SUV fleeing police crashes into jet at California naval base

A wrong-way driver leading authorities on a high-speed chase crashed through a gate and into a fighter jet at a central California naval base, killing himself and a passenger, authorities said March 31.
The Navy base does not appear to be an intended target, and the man and woman who died were not affiliated with the military, said Capt. Monty Ashliman, commander at Naval Air Station Lemoore. He said authorities are investigating what started the chase and how the driver broke through the secured gate.
“Regardless of procedures we have in place, something went wrong and we had a tragic accident,” Ashliman said. “We have got to figure out a way to prevent that from happening in the future.”
Authorities say the chase began off the base late March 30, when a California Highway Patrol officer stopped to check on a Jeep Grand Cherokee parked on the roadside. The driver sped off, driving erratically and going the wrong way at one point on highway south of Fresno.
The CHP does not know why the SUV fled, Lt. Dave Knoff said.
The driver eventually left State Route 198, smashed through a gate at the base and hit the FA-18E Super Hornet parked about 7 miles inside the base, Ashliman said.
He said the chase lasted about 15 minutes.
The passenger died at the scene, and the driver died at a hospital. Authorities have not released their identities.
The SUV hit the jet’s horizontal stabilizer, but officials have not detailed the damage. The jet will be fully inspected before it takes flight again.
Naval Air Station Lemoore, built in 1961, has two runways and hosts four Carrier Air Wings. AP
 

Textron gets $175 million extension for 5 more landing craft

The Pentagon says Textron Inc. of New Orleans has a $175 million contract extension to build five more air-cushioned landing craft for the Navy.
The Pentagon’s daily list of contracts states that the work is expected to be completed by October 2020.
It says 30 percent of the work is in New Orleans and Metairie, 26 percent in Indianapolis, and 15 percent in Camden, N.J. Small percentages of the work are to be done in Norway, Great Britain, and seven U.S. sites around the country.
The craft, listed as Nos. 104 through 108, are being built as replacements for the current fleet of such ships, which are nearing the end of their 30-year service life. AP