Lt. Gen. Gary L. Thomas. US Marine Corps
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gary Thomas was been nominated to serve as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, the service’s second-highest rank, according to a Thursday Pentagon announcement.
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
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jake Fredrick, in Sept. 2016. DoD Image
The Marine who died in a Wednesday F/A-18C Hornet crash off of Japan has been identified by his family, according to a Thursday report in Stars and Stripes and confirmed by USNI News. Read More
A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet operating near Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Calif., March 29, 2016. US Marine Corps Photo
This post was updated with an additional information from U.S. Marine Corps commandant Gen. Robert Neller and III MEF.
Searchers looking for the Marine pilot of an F/A-18 Hornet that crashed on Wednesday off Japan have expanded their search area, III Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement Wednesday evening. Read More
After a two-and-a-half month pause, the U.S. is again launching anti-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria strikes from an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, the Navy announced on Tuesday. Read More
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) launches a Tomahawk cruise missile as seen from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) on Sept. 23, 2014. US Navy Photo
The start of U.S. airstrikes in Syria early Tuesday morning local time marks a major expansion of the air campaign begun in northern Iraq to target the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL). Read More
Boeing artist’s conception of a potential design for F/A-XX. Boeing Photo
The U.S. Navy expects to undertake an analysis of alternatives (AoA) for its F/A-XX next-generation replacement for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet starting in fiscal year 2015. Read More
An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the Salty Dogs of Strike Aircraft Test Squadron (VX)23, tests the Joint Precision Approach Landing System (JPALS) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). US Navy Photo
The U.S. Navy has completed the initial development of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS), Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) officials told USNI News. Read More
The following is from an Aug. 27, 2013 Boeing briefing on the company’s Advanced Super Hornet program. Read More
What should the carrier air wing of the future look like? The topic has taken on new significance as a consequence of an article in the July issue of Proceedings by the Chief of Naval Operations ADM Jonathan Greenert. The title of the article, “Payloads over Platforms: Charting a New Course,” its discussion of the diminishing value of stealth, and the positive mentions of both the F/A-18 Hornet and unmanned systems such as the Scan Eagle and Fire Scout led some observers to accuse the CNO of being secretly opposed to the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In response, ADM Greenert and his staff have stressed that the article did not refer in any way to the F-35, but instead to stealth in the future.
The F-35 noncontroversy aside, Greenert made a profound statement that could have dramatic implications for the character of U.S. air power, in general, and the future carrier air wing, in particular. The CNO declared “we need to move from ‘luxury-car’ platforms—with their built-in capabilities—toward dependable ‘trucks’ that can handle a changing payload selection.” Why? Well, by definition “luxury car” platforms are expensive. A payload-centric approach allows for more rapid technological refresh at lower cost as well as the ability to tailor forces for the conflict du jour.
One conclusion to be drawn from the CNO’s assertion that the Navy needs to move toward “dependable trucks” is that the value of the performance characteristics associated with so-called “luxury car” platforms is declining Those characteristics include stealthiness, speed, maneuverability, perhaps even survivability. There are those who argue that the combination of advanced sensors, data fusion, high-performance missiles and directed-energy weapons will bring the era of manned fighters and penetrating bombers to an end. It is by no means certain that the U.S. aerospace industry will be able to design an affordable sixth generation manned aircraft with the combination of range, persistence, stealth, ISR, and payload required to operate in such an intensely hostile environment.
