Naval Air Systems Command Patuxent River, Md. – The Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Office (PMA-262) welcomed a new program manager during a change of command ceremony Sept. 5 at NAS Patuxent River.
The Honorable Sean J. Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), presided over the ceremony held at the MQ-4C Triton UAS hangar where leadership transferred from Sean Burke to Capt. Dan Mackin.
“During his time on the program, Sean raised the bar taking care of his people and managing program cost,” said Stackley. “ He was relied upon to make hard decisions and provided the leadership and patience to do so. There was no doubt that people came first.”
Under Burke’s tenure included leading Triton, the Navy’s largest investment in unmanned systems to date, into low-rate initial production and overseeing more than 100 test flights. He also managed the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D) which recently surpassed 24,000 operational hours supporting Fifth Fleet.
Burke, who was recently promoted to Senior Executive Service, will now serve as Deputy Program Executive Officer Tactical Aircraft Programs (PEO (T)) at Pax River.
Mackin, who formerly worked as a program team lead for PMA-262, most recently served as the chief of the staff for the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO (U&W)). Prior to that position, he served as military assistant to the Honorable Frank Kendall (USD(AT&L)) and has served in the Strike Planning Strike Planning and Execution (PMA-281) and Air Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Systems (PMA-264) program offices.
“I am humbled by your selection and the confidence you’ve placed in me,” Mackin said. “I am honored to be here today in front of such an amazing group of professionals.”
PMA-262 is responsible for the development, production, fielding and sustainment of the Navy’s high-altitude, long-endurance UAS. The program portfolio includes the MQ-4C Triton UAS and the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance – Demonstrator (BAMS-D), advanced sensors and technology, and international programs.