The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Sikorsky a $15.5 million contract to develop and demonstrate an autonomous cargo helicopter for frontline resupply missions, selecting a commercially developed aircraft over a purpose-built military design.
American military leaders faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers on Feb. 9 over the V-22 Osprey’s troubled safety record, with accident rates spiking nearly 90 percent above historical averages and 20 service members killed between fiscal years 2022 and 2024. U.S. Marines take off in an MV-22B Osprey at Norwegian Air Force Base Bodø during Exercise Cold Response 2022, Norway, March 26, 2022. The Marines are assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing. Exercise Cold Response ’22 is a biennial exercise that takes place across Norway, with participation from each of its military services, as well as from 26 additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization allied nations and regional partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Elias E. Pimentel III) Continue reading “Lawmakers grill military leaders at V-22 hearing”
U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 “Red Devils” deployed to Japan on Sept. 8, replacing VMFA-214 “Black Sheep” in the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program rotation and marking the end of the first F-35B squadron deployment under the program.
A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing taxis the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Sep. 8, 2025. VMFA-232, an F-18 Hornet squadron from MCAS Miramar, California, deployed to augment MAG-12, 1st MAW under the Unit Deployment Program, which provides U.S.-based units with operational experience in the Indo-Pacific through continuous and overlapping deployments to the region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erick Reyes) Continue reading “VMFA-232 replaces VMFA-214 for UDP in Japan”
In a significant advancement for U.S. joint military operations, Marine Corps F-35 and Air Force F-22 pilots trained together for the first time in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River during the last week of March 2025.
The U.S. Navy Reserve’s KC-130T Hercules fleet, upgraded with the NP2000 propeller system, is now cleared to aerially refuel a significantly wider range of aircraft across the carrier airwing following envelope expansion testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) which concluded in early 2025.