UAE receives first Saab Global Eye early-warning aircraft

Saab has delivered its first GlobalEye early-warning plane to the United Arab Emirates.
The aircraft arrived in Dubai during the late morning of April 29 following a brief stopover in Bulgaria on its way from Sweden.
GlobalEye is able to provide ground, air and maritime surveillance.
UAE has two more GlobalEye on order.
defensenews

Spain Awards Lockheed Martin $519m For F-110 5 Aegis & SPY-7 Radar Systems

The U.S. Navy, on behalf of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer Spain, has awarded Lockheed Martin a $519.1 million contract to support AEGIS and SPY-7 systems for the future F-110 frigates of the Spanish Navy.
The contract covers the procurement of AEGIS fire control loop development, Solid State S-Band Radar Processing Group, tools and test equipment, and spares for five new multi-mission frigates operating the AEGIS combat system.This FMS contract will support the in-development Bonifaz-class (F-110) Frigates of the Spanish Navy and their SPY-7 radar.
The contracted work will be performed mostly in the US and is expected to be completed by April 2030.
Spain is obligating $90.7 million in FMS funding at the time of the award.
Navantia and the Spanish Ministry of Defense have signed the contract for the construction of five F-110 frigates for the Spanish Navy in April 2019.
F-110 frigates are set to replace the Spanish Navy’s Santa Maria-class frigates which have been in service for over 30 years. F-110 frigates will be fitted with the Aegis combat system integrating a new solid-state S-band radar by Indra. Lockheed Martin and Indra have been collaborating since 2009 to develop a state-of-the-art S-band solid state radar for Spain’s F-110 Frigate Program.
navalnews

Royal Air Force Typhoons intercept 2 TU-142 - RAF Chief mocks Russia's planes as 'relics of the Cold War'

The quick reaction alert (QRA) Typhoons were monitoring the Russian Tu-142 BEAR-F maritime patrol aircraft while they operated in the UK’s "area of interest" this morning.
The head of the Royal Air Force dismissed two Russian patrol aircraft as "relics of the Cold War" in a rare public rebuke after British jets were forced to scramble to intercept them. The Typhoon fighters launched from an airbase in Lossiemouth, Moray, as the Russian planes flew close to Norway, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) jets were supported by a refuelling tanker aircraft, which flew from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Working with the Norwegian air force, the jets tracked the Tu-142 'BEAR-F' aircraft, which stayed in international airspace over the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea.
The Russian activity at a time of crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic was condemned by Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air Staff.
"These Russian bombers are relics of the Cold War, do not comply with international air traffic regulations and are a hazard to civilian and military aircraft," he said.
"Despite the global pandemic, the Royal Air Force and our allies continue to ensure Russian military flights pose no threat to NATO and UK airspace."
sky

Spain prepares to take lead for Baltic Air Policing mission

Spain is to take over responsibility for leading NATO's Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission, with four Boeing EF-18M Hornet fighters recently arriving at Šiauliai Airbase in Lithuania.
From 1 May the Spanish fighters of Wing (Ala) 15, based at Zaragoza, will be supported by UK Eurofighter Typhoons also operating out of Šiauliai Airbase, and by French Dassault Mirage 2000s flying from Ämari Airbase in Estonia.
These three nations will conduct air policing of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian airspace through to the end of August, at which time they will be relieved by other NATO members.
The NATO BAP mission is part of a wider enhanced air policing mission that includes the recently constituted southern air policing mission based in Romania, as well as similar missions that cover Albania, Belgium, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Slovenia.
janes

Pentagon releases videos of encounters between UFOs and Navy pilots

After verifying the authenticity of the footage years ago, the Pentagon has finally released three videos of separate encounters between Navy pilots and unidentified flying objects.
The videos — two were taken in January 2015, while the third dates back to November 2004 — were released “in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos,” Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said.

militarytimes

USAF US NAVY US MARINES F-35's will have to live with limits on supersonic flights

An issue that risks damage to the F-35’s tail section if the aircraft needs to maintain supersonic speeds is not worth fixing and will instead be addressed by changing the operating parameters, the F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News in a statement Friday.
The deficiency, first reported by Defense News in 2019, means that at extremely high altitudes, the U.S. Navy’s and Marine Corps’ versions of the F-35 jet can only fly at supersonic speeds for short bursts of time before there is a risk of structural damage and loss of stealth capability.
The problem may make it impossible for the Navy’s F-35C to conduct supersonic intercepts.
defensenews

Moroccan Harpoon Block II missiles to be ‘non-coastal’ versions

The Boeing AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles that the United States has approved for the Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) are the “non-coastal target suppression” version, according to an arms sale notification published by the US Federal Register on 27 April.
This reduction in capability was not mentioned when the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 14 April that the US State Department had approved the sale of 10 AGM-84Ls for an estimated USD62 million for use by the RMAF’s F-16 multirole fighters.
The AGM-84L was designed to have a substantially improved ability to find target ships sailing close to shore or in congested waters.
janes

Barksdale B-52s fly over North Louisiana hospitals to honor healthcare workers

EJERCITO DEL AIRE SPANISH AIR FORCE A400M PATCHES

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WATCH

Eighteen sailors onboard the USS Kidd have tested positive for the COVID-19

A U.S. Navy destroyer deployed off Mexico’s western coast is the second American warship at sea to suffer an outbreak of coronavirus onboard, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday, April 24.
Eighteen sailors onboard the USS Kidd have tested positive for the virus, the Navy said Friday.
The outbreak aboard the USS Kidd, first reported by Reuters, was detected after a sailor exhibiting symptoms tested positive for COVID-19 and was later evacuated off the ship, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said.
The USS Kidd is heading back to port “quickly” after an eight-person Navy medical team boarded the ship in an attempt to help contain the virus’ spread, Hoffman told reporters.
The Kidd is in the same carrier strike group as the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier pulled from rotation in the Pacific and ordered to port in Guam in March due to a coronavirus outbreak onboard.
thedefensepost

Two Upgraded Tu-160 aircraft delivered to Russia Air Force

The Russian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that on 23 April two Tu-160 (NATO: Blackjack) aircraft have been relocated from the S P Gorbunov aviation plant near Kazan to their deployment airfield in the Saratov region.
The aircraft feature new inertial navigation and engine control systems as well as upgraded weapons with associated digital technologies.
In total, Russia operates 17 Tu-160s which provide a maximum range of 14,000km and are expected to remain in service until 2040. Ukraine operated 19 of the aircraft before returning some to Russia and dismantling the rest.

Two Air Force F-35s Make Rapid Deployment To Jordan To Get Closer To Syria Action

The U.S. Air Force sent two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters to an "undisclosed location" in the Middle East earlier this year, which appears to be Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, demonstrating its ability to rapidly shift assets within the region to respond to emerging contingencies. Just days ago the U.S. military also publicized the flight of an F-35A over an isolated and strategic outpost in southern Syria, which has repeatedly come under attack from Iranian-backed militias and Russian forces in the past.
The two F-35s from 34th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron began flying sorties from their temporary deployment location on Feb. 16, but the Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing's public affairs office only posted images of Joint Strike Fighter flight operations from the "undisclosed location" on the official Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website on Apr 20. The 332nd is based at Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, but also oversees the 407th Air Expeditionary Group, which manages operations at Muwaffaq Salti. Elements of the 34th arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, home of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, in November 2019, marking the start of the second F-35A deployment to the Middle East that year.
thedrive

Lockheed looks to sell additional F-16s to customers in Africa, Asia and South America

Lockheed Martin anticipates another wave of international F-16 sales, with countries from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia among those interested in purchasing the jet.
Unlike the F-35 program, which is seeing disruption within its supply chain that could delay future deliveries, the F-16 production line has experienced little impact as a result of the coronavirus pandemic
defensenews

Pentagon plans to dispatch Blue Angels and Thunderbirds in coronavirus response

The Pentagon is planning a multicity tour of the U.S. military's top flight demonstration teams to "champion national unity" amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to senior U.S. officials.
The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, the demonstration squadrons for the Navy and Air Force, will fly over some cities together and others separately, according to the memo. The flyovers will take place in the next several weeks "to thank first responders, essential personnel, and military service members as we collectively battle the spread of COVID-19."
President Donald Trump announced the mission, named Operation America Strong.
"This is a tribute to them, to our warriors because they're equal warriors to those incredible pilots and all of the fighters that we have for the more traditional fights that we win," Trump said.
stripes

Iran’s IRGC head vows ‘decisive response’ to any US hostility in Gulf

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief on Thursday, April 23 warned the U.S. of a “decisive response” after President Donald Trump said he instructed the U.S. Navy to “shoot down” Iranian boats that harass American ships in the Persian Gulf.
“We declare to the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious … and that all action will be met with a decisive response that will be efficient and quick,” Major General Hossein Salami told state television.
“We have also ordered our naval units to target [U.S. boats and forces] if they try to endanger the safety of our ships or boats of war.”
Tensions between decades-old foes the United States and Iran escalated again last week with Washington accusing its arch enemy of harassing its ships in the Gulf.
Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had successfully launched the Islamic Republic’s first military satellite into space.
The U.S. president said he had “instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”
thedefensepost

Trump orders Navy to destroy Iranian gunboats that harass US Navy ships

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has ordered the Navy to "shoot down and destroy" any Iranian gunboats that harass U.S. ships, a directive that comes a week after the Navy reported a group of Iranian boats made "dangerous and harassing approaches" to American vessels in the Persian Gulf.
Trump did not cite a specific event in his tweet or provide details. The White House had no immediate comment. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet referred questions about the tweet to the Pentagon, and the Pentagon referred questions to the White House.
stripes

China completes assembly of its second fixed naval aircrat JL-9

China's Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC) has further fuelled speculation that it is developing a trainer aircraft suitable for carrier deck landings by announcing on 20 April via its Weixin social media site that it has assembled the first airframe under its 'Sea Mountain Eagle' project in record time.
The Weixin post relates to an aircraft for the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) and describes the rapid assembly of components to complete the first airframe, but gives no further detail about the aircraft and avoids any mention of carrier operations.
janes

Germany approves Super Hornet/Growler buy to replace Tornado fleet

The German government has approved the procurement of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler to partially satisfy its Tornado replacement requirement, national media has reported.
German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has told the US government that Berlin has given clearance for the Luftwaffe to acquire 45 Super Hornet and Growler aircraft as part of its wider plans to replace 90 Panavia Tornado Interdiction and Strike (IDS)/Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR) aircraft with 85 new platforms from 2025.
The 30 Super Hornet multirole and 15 Growler electronic attack (EA) jets would enable the Luftwaffe to fulfil its airborne nuclear strike and EA requirements within the required timeframe, Der Spiegel reported Kramp-Karrenbauer as saying in mid-April. The remaining 40 aircraft would comprise additional Eurofighters to add to the 143 already received (of these, 38 early Tranche 1 aircraft are set to be replaced by the same number of Tranche 3 aircraft
janes

USA hands over first RQ-4 Global Hawk to ROKAF South Korea

U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris to South Korea said in a tweet Sunday that the Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned aircraft was delivered to South Korea this week, adding that it's a "great day" for the two countries' alliance.
Harris unveiled a picture of a Global Hawk unit parked in a hangar in an unidentified location, with the national flags of the allies hanging on a wall behind. On the body of the aircraft was text reading "the Air Force of the Republic of Korea," in Korean.
yna

USAF Ends Continuous Bomber Presence in Guam

USAF announced April 17 it will no longer base strategic bombers outside of the continental United States, marking an end to the service’s 16-year continuous bomber presence at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
But before the last bomber left the island, USAF reminded the world of its combat power with an impressive “elephant walk” that included five B-52 strategic bombers, six KC-135 tankers, an MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, an RQ-4 Global Hawk, and a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton.
airforcemag

PATCHES USAF BELGIUM AIR FORCE EJERCITO DEL AIRE

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PATCHES ROYAL AIR FORCE EJERCITO DEL AIRE USAF ARMADA ESPAÑOLA

Royal Air Force MQ-9 REAPER 39 SQN PATCH
USAF SOUTH DAKOTA AIR NATIONAL GUARD
Ejérrito del Aire Eurofighter Typhoon F-18 HORNET 12 WING
Armada Española Infanteria de Marina

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First Nigerian Air Force A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft successfully completes inaugural flight

Embraer Defense & Security and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced the first of 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack, combat and reconnaissance aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) successfully completed its inaugural flight at the production facility in Jacksonville, Florida.
The full fleet of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft for the NAF are currently in production by SNC and Embraer at the Jacksonville facility with delivery to the NAF expected on schedule in 2021.
embraer

COVID - 19: Spanish Air force dispatch Military Transport to collect emergency supplies from China

A Spanish Military Defence plane will travel to China on Thursday to collect medical supplies and four machines to produce face masks.
A PLANE from the Ministry of Defence will take off for Shanghai (China) to collect urgently needed medical supplies and four machines to produce masks at a company in Mondragón (Guipúzcoa) and at the Military Centre for Defence Pharmacy in Burgos.
General Carlos Pérez explained that the plane is scheduled to arrive tomorrow at the Torrejón de Ardoz airbase (Madrid) with a shipment of medical equipment and four machines to produce masks, three of them for a company in Mondragón and another for the Burgos Military Defence Pharmacy Centre.
euroweeklynews

Air Force One’ is set to finish critical design review

The US Air Force (USAF) Boeing VC-25B executive transport has completed almost all of its critical design review with just a few outstanding issues to be resolved.
The USAF aircraft, which is known by the call sign “Air Force One” when the US president flies aboard, received most of its critical design review virtually, as coronavirus restrictions prevented the entire development team from meeting in person.
Completion of critical design review would clear the way for production to start on the VC-25B. The USAF has ordered two examples of the type, which is based on the 747-8 commercial airliner.
To save money, the service is modifying two 747-8s originally built for Russian carrier Transaero, which filed for bankruptcy in 2015 before it could take delivery of the aircraft. Initial modifications and retrofits, including the addition of two airstair doors, began in March.
flightglobal

Covid-19: Spain’s UME deploys multirotor UAVs to combat pandemic

Spain’s specialist Military Emergency Unit (UME) is making use of modified unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support military intervention efforts to mitigate coronavirus outbreaks in large and often difficult to access urban areas.
As part of the military Operation ‘Balmis’, the unit has deployed as many as 1,100 of its personnel daily, with operations centred on cleaning streets and major infrastructure such as airports and railway stations.
As well as its other tasks in co-ordination with the three main armed services, the para-military Guardia Civil police, and regular police forces, the UME has been “seeking ways to improve procedures to each day be more effective in the fight against Covid-19”, a spokesperson for the unit told Jane’s .
For its Transmissions Battalion (BTUME) that has included fielding two DJI Agras MG1 multirotor UAVs loaned by local company Stock RC and a Hexa AG system from Sevilla-based manufacturer DroneTools.
janes

KC-46 and P-8 production line to reopen

Boeing will restart production of the P-8 and KC-46 on Monday after a three-week pause in operations spurred by the spread of the novel coronavirus in Washington state.
The company temporarily shut down operations in the Puget Sound region on March 25. Boeing’s sites in Washington focus primarily on the development and production of commercial airliners and militarized variants of those aircraft, such as the KC-46 tanker made in Everett and ­­the P-8 submarine hunting plane made in Renton.
defensenews

LEONARDO TO SUPPLY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR PILATUS PC-21 ORDERED BY SPANISH AIR FORCE

Pilatus has contracted Leonardo to supply its RT-700/A V/UHF airborne communications system and other equipment for installation on PC-21 trainers ordered for the Spanish air force.
Announcing the award earlier this month, Leonardo said its contract also includes the provision of cockpit control panels and associated electronics for the turboprop-powered type.
Deliveries of Spain’s PC-21s are scheduled to commence this year, with the type to enter service in 2021. Madrid is acquiring 24 examples under a €204 million ($222 million) deal to replace its aged CASA C-101 jet trainers.
flightglobal

A THIRD OF CHARLES DE GAULLE FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER INFECTED BY COVID-19

A third of the nearly 2,000 sailors who were aboard France's aircraft carrier and support craft when a coronavirus outbreak occurred at sea have tested positive for the virus, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
With two-thirds of test results in, 668 sailors from the Charles-de-Gaulle and escort vessels in its battle group are confirmed to have the virus, it said.
Thirty-one were being treated in hospital, and one was in intensive care, a ministry statement said.
Last week, it was decided to bring the Charles-de-Gaulle home 10 days early from a deployment in the Atlantic after some crew members showed coronavirus symptoms.
The carrier which had helicopters and fighter jets on board, was accompanied by two frigates -- one for aerial defence and the other an anti-submarine vessel.
Sailors from the Charles-de-Gaulle, one of the frigates and the pilots who returned the aircraft to their respective bases, are all placed in isolation for 14 days, the ministry said.
There had been no virus outbreak on the other frigate.
france24

Luxembourg Armed Forces A400M makes its maiden flight

The Airbus A400M ordered by the Luxembourg Armed Forces has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery. The aircraft, known as MSN104, took off from Seville (Spain, at 16:08 local time (CET) and landed back on site 5 hours later.
The Luxembourg aircraft will be operated by the armed forces of Belgium and Luxembourg within a binational unit based in Belgium. MSN104 is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2020.

MOROCCO CLEARED TO BUY AGM-84L ANTI SHIP MISSILES FOR ITS F-16s

Morocco has been cleared to buy 10 AGM-84L 'HARPOON' anti-ship missiles in a Foreign Military Sale package worth $62 million.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in Transmittal No: 20-10 that Morocco intends to use those missiles from its F-16s.
dsca

FIRST FLIGHT OF F-15QA FOR QATAR EMIRI AIR FORCE

Boeing has conducted the first flight of the advanced F-15QA fighter jet for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Chief Test Pilot Matt Giese started the flight test off in spectacular fashion with a so-called "Viking takeoff," which involves climbing at an extremely high angle at full afterburner to rapidly gain altitude.
The flight took place around Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri. Boeing says the aircraft demonstrated its agility with both the Viking takeoff and other maneuvers, some of which involved pulling up to 9 Gs, over the course of the 90-minute test.
Qatar signed a contract to buy 36 F-15QAs, via the U.S. military's Foreign Military Sales program, in 2017.
thedrive

US MARINES PATCH HMM-466 CH-53E SUPER STALLION MCAS MIRAMAR ''WOLFPACK''

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PATCHES EJERCITO DEL AIRE USAF US NAVY

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US awards Lockheed $512 million for Bulgarian F-16 production

The US government has awarded Lockheed Martin $512 million to produce eight F-16 Block 70 fighters for Bulgaria.
The project is expected to be completed by 31 January 2027, says the US Department of Defense in a contract announcement.
The work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas and at Lockheed’s new F-16 line in Greenville, South Carolina.
Sofia approved the deal in July 2019. The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) package includes six single-seat aircraft and a pair of two-seat aircraft.
The new fighters – Bulgaria’s biggest military procurement since the fall of Communism – will be used to replace its ageing fleet of RAC MiG-29s, which were delivered in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The original FMS deal, announced in June 2019, totals $1.67 billion. In addition to the eight fighters, it also includes a broad range of sensors, weapons, training devices, software, training, support, and spares.
flightglobal

GREECE HELLENIC AIR FORCE PATCH F-4 PHANTOM II "I AM YOUR PHATHER" STAR WARS PVC PATCH

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ROYAL AIR FORCE RAF PATCH EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON BEAR-HUNTING RUSSIA TU-95 BEAR

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Airbus suspends Spanish production as outbreak restrictions tighten

Airbus is suspending most of its production in Spain for more than a week, as it continues its efforts to address the coronavirus situation.
Spain has been particularly hard-hit among European countries.
Airbus says it is to suspend the “majority of production” until 9 April, in the aftermath of new measures imposed by the Spanish government from 30 March.
The measures restrict all non-essential activity across the country.
flightglobal

Turkish defense ministry sends COVID-19 supplies to Italy and Spain

Turkey on Wednesday sent health supplies including masks to Italy and Spain, the two European countries worst hit by the novel coronavirus, the defense ministry said.
“Health supplies prepared to fight COVID-19 together, and with the hopes of seeing brighter days were sent en route to Spain and Italy” by a military plane, the ministry tweeted in English.
An accompanying video clip showed a Turkish military A-400M cargo plane preparing to take off.
The defense ministry posted the same message in Turkish, Spanish and Italian.
The supplies including masks, overalls and anti-bacterial fluids, produced in the defense ministry’s factories and sewing facilities.
Local resources were being sent “on the instructions of President” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the ministry statement.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 30,000 people in Europe, more than three-quarters of the deaths registered in Italy and Spain
thedefensepost

Boeing gets contract to build 6 P-8As for South Korea and 4 New Zealand

The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $1.5 billion production contract for the next 18 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The contract includes eight aircraft for the U.S. Navy, six aircraft for the Republic of Korea Navy and four aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The Republic of Korea Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired the aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales process and will receive the same P-8A Poseidon variant designed and produced for the U.S. Navy. The Royal New Zealand Air Force is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2022 and the Republic of Korea Navy is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2023.
boeing

USS Theodore Roosevelt Sailors will be quarantined in Guam hotels

The governor of Guam announced Wednesday the territory will provide vacant hotel rooms to house crew from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who do not have coronavirus.
Nearly 100 sailors have tested positive for COVID-19 since the San Diego-based aircraft carrier docked at Guam last week, and the ship’s captain appealed to the Navy to provide shore housing for his crew to prevent further cases.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Rear Adm. John Menoni, commander of the Navy’s Joint Region Marianas, announced the quarantine plan at news conference in Hagatna, the island’s capital.
timesofsandiego