinery, and governments want more dirt on their neighbors. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) strapped with specialty sensors can satisfy both cravings. Driving the news: Reporters on June 13 got an intimate look at Tritons housed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, home to the Naval Air Systems Command. State of play: Northrop's delivered 20 Tritons to the U.S. Navy. It's sent another three to Australia, and is building a fourth right now in Mississippi. "In the last six months, we've been able to execute 45 flights per month across all three operational orbits," said Capt. Josh Guerre, the persistent maritime unmanned aircraft systems program manager. "You really are supporting concurrent operations, 24/7." Zoom in: Triton can fly around the clock at altitudes greater than 50,000 feet, hoovering up geospatial and signals intelligence. It can also pair with Boeing-made P-8 aircraft, which hunt submarines. Brad Champion, the Triton enterprise director at Northrop, described it as picking "up all the metal on the water." The latest: Both Northrop and General Atomics responded to Norway's ask for long-range drones. "They have a very vast ocean region that they're responsible for," Champion said. "Their economic exclusion zone is very large within the High North, and they are procuring P-8s, so they are set up very well to continue to follow the U.S. Navy doctrine of that manned-unmanned teaming." Champion expects a decision this year. He referred an ask for specifics to Oslo. The other side: C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesperson for General Atomics, told Axios the company has its MQ-9B SeaGuardian in the running.
Korea Herald
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
S. Korea almost absent in Hegseth's speech at Shangri-La Dialogue
The Pentagon chief's speech at an annual defense forum in Singapore used to highlight defense cooperation with South Korea and trilateral efforts with Japan as the United States has sought to leverage the core Asian allies for peace in the face of a provocative North Korea and an assertive China. But South Korea was almost absent in this year's Shangri-La Dialogue speech by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, adding to concerns that the monthslong absence of a fully elected leader in South Korea could have an impact on the bilateral alliance. The speech was delivered as South Korea is set to pick a new president in an election slated for Tuesday. The presidential vote was set up following the April ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration in December. Hegseth's speech spelled out security engagements with Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand and India as well as the trilateral partnership between the US, Japan and Australia. But Korea was not mentioned in his narrative of security cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies and partners. He touched on South Korea once, when he announced a defense cooperation project that will enable Korea and New Zealand, which use P-8 maritime aircraft, to repair the plane in the Indo-Pacific rather than relying on a single repair source in the continental U.S. The increasingly worrisome North Korean military quandary was not given much attention in the secretary's speech either, whereas he accentuated threats from China and stressed the need for allies to increase defense spending and serve as "force multipliers" in the midst of threats from Beijing. The secretary's perceived lack of focus on cooperation with South Korea followed a recent Wall Street Journal report that the Pentagon is considering the idea of pulling out around 4,500 troops from the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK). The Pentagon has dismissed the report as untrue, but speculation continues. A senior US defense official has said that given the US' priority on deterring China, it is "essential" to work with the incoming Seoul government to "modernize" the alliance and "calibrate" US force posture on the Korean Peninsula -- a remark that apparently left open the door for an adjustment to the USFK presence. South Korea was also absent in the secretary's plans for bilateral, trilateral and multilateral talks on the sidelines of the annual forum, as Seoul sent Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae to the forum rather than its acting Defense Minister Kim Sun-ho. "My understanding is (the secretary's South Korean) counterpart was not able to be attending the Shangri-La Dialogue. That's why he is not able to do the bilateral meeting with South Korea at this time," a senior US defense official told reporters earlier this week. "But obviously we look forward to working with the incoming South Korean government after the election. I also want to reiterate the US-ROK alliance remains critical to the US interests," he added. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. Though South Korea was rarely seen in official events, its officials made behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to maintain engagements with foreign partners, a diplomatic source told Yonhap News Agency. "Still, we have received a due amount of requests from foreign governments for engagements at the forum," the source said. Still, South Koreans appear to have been a bit let down about a lack of attention to Korea in the secretary's remarks. "I felt that it was a bit unfortunate," another source said. Worries about the strength of the alliance in the midst of political uncertainty in Seoul emerged in March as well when Hegseth skipped South Korea in his first trip to the Indo-Pacific, which included stops in Japan and the Philippines. Brushing aside those concerns, Seoul and Washington continued to hold regular defense talks. Early this month, the allies held the Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue in Washington, where the two sides agreed to further cooperate to achieve shared security goals on the peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific. The two sides are also expected to hold a meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group, their key nuclear deterrence body. Observers pin hopes on the full resumption of high-level talks between South Korea and the US once a new government is launched next month. (Yonhap)
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navy identifies sailor who went missing in Guam
The U.S. Navy officially named the sailor who went missing in Guam, a week after his last known appearance. The Navy and U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Gabriel D. Holt on Thursday, having scoured more than 11,000 square nautical miles in the ocean over five days. Holt, who served aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, has been listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown. Holt was last seen onshore in Guam at 11:57 p.m. on April 18, when the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group arrived in port, and was listed as unaccounted for the following day. The Navy, along with local authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard, began a multi-day search for him. 'Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends, and shipmates of Petty Officer Holt,' Capt. Doug Graber, the USS Nimitz's commander, said in a Navy statement. 'After carefully considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the extremely difficult decision to suspend the search. This has been an extraordinarily challenging case, and the decision to suspend active efforts was not made lightly. We are sincerely grateful for the support and coordination from all units and partners who assisted in searching.' Holt was officially named by the Navy a day after the search was called off and his next of kin was notified. The USS Nimitz was at Naval Base Guam for a port visit as part of its deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. The carrier strike group left port on April 21 while continuing the search. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard assets, including crews from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, a P-8 maritime patrol plane and the cutter USCGC Oliver Henry, scoured both the coastal area and deeper waters around Guam for any sign of Holt. The Nimitz is currently on what is expected to be its final deployment before decommissioning. Top enlisted leader of Air Force Special Operations Command fired amid investigation The Marine in one of the most famous recruiting commercials is now in Congress 75th Ranger Regiment wins 2025 Best Ranger Competition Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer reenlists in Marine Reserve Air Force pilots get a new way to pee at 30,000 feet
Globe and Mail
03-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Boeing Stock (NYSE:BA) Plummets Despite New Government Order
Something terrible happened out at aerospace stock Boeing (BA) today, and telling what it is is proving oddly difficult. Boeing landed a hefty new government order for trainer aircraft, the possibility of Boeing making the next carrier fighter remains , and Kelly Ortberg's Washington run is looking pretty solid right now. But despite all of that, Boeing stock plummeted nearly 9% in Thursday afternoon's trading. Don't Miss Our End of Quarter Offers: Discover the latest stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts, all in one place with Analyst Top Stocks. Make smarter investments with weekly expert stock picks from the Smart Investor Newsletter. The big news was that Boeing landed an order from the United States Navy, valued at $133.5 million for training system support for the P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The order calls for Phase 2 software development, reports note, as well as integration and device installation support for the systems used by the South Korean government. With these systems, the South Korean government will train its pilots on the P-8A Poseidon. The contract, reports note, will be paid for via ' foreign military sales funds,' and is expected to take until October 2028 to complete. Most of the work will be done in St. Louis, at Boeing's facility there, but some of it will be done in Pohang, South Korea. The order is being treated as a modification to an earlier order from the Navy, valued at $146 million for software and hardware updates on the P-8's training systems, reports noted. 'Profound Changes' With the F/A-XX contract as yet undecided, at last report, it is no surprise that Kelly Ortberg is heading back to Washington to keep the government happy. And while we had a pretty good idea what he would be bringing up when he got there, he formally delivered the remarks in question, noting 'profound changes' at Boeing This was the first time that Ortberg has faced Congress since his installation as CEO back in August. And he faced all sorts of questions, as well as offers for aid. Committee Chair Ted Cruz, for example, promised Boeing an 'open door' for opinions from anyone at Boeing, from leadership clear down to factory line. Ortberg even left open the possibility of a 'corporate monitor' directly established at Boeing itself. Is Boeing a Good Stock to Buy Right Now? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on BA stock based on 12 Buys, five Holds and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 16.2% loss in its share price over the past year, the average BA price target of $196.13 per share implies 28.3% upside potential. See more BA analyst ratings Disclosure Disclaimer & Disclosure Report an Issue
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Drone-Equipped U.S. Marines Now Helping Protect Baltic Sea Submarine Cables
About 40 drone-equipped U.S. Marines have been sent to Finland to join NATO's Baltic Sentry effort to protect undersea cables in the wake of several instances of suspected sabotage, according to the Finnish Defense Ministry (MoD) and U.S. Marine Corps. That news comes as Swedish Police say they are investigating a potential new break in a cable running between Gotland and Germany, the latest in a series of such incidents. While U.S. Marines routinely train with Finnish forces and U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft have already participated in Baltic Sentry, this marks the first commitment of American troops. Baltic Sentry was stood up last month by 10 NATO nations in the wake of the suspected sabotage in December of undersea power and communications cables between Finland and Estonia. The Marines will use hand-launched RQ-20 Puma surveillance drones to 'provide additional maritime domain awareness' to Baltic Sentry, according to the Marine Corps. The Pumas 'are capable of being operated from sea and land, but their employment will be determined by the Finnish and Marine Corps team on the ground,' Lt. Col. Zach Leuthardt, a spokesman for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe, told us. The Marine platoon 'will help create the recognized maritime picture and monitor critical undersea infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland by identifying and tracking vessel movements together with the Finnish Navy,' the Finnish MoD said in a statement. The Recognized Maritime picture 'is created based on multiple different sensors and the analysis formed from this data,' the Finnish MoD told us. 'The USMC platoon will use capabilities such as UAVs that can supplement the current Recognized Maritime picture. In other words, they are one node in the network that collects movement of the ships in the Baltic Sea. Sensors that USMC uses are not armed and thus there is no need for specific Rules of Engagement.' 'Having the US Marine Corps unit in Finland and as part of NATO's Baltic Sentry will strengthen the security of Finland and the Baltic Sea region.' Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a statement. 'This cooperation is a continuation of our active international exercises with our Allies.' The Marines arrived this week and the length of their deployment has not yet been determined, the Finnish MoD told us. They came to Europe 'to train as part of Marine Rotational Force Europe and were dynamically re-tasked to support Baltic Sentry,' Luethardt explained, adding that they are well-suited for this mission. 'The Marine Corps' ability to be an expeditionary and agile force, with expertise in littoral environments, makes us a logical partner for this type of enhanced vigilance activity,' Leuthardt noted. 'This is another milestone in our long-standing collaborative relationship with Finland and NATO. This mission will set conditions for European allies to bolster their NATO contributions and capabilities.' The deployment is mutually beneficial, a spokesman Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO (SACEUR), told The War Zone Friday morning. 'This is a great opportunity for the two countries to work together, and with other Allies, on an important issue for both America and Europe – the protection of critical undersea infrastructure,' Army Col. Martin O'Donnell said. 'This is also a great opportunity for the Marines to hone their cold weather skills. The Arctic is a focus of NATO and the U.S. and anytime we partner with a country like Finland, it is a good thing for the Marines, America and the Finns.' Having Marines deployed on this mission fits into their new doctrine of positioning small units in littoral areas inside an enemy's weapons engagement zone (WEZ), though that has been largely focused on the Pacific. 'Being forward inside the weapons engagement zone, with allies and partners, reassuring them every day, by walking the real estate with them, that is deterrence,' Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl told a virtual panel held by the Center for International and Strategic Studies in 2022. Highlighting the need for this cooperation, the Swedish Police on Friday announced that they are investigating 'a possible cable break in the Baltic Sea…within the Swedish economic zone. The preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage was opened so that the police can have access to the tools needed to clarify what happened and whether it is a new or old damage.' There are no suspects yet, the police stated, adding that they are 'cooperating with the relevant authorities and have no further information to share at this time.' 'We take all reports of possible damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea very seriously,' Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Friday on X. 'As I said earlier, they must be seen in the context of the serious security situation that exists.' Jag har sedan en tid kännedom om uppgifterna i media om ett eventuellt nytt kabelbrott i Östersjön. Regeringen informeras löpande av berörda myndigheter som undersöker vad som skett. Vi tar alla uppgifter om eventuella skador på infrastruktur i Östersjön på största allvar. Som… — SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) February 21, 2025 'We (Allied Maritime Command and SHAPE) are also in touch with Sweden on reports of a new cable break in the Baltic Sea,' SACUER spokesman O'Donnell told us. 'Sweden's Coast Guard was informed of the purported break yesterday and is investigating.' There have been several instances of suspected sabotage of undersea cables, with Russia and China as the prime suspects. According to Finnish authorities, the Russian-linked Eagle S oil tanker severed the Estlink 2 undersea power cable and four telecommunications cables with its anchor in December. The ship, found to be brimming with spy equipment, was seized and authorities are continuing their investigation. You can see that ship after it was seized by Finnish authorities in the following video. In November, Germany said damage to two communication cables running under the Baltic Sea was most likely the result of sabotage. The two cables in question are both fiber-optic communication cables, running along the Baltic seabed. One runs between the Swedish island of Gotland and Lithuania, and the other between Finland and Germany. Gotland is about 280 miles southwest of where the Estlink 2 cable was severed. A day later, Denmark confirmed it was monitoring a Chinese cargo vessel at the center of allegations surrounding that damage. The 735-foot-long Yi Peng 3 was identified as operating near the cables when the incidents occurred. The Chinese vessel had departed the Russian port of Ust-Luga, in the Leningrad region, close to the Estonian border, on Nov. 15 and had been scheduled to sail to Port Said, Egypt, where it was originally due to arrive on Dec. 3. Last month, Swedish Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin announced that the Norbalt undersea power cable linking Sweden with Lithuania was likely also purposely damaged by the Yi Peng 3 as well. The deployment of the Marines to Baltic Sentry comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, which will mark its third anniversary on Monday. It is part of a greater effort by NATO to establish a more ready force in the face of potential Russian aggression. '…we will have a rigorous exercise program to enhance our readiness,' Cavoli, the SACEUR, said during a NATO press conference last month. 'Allied Command Operations has nearly 100 separate exercises planned in 2025.' At that press conference, Cavoli stressed there would be limited U.S. involvement in Baltic Sentry, a sign that NATO is more than just an American operation. 'There's not a single U.S contribution to that,' he said at the time. 'I think I'm the only U.S. contribution to it, in fact. So this is an alliance that is not a one-trick pony. This is an alliance that is capable of doing things and is rapidly gaining the ability to do more and more.' This was before the Navy's P-8s flew surveillance missions and the Marines were sent in. Whether there will be additional U.S. contributions to Baltic Sentry remains to be seen. 'We don't speculate about future operations, but would reemphasize what NATO leaders have said in that Baltic Sentry is primarily about regional allies helping regional Allies,' Arlo Abrahamson, a NATO spokesman, told us. Contact the author: howard@
