Work under the new contract will initially cover five U.S. combatant commands: Central Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, Northern Command/NORAD, and Transportation Command.
The launches are continuing in the wake of several recent shoot downs of unidentified “objects” flying over North America, by U.S. fighter jets launching AIM-9X air-to-air missiles.
The Navy will use UUVs to help the Defense Department recover debris from China’s suspected surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
“The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground,”…