Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell

GAO Report on U.S. Tactical Military Aircraft

The following is the Government Accountability Office report, Tactical Aircraft Investments: DoD Needs Additional Portfolio Analysis to Inform Future Budget Decisions. 

From the report

What GAO Found

Tactical aircraft—fixed-wing fighter and attack planes—provide air-to-air, air-to-ground, and electronic warfare capabilities that are vital to combat operations and homeland defense. Recent studies conducted by the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Joint Staff and the military services have found that...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/21/gao-report-on-u-s-tactical-military-aircraft

GAO Report on Gaps in U.S. Military Aircraft Readiness

The following is the Nov. 10, 2022, Government Accountability Office report, Weapon System Sustainment Aircraft Mission Capable Goals Were Generally Not Met and Sustainment Costs Varied by Aircraft.

From the report

GAO examined 49 aircraft and found that only four met their annual mission capable goal in a majority of the years from fiscal years 2011 through 2021. As shown below, 26 aircraft did not meet their annual mission capable goal in any fiscal year. The mission capable rate—the percentage...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/11/gao-report-on-gaps-in-u-s-military-aircraft-readiness

Several UAVs Under Development for Next-Generation Carrier Air Wing

An MQ-25 test asset, known as T1, conducts its first aerial refueling test flight with an F-35C Lightning II Sept. 13, 2021 near MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. Boeing Photo

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Several new unmanned aerial vehicles are under development as part of the Navy’s air wing of the future concept in addition to the unmanned aerial tanker set to deploy in 2026, Navy officials said on Wednesday.

The new aircraft are being designed to meet growing requirements for range for...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/13/several-uavs-under-development-for-next-generation-carrier-air-wing

GAO Report: Navy, Air Force Declining Aircraft Mission Capable Rates

The following is the June Government Accountability Office report, Air Force and Navy Aviation: Actions Needed to Address Persistent Sustainment Risks.

From the report

What GAO Found 

Mission capable rates—a metric used to assess the health and readiness of an aircraft fleet—and other related maintenance metrics trends have worsened since fiscal year 2015 for eight selected aircraft.

While the Air Force and Navy have initiatives to address unit-level maintenance challenges, neither service has...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/17/gao-report-navy-air-force-declining-aircraft-mission-capable-rates

Navy Will Endure Strike Fighter Gaps Until 2031, Lawmakers Say

Navy F/A-18 Hornets on North Island, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2022. USNI News Photo

Despite recent projections that it would eliminate strike fighter gaps in the next three years, the Navy now won’t have enough jets to train and deploy efficiently until 2031, two lawmakers said today.

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), the top lawmakers on the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee, disclosed the new timeline during the panel’s hearing today.

Norcross,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/27/navy-will-endure-strike-fighter-gaps-until-2031-lawmakers-say

Navy On Track to Deploy MQ-25A Carrier Tanker in 2026 on USS Theodore Roosevelt

A Boeing unmanned MQ-25A aircraft is given operating directions on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Dec. 13, 2021 in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refueling is set to deploy on an aircraft carrier in 2026, a service official said on Tuesday.

Vice Adm. Kevin Whitesell told a panel at the Sea Air Space 2022 symposium that the service was on track to reach initial operational...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/06/navy-on-track-to-deploy-mq-25a-carrier-tanker-in-2026-on-uss-theodore-roosevelt

A Generational Change in Naval Aviation Has Begun Amidst Tight Budgets, Fighter Gaps

Two F-35C Lightning II fighter jets, attached to the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, fly in formation for a photo exercise in Lemoore, Calif., Nov. 16, 2018. VFA-147 is the first U.S. Navy Operational F-35C squadron based out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore. US Navy photo.

The Navy’s future carrier air wing will include a mix of both fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, with the F-35C and the Super Hornets making up the strike fighter fleet. The recent F-35C deployment...

https://news.usni.org/2022/03/24/a-generational-change-in-naval-aviation-has-begun-amidst-tight-budgets-fighter-gaps

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