Tag Archives: NAVAIR

Navy Cuts Super Hornet Production to Develop Next-Generation Fighter

Navy Cuts Super Hornet Production to Develop Next-Generation Fighter

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 sits chocked and chained on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) on Aug. 24, 2018. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to truncate production of the legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in favor of pumping money into accelerating the development of its long-gestating next-generation carrier-based fighter program, the service revealed in its Fiscal Year 2021 budget request. Read More

Navy's First MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft Deploy To Guam

Navy’s First MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft Deploy To Guam

An MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) idles on a runway at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam after arriving for a deployment as part of an early operational capability (EOC) test. US Navy Photo

About a year later than initially expected, the first two MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft arrived in Guam over the weekend, marking a significant step toward increasing the Navy’s Western Pacific reconnaissance and surveillance capability, the service announced this weekend. Read More

Marines, NAVAIR Declare CH-53K Heavy-Lift Helo Engine Problems Resolved

Marines, NAVAIR Declare CH-53K Heavy-Lift Helo Engine Problems Resolved

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.

This post has been updated to include an interview with Sikorsky on the effort to diagnose and solve the exhaust gas re-ingestion issue.

The Marine Corps and Sikorsky have resolved the engine integration issues that slowed down the CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter program, the service announced today. Read More

Naval Integration Drive Shaping Acquisition of Marine Unmanned MUX Drone

Naval Integration Drive Shaping Acquisition of Marine Unmanned MUX Drone

The Bell V-247 tiltrotor is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) that will combine the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft, and would provide long-endurance persistent expeditionary and surveillance and fires capabilities. Bell Image

As the Navy and Marines continue to highlight close naval integration, the interconnectedness of the two services has moved beyond concepts and doctrine and is spilling into acquisition decisions being made, a top Marine Corps general told USNI News. Read More

Navy Still Mulling Post-F-35C Aviation Combatant; Could be Mix of Manned, Unmanned Aircraft

Navy Still Mulling Post-F-35C Aviation Combatant; Could be Mix of Manned, Unmanned Aircraft

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the ‘Argonauts’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completes a flight over Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy is unclear how it will proceed with its next generation of aviation combatants following the introduction of the F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter into the carrier air wing, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said on Thursday. Read More

T-45C Goshawk Trainers On Track To Qualify For Landing On Ford-Class Carriers

T-45C Goshawk Trainers On Track To Qualify For Landing On Ford-Class Carriers

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – The T-45C Goshawk began Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) performance testing at the Runway Arrested Landing Site (RALS) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Aug. 13.

This post was updated to say the 60 Goshawk arrested landings at the Runway Arrested Landing Site (RALS) occurred in April. An earlier version included the wrong month.

The Navy and Marine Corps will soon be able to train their newest pilots aboard the newest aircraft carrier, as Naval Air Systems Command makes progress integrating the T-45C Goshawk trainer with the Ford-class carrier arresting system.

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Congress Grants Additional Funding to Keep CH-53K Helicopter Testing on Schedule

Congress Grants Additional Funding to Keep CH-53K Helicopter Testing on Schedule

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.

This post has been updated to include additional information from Naval Air Systems Command.

Lawmakers approved a second batch of funding to supplement the Marine Corps’ CH-53K heavy lift helicopter program, which saw its flight test program overhauled after challenges with technologies and executing the test requirements efficiently. Read More

NAVAIR: New Presidential Helicopter Production to Start Soon

NAVAIR: New Presidential Helicopter Production to Start Soon

A Sikorsky VH-92A lands at the White House during a test on September 22, 2018. The VH-92A will become the new presidential transport helicopter, replacing an aging fleet of VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters. Naval Air Systems Command photo.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Naval Air Systems Command has a handshake deal in place to start production of the Sikorsky VH-92A, the next generation presidential helicopter, officials said on Monday.

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