Latest news with #SeaAirSpaceconference
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
F/A-XX could be the Navy's last piloted fighter, bring greater range
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Navy's upcoming sixth-generation fighter may be its last manned fighter, the director of the service's air warfare division said Tuesday. F/A-XX will include new capabilities and technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly said at the Navy League's Sea Air Space conference. The upgrades will provide more battlespace awareness and improve how naval aviators make decisions. Those technological advancements could help bring the Navy into a new era where piloted and unmanned aircraft operate more closely together, such as with the Navy's planned AI-operated drone wingmen, known as collaborative combat aircraft, or larger, unmanned platforms that might come in the future. 'It could be our last tactical manned fighter that we operate out of the Navy,' Donnelly said. 'It will actually be at a point where we are more man-on-the-loop than man-in-the-loop, and be the bridge to fully integrating towards the hybrid air wing [combining crewed and uncrewed platforms] in the future, in the 2040s.' Donnelly said the F/A-XX will allow the Navy to operate in contested environments and outmatch adversaries in ways that surpass the Navy's current fighters. 'We do that today, but we do it at parity because of the capabilities we have fielded today,' Donnelly said. 'So F/A-XX is going to be that next improvement.' Navy officials would not say when an announcement on F/A-XX would be made, but it could come soon. The Air Force's counterpart to the Navy's F/A-XX — the Boeing-made F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter — was announced by President Donald Trump in an Oval Office event March 21. Breaking Defense reported last month that Lockheed Martin had been eliminated from the running for F/A-XX, leaving Boeing and Northrop Grumman as the remaining competitors. At the Sea Air Space event, Donnelly told reporters that F/A-XX is expected to be able to fly more than 25% farther than Navy's current fighters before having to top up with a refueling tanker. The F/A-18 Super Hornet has a combat range of about 1,275 nautical miles, and the carrier-based F-35C Joint Strike Fighter can fly more than 1,200 nautical miles. 'That's a core attribute of the F/A-XX,' Donnelly told reporters. 'It will definitely have longer inherent range, and then with refueling, you could say that's indefinite, as long as refueling is available.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
New acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. James Kilby said he regrets the Navy's reliance on expensive, high-powered missiles to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and pledged to push for cheaper, more efficient solutions. Speaking to reporters at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Kilby said he was "not concerned" about the Navy's ability to protect its people – such as the 350 sailors aboard the USS Carney missile destroyer – or its ability to safeguard commercial shipping. He is concerned, however, about "not having better ways to more economically attrit the threat." In his former role as vice chief of naval operations, Kilby said he was "focused on a high-end laser – 500kW to one megawatt – and I have regret for that." Trump Admin Fires Navy Admiral At Nato Targeted By Conservative Group "I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat, where I think a much lesser-powered weapon would have done what we needed it to do," Kilby said. Read On The Fox News App He promised the Navy was now working to overhaul its costly defense tactics with "much more cost-effective" technologies to counter autonomous vehicles in the Red Sea, as he called on the defense industry to more quickly produce munitions for the mission. "We have to get after our industrial base or munitions industrial base the same way we have to get after our shipbuilding industrial base," said Kilby. When asked if the Navy had enough munitions to counter the Houthi threat, Kilby replied, "I think we need more munitions." "We certainly need more depth of magazine, if we're going to get into a protracted conflict." The U.S. launched a renewed offensive campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels last month, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, "it's about to get worse" for the Houthis. Onlookers have long decried the disproportionate cost of taking on the Yemeni rebels. Naval missiles that run around $2 million a shot have been used to take out drones that cost the Houthis no more than $2,000. Since the March 15 offensive began, the Houthis have also downed three MQ-9 Reaper drones — each worth about $30 million. Kilby replaced Adm. Lisa Franchetti in an acting capacity in February, after she was let go as part of a broader purge of high-level military leadership by the Trump administration. Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife were also relieved of command. It is not yet clear whether Kilby will be nominated to serve as CNO in a permanent capacity and put forward for Senate confirmation. However, Kilby said he would continue Franchetti's goal of getting the Navy to a point where 80% of its ships are ready to deploy for combat at any given moment. Currently, he said, submarines are operating at 67% combat readiness, ships are at 68% and aircraft carriers are at 70%. Kilby told Fox News Digital he was pleased that "awareness seems to be higher" regarding the nation's shipbuilding issues, adding, "it's going to take a national effort." He also said he was "super focused" with the Marine Corps commandant and deputy commandant on getting the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program back on track. Houthis Shoot Down 3Rd Us Reaper Drone As Trump Administration Continues Daily Airstrikes The LSM program, viewed by many as crucial to moving Marines around remote islands in the Indo-Pacific in the event of conflict with China, has been plagued by delays, with work on the program stalling late last year. The vessel is envisioned to be able to transport forces right onto a beach without any port access, where they would be able to fire anti-ship cruise missiles and collect intelligence. Kilby said Navy and Marine Corps leadership are now looking to get approval to procure a ship to enter the testing phase of such a vessel. "We're going to go through we'll look at those requirements, make sure we produce a ship that can meet the needs of the Marine Corps and support their force design. But I'm thankful we're doing it now not when our ship's in construction. So I'm optimistic here. And we need that. You know, we need to have this expedition." Kilby also laid out his goals for sailor recruitment shortfalls. "I'll take that 23,000-person gap, make it 18,000 this year and 8,000 the next year."Original article source: New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
Fox News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
New acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. James Kilby said he regrets the Navy's reliance on expensive, high-powered missiles to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and pledged to push for cheaper, more efficient solutions. Speaking at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Kilby said he was "not concerned" about the Navy's ability to protect its people – such as the 350 sailors aboard the USS Carney missile destroyer – or its ability to safeguard commercial shipping. He is concerned, however, about "not having better ways to more economically attrit the threat." In his former role as vice chief of naval operations, Kilby said he was "focused on a high-end laser – 500kW to one megawatt – and I have regret for that." "I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat, where I think a much lesser-powered weapon would have done what we needed it to do," Kilby said. He promised the Navy was now working to overhaul its costly defense tactics with "much more cost-effective" technologies to counter autonomous vehicles in the Red Sea, as he called on the defense industry to more quickly produce munitions for the mission. "We have to get after our industrial base or munitions industrial base the same way we have to get after our shipbuilding industrial base," said Kilby. When asked if the Navy had enough munitions to counter the Houthi threat, Kilby replied, "I think we need more munitions." "We certainly need more depth of magazine, if we're going to get into a protracted conflict." The U.S. launched a renewed offensive campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels last month, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, "it's about to get worse" for the Houthis. Onlookers have long decried the disproportionate cost of taking on the Yemeni rebels. Naval missiles that run around $2 million a shot have been used to take out drones that cost the Houthis no more than $2,000. Since the March 15 offensive began, the Houthis have also downed three MQ-9 Reaper drones — each worth about $30 million. Kilby replaced Adm. Lisa Franchetti in an acting capacity in February, after she was let go as part of a broader purge of high-level military leadership by the Trump administration. Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife were also relieved of command. It is not yet clear whether Kilby will be nominated to serve as CNO in a permanent capacity and put forward for Senate confirmation. However, Kilby said he would continue Franchetti's goal of getting the Navy to a point where 80% of its ships are ready to deploy for combat at any given moment. Currently, he said, submarines are operating at 67% combat readiness, ships are at 68% and aircraft carriers are at 70%. Kilby said he was pleased that "awareness seems to be higher" regarding the nation's shipbuilding issues, adding, "it's going to take a national effort." He also said he was "super focused" with the Marine Corps commandant and deputy commandant on getting the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program back on track. The LSM program, viewed by many as crucial to moving Marines around remote islands in the Indo-Pacific in the event of conflict with China, has been plagued by delays, with work on the program stalling late last year. The vessel is envisioned to be able to transport forces right onto a beach without any port access, where they would be able to fire anti-ship cruise missiles and collect intelligence. Kilby said Navy and Marine Corps leadership are now looking to get approval to procure a ship to enter the testing phase of such a vessel. "We're going to go through we'll look at those requirements, make sure we produce a ship that can meet the needs of the Marine Corps and support their force design. But I'm thankful we're doing it now not when our ship's in construction. So I'm optimistic here. And we need that. You know, we need to have this expedition." Kilby also laid out his goals for sailor recruitment shortfalls. "I'll take that 23,000-person gap, make it 18,000 this year and 8,000 the next year."
