Dec. 5, 2025

Grampaw Pettibone

An F/A-18C Hornet pilot was on his second visual flight rules low-level route of the day after refueling at an en route air base. He sighted a valley off to his right and performed a gentle, right-hand slice turn to enter it for the purpose of terrain masking. Once there, he aligned the aircraft in the center of the valley.

Dec. 5, 2025

Super Hornet at 30: Sustaining a Legend, Shaping the Future

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — As the F/A-18 Super Hornet celebrates 30 years of distinguished service, its legacy continues to evolve with the F-35 Lightning II, the MQ-25 Stingray and E-2D Hawkeye flying alongside it. Operating in unison, these platforms strengthen the Navy’s ability to project power, ensure maritime security and dominate any battlespace.

Dec. 5, 2025

Titans of the Sea: Sailors Gather to Celebrate 250 Years at Sea, Ashore

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Thousands of sailors gathered Oct. 5 at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, as part of America’s Navy’s 250th “Titans of the Sea” all-hands call celebration. Surrounded by the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) on Pier 14, sailors, veterans and their families joined together for a historic salute to the world’s most powerful Navy. 

Dec. 5, 2025

Fiber Optic Equipping Critical for Avionic Systems

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The need for high-speed communication is real and critical. In an era with hypersonic weapons, sixth-generation fighters and a proliferation of autonomous systems, the ability to collect vast amounts of sensor data and make time-critical decisions faster has never been more paramount to surviving on the 21st century battlefield.

Dec. 5, 2025

NAVSUP WSS Sustainment Team Keeps EO3 Test System Mission-Ready for Fleet

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Sustainment planners at Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) met recently to review the Consolidated Automated Support System’s Electro-Optical 3 (EO3) test bench, which keeps critical targeting equipment on F/A-18 and H-60 aircraft mission ready. The meeting highlighted long-term teamwork among program offices, industry partners and NAVSUP experts who have supported the EO3 and the warfighter for more than a decade.

Dec. 5, 2025

Lakehurst Test Team Finds Temporary Home for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — An empty space at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, New Jersey, previously used for electromagnetic interference testing, has been transformed into a temporary test site to advance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

Dec. 5, 2025

Professional Reading

Royal Navy Torpedo-Bombers vs Axis Warships, 1939-45 (Duel, 124) By Matthew Willis, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK. 2022. Ill. Swordfish Units of World War 2 (Combat Aircraft, 157) By Matthew Willis, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK. 2025. Ill.

Dec. 5, 2025

Navy Demonstrates Multi-Day Solar UAS Flight

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy, in partnership with Skydweller Aero, recently achieved continuous solar-powered unmanned flight during a nonstop three-day test from Stennis, Mississippi.

Dec. 5, 2025

First Four Naval Aviators to Graduate from T-54A METS Program at Training Air Wing FOUR

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) celebrated a significant achievement September as the first four student naval aviators from Training Air Wing FOUR (TW-4) successfully completed their multi-engine training in the Navy’s new T-54A “Multi-Engine Training System” (METS), known as the Marlin II.

Dec. 5, 2025

Navy Develops New Ground Communication Capability for Blue Angels

ST. INIGOES, Md. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF) Special Communication Mission Solutions (SCMS) division collaborated with the Navy Blue Angels to quickly develop and deliver a new ground communication system to the squadron at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, July 24.

Dec. 5, 2025

Historic TH-57 Helicopter Landing Aboard USS Lexington Marks End of an Era, Welcomes New Training Aircraft

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Helicopter Squadron (HT) 28 conducted a landing of a TH-57C Sea Ranger helicopter aboard decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV 16) Museum on the Bay, July 30. The landing honored the legacy of the TH-57C and celebrated the Navy’s transition to the TH-73A Thrasher, the next-generation training helicopter poised to advance the future of rotary-wing aviation.

Dec. 5, 2025

CH-53K Transports F-35 Airframe

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — A CH-53K heavy lift helicopter transported an inoperable F-35B Lightning II airframe from Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South Carolina, Aug. 27.

Dec. 5, 2025

New TACAMO Mission Aircraft E-130J Named Phoenix II 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The U.S. Navy’s Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office and Strategic Communications Wing 1 (SCW-1) announced the official popular name for the Navy’s new Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission aircraft: E-130J Phoenix II.

Dec. 5, 2025

Repurposed Harness Boosts Training Against Modern Threats

CHINA LAKE, Calif. — An innovative solution from China Lake is helping U.S. and coalition pilots counter modern air defense threats. It also saves time, money and resources.

Dec. 5, 2025

Marines Make History as First to Graduate Navy UAV Training

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Three Marines made history in August as the first to graduate from the Navy’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training program at Training Air Wing (TRAWING) 6, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

Dec. 5, 2025

Navy Demonstrates AI Autonomy on BQM-177A Target

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s Strike Planning and Execution and Aerial Targets program offices recently partnered with Shield AI to demonstrate artificial intelligence-based autonomy on the BQM-177A aerial target. 

Dec. 5, 2025

Program Office Improves Visibility on H-53 While Reducing Costs

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Members of the Air Vehicle Department from H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office have coordinated with the Human Systems Engineering Department’s Aircraft Lighting and Transparency Lab (ALTL) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX)-21 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, and Sikorsky to find a replacement to a searchlight on the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter. This group effort is needed because the current light became difficult to obtain through the manufacturer.

Dec. 5, 2025

U.S., French In-Flight Refueling Extends Advanced Hawkeye’s Reach

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) achieved a breakthrough in global airpower this summer, successfully refueling midair from three French-made tankers—a historic first that dramatically extends the Advanced Hawkeye’s reach for seamless joint operations while providing unprecedented airborne surveillance capabilities.

Dec. 5, 2025

NAWCWD Cuts Ribbon on Range Control Complex at China Lake

CHINA LAKE, Calif. — Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division celebrated a major milestone Sept. 23, cutting the ribbon on the new Range Control Complex at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California.

Dec. 5, 2025

VX-30 Enables First Overseas Army Typhon Launch in Australia

POINT MUGU, Calif. — Before the U.S. Army fired a Standard Missile-6 from its Typhon system during Exercise Talisman Sabre on July 16, a Navy aircraft from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 30 had already flown the mission as a silent rehearsal.

Dec. 5, 2025

USS Harry S. Truman Conducts Ammunition Offload at Sea Following Historic Deployment

NORFOLK, Va. — Two months after returning from an eight-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) demonstrated its sustained readiness with a five-day ammunition offload while underway in the Atlantic Ocean.

Dec. 5, 2025

FRCE’s C-130 Field Teams Bring the Fix to the Fleet

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — When it’s time for Marine Corps KC-130J transport aircraft to undergo advanced scheduled maintenance, squadrons have two options: have the airplane go to a depot or have a depot come to the airplane. The C-130 Minor Depot Inspection Field Team at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) brings the depot to the flight line, making it possible for Marine squadrons to receive an in-depth inspection and repair of their aircraft without leaving their home base.

Dec. 5, 2025

FRCSE Inducts T-45 Goshawks to Service Life Extension Production Line

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) has inducted its first two T-45 Goshawk aircraft into the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) production line, 13 months after the Navy identified the requirement.

Dec. 5, 2025

FRCSE Completes First F135 Power Module, Achieves Initial Depot Capability

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) completed its first depot-level repair of an F135 power module Aug. 29, establishing the command’s Initial Depot Capability (IDC). The power module is one of five major components powering the F-35 Lightning II engine.

Dec. 5, 2025

FRCSW Teams Unite to Deliver Critical F-35 Engine Fitting

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — In an extraordinary display of cross-departmental coordination, technical expertise and mission-driven dedication, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) successfully produced and delivered a critical F-35 weapons bay engine fitting to USS Carl Vinson, averting a costly and time-consuming crane-off of the aircraft.

Dec. 5, 2025

FRCSW Achieves Record-Breaking Results for Naval Aviation Readiness

NORTH ISLAND, Calif. — Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) has reached a significant milestone in Naval Aviation maintenance through the creation and success of an H-53 Tiger Team. This specialized group was comprised of subject matter experts who were tasked with establishing a new, standardized baseline process for maintenance of CH-53 helicopters. 

Sept. 25, 2025

Grampaw Pettibone

An H-60 was inducted into B-phase maintenance the evening prior to a four-day port visit. Early the next morning, the detatchment’s lead petty officer (LPO) started the day’s planned work on the aircraft, eager to finish to secure folks for liberty.

Sept. 25, 2025

Into the Fight, Into the Sea: HSC-25’s Search and Rescue Mission

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Embarked aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 Detachment 6 trains hard to carry out one of the Navy’s most demanding and essential missions: search and rescue (SAR). Whether someone is lost at sea, injured on land or caught in a life-threatening situation, HSC-25 is trained and ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

Sept. 25, 2025

Seconds to Spare: A Sailor’s Fight for Life in the Eye of the Storm

The order to cancel evening flights came down at 8:15 p.m. April 7, a reprieve from a rapidly approaching storm that promised to shroud USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) in darkness and rain. But, before the last helicopter could be secured, a different kind of emergency ripped through the ship—a sailor collapsing, an emergency call over the 1 Main Circuit (1MC) and a desperate race against time and Mother Nature.

Sept. 25, 2025

NRL Protects Naval Assets: Land, Sea and Air

The relentless assault of salt-laden sea spray generated by coastal wave action poses a significant and persistent threat to the integrity of Department of Defense assets near and far from shorelines. This corrosive environment accelerates the deterioration of critical military and naval resources, challenging their lifespan.

Sept. 25, 2025

The Mission is the Same

After soaring through two decades as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, Ross Fearon was not quite ready to hang up his flight suit. Instead, he embarked on a new mission after retiring from the Corps, trading combat maneuvers for flight testing on the cutting-edge F-35 Lightning II aircraft service at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE).

Sept. 25, 2025

Bring Your Daughter to Work Day—Aircraft Carrier Edition

In the Navy, many toss around the word “family” casually. Divisions become families. Departments become families. Berthing members become families. Co-workers who spend 18 hours a day working together and another six sleeping near each other become families. And, just like blood and biological family members, sailors rarely get to choose their Navy family members.

Sept. 25, 2025

Navy’s T-54A Ushers in New Era of Pilot Training

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the T-54A Marlin II training aircraft in May, giving future naval aviators a modern platform to prepare them for the advanced aircraft they will fly in the fleet.

Sept. 25, 2025

CNATTU North Island, HSM-35 Partner to Build Safer, More Prepared Fleet

SAN DIEGO — A unique collaboration between the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) North Island and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 is proving to be a win-win initiative that strengthens fleet readiness, enhances safety and prepares the next generation of aircraft maintainers through hands-on experience.

Sept. 25, 2025

NSDC Member First Navy Officer to Attend USAF Weapons School’s 328th Weapons Squadron

SCHRIEVER SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. — Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Dring, National Space Defense Center operations integrations chief, was selected to attend the weapons instructor course at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School’s 328th Weapons Squadron.

Sept. 25, 2025

Collaboration, New Training Asset Boost E-6B Pilot Readiness

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — E-6B Mercury pilots from Strategic Communications Wing (SCW) 1 and subordinate commands have completed their first Public Aircraft Operations (PAO) training flight successfully, a significant milestone in maintaining readiness for the critical Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission. The flight, which occurred May 30, was the culmination of fast-paced collaboration and a contract award to address an urgent fleet need.

Sept. 25, 2025

Army Soldiers use Naval Aviation Additive Manufacturing Training to Enhance Operational Readiness Downrange

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Aviation School for Additive Manufacturing (NASAM) is fostering collaboration across forces to ensure lethality and readiness wherever warfighters need it. Recently, two U.S. Army soldiers used the skills they learned at NASAM to produce critical parts while deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sept. 25, 2025

Carrier Air Wing 5 Operates at Iwo To

IWO TO, Japan — Aircrew from the Navy’s only forward-deployed air wing completed another qualification milestone with Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs) at Iwo To, Japan, May 19 through 31.

Sept. 25, 2025

Marine Corps Receives Final MQ-9A Reaper, Concluding Rapid Delivery Effort

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Marine Corps received its final MQ-9A Reaper Block 5 Extended Range (ER) Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) Gray Butte flight operations facility in California in June, marking the successful completion of a three-year acquisition campaign.

Sept. 25, 2025

VMFA-224 Redesignated as Marine Corps’ Newest F-35B Squadron

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. — Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA(AW)) 224 redesignated to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 224 during a change of command and redesignation ceremony here June 26.

Sept. 25, 2025

VMR-1 Celebrates Classification as Full Operational Capability Squadron

FORT WORTH, Texas — Marine Transport Squadron (VMR)-1 conducted a ceremony to celebrate achieving full operational capability with the C-40A aircraft at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, June 18.

Sept. 25, 2025

Blown Away: New FOD Removal Method Enhances Safety

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C — Foreign object debris, or FOD, poses a hazard on flight lines and can threaten the safety of personnel, equipment and aircraft. To minimize these risks, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, has shifted from physically picking up debris to the more efficient method of blowing the debris away. This change in protocol not only accelerates removing hazardous objects but also enhances safety because it reduces potential damage to aircraft and ensures a cleaner working environment for everyone on the flight line.

Sept. 25, 2025

New Unmanned Test System Accelerates UAS Development at NAWCAD

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is boosting its testing capabilities with a new UAS experimentation system showcased recently at a training event at Naval Air Station Patuxent River’s Webster Outlying Field.

Sept. 25, 2025

Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18: Flying High with Harris’ Hellcats

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — This book contains a highly detailed account of the high-scoring Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat squadron that flew from the light carrier USS Intrepid (CV 11) from 1943 to 1945. The subtitle refers to the score of 22 kills by Lt. Cecil E. Harris, with one more gained while flying the Hellcat’s predecessor, the F4F-4 Wildcat, while flying with Fighter Squadron (VF) 27—a squadron that by war’s end became the sixth highest-scoring Navy squadron with 176.5 kills. Harris became the second highest-scoring ace with 23 overall kills in the second VF-18 (in Hellcats). Indeed, the second VF-18 produced 13 aces during its short deployment in 1944.

Sept. 25, 2025

Navy Demonstrates Swarm Mission Planning Tech

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) demonstrated innovative mission planning software for swarms and other configurations of unmanned air, surface and underwater systems at its headquarters in June.

Sept. 25, 2025

Navy Restores T-10 Test Cell Facility, Enhancing Fleet Readiness  

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s T-10 Test Cell Facility here is undergoing a significant revitalization that will enable engine testing in a noise-suppressed environment.

Sept. 25, 2025

Target Hong Kong: A True Story of U.S. Navy Pilots at War

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Although Osprey published one of its campaign books (No. 263) in 2014 on the Japanese taking Hong Kong right after their attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the campaign detailed in this book remains a little-known part of the Pacific war, less so regarding the often-intense Pacific Air War. However, this heavily detailed, somewhat over-long book is crammed with information of the Japanese takeover of the British colony and other British subjects, and the imprisonment of many foreign nationals, including Americans, who were later released and repatriated.

Sept. 25, 2025

FRCSW Begins F/A-18 Super Hornet Modernization Upgrades

SAN DIEGO — In a landmark achievement that aligns directly with the 2025 National Defense Strategy’s call for a modernized and lethal Joint Force, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) has adopted a transformative approach to upgrading the F/A-18 Super Hornet, a critical milestone in continuous capability enhancements.

Sept. 25, 2025

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Establishes New T-45 Repair Capability

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) stood up a repair capability November 2024 for a T-45 Goshawk service life extension program (SLEP) production line supporting the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office.

Sept. 25, 2025

USS Princeton: The Life and Loss of ‘Sweet P’

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — After a fairly long, detailed historical introduction on the Pacific War, the author, a former Marine, embarks on a similarly long and detailed discussion of how the light carrier USS Princeton (CVL 23) came to be and the lengthy process of modifying the light cruiser which began in 1942. It was not that well known at the time, but four other ships also bore the “Princeton” name.

Sept. 25, 2025

FRCE Hosts Navy Reservists for Readiness Training

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently hosted a training exercise designed to sharpen the skills of a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Forward-Deployed Combat Repair (FDCR) team that travels to deployed and combat locations and repairs battle-damaged military aircraft.

Sept. 25, 2025

FRCE Inducts First CH-53K King Stallion for Maintenance

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) began a new chapter in its support of Naval Aviation’s heavy-lift mission with the induction of a CH-53K King Stallion April 17, marking the first time the platform has been inducted for depot-level maintenance.

Sept. 25, 2025

FRCE Innovation Lab Manufactures Quick Win for F-35 Fleet

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — When a critical need for new tooling arose for the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft, innovative thinking and forward-leaning technology at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) helped fill the gap and put 2,000 tools in aircraft maintainers’ hands within days.

Aug. 21, 2025

Prominent Navy Leaders Queue for MOSA Summit 2025

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — A modular open systems approach (MOSA) narrative is at the forefront of the upcoming MOSA Industry and Government Summit & Expo Aug. 27-29 in National Harbor, Maryland. Leading Navy authorities have set their sights to engage with the DOD tri-services and industry on system lifecycle urgencies using a MOSA strategy.

Aug. 6, 2025

Enhancing Naval Combat Readiness: The Critical Role of Air Warfare Officers

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Naval Air Warfare Operators (AWOs) are air battle managers (ABM) detailed from the E-2 Hawkeye community to provide the Air and Missile Defense Commander (AMDC) with air defense expertise, levying experience from their prior tours aboard aircraft carriers and working with carrier air wing staffs.

Aug. 6, 2025

Grampaw Pettibone

Due to an error in the schedule-writing process and personal neglect, a squadron’s most experienced T-34C Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standards (NATOPS) evaluator launched solo on an out-and-in, although he was fresh from leave and out of currency to fly by himself. The pilot, who six months earlier had weathered a human factors board based on his declining level of professional effort, cancelled his Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance and proceeded Visual Flight Rules (VFR) shortly after takeoff.

Aug. 6, 2025

Editor’s Choice

People often turn to books to learn about leadership and participate in high-minded debates at their book club about what new personality quiz will unlock the secrets of why a team is falling behind or review the best new organizational structure will fix all their problems. While the concept Navy Capt. L. David Marquet explores in “Turn the Ship Around” is not entirely new, his approach takes aim at aspirations discussed in many leadership books and puts them to the test in a real-world environment. He takes the true story of his failures, his trials and his successes and presents them in actionable ways, making them relevant well beyond his operating environment. “Turn the Ship Around!” does far more than discuss the theory of leadership; it puts it into perspective, and it lets us into the author’s head as he grapples with all the decision points and uncertainties that come with shifting the paradigm of leadership.

Aug. 6, 2025

Marines, Air Force Fight as Joint Force for First Time in Navy's Joint Simulation Environment

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — For the first time, Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II and Air Force F-22 Raptor pilots trained as a joint fighting force March 24-27 in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's (NAWCAD) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

Aug. 6, 2025

NPS, TOPGUN Launch New Master of Warfare Operations Degree

NAS Fallon, Nev. — In Naval Aviation, the best of the best attend the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program, otherwise known as TOPGUN, where they hone their warfighting skills as combat pilots. Starting this year, some will also sharpen their critical thinking proficiency by earning their Master of Warfare Operations (MWO) graduate degree.

Aug. 6, 2025

Two Generations Inspired by TACAMO Mission

Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. — A routine site visit to Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force Base turned into a unique multi-generational moment for Navy Capt. Adam Scott and his son Lt. j.g. Andrew Scott. The pair shared the cockpit of an E-6B Mercury simulator, executing the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission—the first and only opportunity for them to collaborate on this vital operation.

Aug. 6, 2025

F-35 Work Earns Stammer DOD’s Highest Career Civilian Honor

NAS Point Magu, Calif — Clint Stammer helps warfighters come home alive. They may never know his name, but their survival depends on his quiet dedication. He is an unsung American hero in the Department of Defense. And he received recognition over a plate of fish tacos.

Aug. 6, 2025

NAWCAD Lakehurst Environmental Test Lab Unveils New Proof Loading Equipment

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. — The Environmental Test Lab at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, New Jersey, unveiled two new proof loading machines during a Feb. 25 ribbon cutting ceremony, adding new technology to help customers and support the warfighter.

Aug. 6, 2025

Symphony at Sea: The Orchestra Supporting Amphibious Flight Operations

Atlantic Ocean — The sounds of helicopter rotors, intercom speakers and dragging chains are heard, night and day, across the flight deck of the first-in-class amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), as pilots conduct vital training necessary to maintain proficiency in their craft and ensure their ability to land onboard Wasp anytime, anywhere in the world.

Aug. 6, 2025

Aircrew Safety Improved with New Oxygen Purity Test at NAWCAD

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — For the first time, the Navy can precisely test how well modern oxygen systems remove impurities to ensure safe air for aircrew after a successful demonstration by teams at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).

Aug. 6, 2025

Navy Celebrates 80 Years of Flight Test at U.S. Naval Test Pilot School

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — During World War II, in the early days of military aerospace test and evaluation, before formal test training regimens existed, military aviators had an average life expectancy of less than nine weeks—those who survived earned the esteemed title of test pilot.

Aug. 6, 2025

Navy’s Carrier Airwing Flies Further with Hercules’ New Tanker Approval

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy Reserve’s KC-130T Hercules fleet, upgraded with the NP200 propeller system, is cleared to aerially refuel a significantly wider range of aircraft across the carrier airwing after envelope expansion testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), which concluded in early 2025. The test effort expands Hercules’ mission—and that of the Navy’s fleet reserve, which exclusively operates the aircraft—beyond its primary focus on logistics and cargo transport.

Aug. 6, 2025

‘Flying Nightmares’ Bring F-35B Thunder to Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas — Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 502, the “Flying Nightmares,” trained new and transitioning pilots on the F-35B Lightning II on a two-week detachment training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth through March 13, focusing on air-to-air and air-to-surface skills. The “Flying Nightmares,” a Fleet Replacement Squadron, target two groups: Category 1 pilots, fresh from undergraduate flight training, and Category 2 pilots, shifting from older aircraft to the F-35B.

Aug. 6, 2025

U.S.-Based F-35s Replace Hornets in Rotational Deployments to Japan

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — The U.S. Marine Corps’ Japan-based aviation forces received their first F-35 deployment from the continental United States on March 8. Based out of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214, an F-35B squadron of Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, under the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program (UDP) to support Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12, 1st Marine Air Wing (MAW) flight operations in the Indo-Pacific.

Aug. 6, 2025

Marines Test Wireless Long-Range Precision Fires Successfully

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Late last year, the Marine Corps executed successfully its first live employment test of a new Long-Range Precision Fire (LRPF) capability. The event was executed at Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG) in Yuma, Arizona, where an AH-1Z Viper conducted single launch by way of a wireless application via Marine Air-Ground Tablet (MAGTAB).

Aug. 6, 2025

Marines Fast Track New Tug for MQ-9 Reaper

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office recently delivered a cutting-edge aircraft towing solution to a Marine Corps squadron at Cherry Point, North Carolina, addressing urgent operational needs in record time.

Aug. 6, 2025

Marine Corps MQ-9 Reapers Enhanced with Advanced Payload Upgrade

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s MQ-9 Reaper test squadron at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, received the first SkyTower II (STII) pod in preparation for the system’s initial operational capability (IOC) next year.

Aug. 6, 2025

HM-12 ‘Sea Dragons’ Host Sundown Ceremony

NORFOLK, Va. — Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 12 held a sundown ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, March 21, closing the chapter on 54 years of excellence.

Aug. 6, 2025

Retired AV-8B II+ Soars to New Mission with Pima Air and Space Museum

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — A retired and demilitarized AV-8B Harrier II+ was inducted into the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 14.

Aug. 6, 2025

Navy Delivers New Crash and Salvage Cranes, Strengthening Fleet Readiness

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s Common Aviation Support Equipment Program Office delivered in February the first of 27 replacement Crash and Salvage Cranes (CSC) to Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) in Pensacola, Florida.

Aug. 6, 2025

Aircraft Maintenance Enables a Capable Aircraft for Search and Rescue Missions

PHILIPPINE SEA — While Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 is embarked aboard USS America (LHA 6), the crew practices search and rescue (SAR) training at sea. SAR is a life-saving mission designed to recover people on land and at sea in emergencies. Aircrew personnel assigned to HSC-25 continuously sharpen their search and rescue skills by conducting mock recovery missions based on a variety of scenarios, such as a lost swimmer, man overboard or missing hikers to name a few examples.

Aug. 6, 2025

Lakehurst Team Steps Up to Meet Fleet Need for Critical Equipment

LAKEHURST, N.J. — Thanks to team members from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, New Jersey, the fleet restocked its supply of release elements, a critical safety item needed to launch C-2 Greyhounds and E-2 Hawkeyes from an aircraft carrier. With the help of more than 50 people, the fleet maintained its ability to launch the airborne and coordination aircraft from the decks of aircraft carriers worldwide.

Aug. 6, 2025

NAWCAD Lakehurst Certifies New Testing Equipment for Ship Motion Platform

LAKEHURST, N.J. — After three years of development, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, New Jersey, successfully qualified the Motion Platform Aerial Sensor Suite (MPASS) prototype system for future use with the Ship Motion Platform (SMP).

Aug. 6, 2025

New Heights: 3rd MAW Marines, Squadrons Earn Top Aviation Awards

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — Marines and squadrons from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) have been recognized with 12 Marine Corps Aviation Association 2025 Aviation Awards, honoring their exceptional leadership and dedication to mission accomplishment. The highly competitive awards program spans 30 categories across the Marine aviation enterprise.

Aug. 6, 2025

Naval Aviation News Magazine Wins First Place Navy Public Affairs Award

PATUXENT RIVER, Md, — The Naval Aviation News (NAN) magazine recently received the first place Team Publication in the Navy Public Affairs Awards (NPAA) program for calendar year 2024.

Aug. 6, 2025

FRCE Earns Second Consecutive CNO Shore Safety Award

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.J. — The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) has selected Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) to receive the CNO Shore Safety Award in the Large Industrial Activity category for the second consecutive year, recognizing its continued efforts toward safety and occupational health excellence in fiscal year 2024.

Aug. 6, 2025

FRCSW Engineer Reshapes Navy Composite Repairs

NORTH ISLAND, Calif. — After nearly 16 years of service at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW), Dr. Justin Massey, Division Head for Composites and Corrosion, is transitioning to a new role with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Japan. His departure concludes a defining chapter for FRCSW’s composites team, where Massey has played a critical role in advancing repair techniques that have saved millions in taxpayer dollars and extended the life of naval aircraft.

Aug. 6, 2025

New Electronic Work Order System Improves Efficiency

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) leads the way with an enterprise-wide electronic work order (EWO) initiative set to streamline the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul documentation and inspection processes across Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRCs). After seven months of development, FRCE became the first FRC to go live with the system Jan. 14 upon the induction of an UH-1Y Venom at the depot’s detachment onboard Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Aug. 6, 2025

Workforce Suggestions Save FRCE More Than $230K

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Ten members of the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) workforce recently earned recognition for their contributions to the Beneficial Suggestion Program (BSP), which allows employees to improve the way the command does business. Employees who develop a money-saving idea that increases the life or quality of a product, reduces costs or improves delivery times have the opportunity to earn a portion of the savings generated by their recommendation.

April 25, 2025

Five Million Steps: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after Three Decades of Service to our Nation

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Young or old, civilian or military, starting a career or getting ready to end one, perseverance, resilience and reflection remain valuable qualities across the human experience. Retired Air Force veteran Jason France addresses all of these and more in his well-told story of a post-retirement, five-month hike along the Pacific Crest trail. His goal was to fulfill a lifelong dream, but it turned into more. An inveterate planner, he experienced the struggle and ultimately joy of letting go and living in the moment, while at the same time exploring the bigger picture—examining and rediscovering himself, and clarifying what he wanted out of the next chapter of his life. He overcomes the psychological and physical challenges of the 2,650-mile journey, a solitary endeavor somewhat conversely only made possible with the help of others, and immeasurably enriched by the friends he made on the trail and his family back home. Ultimately, “Five Million Steps” is the story of a moment in time of one person’s life but with implications for all of us. —David Byrd, Editor in Chief

April 25, 2025

Lakehurst Announces Capability Expansion at Ship Motion Platform

LAKEHURST, N.J. — After two years of establishing the core capabilities of the Ship Motion Platform (SMP) at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, New Jersey, test engineer Rob Pellegrino said he and his team have expanded and integrated the site capabilities with the surrounding test sites to provide a multifaceted development tool for military and commercial customers.

April 25, 2025

Marine's Award-Winning NPS Thesis Explores Mixed-Reality for Training Aviators

As the Naval Aviation Enterprise moves to integrate emerging virtual, augmented and mixed-reality technologies fully into the spectrum of aviation training, understanding the impact of these technologies on training effectiveness is paramount.

April 25, 2025

Grampaw Pettibone

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — During the last at-sea period prior to deployment, a flight of four AV-8B Harriers launched from an amphib on a long-range night interdiction mission. The flight plan called for a strike on a training range using laser-guided training rounds, plus aerial refueling from a section of tankers before and after the strike. Although all aircraft were equipped with targeting pods, once airborne the division discovered only Dash-3’s was working.

April 25, 2025

VAQ-133 Completes First Next-Generation Jammer Deployment

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (VAQ-133), assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, returned Dec. 14, 2024, from the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group’s (ABECSG) five-month deployment to the Middle East and Eastern Pacific to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in time for the holidays.

April 25, 2025

Versatile, Agile, Dependable and Enduring: C-130 Hercules Turns 70

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — The C-130 Hercules has been answering the call to defend America since Aug. 23, 1954, providing tactical airlift, humanitarian aid, air support and various other missions. Initially designed to be a medium cargo plane able to land in short, confined runways, the Hercules is used in over 70 countries with more than a million flight hours. Last year marked the 70th year the C-130 has been in flight, and the aircraft continues to reach new heights.

April 25, 2025

Night Flight Operations:USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Conducts Routine Flight Operations Around the Clock

NAS Patuxent River, Md. — Observing nighttime flight operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is like watching a meticulously choreographed ballet unfold under the cover of darkness.

April 25, 2025

F4B and Export Variants

No. 116 in this publisher’s long-lived Naval Fighters series, and heavily illustrated with photos and manual diagrams—as well as the usual end-of-book discussion of plastic scale models of this iconic Boeing fighter that served an equally long career with the Army as the P-12 series—this book is arguably one of the best in the series. Combining familiar and unfamiliar images with an equally authoritative text and captions, it is both an excellent introduction and a great reference of this biplane fighter that played great service to the aviators of the Navy, Marines and Army. Those pilots would soon find themselves fighting in the Pacific and Europe in the cockpits as well as in senior leadership positions during World War II.

April 25, 2025

Yom Kippur War 1973, Airpower in Israel’s hardest-fought war.

Review by Cmdr. Peter B. Mersky, USNR (Ret.) No. 43 in Osprey’s open-ended Air Campaign series, this new soft-cover title is the latest dealing with what was something of an expected, yet surprising, addition to the long list of Arab-Israeli wars, beginning with the 1948 War of Independence following Israel’s declaring itself a state in May 1948.

April 25, 2025

VMFA-211 Facilitates USS Tripoli Aviation Certification

PACIFIC OCEAN — Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the Essex Amphibious Ready Group in 2018, marking the first combat deployment of the F-35B Lightning II. This deployment demonstrated the effectiveness of amphibious forces when the Marine Corps’ fifth-generation fighter capabilities are integrated aboard the Navy’s amphibious assault ships.

April 25, 2025

F-35B Begins Sea Trials with Japanese Multi-Functional Destroyer in Eastern Pacific Ocean

PACIFIC OCEAN — A U.S. F-35 Lightning II aircraft landed aboard Japan’s Izumo-class multi-functional destroyer JS Kaga (DDH 84) for the first time Oct. 20, 2024, off the southern coast of California to begin developmental test aboard the allies’ largest ship.

April 25, 2025

Carderock Team Provides Critical Technical Support for F-35B Sea Trials on JS Kaga

BETHESDA, Md. — Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division’s Platform Integrity Department engineers responded to a request from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Paxtuxent River F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) to support developmental flight trials aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Izumo-class JS Kaga (DDH 184) in early October.

April 25, 2025

VMFA-533 First Operational F-35 Squadron Aboard MCAS Beaufort to Receive Aircraft

BEAUFORT, S.C. — Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 533, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), received its first F-35B Lightning II jet Oct. 11, 2024, aboard Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South Carolina.

April 25, 2025

NAWCWD Team Delivers F-35 MDF in Record Time

POINT MUGU, Calif. — The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) team delivered a crucial mission data file (MDF) ahead of schedule, accelerating the normal production timeline significantly to support Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). 

April 25, 2025

Navy’s Third Operational F-35C Lightning II Squadron Achieves Safe-for-Flight Certification

PACIFIC OCEAN — Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 has earned a Full Safe-for-Flight certification on the F-35C. The F-35C enhances the carrier strike group’s ability to project power, supporting U.S. national security and integrating seamlessly with other carrier air wing assets.

April 25, 2025

Teams Wrap E-2D Software Update Preliminary Review

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The fleet is one step closer to significant improvements for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye after the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office and industry partner Northrop Grumman Corporation wrapped the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Delta System Software Configuration (DSSC)-6 Preliminary Design Review (PDR) recently.

April 25, 2025

VAW-123 Sends Last E-2C Hawkeye to Boneyard

TUCSON, Ariz. — Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 123 transferred two of its four E-2C Hawkeye aircraft to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the largest aircraft “boneyard” in the world, in September.