Greetings from NAS North Island where the sound of engines on the flight line fill the air and the sight of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) pierside complements the San Diego skyline across the bay. As we begin this 99th year of Naval Aviation, it is worthwhile to consider some of the highlights of the past year and what they mean for the next 100 years of Naval Aviation.
Certainly one of the biggest highlights of 2009 was the keel laying of the first ship of the next class of aircraft carriers, Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), in November. The Ford-class represents our nation’s first investment in a new aircraft carrier design since the 1960s, and it is the first aircraft carrier to be designed completely using 3-D modeling. Ford and the ships following in her class will include major leaps in technology like a redesigned propulsion plant that provides three times the electrical power of the Nimitz-class. It will maximize deck space with a smaller superstructure positioned more aft. The venerable steam catapults, that have served carrier aviators well for decades, will be replaced by the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, greatly improving both performance and efficiency in launching aircraft. Ford also will include the Advanced Arresting Gear system, replacing the Mk 7 hydraulic system with an electric motor that also improves capability. Construction has officially begun, and with these and other advances incorporated in Ford, we should all be truly excited about our first aircraft carrier of the next 100 years.
This past year included two other events that point our way for the future — the rollouts of the P-8A Poseidon and the naval variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35C Lightning II. The P-8, designed to operate with the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned vehicle, is the much-needed and long-awaited replacement for the P-3 Orion. We’re looking forward to it joining the fleet before too long. The design is based on the Boeing Co.’s 737-800, and the move from the turboprop P-3 to the turbofan P-8 represents a key evolutionary step in the history of our maritime patrol and reconnaissance force.
The carrier-based variant of the JSF represents an evolutionary step itself as the first stealthy aircraft to operate from a carrier. But stealth is only part of the F-35C’s features. It is truly a next-generation strike fighter that incorporates many advanced technologies to be the lethal, supportable, survivable and affordable aircraft we need in our future carrier air wings. I have said before that you should be excited about this aircraft. And now that flight testing has begun, you can be excited about what this aircraft means as a component of our carrier aviation team. With the F-35C alongside F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, our carrier air wings will be more capable of projecting power in complex combat environments than ever before.
Naval Aviation reached two additional milestones this year that will shape our future carrier air wings. John C. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing Nine were the first to deploy under our new Helo Concept of Operations, with HSC-8 and HSM-71 flying the new Sierra and Romeo models of the MH-60, respectively. We had more capable helicopters operating from a carrier than ever before, and the multimission nature of their platforms improved the flexibility of the entire air wing. The deployment was a great success, and it demonstrated the value of this new air wing configuration.
Also on its way to the fleet, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a major advancement in capabilities available to maritime forces unmatched anywhere by any other platform. The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft successfully completed its first land-based catapult launch tests on 16 October.
Another significant milestone this past year was the achievement of initial operational capability for the Boeing EA-18G Growler. Our next-generation airborne electronic attack aircraft, the replacement for the long-serving and proud EA-6B Prowler, is in the fleet and in full-rate production. We expect them to deploy for the first time in 2010. Not only has the Growler been a model program in terms of schedule and budget, but it also brings significantly improved capabilities to the electronic warfare fight for Joint Force.
The U.S. Marine Corp is moving to the future commencing with flight testing of the F-35B vertical/short takeoff and landing variant this year; and the MV-22 Osprey has increased the agility and reach of the Fleet Marine Force today. The UH-1Y, AH-1Z and MH-53K round out the USMC stable of improved rotary-wing warfighting capability.
The exciting thing about all of these achievements and milestones in the past year is that each one of them signals a bright future ahead for Naval Aviation. As we prepare to celebrate our Centennial in 2011, we will look back on all that Naval Aviation has accomplished throughout history — and it is right that we do. There is so much to be proud of in our service to the nation since 1911, and the Centennial will be a spectacular nationwide celebration of the 100 years of that rich legacy. The warm glow of our nostalgic remembrances is surpassed only by the thrill of anticipation of the century ahead of us. The best days of Naval Aviation are yet to come!
Fly. Fight. Lead.
Killer sends.