Tag Archives: deputy commandant for aviation

Marines Placing Small UAVs into Ground Combat Element, As Aviators Still Refining Large UAS Requirement

Marines Placing Small UAVs into Ground Combat Element, As Aviators Still Refining Large UAS Requirement

U.S. Marines with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 2 launch a RQ-21A Blackjack for Assault Support Tactics 2 at Canon Air Defense Complex (P111), Yuma, Ariz., Oct. 12, 2016. US Marine Corps photo.

While the Marine Corps is still charting its path forward for large drones, the service is moving smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into its ground combat units. Read More

Marine Corps Announces New Aviation, Pacific Leadership Assignments

Marine Corps Announces New Aviation, Pacific Leadership Assignments

Top row (left to right): Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, Maj. Gen. Mark Wise; Bottom row (left to right): Maj. Gen. Karsten Heckl, Maj. Gen. Dennis Crall, Maj. Gen. David Ottignon 

The Marine Corps announced a shuffle of its two- and three-star generals, with nominations of new leadership for Marines in the Pacific, the aviation community, training and education and more. Read More

Navy, Marines Prioritizing Manning, Maintenance After Fatal Pacific Mishaps

Navy, Marines Prioritizing Manning, Maintenance After Fatal Pacific Mishaps

Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) conduct maintenance on an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft atop the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Philippine Sea, Jan. 26, 2019. VMM-262 (Rein.) is the Aviation Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. US Marine Corps photo.

CAPITOL HILL – Manning and maintenance considerations are driving conversations about Navy and Marine Corps operations, as the two sea services rebuild readiness in the aftermath of fatal ship collisions and aircraft crashes in recent years. Read More

Navy Awards Sikorsky $1.13B for Next 12 CH-53K Heavy-Lift Helicopters

Navy Awards Sikorsky $1.13B for Next 12 CH-53K Heavy-Lift Helicopters

The CH-53K King Stallion lifts a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, January 18, 2018. The purpose of this exercise was to show the Capabilities of the CH-53K. US Marine Corps photo.

The Department of the Navy awarded Sikorsky a $1.13-billion contract for 12 CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters, the Defense Department announced on Friday. Read More

Marine Corps, Lockheed Martin to Sign CH-53K Helo Production Contract in 'Weeks'

Marine Corps, Lockheed Martin to Sign CH-53K Helo Production Contract in ‘Weeks’

The CH-53K King Stallion lifts a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, January 18, 2018. The purpose of this exercise was to show the Capabilities of the CH-53K. US Marine Corps photo.

CAPITOL HILL – The Department of the Navy expects to sign a contract with Lockheed Martin for the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter “in the next coming weeks,” after a pause and a program restructuring effort that sought to rebalance risk and reward between the government and contractor. Read More

New Navy Budget Request Moves Money Toward Top Two Aviation Safety Priorities

New Navy Budget Request Moves Money Toward Top Two Aviation Safety Priorities

Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Joshua White, assigned to the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, sits in the gunner’s seat of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter on July 21, 2016. US Navy Photo

The Navy’s top two aviation safety priorities could benefit from a half-billion-dollar bump in funding for aircraft modification kits if the service’s fiscal year 2019 budget request is approved. Read More

Congress Frustrated at Progress of Fighter Physiological Episode Investigations While Navy Back to Full Pilot Production After T-45C Fixes

Congress Frustrated at Progress of Fighter Physiological Episode Investigations While Navy Back to Full Pilot Production After T-45C Fixes

Pilots perform pre-flight procedures in T-45C Goshawks from Training Air Wing One (TRAWING) 1 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) on Dec. 10, 2016. US Navy photo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy isn’t moving fast enough to fix the ongoing systemic physiological episodes that have plagued fighter pilots and flight students, members of the House Armed Services Committee said on Tuesday. Read More

Physiological Episodes Down in the Navy After Slew of Changes; New Pilot Production Rate Nearly Back to Normal

Physiological Episodes Down in the Navy After Slew of Changes; New Pilot Production Rate Nearly Back to Normal

Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker speaks with sailors in Atsugi, Japan on March 23, 2016. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Navy’s multi-pronged efforts to address hypoxia, decompression sickness and other physiological episodes (PEs) in its F-18 and T-45 aircrew are showing positive results, with the number of PE events down in most aircraft types and the T-45C Goshawk trainers set to resume full operations by the end of the month, according to the commander of Naval Air Forces. Read More

Lt. Gen. Jon Davis on Marine Corps Aviation Readiness, Modernization

Lt. Gen. Jon Davis on Marine Corps Aviation Readiness, Modernization

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen Jon M. Davis, deputy commandant, Aviation, salutes the flag during the playing of the national anthem during his retirement ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, Washington, D.C., July 10, 2017. Davis retired after 37 years of service US Marine Corps photo

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jon Davis retired this week after 37 years of service and was a witness to generational evolution in Marine Corps Aviation. Davis began his career as an AV-8A Harrier pilot, and in his last assignment as deputy commandant for aviation guided the service to fielding the fifth-generation F-35B. Read More