Dec. 19, 2023

The Road to Pearl Harbor: Great Power War in Asia and the Pacific

This new book on the Japanese attack is more of a scholastic treatise, published as it was without a single photograph, except for the one on the front cover, which I find highly unusual in today’s publishing market. Photos are always required, if only to relieve very dry presentations and perhaps make the reader’s job easier, as this book’s struggles to keep one’s attention. For some reason, the first chapter is incredibly verbose and complicated on how the attack on Pearl Harbor might be planned and accomplished.

Dec. 19, 2023

100 Greatest Battles

A very unusual concept, this book offers descriptions of what the author considers to be history’s 100 greatest battles from Marathon 490 B.C. to Desert Storm, 1991.Each two-page entry contains a full-page illustration of a battle scene (no photos), while the second page contains a concise description of the battle. Obviously, it is a unique use of existing “artworks” from Osprey’s many other volumes from existing series. The $20 price is very attractive.

Dec. 19, 2023

Introduction to Fall Professional Reading

A quick look at the reviews in the Fall column will show a focus on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, certainly one of this country’s history’s seminal events that thrust us into what had been a major war.

Dec. 19, 2023

FRCSW/FRCSE Complete Final F/A-18 Hornet Center Barrel Replacement

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Whether due to its all-weather versatility and reliability, or its run with the renowned flight demonstration team, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the F/A-18 Hornet has been a combat-proven platform for the Navy and Marine Corps for many years. It is a historic aircraft with an extensive past—one that would certainly not be as long or successful without a service life extension process called Center Barrel Replacement (CBR)—a complex and lengthy repair developed in 1991 by Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) and conducted exclusively by artisans at FRCSW and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE). In fact, FRCSE and FRCSW both recently completed their last legacy F/A-18 CBR.

Dec. 19, 2023

First Full Paint Scheme Performed on Unmanned Helicopter at FRCSW

NORTH ISLAND, Calif. — This year, Fleet Readiness Center South West (FRCSW) became the first depot to complete a full paint scheme for an MQ-8C Fire Scout. FRCSW artisans meticulously stripped and painted the aircraft, a task crucial for its longevity and operational readiness.

Dec. 19, 2023

Tricking the Brain to Provide Naval Pilots with High-Tech Spatial Disorientation Training

The human body is incredibly complex and amazing. For instance, consider the small, semi-circular canals just behind and below the ears that make up the vestibular system (VS). Those canals, and the fluid in them, keep humans upright and balanced when walking, running, driving and flying.

Sept. 7, 2023

A Takeoff After Burn

Gramps from Yesteryear: Spring 2013 — A low-time Hornet pilot was on a cross-country flight returning to the squadron. When starting the engines, the pilot noted the left engine’s oil pressure was lower than the right’s, but still within limits. After selecting maximum power for takeoff, the pilot again noted the left engine oil pressure was within limits, but 25 psi lower than the pressure on the right. During the takeoff roll, at approximately 80 knots, the pilot heard and felt a loud bang followed almost immediately by an “Engine Right” aural warning and an “R ENG STALL” caution on the digital display indicator. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff and shut down the left engine. It was not determined if the left engine was shut down by mistake or intentionally based on the previously noted oil pressure differences.

Sept. 7, 2023

Keeping the Peace, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 During the Cold War 1946-1991

Most single-book histories of specific Marine aircraft squadrons have been published by the Marine Corps History Division at Quantico, Virginia. However, this account of the “Thunderbolts” comes from a commercial publisher in Great Britain and the U.S. Its author is a former enlisted member of the “elect shop” (sic). While certainly a welcome addition to literature of specific Marine Corps squadrons, the book is not without errors in both writing and terminology, mostly in need of a knowledgeable editor, which is a problem these days encountered when reading about military aviation.

Sept. 7, 2023

Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers 1945-91

No. 310 in Osprey’s New Vanguard Series, this short but interesting volume focuses on an important class of American aircraft carriers, many of which saw constant action during the Vietnam War, although most of these ships were begun or completed during World War II, and saw action at the end of the war as well as during the Korean War. The author is a retired U.S. Navy commander with a career in naval intelligence.

Sept. 7, 2023

H6K “Mavis”/H8K “Emily” vs PB4Y-1/2 Liberator/Privateer, Pacific Theater 1943-45

No.126 in Osprey’s popular Duel series, this author’s new book puts two highly-successful types of aircraft against each other. Little known in most accounts of the Pacific War, the two flying boats of the Imperial Navy (IJN) roamed the Pacific from the beginning of the war. They were virtually unchallenged until America’s entry following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Emily actually having made a few occasional long-distance reconnaissance missions toward Pearl Harbor and Midway before detection and the subsequent attack and the four-day battle in June 1942, respectively, that resulted in the loss of four major Japanese aircraft carriers and many of their aircraft and combat-experienced crews.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCE Engine Inspection Training Key to Aircraft Safety

CHERRY POINT, NC — Training developed and conducted at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has made a real-world impact on flight line readiness. The training provides the Marine Corps with the capabilities to bolster the number of mission-capable AV-8B Harriers while ensuring aircraft safety, and is now being applied to next-generation aircraft including the F-35 Lightning II.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCE Engine Inspection Training Key to Aircraft Safety

CHERRY POINT, NC — Training developed and conducted at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has made a real-world impact on flight line readiness. The training provides the Marine Corps with the capabilities to bolster the number of mission-capable AV-8B Harriers while ensuring aircraft safety, and is now being applied to next-generation aircraft including the F-35 Lightning II.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCE Ground Support Shop Equips Aircraft Lines for Success

CHERRY POINT, NC — A small team of mechanics at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) keeps the production lines rolling at the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility. FRCE’s Ground Support Branch repairs and maintains the vital ground support equipment used to move aircraft, transport parts, test systems and perform other critical functions that support aircraft production efforts at the depot.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCE Marks First with Adoption of Battery-Powered Ground Power Units

CHERRY POINT, NC — Fleet Readiness Center East’s (FRCE) UH-1N Huey production line is swapping out diesel-powered ground power units (GPU) for a sustainable alternative with the recent purchase of battery-powered GPUs, becoming the first adapter of this technology within the Naval Aviation community.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCE Delivers Final Harrier Trainer to Marine Squadron

CHERRY POINT, NC — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has reached another milestone toward the drawing down of its AV-8B Harrier program, with the completion of its last TAV-8B trainer aircraft. The two-seater trainer was delivered May 11 to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223, located at Cherry Point, North Carolina.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCSE Pitches in to Complete a Speedy In-Service Repair to P-8 Poseidon

NAS JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Navy P-8A Poseidon is a multi-mission, militarized Boeing 737 behemoth. It conducts maritime patrol and reconnaissance, long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, and intelligence missions.

Sept. 7, 2023

FRCSW Receives Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award

NAS NORTH ISLAND, Calif. — Since the 1950s, the Naval Aviation Safety Program has been enhancing the safety of aviation officers through risk assessment, investigation and reporting of hazardous events. The Aviation Safety Program at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) takes these safety tenants to heart. The command knows just how important each employee is at every level of the operation and makes every effort to ensure their ongoing safety.

Sept. 7, 2023

Unique NC-20G Delivered, Will Serve Unique Mission

POINT MUGU, Calif. — Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 30, the “Bloodhounds” based at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California, took possession May 31 of a distinct airframe, the Navy’s one-of-a-kind NC-20G. On the surface, the twin engine jet looks similar to other Gulfstream IVs, designed for airlift and logistics support of personnel, senior leadership and dignitaries; but the Bloodhound’s new bird, BH 500, has undergone substantial modifications to complete their Cast Glance (CG) mission.

Sept. 7, 2023

Tactical Airlift Program Delivers C-40A to Marine Corps

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — On May 19 the Tactical Airlift Program Office delivered the first of two C-40A aircraft to Marine Transport Squadron (VMR) 1, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 41, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sept. 7, 2023

Marines Receive First MQ-9 Reaper Under Latest Procurement Contract

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Marine Corps recently received the first of eight MQ-9 Reapers, which was delivered under a joint contract with the Air Force.

Sept. 7, 2023

Celebrating 50 Years of Women in Naval Aviation

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Long before the Wright brothers powered their way into the skies of North Carolina in 1903, or Eugene Ely showed seven years later that an airplane could indeed take off from a ship, Navy women served in the nation’s wars. During the Revolutionary War, women sailed on ships of the Pennsylvania Navy, and Maryland’s warship Defence included Mary Pricely as a nurse. Mary Allen and Mary Marshall filled a similar role aboard the USS United States during the War of 1812. Women aided naval operations during the Civil War as lighthouse operators. The Navy established its Hospital Corps—first proposed 85 years before—during the Spanish-American War of 1898, using mostly male nurses, although four female students from Johns Hopkins University, and six more from the Daughters of the American Revolution nurses’ register volunteered and served. Compelled by legislation, the Navy created a female nurses’ corps in 1908; at the eve of U.S. entrance into World War I, their high performance led to their stationing at naval hospitals inside the country as well as overseas.

Sept. 7, 2023

Navy Accepts Upgraded E-6B Mercury, Delivering Enhanced Capabilities to the Fleet

LAKE CHARLES, La. — The U.S. Navy in June accepted the first E-6B Mercury upgraded by Northrop Grumman Corp. in Lake Charles, Louisiana, delivering enhanced airborne strategic communication capabilities to the warfighter.

Sept. 7, 2023

Electronic Attack Systems Program Using Digital Twins to Impact Naval Aviation 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Naval Air Systems Command’s Airborne Electronic Attack Systems Program Office is turning to digital technology to improve readiness, explore new capabilities and expedite training.

Sept. 7, 2023

Navy Fields New LVC Training System Enhancing Readiness, Affordability

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges and the F/A-18 and EA-18G program offices are fielding a sophisticated Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) training system that has the potential to revolutionize the way the Navy trains, leading to greater readiness and significant cost savings. 

Sept. 7, 2023

Navy to Field New Hearing Protection Helmet to Improve Safety, Readiness

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Aircrew Systems Program Office is using data collected during recent fleet assessments to refine the HGU-99/P Hearing Protection Helmet (HPH) which is intended for flight deck crew exposed to extreme noise environments.

Sept. 7, 2023

Navy Awards Launch and Recovery System Contract for Fourth Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The U.S. Navy awarded General Atomics a $1.204-billion contract modification June 7 to build the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) for the future USS Doris Miller (CVN 81).

Sept. 7, 2023

U.S., Australian Navy Partnership Proves Maintenance, Readiness; Wins Awards

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — For the first time, the U.S. and Royal Australian navies have successfully demonstrated a periodic maintenance interval (PMI) on a U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk in Australia. The milestone demonstrates both countries’ commitment to advancing military readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sept. 7, 2023

USS George Washington Flight Deck Certified

NORFOLK, Va. — The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, June 30, after completing flight deck certification (FDC).

Sept. 7, 2023

CVW-17, Four Squadrons Return Home After Seven-Month Deployment

NAS LEMOORE, Calif. — Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, announced the return of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 and Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 22, VFA-94, VFA-137 and VFA-146 in June after a nearly seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific with USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11).

Sept. 7, 2023

In a Navy First, E-2D Flown Without Rotodome

CORONADO, Calif. — A pilot from Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) recently performed a first in Navy history when he flew an E-2D Hawkeye without the rotodome attached June 20.

Sept. 7, 2023

CAMRE Helps Marines Take 3D Printing to New Heights

MONTEREY, Calif. — The Consortium for Additive Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, achieved the first successful demonstration of in-flight 3D printing aboard a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft on June 21 in Southern California.

Sept. 7, 2023

NAS Pax River Air Traffic Control Makes History with All-Women Air Traffic Control Crew

NAS PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — On May 30, for the first time in Naval Air Station Patuxent River’s 80-year history, its Air Traffic Control Facility (ATCF) was completely staffed by women. The Air Traffic Controllers (ACs) served in nine watch stations between the NAS Pax River Air Traffic Control Tower, Radar Operations and Flight Planning.

Sept. 7, 2023

Wreck Site Identified As WWII Carrier USS Ommaney Bay

NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND — Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) confirmed July 10 the identity of a wreck site as USS Ommaney Bay (CVE 79), a World War II-era aircraft carrier that was sunk in the Sulu Sea after being hit and mortally wounded by a twin-engine Japanese suicide plane on Jan. 4, 1945.

Sept. 7, 2023

Team Provides Aviation-Focused, Maritime-Facing Support to NAVSUP WSS Enterprise

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — The Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support’s (NAVSUP WSS) Aviation Support Equipment (SE) Integrated Weapon Support Team (IWST) is what the Navy refers to as a “super-IWST” when it comes to logistical support. Uniquely positioned, the Support Equipment IWST provides support across the maritime, aviation and expeditionary domains, leveraging a comprehensive global organic and commercial industrial base to “keep ‘em flying.”

Sept. 7, 2023

USS Harry S. Truman Reaches 50 Percent Completion of PIA

NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy announced the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) reached 50 percent completion June 15 of its Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Virginia. A significant milestone during the maintenance period, Truman and NNSY crews continue working together tirelessly to complete ship-wide upgrades, modernization and major maintenance projects to return the ship to sea.

Sept. 7, 2023

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) University Refreshes, Refines Skills for Safer Flight Deck

NORFOLK, Va. — The flight deck of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is a fast-paced and complex place, especially when operating at sea. It takes only seconds for a multi-million dollar aircraft to “crunch” into another one and render both unable to fly. This miscalculation of movement and spilt-second mistake made by personnel working on the flight deck create huge complications for operational units that provide forward presence around the globe.

Sept. 7, 2023

The Global Reach of “The Lone Star Express”

JRB Fort Worth, TEXAS — Dotted along the flight line at Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth, Texas, are three C-40A Clippers, specialized Boeing 737-700s with cargo doors. These aircraft belong to a mainstay on the flight line known as Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VR) 59, or “The Lone Star Express.” Housed under Commander, Fleet Logistics Support Wing, VR-59 is one of 11 logistics squadrons across the United States. These reserve units are comprised of both full-time Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) and part-time Selected Reserve (SELRES) Sailors.

Sept. 7, 2023

A-TIC Lab Presents Ship-Based Experience in Training Environment

LAKEHURST, N.J. — During flight operations on an aircraft carrier, everything from the lighting to the readability of the monitors to the size of the work center matters, with no room for error. The Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment (ALRE) Technology Integration Center (A-TIC) at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the only lab with ALRE shipboard representative equipment, including replica workspaces and shipboard Delta power. 

June 22, 2023

Navy Launches Historic Aircrew Study to Update Size Requirements for a Diverse Fleet

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is leading the Navy’s first comprehensive study since 1964 to update aviator size requirements, improve aircrew gear and equipment, and expand access for prospective future aviators. This is the Navy’s first aircrew study to include women and minorities.

June 22, 2023

Navy Fields New Protective headgear for Marine Corps Aviation Maintainers

PATUXENT RIVER, Md — The Naval Aircrew Systems Program Office is fielding new headgear, the Head Gear Unit Number 98/Personal Use (HGU-98P), that improves both head and hearing protection for fleet Marine Corps aviation maintainers.

June 22, 2023

Celebrating 50 Years of Women Flying in the Navy

Patuxent River, Md. — In 1973, the first eight women began flight school in Pensacola, and one year later six of those eight women, titled “The First Six,” earned their Wings of Gold. In the 50 years since, Naval Aviation has expanded its roles for women to lead and serve globally. Today, women aviators project power from the sea and in every type, model and series aircraft. They fly and fight in all strike missions, hunt submarines, protect the integrity of the nuclear triad, supply essential cargo and personnel to every corner of the globe and rescue those in distress at sea and ashore. They command aircraft carriers, carrier air wings, squadrons and missions to space. In 2023, we reflect on our Naval Aviation history and pay tribute to all of our women Naval Aviators: “The First Six,” and all those who have come after them.

June 22, 2023

FRCE Selected as Depot Source of Repair for New Air Force Combat Rescue Helicopter

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — The Air Force recently selected Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) as the stateside depot source of repair (DSOR) for the HH-60W Jolly Green II, the air service’s new combat rescue platform. FRCE will conduct all helicopter airframe programmed depot maintenance for Jolly Green II aircraft located within the continental United States, which represents about 70 percent of the platform’s total expected workload.

June 22, 2023

FRCSW Ally Support Strengthens Royal Australian Air Force

NORTH ISLAND, Calif. — Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) successfully completed a first-of-its-kind reconfiguration of a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

June 22, 2023

FRCE Secures Future Components Workload for Air Force MH-139A Grey Wolf

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently secured designation as the Depot Source of Repair (DSOR) for 81 major structural and dynamic components of the Air Force MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter, the planned replacement for the UH-1N Huey. FRCE performs maintenance, repair and overhaul of the legacy UH-1N platform at its North Carolina Global TransPark detachment in Kinston. Current projections place the start date for the new work in fiscal year 2028.

June 22, 2023

FRCE Secures Future C-130 Workload, Plans for 200-Plus New Jobs

NORTH CAROLINA — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) will expand its support of military aviators when the depot takes on maintenance, repair and overhaul duties for Navy and Marine Corps C/KC-130J Super Hercules and C/KC-130T Hercules aircraft. Navy officials announced March 17 that FRCE will serve as the designated repair point for the platform. The depot could begin the new workload as soon as the end of fiscal year 2026.

June 22, 2023

FRC Southeast Innovates to Support Fleet Need for Air Combat Training Aircraft

Jacksonville, Fla. — Since Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) inducted its first F-5N Tiger II, the depot has forged forward despite the challenges associated with standing up a new product line. 

June 22, 2023

From Demo to Depot: New Application of Cold Spray Technology Arrives at FRCE

NEW RIVER, N.C. — Following years of rigorous testing and evaluation, a cold spray metallization technology that was initially demonstrated at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) is now being fielded on the H-1 line at the depot’s detachment on board Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina.

June 22, 2023

FRCE Marks 100th F-35 Parachute Milestone

NORTH CAROLINA — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) marked a milestone in its support of the F-35 Lightning II program when the depot recently completed its 100th F-35 parachute repack.

June 22, 2023

FRCE Transportation Branch Keeps Production Moving with New Trailer

NORTH CAROLINA — A new asset in the Transportation Branch at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) is helping reduce turnaround times by simplifying aircraft movement between depot sites.

June 22, 2023

The Navy’s New Hearing Protection: Made-to-Measure for Every Sailor

Patuxent River, Md — The roar of fighter jets taking off from an aircraft carrier is one of the most iconic sounds of the United States Navy. But for the brave men and women who work in these high-decibel environments day in and day out, the noise can take a devastating toll on their hearing.

June 22, 2023

Bad Air Day

Gramps from Yesteryear: November-December 2008 — Following a combat mission, a Hornet pilot set up for a night Case III recovery. After commencing the approach, the pilot began to feel as if he were not keeping up with the aircraft and the approach. As he closed on the ship, he began to realize that he was feeling classic symptoms of hypoxia. Flow to his mask was normal and he did not get any cautions associated with his On Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS). The conditions worsened as he commenced his final approach, and eventually became so incapacitating that he initiated an “own waveoff in the groove.”

June 22, 2023

Daddy’s Home

Before shipping out aboard USS Hornet (CV 12) in the summer of 1944, Frederick Schrader purchased teddy bears for daughters Judy and Barbara, knowing his deployment would prevent him from spending Christmas with his family. The Navy Commander, Naval Academy graduate and aviator, husband and father of two would not return—until nearly 80 years later.

June 22, 2023

Lakehurst Lab Brings Environmental Challenges Inside for Equipment Testing

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, N.J. — Even before encountering an adversary, the warfighter’s equipment is exposed to the impacts of the environment, ranging from the extremes of the desert heat to extreme cold of the frozen arctic tundra to the sunny, salty waters in the middle of the ocean. However, thanks to the Environmental Test Lab (ETL) at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, New Jersey (NAWCAD LKE), these situations can be simulated to ensure mission readiness and address potential issues.

June 22, 2023

From the Prairie to the Pacific: A Blue Angel’s Journey

Most books written as autobiographies or memoirs by those who have served in the U.S. military are often touted as putting the reader in the cockpit in the midst of the action described, or presenting themselves or the individual whose deeds and careers described as giving the reader the chance to experience what they have in the decades that include that story. Some succeed, many do not. Capt. Rud has definitely achieved that goal. Indeed, any of us who have gone through Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS), flown many different types of aircraft in or out of combat, known so many other people of the same frame of mind and intent, will find themselves nodding or shaking their heads, smiling as they recall their own time in these arenas that could try our single and collective spirits and dedication to ourselves as well to others.

June 22, 2023

F4U Corsair vs A6M Zero-sen, Rabaul and the Solomons 1943-44

During World War II, certain pairings developed—the Battle of Britain, Spitfire vs. the Bf-109, 1944-45, the Mustang vs. the Me-262 jet, and in the Pacific, on the Solomon Island Chains, 1943-44, the F4U Corsair and the Zero. The big-crank-winged Corsair, the new aircraft in the American approach to the naval fighter, quickly established itself against the veteran Mitsubishi Zero that had opposed Allied carrier fighters from the beginning starting with Pearl Harbor.

June 22, 2023

Blue Angels Decades 1946-1955

There have been many books and articles about the Blue Angels in both commercial and Navy publications. We would think that everything has been shown and related about this group of naval aviators, and the people who support them on the ground so they can give the people who watch their outstanding flight demonstrations at air shows around the country the best impression of just how colorful and exciting flying for the Navy and the Marine Corps is. This new book shows how much remains to be told.

June 21, 2023

Navy Receives Final JPALS Unit Delivery

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy accepted delivery of the final Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems (JPALS) unit March 16, marking another on-time or ahead of schedule delivery for increased capability at sea.

June 21, 2023

NAVSUP FLCPS ‘Team Whidbey’ Performs First P-8 Hot Refuel

OAK HARBOR, Wash. — Sailors from Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center Puget Sound (FLCPS) performed the first-ever “hot” refueling of a P-8 Poseidon Aircraft Jan. 30 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI).

June 21, 2023

USS Nimitz Records 350,000th Arrested Landing

SOUTH CHINA SEA — USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the oldest-serving U.S commissioned aircraft carrier in the world, successfully completed its 350,000th arrested aircraft landing recently while sailing in the South China Sea, a milestone nearly 48 years in the making.

June 21, 2023

USS Carl Vinson Completes Tailored Ship’s Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem

PACIFIC OCEAN — Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) completed Tailored Ship’s Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP) while out to sea in the 3rd Fleet area of operations, April 4.

June 21, 2023

Navy Delivers First Pilot Trainer to Deployed Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges Program Office recently delivered the first Aircrew Procedures Trainer (APT) device to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan.

June 21, 2023

New H-1 Mission Rehearsal Trainer Improves Capability, Readiness

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The successful delivery of the new prototype H-1 Mission Rehearsal Trainer (MRT) in February to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, marks a significant milestone in Marine Light Helicopter Attack Squadron (HMLA) training.

June 21, 2023

HSC-22 Conducts Final Flight

NORFOLK, Va. — The “Sea Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22 conducted their final flight on Wednesday, Feb. 15, almost 16 years after their first flight in 2006.

June 21, 2023

CH-53K Completes Second Successful Sea Trial

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The CH-53K King Stallion completed five full days and nights of envelope expansion testing at sea in the Atlantic in March. The aircraft continued testing in a modern naval environment following initial successful sea trials in June 2020.

June 21, 2023

MQ-4C Triton Concludes U.S. 7th Fleet Deployment, Looks to the Future

ANDERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — Operated by Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19, the MQ-4C is a high-altitude, long-endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (MISR&T) platform that complements the P-8A Poseidon’s capabilities.

June 21, 2023

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Enhancing U.S. Navy, NATO Capabilities

MEDITERRANEAN SEA — An MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by the 89th Attack Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, conducted Operation Jackpot Hooligan III during Operation Neptune Strike 23.1, on Feb. 23. During the event, the UAV integrated with air and naval forces to execute a simulated long-range missile strike on a simulated adversarial ship.

June 21, 2023

George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group Completes Historic Deployment

NORFOLK, Va. — The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG)—comprised of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), and the Information Warfare Commander—returned April 23 to Norfolk, Virginia.

June 21, 2023

Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group Deploys

NORFOLK, Va. — The capital ship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG), the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for a routine deployment, May 2.

June 21, 2023

Two Marine Corps Aviators Earn Second Set of Wings After Completing New Program

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two Marine Corps Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs), Lt. Col. James Corrington and Maj. Syed Rashid, both earned a second set of the coveted “Wings of Gold” March 23, after completing flight training with the “Rangers” of Training Squadron (VT) 28.

June 21, 2023

Marine Corps Activates Second F-35C Squadron

MIRAMAR, Calif. — Third Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) reactivated Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311, an F-35C Lightning II squadron, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, April 14.

March 27, 2023

SkyFall Soars: New Parachute Descent Training Offers More Realism, Durability

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — A new parachute descent training system developed at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) is on its way to better help ensure naval aviators are better prepared for every real-life situation that could happen in midair.

March 23, 2023

Bringing the Virtual World into Reality

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — For decades, pilots have taken to flight simulators at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) Manned Flight Simulator (MFS) to train, test software and equipment, experiment, develop flight envelopes and even investigate aerial accidents in a safe and inexpensive manner. As newer aircraft and technology are created, these simulators need to be upgraded to reflect these developments becomes necessary, as was the case with one of the Navy’s newest aircraft, the unique CMV-22 Osprey.

March 23, 2023

Air Traffic Controllers: Helping Pilots Find the Needle in the Haystack

South China Sea — The skies are dark, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter is running low on fuel in the middle of the ocean. The pilots follow radar signals to amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli’s (LHA 7) coordinates, but it is nowhere in sight. They make another pass, but still no luck. Time is running out, but the crew is not as alone as they might seem.

March 23, 2023

SECNAV Awards Navy Cross to Retired Korean War Veteran

San Diego, Calif. — Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro awarded the Navy Cross Jan. 20 to retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams for his exploits during the Korean War at a ceremony at the San Diego Air and Space Museum

March 23, 2023

New Training Aircraft to Equip Pilots for Tomorrow’s Battlespace

Patuxent River, Md. — The U.S. Navy announced Jan. 25 that it awarded Textron Aviation a single, firm-fixed-price contract to develop the T-54A multi-engine training system (METS) aircraft. The T-54A will provide advanced instrument and asymmetric engine handling training to student naval aviators selected for multi-engine fleet communities.

March 23, 2023

Grampaw Pettibone

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — During rollout following an arrested landing, the pilot of an F-14B Tomcat experienced an uncommanded ejection through the canopy. The radar intercept officer’s (RIO) seat did not fire. The pilot was rescued from the water by a search and rescue helo. Both aviators sustained first aid injuries.

March 23, 2023

Reducing Mishaps by Understanding Human Factors Engineering

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — As new aircraft, equipment and technology are created, a need to understand the human engineering factors that contribute to their operational safety is paramount to mishap reduction. As Naval Aviation evolves, it requires an understanding of how science and engineering impact the operators who fly and manage these aircraft.

March 23, 2023

Navy Training Squadron Set to Fully Adopt Modernized Flight Program

NAS Corpus Christi, Texas — Training Squadron (VT) 28 “Rangers” are projected to become the Navy’s first undergraduate primary training squadron to fully integrate the Project Avenger syllabus in April. Project Avenger is a part of Naval Aviation Training Next (NATN), an initiative to update the Navy’s approach to producing higher quality pilots. “We’re making better aviators,” said Capt. John Hammernik, Project Avenger instructor pilot. “Their flexible minds are able to adapt and handle changing scenarios. Implementing cross-training with instruments, formations, and normal contact landing pattern flying, they integrate those elements and seamlessly switch between different contexts of flying.”

March 23, 2023

Bi-Annual Exercise Resolute Hunter Provides Real-World Partner-Nation and U.S. Joint Force Interoperability

NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev. — Exercise Resolute Hunter, a joint/combined exercise involving four participating nations and four joint services, concluded its execution phase on Nov. 17, 2022, aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada. Hosted by the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), the three-week event is the DOD’s only dedicated Battle Management, Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (BMC2ISR) exercise.

March 23, 2023

NAWCAD Innovation Challenge Team Takes Closer Look at Icing on Aircraft

LAKEHURST, N.J. — A five-person team from Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, New Jersey, developed an innovative way to detect ice on an aircraft as part of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Innovation Challenge.

March 23, 2023

F2H Banshee Units

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — F2H Banshee Units, By Richard R. Burgess, Osprey Publishing Ltd., UK. 2022. 96 pp. Ill. No. 141 in Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series, this latest book from retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard Burgess is his usual highly detailed and colorful account of one of the two U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ jet fighters in the Korean War of 1950-53.

March 23, 2023

CVW-7, FRCSW Complete First of its Kind Aircraft Repairs at Sea

Sigonella, Italy — Artisans from Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) completed first-of-its-kind repairs at sea on an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136, Jan. 9. They repaired damages from an in-flight starboard engine fire that occurred on Aug. 31, 2022, cutting down repair times and preserving the operational readiness and mission capabilities of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7.

March 23, 2023

Douglas F4D-1/F-6A Skyray

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Douglas F4D-1/F-6A Skyray, by Nicholas M. Williams, 2021. 257 pp. Ill. A considerable upgrade from the previous 1986 “Naval Fighters No. 13,” this new edition offers 60 additional pages that, of course, include many more photos of what might be considered Douglas’ futuristic bat-wing naval interceptor of the late 1950s-early 1960s.

March 23, 2023

Kamikaze, Japan’s Last Bid for Victory

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Kamikaze, Japan’s Last Bid for Victory, by Adrian Stewart, Pen & Sword Aviation, Yorkshire, UK. 2022. 209 pp. Ill. This author’s list of previously published works, most of which come from Pen & Sword, deals with United Kingdom units in WWII, so he is in home territory once more. Few of these other books are listed in the bibliography.

March 23, 2023

FRCE Conducts Test Run of CH-53K Engine Disassembly

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently opened a new chapter in the depot’s engine program with its first disassembly of the T408 engine, which powers the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter.

March 23, 2023

Navy Delivers New Maintenance Trainer to the Fleet

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges Program Office recently delivered the new Maintenance Integrated Flight Control Trainer (IFCT) Aerial Refueling (AR) capable device to the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia.

March 23, 2023

CH-53K Approved for Full Rate Production

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter has entered Full Rate Production (FRP) and its deployment phase, following a decision review by Frederick J. Stefany, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.

March 23, 2023

CH-53K Lifts F-35C in External Load Test

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — A CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 performed an external load certification lift of an inoperable F-35 Lightning II airframe in December at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. The lift was to evaluate the load and inform future lift capabilities.

March 23, 2023

FRCE Bearing Shop Supports the Fleet One Bearing at a Time

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East’s Bearing Shop is a place where success or failure can be measured in thousandths of an inch. In this shop, bearings—used on vehicles that operate in the air, on land and at sea—are inspected, measured and analyzed with a painstaking attention to detail by a small team of highly trained professionals.

March 23, 2023

Joint Effort Completes HSM-79 MH-60R Repairs

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain — Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 79 completed an MH-60R tail bushing repair with Spanish aviation specialists in January at Naval Station Rota, Spain.

March 23, 2023

Navy Successfully Demonstrates Unmanned Cargo Delivery Systems for Ship at Sea

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) recently demonstrated multiple unmanned systems in a first-of-its-kind mission to move supplies to ships at sea without the use of manned aircraft during an event at Webster Field in St. Inigoes, Maryland, part of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

March 23, 2023

MQ-4C Triton Anti-Ice Testing Underway

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The MQ-4C Triton test team conducted the first flight to assess the unmanned aircraft system’s (UAS) ability to fly with wing ice accumulation Jan. 25 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

March 23, 2023

Carl Vinson Successfully Completes PIA Ahead of Schedule, Saves $4 Million

PACIFIC OCEAN — After being moored pierside at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, for six months, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) successfully completed a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) ahead of schedule while underway conducting sea trials Dec. 4, 2022.

March 23, 2023

U.S. Naval Community College to Offer Associate of Science Degree in Aviation Maintenance

QUANTICO, Va. — Beginning in summer 2023, the United States Naval Community College (USNCC), headquartered in Quantico, Virginia, will offer an associate of science degree in aviation maintenance. USNCC began accepting applications Feb 27.

March 23, 2023

Navy Experiments with Flight Line of the Future Tagging Technology

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) recently conducted flight line of the future experimentation with artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to independently identify and track aircraft on the flight line with tagging, commonly known as QR codes.

March 23, 2023

MRTS 3D® Moves Forward With Implementation

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Multipurpose Reconfigurable Training System (MRTS) 3D® was implemented for testing for the first time on a Navy ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), from Nov. 29 to Dec. 11, 2022.

March 23, 2023

V-22 Program Office Recognizes Four Decades of Collaboration

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Forty years ago, the Department of Navy (DoN) took control of what is now known as the V-22 Joint Program Office, responsible for the cradle-to-grave acquisition, sustainment, development and production of the venerable tiltrotor aircraft.

March 23, 2023

World Famous Vanguard of HM-14 Fly Final Flight

NORFOLK, Va. — The “World Famous Vanguard” of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 14 flew the final flight of the squadron Dec. 8, 2022, in Norfolk, Virginia.

March 23, 2023

New Zealand Receives First of Four P-8A Poseidons

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — New Zealand accepted its first P-8A Poseidon during a ceremony Dec. 7 held in Seattle, Washington. This is the first of four P-8A deliveries to the New Zealand Defence Force. The P-8A replaces New Zealand’s current fleet P-3K2 Orions.

Dec. 21, 2022

AIRLANT’s MOC Director Discusses Transforming Naval Aviation from the Deckplates to the Flight Lines

NORFOLK, Virginia — Capt. Ronnie Harper has spent the entirety of his 35-year naval career improving Naval Aviation through positions held as an enlisted and naval officer assigned in organizational (O-Level) and intermediate (I-Level) maintenance and acquisition assignments. This experience ultimately led to his current role as the Maintenance Operations Center (MOC) Director at Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (AIRLANT).