NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM FOUNDATION ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM 

Since 1987, the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation has hosted its Naval Aviation Symposium each May in Pensacola.

The goal of the symposium series is to help preserve the rich history and proud heritage of Naval Aviation by highlighting historical events in which U.S. Naval Aviation has played a major role.

The Symposium series average nearly 3,000 guests annually, including active and retired flag and general officers and executives from the aerospace industry, as well as young naval officers, sailors and Marines undergoing aviation training in Pensacola.  Activities include presentations and panel discussions, a golf tournament, luncheon, and a closing reception and banquet, as well as performances by the New Orleans Navy Band.

The 23rd Annual Naval Aviation Symposium will take place May 6-8, 2009. 

Naval Aviation Symposium 2009

For registration, start at the Museum’s web site at   http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/

 or go directly to:

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RMKS/1. AS I RELINQUISH MY DUTIES AS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, I COUNT MYSELF BLESSED FOR HAVING HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AS YOUR SECRETARY.  I HAVE HELD MANY INTERESTING JOBS BUT NO PERIOD IN MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER CAN COMPARE TO THE EXPERIENCES I HAVE HAD IN THIS POSITION. 

2.  OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF OBSERVING THE

DAILY COMMITMENT OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN WHO TRULY MAKE OUR NAVAL SERVICE

GREAT.  IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS LIKE IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, DJIBOUTI,

GUANTANAMO, AND ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC, YOUR SERVICE MAKES A

DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY.  I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE THAT YOUR ONGOING SERVICE

WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUR NAVY, MARINE CORPS, AND NATION PROUD. 

3.  EVERY TIME I MEET WITH SAILORS AND MARINES, I COME AWAY IMPRESSED BY THE

TREMENDOUS CAPABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF OUR WARFIGHTERS TO ACCOMPLISH THE

MISSION, NO MATTER WHAT THE CHALLENGE.  YOU ARE THE SECRET OF OUR SUCCESS,

AND OBSERVING YOU IN ACTION HAS GIVEN ME GREAT FAITH IN THE PROMISE OF YOUR

GREAT GENERATION.  IF OUR NATION IS LED BY INDIVIDUALS OF THE TALENT,

DEVOTION, AND INTEGRITY OF OUR SERVICE MEMBERS, WE WILL NOT ONLY SURVIVE,

BUT PROSPER IN THE YEARS TO COME. 

4.  I REFLECT ON MY TENURE AS YOUR SECRETARY AND REALIZE IT HAS BEEN AN

EXCEPTIONALLY UNIQUE PERIOD IN MY LIFE, AND LIKELY TO REMAIN SO.  I AM

HONORED TO HAVE SERVED YOU AS YOUR SECRETARY.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO

OUR NATION.  MAY GOD BLESS OUR NAVY, OUR MARINE CORPS, AND THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA. 

SecNav Stepping Down Friday
(NAVY  TIMES 12 MAR 09) ... Philip Ewing

Navy Secretary Donald Winter was set to leave office as planned Friday, seven weeks to the day after he was ceremonially “piped ashore” back to civilian life.

In January, Winter accepted the incoming Obama administration’s request that he continue to serve until March 13 or the Senate confirmed a replacement, whichever came first. Although Pentagon and Capitol Hill observers have speculated about who could be on the list to become Winter’s replacement, President Obama has not yet nominated a successor.

By statute, after Winter’s tenure as secretary is scheduled to end at 6 p.m. Friday, his duties are to go to B.J. Penn, assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and environment, who will serve as an interim Navy secretary. Penn would continue to serve as acting secretary until the Senate confirmed his replacement.

It wasn’t clear how long Penn could stay as the acting secretary, although the Navy Department has had interim leaders who stayed in office for months at a time. Penn will be the department’s seventh acting secretary.

A former naval aviator, Penn spent the uniformed part of his career flying EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft, and his tours included time in command of Electronic Attack Squadron 33, the “Firebirds,” and as air officer aboard the carrier America. In the private sector he worked for contractor Lockheed Martin before becoming the Navy’s director of industrial base assessments in 2001. He was appointed to his assistant secretary of the Navy position in 2005.

Penn’s deputy, Howard Snow, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and facilities, was to take over Penn’s job. Other senior officials in the secretariat — including acquisition chief Sean Stackley, general counsel Frank Jimenez and others — were expected to stay on for the time being.

Winter expected to leave March 13 with no fanfare, having already been honored at a going-away event Jan. 23 at Marine Corps Barracks Washington. The ceremony was scheduled before it was clear he would stay past Obama’s inauguration, and it included encomiums from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway.

Conway went so far as to compare Winter with President Theodore Roosevelt — who had served earlier in his career as an assistant secretary of the Navy.

Both are from New York; both are “pugnacious,” he said, recalling Roosevelt’s admiration for “the man in the arena”; both wear glasses — although Conway contrasted Roosevelt’s familiar pince-nez with what he called Winter’s “Sarah Palin glasses.” Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world; a century later, Winter ordered a year-long series of commemorations of the fleet’s mission, Conway said.

National Resource Directory

We have received a number of requests asking for information for injured service members and their families.  The National Resource Directory (NRD) (www.nationalresourcedirectory.org) is a web site for wounded, ill and injured Service Members, Veterans, their families and those who support them. It is an online tool for accessing more than 10,000 services and resources at the national and state level to support recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

From INDIA -

First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier To Be Named INS Vikrant

(INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE 02 MAR 09)

New Delhi - The first indigenous aircraft carrier that will be ready for induction into the Indian Navy by 2015 will be named INS Vikrant, after the first aircraft carrier that was imported in the 1960s and played an important role in the 1971 war with Pakistan.

“The decision to name this aircraft carrier after INS Vikrant is taken as the force has golden memories of this aircraft carrier, which retired in 1997 after 36 years of eventful service,” sources at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) told IANS.

The first indigenous aircraft carrier with 40,000 tonne displacement is under construction at the CSL. Defence minister A.K. Antony Feb 28 laid the keel of the warship, marking its assembling.

The British-built INS Vikrant, formally known as HMS Heculeaus, was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1961. The 20,000 tonne aircraft carrier, the first to be operated by India, was retired in 1997. It has since been converted into a museum at Mumbai and is the only World War-II era British built aircraft carrier to be preserved.

“The indigenous aircraft carrier will be different in many ways as its identification signal and signature will be known only to India. The identification signal of the imported carriers are also known to others,” the official said.

The name Vikrant is taken from the Sanskrit vikranta, meaning ‘courageous’ and ‘victorious’.

Despite a crack in a boiler, INS Vikrant engaged in combat against East Pakistan in the India-Pakistan War of 1971. Stationed off the Andaman and Nicobar islands along with Indian naval ships, INS Bramhaputra and INS Beas, the Vikrant was redeployed towards Chittagong at the outbreak of hostilities.

On the morning of Dec 4, 1971, the eight Sea Hawk aircraft on the Vikrant launched an air raid on Cox’s Bazaar (in present Bangladesh) from 60 nautical miles away. That evening, the air group struck Chittagong harbour.

The indigenous aircraft carrier will have Russian-built MiG-29K fighter jets, indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas and Kamov helicopters.

The indigenous carrier is designed to accommodate women officers as well - in case the government decides to approve deployment of women officers on warships in the future.

Women officers are currently not posted on board due to the present design of ships and submarines.

Boeing, Navy Discussing Possible Multi-Year Buy Of Super Hornets

(DEFENSE DAILY 03 MAR 09) ... Geoff Fein

      Boeing [BA] and the Navy are working closely to determine the make up of a potential multi-year contract for more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, according to a company executive.

      However, due to the nature of the ongoing defense budget discussions, details of any possible future Super Hornet buys remains unknown, Bob Gower, vice president F/A-18 and EA-18 programs for global strike systems, told Defense Daily in a recent interview.

      "We are in this period where no one is talking much inside the [Pentagon] right now," Gower said. "We continue to work closely with the Navy to put together the contract so that, assuming when the budget comes forward in April, if they are ready to go forward with the multi- year, we will be ready to execute."

      The Navy is doing everything to make sure that that option stays alive, he added.

      For several years now, Navy officials have been exploring the possibility of another multi-year contract for Super Hornets, especially in light of the service life issues with the Hornet fleet and the questions surrounding the schedule of Lockheed Martin's [LMT]

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

      The Navy has stated that it could be facing a strike fighter shortfall of up to 125 aircraft, a number Gower believes could be higher.

      Two years ago, the Navy testified of a potential fighter shortfall ranging between 50 to 200. "Indications are that the shortfall will be a lot closer to the 200 than the 100 that they have been talking about," Gower noted.

      Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the department is looking at programs that have serious problems.

      "We clearly are not that," Gower said. "We have delivered 380 aircraft ahead or on schedule. The [Growler] is heading through OPEVAL. If I look at all the things the Obama administration says they want in a program, right now in theater the vast majority of missions are all being done off carriers...and those are Hornets and Super Hornets.," Gower added. "So the Super Hornet is proving itself to be a counter insurgency platform in theater."

      FY '09 is the last year of the current multi-year contract, he said. Assuming the Navy moves forward on a new multi-year, Boeing would be under contract in December for that effort, Gower added.

      But if the decision is made not to pursue a new multi-year contract, Boeing would begin to look at shutting down its production line, Gower said. "One of the significant pieces for us is the zero [aircraft] in FY '13."

      To meet the FY '13 buy, Boeing would have to start getting in line for material in October 2010, he added.

      "[Otherwise at the] end of calendar year 2010 we would start basically shutting down the production line with a zero out in 2013,"

Gower said.

      And while Boeing is delivering Super Hornets to Australia and is bidding for strike fighter contracts in nine other countries, none of the international work would be seen as gap fillers in that time frame, Gower said.

      "A lot of the customers look to benefitting from U.S. co- production and being able to pick off that line," he said. "For us, it makes our win probability go up if there is concurrent production with the U.S."

      Australia is buying 24 Super Hornets. Last month Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the government was going to convert 12 of the 24 Super Hornets to EA-18 Gs. The plan would provide the Australian Super Hornets with counterterrorism capability, Fitzgibbon said.

      "Boeing has worked closely with the Australian government and the U.S. Navy to meet the Royal Australian Air Force's specific platform requirements since the March 2007 announcement that Australia would become the first international Super Hornet customer," Gower said.

"Boeing will continue to work to meet those requirements in preparation for delivery of the first RAAF Super Hornet in July, three months ahead of schedule."

      Although the Navy and Boeing are exploring the best path forward should a decision be made to sign another multi-year, little is known about how many Super Hornets would be covered in a new multi-year.

Gower said the number that is most batted around is 149, which would add 60 to the program of record, he added.

      "That's a good start toward reducing the shortfall, but if the shortfall is over 200 aircraft obviously that's just the start of fixing the shortfall issues," Gower said. "The construct here is, if we can get a multi-year that bridges you out four to five years, depending on how they construct the multi-year, it also gives you time to see where JSF is. So it buys down a lot of risk, and leaves the options open as you watch the F-35C mature."

      The F-35C is the Navy variant of JSF.

      Additionally, by going with a multi-year, as opposed to signing a one-year contract, savings to the government would be slightly more than 10 percent in cost, Gower said.

      "We saved $1.7 billion on the first two multi-years, and depending on how many aircraft they buy, you'll look at another $700 million to over a billion in savings depending upon the quantity they buy," Gower said.

      The EA-18G should complete its operational evaluation over the course of the next month, Gower said. "So far, we have not heard of any major issues in the program."

      "We are trying to hit a full-rate production decision in August.

At this point, everything we see and hear is that [the] program continues to perform well," he said. "I won't claim success until we are finished."

      Boeing is training the first EA-18G air crews up at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., to prepare for initial operational capability, Gower added.

Congress Puts U.S. Navy Radar Shield At Risk

(UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL 03 MAR 09) ... Rebecca Grant

ARLINGTON, Va.-- "Do you think those U.S. Navy warships are out there on vacation?" one Saudi leader was said to have asked Iranian ruler Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a recent crisis. Aircraft carriers and surface ships do a lot for U.S. diplomacy just by showing up. But there's a complication on the horizon. Cruise missile attack is a growing risk. The U.S. Navy had a good plan to offset that, but it's drifting because of unforeseen cuts to the E-2D radar surveillance plane.

Advanced cruise missiles don't get much press today. They should, because several very capable types have been around quite a while. Land-attack cruise missiles, such as a French-built missile called the Scalp, have been sold in Europe and the Persian Gulf under the name Black Shaheen. It's big, stealthy, and flies about 500 mph. Then there are the anti-ship cruise missiles. Just about every nation with a coastline has them. It takes constant vigilance with a big and high-powered radar search volume to pick out cruise missiles flying over land or water.

The U.S. Navy has prepared to meet the threat with a little-known program with the far too bland name of Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air. What that means is the Navy is pushing the technology to link fire control for the missiles carried by its ships and airplanes into a network that can pick out and shoot enemy cruise missiles when they are farther away. Cooperative engagement capability is part of the NIFC-CA, and that's where E-2D comes in.

From the outside, E-2D looks like a stronger, sleeker modification of the venerable E-2C, a propeller-driven, carrier-based plane with a large, circular radar dome on top that first entered service in 1973. Inside E-2D is a different story. There's a new radar called the APY-9 that detects cruise missiles at greater ranges.

The U.S. Navy won't say much about just what this powerful new radar can do. That's how you know it's really good. It probably can watch the pistachios pop in Iran. What the Navy says publicly is that the E-2D crew can keep track of many more targets at once in an area 300 percent greater than was possible in the older plane. Work stations inside have all the links needed to make NIFC-CA effective in its expanded mission: flat-screen glass displays, satellite communications and the latest secure networking. E2-C is still going strong, but on these tasks it can't compete.

Although the whole NIFC-CA piece is still maturing, the anti-cruise missile capabilities in E-2D work with systems ready today. None question the Navy's need for E-2D -- the threat is too compelling. Links to the Army's ground-based Patriot air and missile defense batteries are designed in. An F/A-18 Super Hornet with an air-to-air missile can receive E-2D cues and fire an air-to-air missile at targets. More links to surface ships come later.

The technology is ready, but the risk is here in Washington. To get the E-2D to the fleet by 2011, the U.S. Navy must buy three planes per year. Congressional vacillation took out one aircraft for 2009, and, scenting weakness, the Pentagon pulled money for another aircraft in 2010.

At The Request Of Congress . . .

Navy To Release 30-Year Aircraft Plan Along With Budget

(INSIDE THE NAVY 09 MAR 09) ... Dan Taylor

The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan will soon be joined by a similar plan on the aviation side for the first time when the budget is released in the coming months, thanks to a mandate from Congress as part of the fiscal year 2009 defense authorization act.

Congress has asked for a 30-year aviation plan from both the Navy and the Air Force that covers the procurement of aircraft over that time period as well as a certification from the defense secretary that the budgets submitted to Congress in the future will reflect that plan, according to a joint explanatory statement accompanying the bill.

“[The plan] will be submitted to Congress in conjunction with the budget, which is also when the shipbuilding plan is delivered,” said Navy spokesman Lt. Clay Doss in a Feb. 27 e-mail.

The director of warfare integration, the office that currently submits the shipbuilding plan, will also be in charge of putting together the aviation plan.

The fact that the service has not had one in the past “doesn’t mean the Navy did not have a long-term aviation procurement plan in the past, it just wasn’t required to submit it with the budget until this year,” Doss said.

Congress stipulates in the bill that the plan must include the following:

• A detailed program for the procurement of aircraft over the next 30 fiscal years;

• a description of the necessary aviation force structure to meet the requirements of the national security strategy;

• the estimated levels of annual funding necessary to accomplish the goals of the plan; and

• an assessment by the defense secretary of how well the Navy meets the national security requirements for aviation.

CNO Announces Flag Officer Assignments
Story Number: NNS090311-08
Release Date: 3/11/2009 6:36:00 PM

From the Department of Defense

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced on March 11 the following assignments:

Rear Adm. (lower half) David H. Buss, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group 12, Norfolk, Va. Buss is currently serving as deputy chief of staff, Strategic Plans and Assessment, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq.
Rear Admiral David H. Buss
Chief of Staff, Navy Enterprise (N09X)

Rear Admiral Dave Buss began his current assignment as Chief of Staff, Navy Enterprise, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, in August 2006. A native of Lancaster, Pa., Buss graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978. Following designation as a Naval Flight Officer and initial training in the A-6 Intruder in 1979, he served with the “Fighting Tigers” of Attack Squadron 65 (VA-65), deploying with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) from 1980 through 1983.

After a tour as a Fleet Replacement Squadron instructor in Attack Squadron 42 (VA-42), Buss served as Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Carrier Group EIGHT, deploying aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in 1987. He was next assigned as Bombardier/Navigator Readiness Officer on the staff of Medium Attack Wing ONE from 1988 through 1990. As Operations Officer and Maintenance Officer with the Attack Squadron 36 (VA-36) "Roadrunners," Buss deployed in 1991 to the Persian Gulf aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), flying 42 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. During this tour, he was also selected as the Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (COMNAVAIRLANT) Naval Flight Officer of the Year as well as the A-6 Community's 1991 Intruder of the Year. He next served as the Senior Naval Operations Officer at the Joint Warfighting Center at Hurlburt Field, Fla. 

Buss commanded the Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34) “Blue Blasters” in 1995-96. VA-34 was one of the last A-6 squadrons in the U.S. Navy, deploying in USS George Washington (CVN 73) to the Adriatic Sea in support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in Bosnia as well as to the Persian Gulf in support of multinational operations in Iraq.

Following squadron command, he completed the Naval Nuclear Propulsion training program and served as Executive Officer in USS Nimitz until early 2000.  Buss commanded USS Sacramento (AOE 1) in 2000-2001. “Super SAC” was the lead combat logistics force ship operating in the North Arabian Sea with CTF-50 and CTF-53 during the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. He next reported as Assistant Chief of Staff for Readiness and Requirements (N8/N40) for Commander, Naval Air Forces. Returning to sea, Buss commanded USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) from December 2003 through May 2006. Highlights of this tour included the first FRP Western Pacific deployment in 2004, a homeport shift from San Diego, Calif. to Bremerton, Wash. and an 11-month docking availability.

Personal awards include the Legion of Merit (3 awards), Distinguished Flying Cross (Combat "V"), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), Air Medal (5 individual, 4 strike/flight awards) as well as various campaign and service decorations.

Rear Adm. Joseph F. Kilkenny will be assigned as commander, Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Fla. Kilkenny is currently serving as commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Millington, Tenn.
Rear Admiral Joseph F. Kilkenny
Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

Rear Admiral Joseph F. Kilkenny was raised in Philadelphia, Pa. A 1977 graduate of The Citadel, he received his commission through the Navy ROTC Program and was designated a naval flight officer in December 1978.

Kilkenny began his career flying the A-6 "Intruder" and later flew the EA-6B "Prowler" and F-14 "Tomcat". At sea he served in squadrons, ship's company and afloat staff assignments with Attack Squadrons, Carriers, Carrier Air Wings and Carrier Battle Groups for twenty-four years and eight deployments to the Mediterranean and Red Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the Persian Gulf embarked in USS Independence, USS Coral Sea, USS John F. Kennedy, USS Carl Vinson, and USS Harry S. Truman participating in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. He commanded Attack Squadron One Ninety Six embarked in USS Carl Vinson, he later commanded Carrier Air Wing Three embarked in USS Harry S. Truman for her maiden deployment in 2001. He has logged more than 800 carrier-arrested landings and 3500 flight hours in tactical jets.

Shore duties included assignment as an Aviation Officer Candidate Class Officer at Naval Aviation Schools Command, a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) instructor with Attack Squadron Forty Two, Readiness Officer at Medium Attack Wing One, Deputy Operations Officer at U.S. Atlantic Command, Head of the Strike Warfare directorate at Tactical Training Group Atlantic and Head of Aviation Officer Distribution (PERS43) at the Bureau of Personnel.

His flag officer assignments include Director, Aviation Plans and Requirements (N780) on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Operations and Special Assistant for Naval Aviation's Human Capital Strategy on the staff of Commander Naval Air Forces. In April 2005 he assumed Command of Carrier Strike Group Ten onboard USS Harry S Truman. In September 2005 he was the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander for Joint Task Force Katrina and Rita in the Gulf of Mexico.

Kilkenny assumed his current position as Commander, Navy Recruiting Command in June 2006.

Kilkenny's awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal and various campaign, service and unit awards.

MILITARY RECORDS ISSUES

A number of members have asked for help getting copies of their various military records.  For those in such a need, the National Archives web site offers the following:

Request Copies of Military Personnel Records - eVetRecs

Start at the national Archives web site at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/.  From there you will be guided through the process to request copies of your own records or those of next-of-kin, relatives, etc. 

Military Awards and Decorations

Requests for the issuance or replacement of military service medals, decorations, and awards should be directed to the specific branch of the military in which the veteran served. Details for requests are found at:

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/replacement-medals.html#army 

Correcting Military Service Records and Discharges

The National Archives and Records Administration only stores Military Service Records, they cannot make changes or corrections to these records or to your discharge status. You will need to apply to the review board for your respective service branch for corrections or changes.  Go to

Japan Launches Helicopter Carrier

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 18 MAR 09)

YOKOHAMA - Japan's navy Wednesday commissioned its largest helicopter carrier yet but stressed that the destroyer complies with the country's post-war pacifist constitution.

The defence ministry said the 197-metre (646 foot) long Hyuga -- which can carry 11 helicopters on its flat deck -- is different from the light aircraft carriers of foreign armed forces which it resembles.

"Aircraft carriers of the United States or Russia or European military forces have a fair degree of offensive functions," the navy's chief of staff, Admiral Keiji Akahoshi, said at the launch in Yokohama port near Tokyo.

"But the Hyuga falls a little outside of that frame."

Under its US-imposed 1947 pacifist constitution, Japan renounced using or threatening force in international disputes. It nonetheless has one of the world's best-funded militaries, the Self-Defence Forces (SDF).

The government has said the constitution grants the SDF the right to possess a minimum level of armed force for self-defence but not aircraft carriers with their greater offensive capabilities and reach.

The 13,950-tonne destroyer is one of the largest vessels built for the Japanese Marine SDF. It will be stationed in Yokosuka port, near Tokyo, and is expected to be sent on overseas disaster relief missions.

U.K. Signs For First Three F-35B Fighter Jets

(DEFENSE DAILY 20 MAR 09) ... Marina Malenic

Officials from the United Kingdom signed an agreement to purchase three Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35B Lightning II operational test aircraft this week, the company said yesterday.

 "By purchasing three aircraft for testing, we will secure access to the development of the program," British Defense Secretary John Hutton said in Washington on Wednesday.  "Working alongside their U.S. colleagues, our pilots will gain an unrivaled understanding of this awesome aircraft and its capabilities."

 The contract for the three aircraft is worth approximately $700 million, according to Lockheed Martin officials, and the agreement was signed by officials on Wednesday.

 The F-35B is the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the aircraft. It will be flown off of the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and will replace the British legacy fleet of Harrier GR9 fighter jets. The country has plans for a fleet of 138 F-35s.

 The aircraft is being developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S.

Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as for eight international partners--Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Three variants of the aircraft are under development--the conventional take-off/landing (CTOL) A model; the STOVL B model; and a C-model carrier variant for the U.S. Navy.

Bataan Set To Deploy With MV-22 Ospreys

(NAVY.MIL 25 MAR 09)

USS BATAAN, At Sea -- Sailors and Marines aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) will have their chance to make history later this spring as the first ship to deploy with the MV-22B Osprey in an amphibious environment.

Bataan will embark Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 with a complement of 10 Ospreys, providing increased flexibility over the CH-46E Sea Knight and CH-46D Sea Stallion in their ability to transfer equipment and troops from ship to shore.

The Sea Knight and Sea Stallion have been in service for more than 40 years, and they continue to provide support to the fleet. However, the Osprey brings greater range, lift capacity, speeds and the ability conduct aerial refueling.

The Osprey is a tilt rotor vertical short take-off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft. The aircraft has two large three-blade propellers, allowing it to take-off vertically, much like the helicopters it will replace. It then has the ability to transform in mid-air and use its large turboprop engine and transmission to fly like a plane.

In early 2005, Bataan started training and testing the MV-22. During the past four years, a full team came together to prepare the ship and her crew for this historical deployment. The crew has trained in several technical areas, such as airframes, hydraulics and avionics, electrical systems, maintenance control and most importantly training the flight crew attached to VMM-263.

"I'm eager to get to work after completing my training, and I'm looking forward to becoming completely operational. We all are striving to overcome all our challenges on board in order to become experts and execute our missions," said Staff Sgt. Michael E. Aguilar, VMM-263 crew chief, from San Antonio.

Still a fairly new aircraft in terms of operating on board Navy ships, Bataan used civilian contractors to assist with unpredictable repair challenges as well as training to help the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit gain more knowledge of the unconventional Osprey.

"Even though we are here to assist and train the Marines on the technical difficulties they might face, their ability to respond and repair shows their high level of knowledge on the craft," said Butch Smith, MV-22B Engine technical representative from Rolls-Royce.

Ospreys from VMM-263 previously performed more than 3,000 sorties and logged more than 5,000 flight hours in 2007, completing missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom while operating from Al Asad Airbase in Iraq.

"The MV-22 is a valuable asset for the Marines, and I love seeing it in action," said Staff Sgt. Eric Woody, an avionics mechanic for the MEU. "I know that the job I do assists in putting the Osprey in the air."

Bataan Amphibious Ready Group/22D Marine Expeditionary Unit (BATARG/22 MEU) is currently participating in its certification exercise (CERTEX) and recently wrapped up a composite unit training exercise (COMPTUEX). The exercises tested the Osprey in full combat-training evolutions, air-to-ground support, as well as non-combat missions, such as mass causality evacuation exercises.

US Navy Seeks Fuel-Saving Upgrade For Super Hornet Engines

(FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 25 MAR 09) ... Stephen Trimble

The US Navy plans to task General Electric Aircraft Engines with reducing the specific fuel consumption for the propulsion system powering its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet.

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on 23 March announced plans to award the contract to GE, designating its F414-GE-400 engine for the demonstration programme.

The NAVAIR acquisition notice does not detail the amount of specific fuel consumption reduction expected through the work. But the contractor must build a single engine to demonstrate the fuel-saving technologies, quantify the amount of fuel savings both individually and in combination, and provide a plant to incorporate the new technologies across the fleet, it says.

NAVAIR has also asked GE to estimate the cost of incorporating the fuel-saving technologies "in the shortest amount of time".

Navy Reserve Forces Command Moves To Norfolk

(WVEC (NORFOLK) 25 MAR 2009) ... Broadcast Clip

From