Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller

Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell Takes Command as New Navy Air Boss

Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller is properly relieved by Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell as Commander, Naval Air Forces and Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific during a change of command ceremony aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) at Naval Air Station North Island Oct. 2. U.S. Navy Photo.

Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell formally began his role as the Navy’s ninth Air Boss last week, the service recently announced.

Whitesell’s change of command ceremony took place Friday at Naval Air Station North Island on...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/05/vice-adm-kenneth-whitesell-takes-command-as-new-navy-air-boss

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

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...

https://news.usni.org/2020/04/23/mission-capable-how-more-ready-jets-is-helping-the-navy-create-deadlier-pilots

Mission Capable: How the Navy Harnessed Its Data to Achieve 80% Fighter Readiness

Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller III, commander of Naval Air Forces, addresses T-34C Turbo Mentor aircraft maintainers and midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) before taking a flight with Lt. Jason “JB” Ely of Strike Fighter Squadron 122 (VFA-122) on Aug. 6, 2019. US Navy photo.

This post is the first 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.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. –...

https://news.usni.org/2020/04/22/mission-capable-how-the-navy-harnessed-its-data-to-achieve-80-fighter-readiness

Fleet Logistics Wing Established as Navy Preps for COD Transition, Second Osprey Squadron

A MV-22B Osprey assigned to the Blue Knights of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), prepares to land on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), Oct. 10, 2019. US Navy photo.

The Navy last week took another step foward in its transition to the next-generation fleet of logistics aircraft to support its carrier strike groups.

The service established Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Wing 1, or COMVRMWING, at a ceremony on Oct. 10 at Naval Air Station North...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/15/fleet-logistics-wing-established-as-navy-preps-for-cod-transition-second-osprey-squadron

Navy Surpasses 80% Aircraft Readiness Goal, Reaches Stretch Goal of 341 Up Fighters

Sailors perform maintenance on an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Top Hatters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 USS John C. Stennis’ (CVN 74) hangar bay on Jan. 22, 2016. US Navy photo.

The Navy has exceeded the Defense Department’s requirement of having 80 percent of operational Super Hornets and Growlers mission capable and has met the stretch goal it set for itself, the service announced on Wednesday.

With rates hovering in the 40- and 50-percent range, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis one...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/25/navy-surpasses-80-aircraft-readiness-goal-reaches-stretch-goal-of-341-up-fighters

Navy Reducing East Coast Flight Hours to Cover Costs of Overflying P-8s

A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 is parked on the flight line of Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland. US Navy Photo

A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 is parked on the flight line of Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland in 2016. US Navy Photo

Parts of the Atlantic fleet will reduce their flying hours for the remainder of the fiscal year to address a funding shortfall within the naval aviation flight hour budget, a Navy official told USNI News.

On the East Coast, non-deployed P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol squadrons will see a 10-percent flight hour reduction. Non-deployed expeditionary...

https://news.usni.org/2019/07/16/navy-reducing-east-coast-flight-hours-to-cover-costs-of-overflying-p-8s

Panel: Navy Advancing Tactics, Adding New Weapons to Boost Combat Lethality

Sailors load a Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile aboard the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Olympia (SSN 717) as part of the biannual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) maritime exercise, July 3, 2018. US Navy photo.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Each Navy community is updating its tactics and weapons with lethality and a potential high-end distributed fight in mind, several admirals said last week.

The submarine community is overhauling its training courses to focus on high-end combat, the aviation...

https://news.usni.org/2019/02/20/panel-navy-advancing-tactics-adding-new-weapons-boost-combat-lethality

Navy Will Perform Unprecedented 21-Fighter Flyover for Bush Funeral

Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, talk with then-Capt. Chip Miller, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), in the captain’s in-port cabin. Bush and his wife, Barbara, spent their time aboard watching flight operations, touring the ship and spending time with the crew. US Navy Photo

The Navy will honor former naval aviator and 41st president George H.W. Bush on Thursday with a largest-ever 21-aircraft missing man formation as part of his...

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/04/navy-jets-depart-for-texas-ahead-of-unprecedented-21-aircraft-flyover-for-bush-funeral

Navy Working Through Plan to Hit 80 Percent Hornet Mission Capable Target

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, with Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, is parked on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) US Navy Photo

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy is working through how it will try and hit the ambitious readiness target set by Secretary of Defense James Mattis for Hornet and Super Hornet fighters, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition James “Hondo” Guerts said on Tuesday.

In a September memo,...

https://news.usni.org/2018/10/17/navy-working-plan-hit-80-percent-hornet-mission-capable-target

SECDEF Mattis Wants 80 Percent of Super Hornets Mission Capable by Next Year

Airman Louis Calderon wipes down the window of an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Fighting Checkmates” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on June 2, 2018. US Navy Photo

Pentagon leadership has set an aggressive timeline to improve the health of the Navy’s strike fighter force, according to a new directive from Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis obtained by USNI News.

The Navy’s fleet of F/A-18 Hornets...

https://news.usni.org/2018/10/09/secdef-mattis-wants-80-percent-super-hornet-mission-capable-next-year

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