Search Results

A dynamic era in naval oceanography recently ended as the iconic Floating Instrument Platform — popularly known as FLIP — was officially retired from service. Built in 1962 with funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), FLIP helped generations of scientists and oceanographers better understand the mysteries of the sea, including internal waves, air-sea interaction and long-range sound propagation. Sadly, age and exorbitant life-extension costs resulted in the platform being disestablished. On Aug. 3, a solemn gathering of well-wishers watched as FLIP was towed, at sunset, to a dismantling and recycling facility. Last month, a formal good-bye ceremony was hosted by the Marine Physical Laboratory at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Though retired, FLIP will live on at Scripps. One of its booms (crane-like arms for suspending instruments) will be installed on the Scripps research pier in La Jolla and used to deploy instruments. Also, artifacts from the platform will be displayed in a permanent exhibit at Scripps’ Birch Aquarium.

At the Technical Concept Experiment 23.2, held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, ONR showcased multiple systems designed to enhance the Marine Corps’ capability in carrying out amphibious operations — including explosive hazard defeat/mine countermeasures as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge recently sponsored a three-stage competition called the Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuvers (AISUM) Prize Challenge.

Special Program Announcement for Office of Naval Research Research Opportunity: “Science of Artificial Intelligence – Basic and Applied Research for the Naval Domain”

ONR SCOUT is an ongoing, multiagency experimentation campaign to identify new ways to bring unmanned technologies to warfighter problems, test them in realistic operating conditions and get them to the fleet and force. SCOUT is committed to partnering with industry to get nontraditional, commercial-off-the-shelf, government-developed and/or government-sponsored technologies to the fleet rapidly.

Known as the Layered Laser Defense (LLD), the weapon was designed and built by Lockheed Martin to serve as a multi-domain, multi-platform demonstration system. It can counter unmanned aerial systems and fast-attack boats with a high-power laser—and also use its high-resolution telescope to track in-bound air threats, support combat identification and conduct battle damage assessment of engaged targets.

A partnership involving the Office of Naval Research (ONR); the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (DASN RDT&E); and the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) is conducting the first virtual sprint demonstration of the Aggregated Digital Ecosystem for Naval Advantage (ADENA) during February and March 2022.

BAA Call N0001424SBC02 Special Program Announcement for Office of Naval Research (ONR) Research Opportunity: Fundamental Research Towards Expeditionary Air Warfare & Weapons

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, best known for his daring dive to the deepest spot on Earth, nearly 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, has died at age 92. Walsh was a co-pilot of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a deep submergence vehicle acquired by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1958. Two years later, on January 23, 1960, Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, son of the inventor of the bathyscaphe, became the first humans to descend into the Challenger Deep, located in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. “ONR sponsored the Trieste, but it was then-Lt. Don Walsh who made the very daring decision to make the first descent into the deepest spot of the earth’s ocean. Walsh was a Navy officer, a submariner, an adventurer, and an oceanographer. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences and gratitude for allowing him to explore, and share his extraordinary experiences and knowledge with us,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus.

The Office of Naval Research's Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for Photonics, Power & Energy, Atmospherics, and Quantum Science program is focused on machine learning techniques that can be applied to photonics, power and energy, thermal management and controls, atmospherics, communication, and quantum science for improved naval capabilities.