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ANA IN ACTION
It is good
to know many squadrons are actively engaged in having monthly
activities, some visiting great places, meeting wonderful
people, some hosting delicious luncheons with fascinating and
informative speakers …. such activities are regular in Portland,
San Diego, Perth, Tampa, Orange County, Whidbey Island,
Jacksonville, Oceana, to name just a few who have passed on
information about their squadrons.
The
SANDGROPERS of ANA55, Perth, WA recently participated in a US
Counsel, Perth event: USC Perth 2008 Election DET .....
Six
ANA55ers were involved in the days' activities with
OpsO Zoomie Cunningham, MemO Rodger Kelly, CDR Rich Tilghman USN
(Rtd), Dick Siudak and CO Gary Sheehan helping US Consulate,
Perth, Staff set up for the event at the Hyatt Grand Ballroom
and then man the security/guest check-in point for the duration
of the day. XO Curly Fuller helped out with initial Comms and
Det co-ordination leading up to the event. US Consul General,
Perth, in his speech to the several hundred guests, thanked by
name, each of the ANA55 Det, for their efforts in making the day
such a success. I have also been asked by other Consular Staff
(NCIS Agent, USC PAO and others) to pass on their appreciation
and thanks for the effort
ANA55
PAO Dr David Denemark was also in attendance, in his role as
Expert Political Commentator (for those who don't know
Professor Dave is the US Political go to guy at the
University of Western Australia) and doing media interviews
on behalf of the USC during the course of the day.
CAROLINA BLUE, Sanford
Our
President, VADM Dunn recently addressed a dinner meeting at
CAROLINA BLUE change of command in Sanford, NC at which
LtCol Charles “Red” Davis relieved Jess Wheeler. Our very
best wishes to Jess as he takes up residence in the Sunshine
State.
==========================================
The Centennial of Naval Aviation
To
those who have asked what is happening with the Centennial,
information will be posted on the Centennial web site at
http://www.cnaf.navy.mil/centennial/index.htm.
One
item from the web site:
Commander, Naval Air Forces is looking for an anniversary
logo – the deadline is 30NOV.
From
http://www.cnaf.navy.mil/centennial/whatsnew.htm:
Get
recognized for your artistic talent, submit your work for
the Centennial logo...
Commander, Naval Air Forces is accepting fleet-wide
submissions for the official logo of the Centennial of Naval
Aviation, which will be celebrated during 2011. The chosen
design will be publicly unveiled with recognition given to
the artist and will become the official logo for this
monumental celebration. The logo will appear publicly in all
types of print and video media, advertising applications,
official documents, and merchandise. Submissions are
encouraged from personnel fleet-wide.
1. All submitted designs will become property of the Dept.
of the Navy. Designs should be:
A. Distinguishable in both color and black and white
formats.
B. Easily recreated in a variety of sizes (from mugs to
banners).
C. Easily recognizable.
D. Representative of Naval Aviation in both history and
current spirit.
E. Formatted as (.jpg), (.gif), or (.tif) preferred, but all
accepted.
F. Submitted with artist's name, command, and contact
information.
2. Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2008.
3. Submissions should be made via e-mail to: cnaf-pao@navy.mil
or by mail to: COMNAVAIRPAC, Centennial of Naval
Aviation (N00CoNA), PO Box 357051, San Diego, CA 92135-705
Status of the Navy
November 10, 2008
Navy Personnel
Active Duty:
332,436
Officers: 51,477
Enlisted: 276,511
Midshipmen: 4,448
Ready Reserve:
123,159 [As of 08 Aug]
Selected Reserves: 68,136
Individual Ready Reserve: 55,023
Reserves currently mobilized:
6,041 [As of 04 Nov ]
Personnel on deployment:
61,092
Navy Department Civilian Employees:
184,461
Ships and Submarines
Deployable Battle Force Ships:
283
Ships
Underway (away from homeport):
122 ships
(43% of total)
On
deployment:
98 ships (35%
of total)
Attack
submarines underway (away from homeport):
31 submarines
(57%)
On
deployment:
20 submarines
(37%)
Ships Underway
Carriers:
 USS Dwight
D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) - Atlantic Ocean
USS
Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) - 5th Fleet
USS George
Washington (CVN 73) - Pacific Ocean
USS Ronald
Reagan (CVN 76) - 3rd Fleet
Amphibious
Warfare Ships:
USS Boxer
(LHD 4) - Pacific Ocean
Aircraft (operational):
3700+
================================================
A Day in the Navy
12 November 2008
• On November
12th, 332,436 Active Duty Sailors, 123,159 Reserve Component
Sailors, with 6,041 Reserves mobilized, and 184,461 civilians
are serving in the Department of the Navy.
• 283 active ships
are in service. 130 (46%) including four carriers and three
large deck, amphibious ships are underway.
• 8,110 Individual
Augmentees, 3,546 of which are mobilized Reserves, are deployed
on the ground around the world in support of the War on Terror.
• The Honorable
Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy, meets with the Japanese
Ambassador to the U.S.
• Carrier Air Wing
8 onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) flies more than 30
sorties in support of coalition forces on the
ground in Afghanistan.
• USS Monterey (CG
61), USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Nitze (DDG 94), part of the
Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group, are
conducting Maritime Security Operations and keeping the Sea
Lines of Communication open in the Arabian Sea and Arabian Gulf.
• Several U.S.
ships remain on station in the vicinity of MV Faina, near Hobyo,
Somalia, closely monitoring the situation and providing a
vigilant watch of the merchant vessel.
• U.S. ships are
part of Coalition Task Forces 150, 152 and 158 and are deterring
destabilizing activities while ensuring a lawful
maritime order in the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman
and Gulf of Aden.
• Military Sealift
Command’s USNS Mendonca (T-AKR 303), USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306)
and chartered cargo ships MV
Westward Venture and MV Strong Mariner are en route to the U.S.
Central Command area of operations carrying more than
350,000 square feet of combat equipment, including
mine-resistant and ambush-protected vehicles for U.S. forces.
• USS Mount
Whitney (LCC 20) is underway in the Black Sea conducting the
Black Sea Partnership Cruise with participants from Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and other Black Sea partner nations.
• USS Leyte Gulf
(CG 55) completes a port call in Mindelo, Cape Verde in support
of Africa Partnership Station. The visit featured a law
enforcement detachment patrol with Cape Verde Coast Guard
personnel leading the boardings.
• USS Jacksonville
(SSN 699) is inport Lisbon, Portugal and USS Pittsburgh (SSN
720) is inport Rota, Spain for brief stops while supporting
maritime security operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of
responsibility.
• U.S. Navy and
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) began the 20th Annual
Exercise, one of the largest USN-JMSDF
bilateral exercises conducted.
• USS Patriot (MCM
7), Mine Countermeasures Division Eleven, Naval Oceanography
Mine Warfare Center, Naval Research
Laboratory and Naval Oceanographic Office participate in
bilateral mine countermeasures exercise with units from the
Republic of Korea naval mine warfare squadron off the coast of
southern Korea.
• USS John C.
Stennis Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is underway off the coast of
Southern California completing all advanced-level training
requirements as part of the Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX)
that evaluates the CSG’s in all warfare areas. Fifteen Sailors
from Pacific and Atlantic submarine Reserve Component units are
providing operational support for the strike group during the
JTFEX.
• USS Boxer
Expeditionary Strike Group continues its Composite Training Unit
Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the coast of Southern California.
COMPTUEX is an exercise designed to train embarked staffs, ships
and air wings that make up expeditionary strike groups to
function as a highly effective fighting force.
• USS Kearsarge (LHD
3) conducts a port visit in Georgetown, Guyana for humanitarian
assistance operations as part of Continuing Promise 2008.
Medical specialists from Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic,
France and the U.S. have conducted more than 4,000 dental exams
and procedures and more than 7,500 optometry exams. 152
surgeries have been completed during Kearsarge’s deployment.
• Norfolk-based
guided missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) provides aid to
mariners in distress, responding to a distress signal from the
38-foot sailing vessel Reina del Sol, with two people on board,
several hundred miles off the east coast of the U.S.
• Naval Special
Warfare Center conducts night "Rock Portage" training.
Fifty-three Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL students
brave the cold Pacific in small inflatable boats attempting to
safely navigate and land on the rocky shore.
• Riverine
Squadron One begins its second deployment to Iraq since
commissioning. Assets conduct combat and riverine interdiction
operations along the Euphrates River and surrounding lakes in
support of the Marines of Multi-National Force West.
• Riverine Group
One conducts initial testing of Riverine Command Boat 1 (RCB-1),
the newest Riverine platform, in the Chesapeake Bay near Hampton
Roads.
• Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Twelve returns from its first
deployment in Bahrain.
• Divers from
Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit 2 conduct anti-terrorism and force
protection dives in Doha, Qatar.
• At the request
of the U.S. Embassy in Madagascar and working with U.S. Naval
Forces Africa, a four-person Naval War
College faculty team is in Madagascar assisting that country in
the development of their national maritime strategy.
• Thirteen Seabees
from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 in Guam deploy to
Palau for a 218-day Civic Action deployment.
• U.S. Naval
Support Activity Souda Bay supports the refueling of a
Military Sealift Command vessel by the Hellenic Navy.
CNO Releases 2009
Guidance
Story Number: NNS081105-25
Release Date: 11/5/2008 4:29:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Rebekah
Blowers, Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO),
Adm. Gary Roughead, released his Guidance for 2009 on Nov.
5, 2008.
CNO's Guidance (CNOG) reaffirms his vision, mission, guiding
principles and focus areas - refining the scope of his
intentions and how they will be measured in 2009 - and
reviews the accomplishments of the Navy over the past year.
"Over the past year, we have implemented our Maritime
Strategy around the world. This year's Guidance will
highlight those accomplishments as well as expand on the
progress we need to continue to make to remain a dominant
force," Roughead said.
CNO said that one of last year's accomplishments was
developing a Navy Ethos, a tangible statement of values
integral to the Navy's mission accomplishment.
"It distinguishes those of us who serve in the Navy, active
and reserve Sailors and Navy civilians, regardless of unit,
command or community," Roughead said.
The CNOG reinstates CNO's three focus areas of building the
future force, maintaining warfighting readiness, and
developing and supporting Sailors, Navy civilians, and their
families. He said over the past year the Navy has made
significant progress in those areas, setting the stage for
continued achievements in 2009.
Some of those achievements include: Deploying of the first
guided missile submarines, USS Ohio (SSGN 726) and USS
Florida (SSGN 728), in less than six years from the start of
their conversion from strategic service; Embarking
nongovernmental organizations and international partners
aboard Navy hospital and amphibious ships to provide
humanitarian assistance to local populations, treating more
than 320,000 patients in Southeast Asia, South America, and
Africa; and transitioning many short-notice, midtour,
temporary-duty individual augmentation assignments to
permanent change of station GWOT Support Assignments (GSA)
negotiated in a Sailor's normal detailing window, thereby
improving Sailors' ability to plan and develop their careers
while balancing family needs and quality of life.
The 2009 Guidance explains Roughead's 18 intentions,
refining the initiatives and measures set forth in the
2007-2008 Guidance.
The 18 intentions include global maritime partnerships,
levering science and technology initiatives to ensure
warfighting benefits accrue to future Sailors, and competent
and dedicated Sailors and Navy civilians, supported by
strong families, being the heart of the Navy as the
preeminent global maritime power.
The CNO’s 2009 GUIDANCE is
included in the other attachment – Dutch
Pentagon
Board Says Cuts Essential
Tells Obama To Slash Large Weapons Programs
(BOSTON GLOBE 10 NOV 08) ...
Bryan Bender
WASHINGTON
- A senior Pentagon advisory group, in a series of bluntly
worded briefings, is warning President-elect Barack Obama that
the Defense Department's current budget is "not sustainable,"
and he must scale back or eliminate some of the military's most
prized weapons programs.
The
briefings were prepared by the Defense Business Board, an
internal management oversight body. It contends that the
nation's recent financial crisis makes it imperative that the
Pentagon and Congress slash some of the nation's most costly and
troubled weapons to ensure they can finance the military's most
pressing priorities.
Those
include rebuilding ground forces battered by multiple tours to
Iraq and Afghanistan and expanding the ranks to wage the war on
terrorism.
"Business
as usual is no longer an option," according to one of the
internal briefings prepared in late October for the presidential
transition, copies of which were provided to the Globe. "The
current and future fiscal environments facing the department
demand bold action."
The
briefings do not specify which programs should be cut, but
defense analysts say that prime targets would probably include
the new F-35 fighter jet, a series of Navy ship programs, and a
massive Army project to build a new generation of ground combat
vehicles, all of which have been skyrocketing in cost and
suffering long development delays.
Such cuts
would affect the New England economy. General Dynamics builds
warships and submarines in Maine and Connecticut, while
Raytheon, Massachusetts' largest employer, is involved in
numerous weapons programs from ships to missile defenses and
satellites.
Pentagon
insiders and defense budget specialists say the Pentagon has
been on a largely unchecked spending spree since 2001 that will
prove politically difficult to curtail but nevertheless must be
reined in.
"The forces
arrayed against terminating defense programs are today so
powerful that if you try to do that it will be like the British
Army at the Somme in World War I," said Winslow Wheeler,
director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the liberal
Center for Defense Information in Washington. "You will just get
mowed down by the defense industry and military services'
machine guns."
Since the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, funding has grown for both the
annual defense budget and emergency spending for the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest Pentagon budget, for the fiscal
year that began Oct. 1, is an estimated $512 billion, not
including more than $800 billion in additional war spending that
has been allotted since 2001.
But a
series of forces are now at play that make such large
expenditures untenable, according to the Defense Business Board,
the Pentagon oversight group, which includes about 20 private
sector executives appointed by the secretary of defense.
The board,
which meets at least four times a year, has a full-time staff
and is an official government body. Because the board's report
has not been made public, a Pentagon spokesman would not comment
on it.
One factor
is historical. Since the end of World War II there have a been
four periods of significant increases in US defense spending and
all were followed by significant decreases in funding from
Congress, the group says.
Added
pressure on the Pentagon budget comes from what the briefing
calls "fiscal constraint in a tough economy" that is saddled
with rising deficits and growing political support for increased
government spending in other areas.
"We are all
acutely aware there is a financial crisis going on," said a
senior defense official closely involved in the transition
process.
Exacerbating the problem, according to the advisory group, are
the rising costs of military personnel, their healthcare, and
overhead. The documents estimate that more than half the annual
defense budget now goes to "people costs," including $60 billion
a year for the healthcare of service members and retirees.
They will
almost certainly grow, even with a reduction in US troops in
Iraq, given that the Pentagon has said it will increase ground
forces by more than 70,000 troops over the next few years.
That leaves
dozens of weapons systems and other equipment under development
as prime areas for cost-savings, according to Steven Kosiak,
vice president of budget studies at the nonpartisan Center for
Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington.
"The areas
most likely to get cut are acquisition and procurement," Kosiak
said. "As long as the administration is committed to increasing
troop strength you have to pay those people costs, and there is
not a lot of flexibility when it comes to benefits."
A recent
analysis by the Government Accountability Office, the
investigative arm of Congress, assessed the Pentagon's 95
largest weapons programs and found that as of March 2008 they
had collectively increased in cost by nearly $300 billion over
initial estimates.
"None had
proceeded through development while meeting the best-practice
standards for mature technologies, stable design, and mature
production processes all prerequisites for achieving planned
cost and schedule outcomes," the GAO said in documents published
last week to help guide the presidential transition.
It added:
"Over the next five years, [the Defense Department] expects to
invest more than $357 billion on major defense acquisition
programs. Much of this investment will be used to address cost
overruns rooted in poor planning, execution, and oversight."
All the
branches of the military are in a similar situation. The Army
plans to invest an estimated $160 billion in the coming years on
a set of new combat vehicles collectively known as the Future
Combat System. But their capabilities "are still early in
development and have not yet been demonstrated," according to
GAO.
The Navy,
meanwhile, has continued to bust its budget for shipbuilding.
The service's six most recent new ship designs have experienced
cumulative cost growth of $2.4 billion over original estimates,
according to GAO. Their delivery has also been delayed, on
average, by 97 months.
The Air
Force's portfolio for new equipment, meanwhile, "will demand
unprecedented levels of funding," according to GAO's transition
materials. Its development costs have increased nearly 50
percent above original estimates and eight separate programs
have had to report cost breaches to Congress.
The F-35
Joint Strike Fighter - designed for the Air Force, Navy and
Marine Corps and the most costly aircraft procurement effort in
history - "faces considerable risks stemming from its decision
to reduce test assets and the flight-test program to pay for
development and manufacturing cost increases," according to the
GAO.
Other
programs suffering from big cost increases and delays include
space systems such as satellites and the national missile
defense system, the largest research and development program on
the Pentagon's books.
Together
these programs constitute a military crisis in their own right,
according to the internal Pentagon documents.
The
Pentagon, one document states, "cannot reset the current force,
modernize and transform in all portfolios at the same time.
Choices must be made across capabilities and within systems to
deliver capability at known prices within a specific period of
time."
And a few cuts here or there
won't do the trick, they add. "Taking cuts at the margin
won't work this time, nor will pushing things off to later
years."
Cracks In
Wing Hinges Sideline 10 Hornets
(NAVY TIMES 09 NOV 08) ... Andrew Tilghman
Ten F/A-18
Hornets have been grounded and 20 others placed on flight
restrictions after “fatigue cracks” were found in some
wing-panel hinges, a Navy spokesman said Thursday.
The Navy in
early November completed the inspections of nearly 480
in-service Hornets from the Navy and Marine Corps fleet, a move
directed by an Oct. 23 inspection bulletin.
The
inspections were prompted by the discovery in early October of
cracks in wing-panel hinges on 15 aircraft. All Navy and Marine
Corps Hornets were to be inspected within the next 15 flight
hours.
“We are
very encouraged by the results and project minimal operational
impact,” Navy spokesman Lt. Clay Doss said.
More than
half of the Navy and Marine Corps Hornets are past their
original service life of 6,000 flight hours.
The
inspection focused on the aluminum aileron hinge. The aileron is
a wing panel flap at the trailing edge of the wing. Damage to
the hinge or the aileron would severely restrict a pilot’s
ability to control or land an aircraft.
The Navy
and Marine Corps have 112 Hornets on deployment. Two of the
deployed aircraft were grounded, including a Navy fighter and a
Marine Corps fighter. Doss declined to say where they were
deployed.
Eight
deployed aircraft were placed on flight restrictions, Doss said.
The deployed aircraft will be fixed on the scene using existing
supplies and will not need to be transported to a depot.
Individual
commanders set the parameters of flight restrictions, which
typically impose limits on an aircraft’s speed, altitude or high
G-force maneuvers, Doss said.
The
aircraft were grounded and restricted as the problems were
identified during the two-week inspection period.
The precise
cause of the cracks is not clear, Doss added. The cracked hinge
was not listed among the 159 “hot spots” previously identified
by the Hornet’s service life analysis.
The Navy
and Marine Corps have 636 Hornets, models A through D. The
two-week inspection covered the roughly 480
Hornets in active use. The other 156 aircraft already were in a
depot or otherwise temporarily out of service and will be
checked before returning the fleet, Doss said.
The urgent
inspection bulletin underscored the Navy’s concerns about the
aging Hornet fleet and its capacity to stay in service
until its replacement by a next-generation fighter starting in
2015.
“We are
still assessing impact on the strike fighter gap,” Doss said.
The fighter gap refers to a decade beginning in 2015, when
older-model Hornets start retiring faster than new F-35C
Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters arrive to replace them. The
gap is projected to be its widest — 69 planes — in 2017.
Loren
Thompson, a defense consultant with the Lexington Institute,
said the latest problems with the Hornet are not surprising,
given the planes’ age — 18 years old on average.
“When you
go to war, you use them at a higher rate, and they wear out
faster. These are not problems we didn’t anticipate —
it’s just that they are arriving sooner because we’re riding
them harder,” Thompson said.
In 2005,
the Navy extended the Hornet’s service life from 6,000 to 8,000
flight hours and is trying to extend them again to
10,000 flight hours. But some Navy officials doubt the second
extension is realistic based on a recent analysis, known as
“Phase II” of the service-life assessment program.
“Given the
Phase II results, the 10,000 [flight-hour] life limit extension
is optimistic and will require inspections and modifications
to achieve,” Marcia Hart-Wise, spokeswoman for tactical aircraft
program at Naval Air Systems Command, said in a written
statement.
The planes
found to have cracked hinges have flown 5,000 to 7,500 flight
hours.
Thompson
said the planes may begin to have significant problems around
8,500 flight hours. While the full 10,000 flight hours might be
a stretch for the Hornets, “9,000 looks like it might be
doable,” he said.
Despite the
aging aircraft, the Navy has recorded a drop in Class A mishap
rates for the entire F/A-18 fleet. In 2003 and 2004, the rate
was four to five mishaps per 100,000 flight hours. That has
decreased to 1.3 per 100,000 hours in fiscal 2008, the lowest
rate in almost a decade, according to data from the Naval Safety
Center.
A Class A
mishap is one that causes death, the destruction of an aircraft
or more than $1 million in damage.
Flight
hours for F/A-18s have remained mostly constant since 2003,
Safety Center statistics show.
The cost of
maintaining an aircraft usually rises significantly as that
aircraft ages.
“Most of
the life cycle cost for a fighter aircraft occurs after it
leaves the factory — and that ascends progressively as the plane
ages,” Thompson said.
“Once the limits begin to be
reached, there are all sorts of problems that potentially
crop up that makes the readiness of the
aircraft suspect. This isn’t just about safety. It’s about
the readiness of the airframe and whether you can count on
the aircraft in the course of normal operations.”
Growler
Instructors Get Familiar with Navy's Newest Aircraft
Release Date: 11/8/2008 2:08:00
PM
By MC3(SW) Rialyn Rodrigo
EL CENTRO,
Calif. (NNS) -- The first detachment from Electronic Attack
Squadron (VAQ) 129 completed two weeks of
familiarization training on the new EA-18G Growler aircraft
at Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro Oct. 29.
VAQ-129 "Vikings" is a fleet replacement squadron (FRS) and
the first electronic attack squadron to transition from the
EA-6B
Prowler electronic warfare aircraft to the EA-18G Growler.
The EA-18G Growler is an electronic attack version of the
F/A-18F Super Hornet and will replace existing EA-6B
Prowlers completely within the next several years. Having
completed their proficiency training, "Vikings" flight crews
will be responsible for training additional Growler
squadrons as they are phased in to service.
"We are doing a lot of instructor training with the Growler
platform to make sure we understand, execute and instruct
all the different missions before the first student pilots
check in," said Lt. Adam Drayton, a native of Chippewa
Falls, Wis., and a VAQ-129 pilot instructor. "We are getting
ourselves up to speed with the aircraft and its new advanced
capabilities."
Drayton said the training has been challenging for pilots
and aircrew to combine both electronic-attack mission
experience and fighter mission experience into a single
aircraft platform.
"Aircrew who have a lot of Prowler experience obviously have
a good knowledge base of electronic-attack missions," said
Drayton. "Pilots like me, who have fighter experience, know
the aircraft pretty well from flying the F/A-18E and F
models, but we don't know the electronic-attack mission."
Both the Prowler and Growler aircraft were designed for
airborne electronic-attack missions, but advances in
technology make the Growler more user-friendly and capable
of completing the missions required of the Navy today.
Technology has also allowed the Navy to reduce the number of
crewmen needed to fly the aircraft and operate the
electronic countermeasures from four people to two.
"Growler is made for electronic-attack in suppression of
enemy defenses, and both [Prowler and Growler] will execute
those missions," said Drayton. "The biggest difference in
the technology is how the Growler gives us more situational
awareness. It helps us to do all the same missions but
hopefully do them a lot better. It also adds air-to-air
capabilities and air-to-ground capabilities, so we are able
to carry air-to-air missiles and do basic fighter
maneuvers."
Growler maintenance personnel also received critical
training during the two-week period. Chief Aviation
Maintenance Administrationman (AW) Steve Gauslow, a native
of Laurel, Mont., and VAQ-129 maintenance control chief said
the transition went well for all of the Sailors the
training.
According to Gauslow, the Growler requires significantly
less maintenance man-hours thanks to advancements in
on-board computer diagnostic systems.
"Everything is electronic; the aircraft tells the
technicians and maintainers exactly where a potential
deficiency is located in the plane," said Gauslow.
VAQ-129 currently has two EA-18G Growlers and is scheduled
to receive a third in November.
VAQ-129 is scheduled to begin training crewmen from VAQ-132
early next year and will also be the first deploying
squadron to receive the Growler.
"It's great to be flying a new aircraft with so much new
capabilities and we are looking forward to the future,"
Drayton said. "Just seeing it progress and become one of the
premier aircraft in our fleet is amazing."
|
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Now
Featuring
The Story of the
Intrepid
With World
War II raging, the Intrepid is built and prepared for the
long battles to come. Watch the story of the USS Intrepid
as told by the
brave sailors and pilots who sailed with it.
Click Here to Watch
http://www.navytv.org/media.cfm?c=133&m=468&s=52&
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States Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite #123
Washington, D.C. 20004-2608
Copyright © 2007 United States Navy Memorial All rights
reserved.
Gorshkov's
Delivery To Indian Navy Delayed Till 2012
(COMTEX
(TX) 11 NOV 08)
MOSCOW -
Russia today said the delivery of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft
carrier to the Indian Navy would be delayed till 2012 as the
vessel could be refitted only sometime in 2010.
It also
said that since last year New Delhi has not made any payments
although the extra work to the tune of USD 1.7 billion has been
done by the shipyard.
The
44.5-thousand tonner Kiev class aircraft carrier was to be
initially commissioned as INS Vikramaditya in August this year
under the USD 1.5 billion deal signed in January 2004, which
included the refit of the vessel and supply of 16 MiG-29K
fighters.
According
to an unnamed representative of Severodvinsk-based Sevmash
shipyard, Gorshkov will be launched in early December, probably
to coincide with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's maiden
visit to India.
After
launching it would be moored to the assembly wall for the
completion of its refit.
"At this
juncture, the completion of work in 2010 would be realistic. Two
more years would be required to complete the vessel's sailing
trials,including testing its aircraft in the severe conditions
of Barents Sea," the shipyard 'representative' was quoted as
saying by ITAR-TASS.
Sea going
and flying trials of the refitted aircraft carrier will be
conducted by the Russian crew trained on the "Admiral Kuznetsov"
aircraft carrier in service with the Russian Navy.
"Keeping in
view the volume of work over and above the contract, the
shortage of funds has reached USD 1.7 billion mark. From 2007
the Indians have practically not allocated funds for the repair
and refit of the vessel, forcing Sevmash to carry on the refit
through attracting credits," it said quoting experts' opinion.
Earlier this year Defence Secretary Vijay Singh and Chief of
Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta had visited Severodvinsk-based
Sevmash shipyard to take the stock of situation and the problems
faced in the Gorshkov modernisation including cost-escalation.
According
to local media reports, Sevmash is asking for USD one billion
extra, while India is reported to be ready to pay not more than
USD 600 million.
The negotiations are still
underway, diplomatic sources said without disclosing the
amount India would be ready to pay over and above the
original contract.
Airmen Prep Sailors For UAV Deployment
(NAVY TIMES 11 NOV 08)
A class of
Navy pilots facing their first RQ-4 Global Hawk deployment are
getting a crash course on the unmanned aerial vehicle at Beale
Air Force Base, Calif.
The 1st
Reconnaissance Squadron rescheduled its regular October class to
make room for the sailors and is condensing the normally
five-month course to four months.
“They are
getting top priority,” Lt. Col. Scott Coon, the squadron’s
director of operations, said in an Air Force news release.
The Navy
aims to install its own Global Hawk presence in the Central
Command area of operation by next year, but doesn’t yet have its
own training program. The Global Hawk was chosen for the
service’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance platform in April.
Navy
officials want the RQ-4 and the P-8A Poseidon aircraft to
eventually replace the P-3 Orion, a large, four engine aircraft
used for anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol and
reconnaissance, according to the release.
Coon
indicated that the class of three sailors and one contractor
might be the first step toward a joint training school. The Air
Force and Navy signed an agreement to streamline Global Hawk
acquisition in August and already have flown joint missions and
shared parts and other equipment.
“I think
it’s a great step forward in getting a joint environment,”
Coon said. “There’s no reason for the Navy to spend the time
and effort to do what we’ve already done. It would be an
expensive endeavor to catch up to where we are in the
program. A joint approach seems to make sense in this
situation.”
US Navy Plans To Boost Power Of Stallion Helicopters
(JANE’S 11
NOV 08) ... Caitlin Harrington
US Navy
officials at Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River,
Maryland, say they have developed new engine designs to increase
the power of the General Electric turboshaft engines used on the
medium-lift CH-53D Sea Stallion and heavy-lift CH-53E Super
Stallion helicopters.
Both
helicopters are widely used to transport personnel, weapons and
equipment in Afghanistan and Iraq; however, the medium-lift
CH-53D will eventually be replaced by the V-22 Osprey
tilt-rotor, while the heavy-lift CH-53E will be phased out in
favour of a new CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter.
The two General Electric
T64-GE-413 turboshaft engines on the CH-53D will be upgraded
to the same power rating as the T64-GE-416 engine that is
currently powering the heavy-lift CH-53E, while the three
T64-GE-416 turboshaft engines on the CH-53E will be upgraded
to the more powerful T64-GE-419 engine.
A
product of... Navy
Office of Information
www.navy.mil November 12,
2008
Navy
Enterprise Resource Planning
“The Navy ERP
System is approved as the financial system of record for the
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) activities currently using
this system. This certification will also apply to all future
users of this system.”
– Dr. Douglas A.
Brook, ASN FM&C
The Navy
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program is an integral part
of the Navy’s business transformation. When fully implemented,
the Navy ERP system will serve 85,000 users worldwide and be
used to manage 53.8 percent ($85 billion) of the Navy’s Total
Obligation Authority, the total money the Navy is authorized to
spend.
What is Navy ERP?
• Navy ERP is an
integrated business management system that modernizes and
standardizes Navy business operations. The system provides
managers unprecedented visibility of relevant information across
all parts of the enterprise, and increases effectiveness and
efficiency.
• Navy ERP allows
the Navy to unify, standardize and streamline all its financial,
program management, and workforce management business activities
into one system, achieving the highest standards for information
that is secure, reliable, accessible and current.
• Navy ERP
provides financial managers a view of the status of money all
across the enterprise and program managers the ability to see
where assets are anywhere in the system. Navy ERP better informs
management decision-making about the Navy’s money, personnel,
and materials.
• While ERP
systems have been used in commercial businesses since the early
1980’s, the Navy ERP effort is among the largest ERP
implementations ever accomplished anywhere, in any organization,
public or private.
• Navy ERP helps
ensure compliance with federal financial and security standards
Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 and
DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation
Process. Navy Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) joins
NAVAIR in successful implementation of Navy ERP
• The NAVSUP
completed implementation of Navy ERP Oct. 25, 2008. NAVSUP joins
NAVAIR as the second major acquisition system command to install
the system successfully.
• The NAVSUP ERP
team completed the transition from the legacy management systems
to the new ERP system in fewer than 30 days, ahead of schedule
and with minimal disruption.
• NAVSUP and
NAVAIR are using Release 1.0, the initial release of the Navy
ERP system, which upgrades commands’ abilities to operate their
finance, acquisition and workforce management activities. Navy
ERP plans to implement Release 1.0 at SPAWAR beginning October
2009 and at NAVSEA in October 2010.
Key
Messages
Facts &
Figures
• The Navy ERP
effort is among the largest ERP implementations in the world.
• Navy ERP
supports the Maritime Strategy by enabling alignment of
requirements, resources and acquisition processes to
deliver the right capability on time at the right cost.
• Navy ERP better
informs management decision-making about the Navy’s money,
personnel and materials.
• NAVAIR employed
Navy ERP as its financial system of record Oct. 1, 2007, and
operated its business using the new
capability throughout FY2008.
• NAVAIR completed
its FY08 annual financial close ahead of schedule, the first
time an annual close has been executed using
the new Navy ERP system.
• Navy ERP has
won six Navy and industry awards for individual and program
team excellence.
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T-45A Goshawk |
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General Characteristics
Primary Function: Training platform for Navy/Marine
Corps pilots.
Contractor: Boeing Company
Unit Cost: $17.2 million
Propulsion: Rolls Royce F405-RR-401 turbofan engine
with 5,527 pounds thrust
Wingspan: 30 feet 10 inches (9.39 meters)
Length: 39 feet 4 inches (11.98 meters)
Height: 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 meters)
Weight: Take-off maximum gross, 13,500 lbs (6,075
kg); empty 9,394 lbs (4,261 kg)
Speed: 645 miles per hour (1038 km per hour)
Ceiling: 42,500 feet
Range: 700 nautical miles (805 statute miles, 1288
km)
Armament: None.
Crew: Two (instructor pilot, student pilot)
Date Deployed:First flight, April 1988; Operational,
1991
Description:
The T-45A Goshawk is a tandem-seat, carrier capable,
jet trainer.
Mission:
Train Navy and Marine Corps pilots.
Features:
The T-45A aircraft, the Navy version of the British
Aerospace Hawk aircraft, is used for intermediate
and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine Corps pilot
training program for jet carrier aviation and
tactical strike missions. The T-45A has replaced the
T-2 Buckeye trainer and the TA-4 trainer with an
integrated training system that includes the T-45A
Goshawk aircraft, operations and instrument fighter
simulators, academics, and training integration
system. There are two versions of T-45 aircraft
currently in operational use at this time, the T-45A
and T-45C derivatives. The T-45A, which became
operational in 1991, contains an analog design
cockpit while the new T-45C (began delivery in
December 1997) is built around a new digital "glass
cockpit" design.
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