The General Dynamics-built USS Rafael Peralta guided missile destroyer has completed its two-day acceptance trials that sought to review the ship’s construction process and crew.

The U.S. Navy said Wednesday its Board of Inspection and Survey led the evaluation during a series of pier-side and underway demonstrations off the coast of Maine.

INSURV validated the compliance of the ship’s systems that include navigation, propulsion, electric and mechanical, damage control, combat and communications applications to Navy standards.

“DDG 115 performed exceedingly well during acceptance trials and throughout the test and trials period,” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager at the Program Executive Office Ships.

General Dynamics christened the ship in November.

DDG 51 is equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System designed to deliver Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Ballistic Missile Defense 5.0 and Naval Integrated fire Control-Counter Air functions.

The U.S. Marine Corps will integrate a new target handoff system into off-the-shelf tablets from Samsung to call in fire support from air, ground and sea units, Military.com reported Wednesday.

Hope Hodge Seck writes Jesse Hume, project officer for the Target Handoff System Version 2, said that approximately 900 Marines will utilize the platform alongside a combat net radio, laser range finder, video downlink receiver and Samsung’s Tab 2 device.

The Marine Corps previously said it would acquire smartphones for fiscal year 2017 in an effort to boost the service branch’s fire support, mobility and tactical capacity.

“Currently we are working with other program offices within Systems Command to build upon the initial fielding of the Target Handoff System,” Hume said.

Bruce Danly, superintendent of the Naval Research Laboratory’s radar division, has been appointed by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus as director of research at NRL, effective Dec. 25.

“I look forward to working with Bruce as we plan, foster, and encourage scientific research that will define our future naval power,” Read Adm. David Hahn, who became chief of naval research in August, said in a statement released Thursday.

Danly will oversee NRL’s technical programs, evaluate staff’s technical competence, collaborate with the scientific community and facilitate exchange of technical data.

He joined NRL in 1995 and served as chief of the high power devices section under the vacuum electronics branch at the lab’s electronics science and technology division and head of the microwave technology branch at ESTD.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers member also served as a research staff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Plasma Fusion Center.

Danly is a recipient of numerous awards such as the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and the NRL Technology Transfer Award.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have completed a joint exercise with a nighttime helo-borne raid to demonstrate both military branches’ capabilities to conduct a raid on a simulated enemy communications node.

Marines and sailors of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted Exercise Alligator Dagger in Djibouti and were flown inland via MV-22 Ospreys and CH-53 Super Stallions, USMC said Thursday.

AH-1Z Cobras, UH-1Y Hueys and AV-8B Harriers provided close-air support to the team during the two-week exercise led by Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

“The training we executed during Alligator Dagger sharpened our skills and displayed the range of combat, sustainment and crisis-response capabilities the ARG-MEU team brings to the region,” said Capt. Mike Crary, commander of Amphibious Squadron Five.

Marines and sailors performed amphibious operations and combat sustainment training for crisis response and contingency operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

MKI ARG consists of Makin Island, the command ship for PHIBRON 5 and 11th MEU, amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset and amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock.

The 11th MEU is comprised of a ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion of 4th Marines, an aviation combat element within the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163, a combat logistics element under the Combat Logistics Battalion 11 and a command element with a commanding officer.