Tag Archives: Naval Air Station Fallon

Navy Adjusts F-35C Squadron Size to End Fighter Shortfall by 2025

Navy Adjusts F-35C Squadron Size to End Fighter Shortfall by 2025

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An F-35C Lighting II from the ‘Argonauts’ Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, left, a F/A-18F Super Hornet from the ‘Bounty Hunters’ VFA 2, center, and F/A-18E Super Hornets from the ‘Stingers’ VFA 113, right, sit on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Jan 30, 2021. US Navy Photo

Navy officials told a key House panel this week that by creating a different mix of aircraft in the future carrier air wing, the service could shave five years off the timetable to close the shortfall in its strike fighter aircraft inventory. Read More →

First F-35C Air Wing Ready to Bring 5th-Gen Fighters to Carrier Strike Group

First F-35C Air Wing Ready to Bring 5th-Gen Fighters to Carrier Strike Group

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 30, 2021) An F-35C Lighting II from the “Argonauts” Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 sits on the flight deck on Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson is currently underway conducting routine maritime operations. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Erin. C. Zorich)

As the Navy approaches the first-ever deployment of its advanced carrier air wing – with the fifth-generation F-35C Joint Strike Fighter paired with the CMV-22B Osprey to serve as the carrier onboard delivery plane – leadership from USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and Carrier Air Wing 2 say they’ve ironed out many integration issues between the ship and the two new aircraft types and are ready for a final exercise this summer to prove they can deploy. Read More →

Navy Harnessing New Technology to Restructure Aviation Training

Navy Harnessing New Technology to Restructure Aviation Training

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Wilfred Merkel, simulator requirements officer for Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), provides guidance to 2nd Lt. Liam Wells, a student naval aviator assigned to the “Rangers” of Training Squadron 28, in March 2019. US Navy photo.

The Navy is incorporating new technologies into its aviation training curriculum, from hand-held devices to full simulators, to better train airmen to fly and fight their aircraft. Read More →

Mission Capable: How More Ready Jets Is Helping the Navy Create Deadlier Pilots

Mission Capable: How More Ready Jets Is Helping the Navy Create Deadlier Pilots

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Sailors inspect an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the ‘Blue Diamonds’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on March 23, 2020. US Navy Photo

This post is the second in a two-part series on the naval aviation community’s effort to build better readiness and how that is changing the future of naval aviation.

“It was, quite frankly, a little scary.”

In 2015, Rear Adm. Rich Brophy was a captain who had just taken command of Carrier Air Wing 9 and was trying to usher the unit through pre-deployment training, while sitting at the bottom of a bathtub in naval aviation readiness. Read More →

New Simulators Give Naval Aviators an Edge in Training for High-End Fight

New Simulators Give Naval Aviators an Edge in Training for High-End Fight

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Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 fly in close formation during a flight demonstration as part of Tiger Cruise 2017 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in November 2017. US Navy photo.

NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev. — The future of naval aviation is complex: aircraft are growing more technologically advanced, pilots face a proliferation of high-end and low-end threats, military budgets are squeezed and demand for U.S. Navy forces around the globe is growing.

So how will naval aviation training keep up? In part, with increasingly sophisticated simulators. Read More →

New Air Boss Miller Pitches Warfighting Focus in First Visit with Aviators

New Air Boss Miller Pitches Warfighting Focus in First Visit with Aviators

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F/A-18s on the flight line at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev. USNI News Photo

This post has been updated to note that Vice Adm. Miller faced a TOPGUN A-4, not an A-7, in his early training experience at NAS Fallon.

NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev. – The Navy’s new Air Boss laid out his priorities for the job – with a special focus on lethality and readiness for a high-end fight – during his first site visit since taking over as the eighth Commander of Naval Air Forces last month. Read More →

More Room For Top Gun: Navy Wants to Triple Nevada Training Ranges

More Room For Top Gun: Navy Wants to Triple Nevada Training Ranges

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An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Knighthawks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 takes off from a runway on Naval Air Station Fallon on April 11, 2014. US Navy Photo

An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Knighthawks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 takes off from a runway on Naval Air Station Fallon on April 11, 2014. US Navy Photo

As the fleet evolves with more high-tech tactical aircraft and longer-range strike weapons, the Navy’s air training ranges in the Nevada desert have become too small to accommodate realistic training. So Navy officials want more room to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots and aircrews more like they’d fight and sharpen their air warfare skills at the existing expansive range complex near Naval Air Station Fallon. Read More →

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