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Remember, the Blues have a practice session many of the days (weekdays) they are “home” in Pensacola. The National Naval Aviation Museum has an area where visitors can watch the flight demonstration. On select days after the local practice, the Blues visit the Museum and visitors can meet with them. TACTICAL AIRCRAFT (TACAIR) FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION REMAINING 2008 SCHEDULE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEGACY FLIGHT REMAINING 2008 SCHEDULE
USS Theodore Roosevelt Group To Deploy In Early September (WVEC (NORFOLK ABC) 27 AUG 08) NORFOLK – Thousands of Norfolk-based sailors are gearing up to go overseas next month. USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will support maritime security operations and operate in international waters across the globe. The carrier will leave Naval Station Norfolk on September 8. The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey in Norfolk and the fast combat support ship USNS Supply in Earle, NJ leave two days later. Then, on September 12, the guided missile destroyers USS The Sullivans from Mayport, FL, USS Mason and USS Nitze from Norfolk and the attack submarine USS Springfield based in Groton, CT will deploy. Carrier Air Wing Eight consists of strike fighter squadrons VFA-15, VFA-31, VFA-87 and VFA-213; tactical electronics warfare squadron VAQ-141; carrier airborne early warning squadron VAW-124; and helicopter anti-submarine squadron HS-3. F-35 Short-Takeoff Plane Production Approved By U.S. (BLOOMBERG 26 AUG 08) ... Tony Capaccio Lockheed Martin Corp. has won approval to build the first six of the most advanced model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter after satisfying civilian Pentagon officials that the engines are sound, the Defense Department's program manager said. The decision -- reached in late July and not announced until today -- triggers Lockheed's production of the short-takeoff and vertical-landing version, or STOVL, Lieutenant General Charles Davis said. The work is valued at $973 million. The approval follows work to upgrade an engine supplied by United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney unit. Vibration destroyed two engines during ground testing that put the engine through its most stressing environment. The short-takeoff version of the plane is scheduled to be declared combat ready in March 2012, the first of three models planned. The approval means ``we are building now for customers versus the test program,'' Davis said. ``There was lot of debate two years ago'' about whether the model was going to fly this year, which it did June 11, Davis said. An independent team of aviation experts examined Pratt & Whitney's plan to remedy the engine. The team told Pentagon officials that Pratt ``has taken every step known to science and they are confident that all the steps they have taken will relieve the problem,'' Davis said. The upgraded engine will be tested in October and go through the same exercises that resulted in prior failures, Davis said. The short-takeoff version has been the most widely watched of the three F-35 models because of its complexity and participation by the U.K., the largest international partner on the $298 billion program. Program Plans The U.K. is building two aircraft carriers to accommodate the new plane and the Marine Corps touts it as the centerpiece of its future combat aviation. The U.S. plans to build at least 420 short-takeoff models for the Marine Corps and 138 for the U.K. The Italian and Spanish air forces are considering purchases also, he said. Short-takeoff production increases from six this year to 10 in fiscal 2009, including the first two for the U.K., 15 in 2010 to 31 in 2012. Production settles to about 25 each year in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Davis said. The six production models will be built on the same Fort Worth, Texas, assembly line as the five development test short- take-off models. The Pentagon has already approved production of the F-35 model to be used by the Air Force. That variant is a conventional takeoff and landing model. Todd Shipyards Will Maintain Navy's Carriers The Shipyard Will Perform Upkeep Of The Lincoln And Other Puget Sound-Based Carriers. (EVERETT HERALD 27 AUG 08) EVERETT -- Todd Shipyards Corp. said it has won a U.S. Navy contract to provide long-term overhaul and maintenance for its Nimitz-class aircraft carriers based in Puget Sound, including the USS Abraham Lincoln. The five-year contract also calls for Todd to perform work on the USS John C. Stennis, USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan. Todd will perform repairs, alterations and maintenance that doesn't involve the ships' nuclear power plants. Much of the work on the USS Lincoln is expected to be performed at the Naval Station Everett docks. When the ship is required to go into dry dock, it is sent to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, as it was in 2006 and 2007. The new carrier maintenance contract continues work that is familiar to Todd. The shipyard company has won two other contracts for the same work locally since 1999, said Michael Marsh, Todd's general counsel. Todd performs a substantial amount of repair and maintenance work on commercial and government vessels around the Pacific Northwest, with the Navy, Coast Guard and Washington State Ferries among its customers. The value of the new carrier contract is not determinable until the Navy defines all the work to be performed, according to Todd. Todd has operated a shipyard in Seattle since 1916. In January, the company bought Everett Shipyard, which has operated on the city's waterfront since the 1940s. Navy
gives green light to National Flight Academy
Adm. Gerry Hoewing said the Navy already is releasing funds to move forward with design and construction of the $19.5 million academy. "We've been working on this for the last year," Hoewing said. "We haven't been too vocal about it in the press, because you don't want to over-promise and under-produce." Hoewing
said construction may begin in early 2009.
The
facility's opening is planned for May 8, 2011 — the 100th
anniversary of the birth of Naval aviation.
Students in the program will spend a little over five days living at the academy, which will have a Naval aviation theme. Bunk rooms will look like aircraft carrier state rooms, and classrooms will look like carrier ready rooms, Hoewing said. "They will eat, sleep, live, study and play in the National Flight Academy. It's going to be a great hands-on learning experience," Hoewing said. Tuition
for the program is expected to be $895 a student, which
includes food and housing.
Originally approved in 2001, the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation has since raised more than $30 million for the project. Enterprise Rent-a-Car was the biggest donor, with other donations coming from private investors, major corporations and aerospace industries, Hoewing said. "Economically, this will have a significant impact to the Northwest Florida region," Hoewing said. "When you bring 264 students into the National Flight Academy from all around the country, a substantial portion are going to bring their parents. "Most importantly, this is something that needs to be done for our American youth in order for them to get excited about science technology and math." Susan Cundiff, a teacher at Gulf Breeze High School, said that the program will be a positive learning experience for students. It's great science, and it's definitely great physics and math," Cundiff said. "It's good for them to see how science and math work together and how they are applied." This is not an endorsement of his MaxAir2Air company, but there’s a good picture story by Max Haynes about a visit to USS NIMITZ at http://maxair2aircom/AIR/Nimitz/Nimitz00.html
Reagan
Launches First Sorties in Support of OEF By Lt. Ron Flanders, USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
USS
RONALD REAGAN, At Sea (NNS) -- The Ronald Reagan Carrier
Strike Group assumed the duties as Commander, Task Force
(CTF) 50 Aug. 28 and launched its first sorties into
Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
T-2 Buckeye
Sunset Ceremony Marks End of 50-Year Era
By Mike O'Connor, Maval Air Station Pensacola Public Affairs
PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The historic 50-year training
mission of the T-2 Buckeye came to a close with a
sundown ceremony and fly-by at the Mustin Beach
Officers' Club aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola
Aug. 22. JOB HUNTING??? Master Chief Petty Officer Steven Collins (USN, Ret) is looking for a Naval Forces Instructor - an overseas accompanied position... Contact: Steven Collins, Black Ice Consulting, director@blackicesecurity.com US Naval Aviation Working to Help U.S. Navy Brings Aid To Desperate Haiti Hurricane's Toll Is Still Murky As Roads And Bridges Remain Impassable (ASSOCIATED PRESS 08 SEP 08) ... Jonathan M. Katz GONAIVES, HAITI — The sun came out in Haiti on Monday as waters from Hurricane Ike receded and a U.S. Navy hospital ship equipped with helicopters and amphibious boats arrived in the capital to deliver food and water to cities still marooned by flooding. But Haiti — and the world — still lacks a complete picture of the destruction, and desperation was setting in among people who have spent days in the floodwaters and mud. Most roads remain impassible, with bridges torn away by overflowing rivers and gaping holes preventing aid from moving by land. Hard-hit Gonaives, north of the capital, remained cut off by land. A Red Cross truck trying to reach Les Cayes on Haiti's southern coast had to turn back, one of many international aid efforts still struggling to leave the capital. The death toll — which government officials said stood at 312 people in four tropical storms in less than a month — is sure to rise as more bodies surface in the mud. Two more bodies were found Monday in coastal Cabaret, where 61 people died as mudslides and floods unleashed by a swollen river crushed homes in the middle of the night. Sixteen other people — mostly children reported missing by their parents — were being searched for in the wreckage, Cabaret civil defense director Henri Louis Praviel said. And there was still no word Monday on Ike's death toll in other cities, let alone more remote areas. In Gonaives, Police Commissioner Ernst Dorfeuille said his poorly equipped force — just 15 officers and three police cars for the city of 160,000 — has buried dozens of badly decomposed and unidentifiable corpses in graves outside the city. "After three days, those bodies could not stay," said Dorfeuille, adding he witnessed the burial of five people. It wasn't clear how these bodies fit with previous tallies of the dead, but Dorfeuille denied reports citing him as giving a death toll of nearly 500 in Gonaives. Lines of storm refugees trudged down from denuded hills Monday to the wreckage of their homes and stores. All across the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, desperation was evident. "People are starting to move back because they have nowhere to go," U.N. development official Eric Mouillefarine said Monday. "They want to protect their homes from looters." The USS Kearsarge arrived in Port-au-Prince Monday after it was rerouted from a humanitarian mission to Colombia, and it can provide much of the logistical support aid groups have needed. Eight helicopters and three landing craft aboard the ship will deliver cargo and equipment to six cities all along Haiti's coast. The Navy helicopters were flying over storm-stricken areas on Monday, trying to find places where bigger helicopters can land. And the landing craft can carry up to 199 tons of supplies to places where even the helicopters can't land, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said. After Hurricane Ike, Haiti Needs `Flood Of Helicopters' (MIAMI HERALD 09 SEP 08) ... Jacqueline Charles, Trenton Daniel and Evan S. Benn PORT-AU-PRINCE -- With Haiti's major bridges crumbled, roadways flooded and an estimated one million people homeless, humanitarian and government groups struggled Monday to push relief supplies into the country and throughout the storm-ravaged Caribbean. Four storms in rapid succession have demolished patches of the Caribbean from Cuba to Hispaniola to Jamaica to the Turks and Caicos Islands to the Bahamas, killing more than 350 people, sinking entire towns and hampering aid efforts. ''We need a flood of helicopters because there is a lot of food coming into Port-au-Prince and it cannot reach the provinces,'' Haitian President René Préval said in an interview with The Miami Herald. In Haiti, rescue groups have no access to many interior villages across the southern region and to hard-hit Gonaives, north of the capital, which was cut off when a bridge collapsed. A Red Cross truck trying to reach Les Cayes on the southern coast had to turn back because of impassable roads. ''The flooding is more extensive than people realize, and it's awful how little relief has been able to get into Gonaives and other areas,'' said Dr. Arthur Fournier, a University of Miami physician who co-founded Project Medishare, a charity that transports medical aid to Haiti. Thousands of Haitians have been living in hospitals as temporary shelters, Fournier said. ''They are going to be stuck there for a long time,'' he said. ``They don't have homes to go back to.'' Local, national and international groups worry that a secondary disaster could arise from water-borne diseases. Fournier's group is trying to send LifeStraws to Haiti -- hand-held devices that purify water. Humanitarian workers said the most crucial supplies they need is water, sanitation items and food. The U.S. military helped deliver food and medical help Monday, and the U.S. Agency for International Development donated $10 million. Money also trickled in from around the world: The European Union gave $2.85 million for relief efforts, and the Dominican Republic -- also struck by some of this year's storms -- donated water, food and mattresses. Trinidad and Tobago sent Haiti about $1.5 million. Two U.S. Navy MH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters flew tens of thousands of pounds of food to Jeremie, an isolated Haitian city that Hurricane Gustav pounded. And the USS Kearsarge, a Navy hospital ship equipped with four operating rooms and 53 beds, arrived in Port-au-Prince after being rerouted from a mission to Colombia. ''It gives us a purpose,'' said Sugat Patel, 34, an infectious-disease physician aboard the Kearsarge. He had five days off ahead of him until the ship was sent to Haiti. ``I believe every soldier here would rather be doing something like this. They are doing their job.'' In South Florida, meanwhile, politicians, charities and Caribbean-American coalitions called on people to send cash and supplies to the region. ''Despite our economic downturn in Florida, we must make a generous sacrifice,'' Miami Archbishop John C. Favalora said. Favalora assured that the money would be delivered directly to churches in Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Jamaica and other affected countries. He then waded into the contentious political debate surrounding U.S. policy toward Cuba and Haiti, calling for an immediate granting of temporary protected status for Haitians. That status would stop deportations of Haitians, which Favalora said would be unspeakably cruel given the current conditions on the island. Favalora also said the United States should lift the embargo on Cuba for humanitarian reasons. Lifting the embargo would allow the church to more easily send ''far more donations'' to storm victims, he said. South Florida congressional representatives also urged President Bush to halt the deportation of illegal Haitian immigrants until the island recovers from Ike's devastation. And a coalition of Cuban-American groups asked the Bush administration to temporarily lift the sanctions on family aid and remittances, as did Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. ''The best thing is for people to get help from friends and family,'' said Mayra Sanchez of North Miami, whose mother and daughter live in Las Tunas, Cuba, where storms have damaged many homes. ``But Cubans can't do that because of the embargo.'' Relief is also needed in the southernmost Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, which Ike slammed into as a mighty Category 4 hurricane that peeled off roofs and knocked down buildings. ''It looks like Beirut,'' Turks and Caicos Premier Michael Misick said at a Grand Turk airport with a collapsed hangar. Some people cried and hugged Misick. At one home, women called out: ``No food! No food!'' On the Bahamas' Great Inagua Island, a man snacked on coconuts in the streets of Matthew Town. He said Ike had rendered him homeless but joked about the fallen trees all over the island. ''It's easy to eat coconuts,'' said Vincent Cartwright, 66, as he snacked on fruit he plucked from a downed tree. Then, Cartwright said: ``We got it bad here -- we're all mashed up.'' The U.S. Coast Guard's Great Inagua station sustained minor damage, and crews there said they would assist with relief efforts soon. Government workers and Red Cross volunteers flew into the island to survey damage and begin to distribute relief supplies like food, water and hygiene kits Monday afternoon. The government's presence provoked irritation from some in Matthew Town. ''This is a total disaster,'' Leopold Mullings, 47, yelled from his bicycle toward the government entourage. ``We don't need assessments -- we need money!''
US Helicopter Carrier Deploys Off Haiti To Aid Relief Efforts (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE 08 SEP 08) The US Navy has deployed a helicopter carrier off the coast of Haiti to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of a series of storms, the military said Monday. The USS Kearsarge was redirected from Santa Marta, Colombia and has arrived near the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, the US Southern Command said in a statement. It said the Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship loaded with relief supplies, will help move cargo and equipment between Port-au-Prince and Gonaives, Jeremie, Saint Marc, Port de Paix, Jacmel and Les Cayes. Four storms in a little over three weeks have killed at least 600 people in Haiti and left hundreds of thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter. "We moved as quickly as possible to get here, following the passing of Hurricane Ike, and we are rapidly moving to distribute relief supplies to the citizens of Haiti in the affected areas," said Captain Fernandez Ponds, the mission commander. The Kearsarge has eight helicopters and three landing craft. Helicopters were flying from the Kearsarge to identify suitable landing sites, the command said.
(NAVY TIMES 08 SEP 08) ... Mark Faram The amphibious assault ship Kearsarge arrived in the waters off Haiti on Monday to begin providing relief to victims of Tropical Storms Hanna and Gustav as well as Hurricane Ike, which have battered the island nation over the past week. It’s the first time the Navy’s new Mayport-based 4th Fleet, which stood up as the Navy component of U.S. Southern Command in July, has tasked a ship to respond to an emergency. Four CH-53E Sea Stallions from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., along with two Navy MH-60S Seahawks from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron based in Norfolk, onboard Kearsarge started flying missions immediately to identify suitable landing sites. “The tasking is for logistics support,” said. Lt. Joe Vasquez, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command in Mayport, Fla. “The Kearsarge also has three landing craft onboard that will be able to ferry supplies to coastal and riverine areas inaccessible to the helicopters. The combined capacity of the helicopters and landing craft is 253 metric tons, Vasquez said. The ship was diverted Saturday during a scheduled port visit in Santa Marta, Colombia, where it had been operating in support of Operation Continuing Promise. Kearsarge is specifically tasked with U.S. Agency for International Development in Haiti, Vasquez said, and will primarily be used to move cargo and equipment between the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and the cities of Gonaives, Jeremie, Saint Marc, Port de Paix, Jacmel and Les Cayes. U.S. military assistance to a foreign nation must be requested by the host nation through the U.S. ambassador, Vasquez said. Once the formal request is received in Washington, he said, the lead federal agent, USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance then asks the Defense Department for military assistance. USAID is providing $7.1 million in assistance to Haitians, according to its Web site. The Coast Guard also delivered supplies to the region Friday and Saturday. Two HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., delivered aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development to Gonaives, Haiti, on Friday. The cutter Legare also carried an additional 33 to 35 tons of supplies, including staple foods, hygiene and medical kits, tents and plastic sheeting. TR Deploys, Will Head To South Africa (NAVY TIMES 08 SEP 08) ... Andrew Scutro NORFOLK, Va. — Unlike the usual cruise from Hampton Roads, Va., that proceeds through the Mediterranean and into the waters of the Middle East, the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group — which began deploying Monday — is expected to make its first port call in South Africa in the coming days. “We have been invited and the planning is in progress,” said Rear Adm. Frank Pandolfe, strike group commander, speaking to reporters on the pier before the ship departed. After the visit, the strike group is expected to head back up north toward 5th Fleet area. One of the most recent U.S. warships to visit South Africa was the destroyer Forrest Sherman in the fall of 2007. Capt. Ladd Wheeler, TR’s commanding officer, said a focus of the deployment will be ensuring stability and security through presence. “That’s what our Navy does,” he said. Some 7,300 sailors are assigned to the carrier strike group, which will include Carrier Air Wing 8. The Norfolk-based cruiser Monterey and the fast combat support ship Supply are scheduled to deploy Wednesday. Supply is homeported in Earle, N.J. Destroyers Mason, Nitze and The Sullivans, and attack submarine Springfield, are set to get underway Friday. Springfield will deploy from Groton, Conn. The Sullivans is homeported in Mayport, Fla. Nitze and Mason are from Norfolk. Bell-Boeing Gets $358.7M US Navy Pact (ASSOCIATED PRESS 09 SEP 08) WASHINGTON - A strategic alliance of Boeing Co. and Textron Inc. received a $358.7 million contract boost from the Navy for five additional CV-22 Osprey aircraft, the Pentagon said late Monday. The Osprey, a tiltrotor vertical/short takeoff and landing aircraft, is jointly built by Boeing and Bell. Boeing is responsible for the fuselage and all subsystems, digital avionics and fly-by-wire flight-control systems, while Bell is responsible for the wing, transmissions, empennage, rotor systems and engine installation. Senate, House Defense Appropriations Panels Clash On Troubled Aircraft EffortsSenate defense appropriators have staked out different stances than their House counterparts on troubled aircraft efforts, including calling for greater funding reductions to the presidential helicopter and Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) while advocating less substantial changes to the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program. Thus, funding for these programs are likely fair game for future House-Senate negotiators for the fiscal year 2009 defense appropriations bill, which is currently stalled in Congress. The version of the legislation the Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee (SAC-D) marked up last Wednesday slashes more money from the troubled VH-71 presidential helicopter program than does the corresponding bill the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee (HAC-D) finalized July 30, according to the reports accompanying both bills. Defense Daily obtained both reports, which have not been publicly released. The SAC-D wants to slash the entire $312.8 million the Navy requested in research and development funds for the presidential helicopter effort's Increment 2, and then transfer $42 million of those monies to advance-procurement of Increment 1 aircraft. The HAC-D, by comparison, is calling for trimming the $312.8 million request for Increment 2 by $212.8 million, thus still keeping $100 million in funding. The VH-71 program is divided into two increments, and the less- technologically-advance Increment 1 aircraft is scheduled to reach initial operational capability (IOC) in 2010. The Navy last December put a stop-work order on the troubled Increment 2 choppers, which had a 2017 IOC date. The SAC-D frowns on the Bush administration's budget request to restart work on Increment 2 in the spring of 2009 after the certification of a so-called Nunn-McCurdy cost breach. "The Committee does not believe that continues investment in development of Increment 2, which today is estimated to cost not less than $4,700,000,000, is warranted," the subcommittee's report states. "The Increment 1 aircraft, with significant advantages over the legacy fleet, will be available in the near term." The report adds that there is no assurance that cost growth in the program has been fully controlled, and that "sustaining a portion of the current aging aircraft fleet until Increment 2 assets become fully operational more than 10 years from now carries significant costs and risks." The SAC-D also calls for spending an added $20 million in procurement funds on reliability enhancements to existing, legacy presidential helicopters. The Senate panel also wants to zero the administration's procurement request for the Army's troubled ARH. The Army notified Congress in July that the ARH effort experienced a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach, and is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the program. The service earlier this year requested $358.8 million for FY '09 procurement of 28 aircraft, along with $80 million in advance- procurement monies. "In light of the ongoing analysis of alternatives, the Committee recommends no funds for the procurement of additional ARH, and transfers $42,000,000 to accelerate the safety enhancement program for the remaining unit of the Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopter," the SAC-D report says. In July, the HAC-D wrote in its report that it supports the ARH program, yet it laments "continuing production delays and unit cost growth." The House panel calls for cutting the administration's request of $358.8 for 28 aircraft in FY '09 down to $229 million for 15 ARHs, and trimming the advance-procurement total from $80 million down to $43.8 million. For the two-service JCA effort, the SAC-D recommends funding the Army's $264.1 million request for buying seven aircraft, while zeroing out the Air Force's JCA procurement request and trimming its research and development request from $26.7 million down to $16.7 million. The HAC-D, though, gave the Air Force no JCA funding in its marked up bill, which includes funding for buying three of the seven aircraft the Army is seeking. The Senate and House appropriations panels also take different approaches to the multi-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The SAC-D wants to cut funding for two production aircraft in FY '09, dropping the total to 14, while the HAC-D is calling for restructuring the program and trimming procurement of four F-35s in FY '09. Both panels call for continuing to fund the F-35 second-engine effort not supported by the Bush administration. The HAC-D and SAC-D both call for adding funding to keep the Air Force's F-22 Raptor production line going, adding advance-procurement funds for 20 aircraft and removing $147 million in requested monies for shutting down the line. It was not clear yesterday when the full House and Senate appropriations committees will mark up the defense bills. HAC-D Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) last week was pessimistic about the FY '09 defense appropriations bill passing before the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday continued debating the defense authorization bill, though as of yesterday afternoon Republicans had not agreed to a unanimous-consent agreement dictating which amendments will be considered on the floor. More than 200 amendments have been filed, but the bill's managers want to limit the number voted on to assure speedy passage of the legislation. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said if the Senate does not pass the defense bill early this week, then it will not make it through the subsequent steps and pass in time before Congress expects to adjourn later this month. Boeing Sees Industrial Base Worry If Programs StallWASHINGTON - Boeing Co is continuing to fund research and development of new military aircraft, but its technological base may erode if the U.S. Air Force does not move soon to begin a competition for a new bomber and a new fighter, a top executive said on Monday, "The technology base is eroding for Boeing as we move late into the next decade," Darryl Davis, president of Boeing's Advanced Systems unit, told reporters at the annual Air Force Association meeting. In recent years, Boeing has lost several key military aircraft competitions, including the $200 billion Joint Strike Fighter project, won by Lockheed Martin Corp; an unmanned combat airplane competition won by Northrop Grumman Corp; and an unmanned Navy patrol plane, also won by Northrop. Given that Boeing's production line for the C-17 transport plane and F-18 fighter jet are beginning to wind down, defense analysts have raised concerns about Boeing's ability to compete for more military aircraft contracts in the future. Davis agreed it was a concern, especially if the Air Force's program to build a new bomber and possibly start work on a sixth-generation fighter were delayed. Overall, U.S. defense spending was likely to level off and possibly decline in coming years, and much would depend on the priorities of the new administration, Davis said. He said Boeing expected research and development programs to continue being funded, but those programs might not move into design, development and production "as soon as we hoped." "It's going to be a difficult environment," Davis said. The Pentagon's renewed emphasis on testing prototypes before signing big production contracts was aimed at ensuring competition, but those efforts needed to be funded by the government. "Boeing can't fund everything on its own," he said. "We're not talking about a small amount of money." In the case of the Air Force's plan to field a new bomber by 2018, such a move might not be necessary, given that a great deal of the technology was already developed, Davis said. Gene Cunningham, a Boeing vice president and head of the V-22 program for Boeing and Textron Inc's Bell Helicopter, said that program was doing very well and the last six aircraft were actually delivered ahead of schedule. He said the Pentagon's decision to sign a multiyear contract would allow the companies to boost production of the unique tilt-rotor aircraft from 17 this year to a peak of 36 per year in 2012. The agreement, which was also recently expanded to include even more CV-22s, the Air Force version, had helped Bell-Boeing reach out to suppliers and encourage more investment in their facilities, Cunningham said. The Air Force had completed testing of the new CV-22 and was preparing to field the aircraft in combat, possibly later this year. The Marine Corps was preparing for a third rotation of MV-22s in Iraq this fall. In addition, several countries had expressed interest in buying the V-22 aircraft, which could result in short-term foreign sales of 36 to 50, with that number set to expand further as the aircraft becomes more heavily used. "We're making sure we're ready" to support the expected U.S. Air Force deployment and continuing Marine Corps deployments, Cunningham said. Initial foreign orders could come next year or in 2010, he said. The company also expected to sign a two-phased performance-based logistics support contract for the V-22s later this year, he said. Navy in Current Conflicts: Iraq A product of... Navy Office of Information www.navy.mil September 15, 2008 “U.S. and coalition naval forces conduct operations that are focused on reassuring regional partners of our commitment to help develop security and stability in Iraq. We are helping increase the capacity of Iraqi Security Forces through training: both ashore and afloat. Throughout the region, U.S. maritime forces provide assistance for the protection of key infrastructure nodes, which form the foundation of much of the world’s stability, prosperity, and economic growth.” – Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command With more than 6,400 U.S. Navy personnel serving on the ground in Iraq, 2,700 of whom are individual augmentees, it is important that we understand how we are carrying out the maritime strategy in that region. A glimpse into operations The U.S. Coast Guard, United States, United Kingdom, Singaporean and Australian Navies, as part of Combined Task Force 158, operate in the North Arabian Gulf to provide maritime security, infrastructure protection and training to the Iraqi Navy. o CTF 158 operates jointly with Iraqi Navy sailors and marines, trained by members of the Navy Transition Team based in Umm Qasr. CTF 158’s primary mission is maintaining security in and around the Al Basrah and Khawr Al Amaya oil terminals in support of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1790. The oil terminals are significant sources of revenue for the Iraqi people – revenue that is important to the rebuilding of Iraq. • Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) forces are contributing to important missions in Iraq. o Riverine Squadron 3 is supporting 1st Marine Expeditionary Force operations, securing critical infrastructure points such as Haditha Dam in Al Anbar province and conducting combat operations on lakes and waterways. o Explosive Ordnance Disposal platoons and companies are conducting operations enabling access throughout Iraq, which includes disarming and disposing of roadside Improvised Explosive Devices, destroying weapons caches and explosive remnants of war and supporting Special Operations Forces. o SeaBees as part of Naval Construction Forces are building living and office spaces as well as roads, weapons ranges and various other multi-use structures throughout the country. o The Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG) conducts customs and cargo handling operations at major entry and exit points in Iraq. • U.S. Navy aircraft fly close air support missions in Iraq supporting coalition ground forces. Naval aircraft are tactically flexible, highly disciplined and very effective. Key Messages Facts & Figures • Our job in Iraq is to provide security for the people and political process in the effort against violent extremists. We are also helping increase the capacity of the Government of Iraq and Iraqi Security Forces through training; both ashore and afloat. • The Navy Reserve continues to provide capability and capacity in support of major combat operations. • Operations in the 5th Fleet area of operations (AOR) are focused on reassuring regional partners of the U.S. commitment to global security and stability.
• During USS Abraham Lincoln’s (CVN 72) recent deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, they successfully flew nearly 1,100 sorties totaling more than 6,000 flight hours in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. • Coalition vessels have been providing security for oil terminals since March 2003. • More than three quarters of Iraq’s Gross Domestic Product is generated from the oil that flows through Iraq’s oil terminals. Raytheon Wins $232.8 Million Navy ContractWASHINGTON - Raytheon Co. said Tuesday it has won a $232.8 million contract from the Navy to develop a GPS-based system for landing jets on aircraft carriers. The company said the system would improve pinpoint landing accuracy in any weather and is based on a modular design to reduce costs for future upgrades. The contract covers development and demonstration of the system. Raytheon will be joined on the contract by Rockwell Collins, Northrop Grumman and SAIC. GPS or global positioning systems use signals from orbiting satellites to determine exact location. Raytheon officials said the Navy contract would give the company experience toward efforts to develop space-based air traffic management systems. Shares of Raytheon fell 61 cents to $57.13 in midday trading. From: Air Force Magazine Online Wednesday September 24, 2008
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