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BULLHORN #71 4 May 2010
ANAers!
Lots of
news. While the F-35 remains front and center on the
scope we have some of the
spring/summer items, such as reunions, Flag moves and
the like.
Very
respectfully,
Dutch
For those attending the
Symposium 12- 14 May at the NNAM Pensacola, there will
be a short ANA membership meeting in the Ramsey Room at
1545 on Thursday.
Adjournment will be well in time for those attending
the evening events to return to their accommodations to
prepare.
If anyone has an agenda
item for which we will need to prepare, please email
that to me
in time to prepare for it.
PLEASE pass this to ALL
HANDS!!
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INDEX
PATRIOT SQUADRON
Carrier-Based Unmanned Aircraft
F-35 Pilot Training
600th T-6B
INTRUDER ASSOCIATION REUNION
The
Intruder Association is having their Biannual National
Reunion at the Hyatt Regency
Reston, VA May 20-23. Details are available at:
http://www.intruderassociation.org/
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PATRIOT SQUADRON NEW CO
From the Patriot Squadron:
Robert Odams is the newly elected Commanding Officer of
the ANA Patriot Squadron 47
of Boston Massachusetts.
105 Lake Street
Wrentham, MA, 02093
508/384-8042
jeannebobodams@verizon.net
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LAS VEGAS SQUADRON
From CAPT Randal Shelin = I live in Las Vegas and am
interested in being the point of
contact for a Las Vegas Squadron. My info is:
CAPT Randal G. Shelin, USNR (Ret.)
28 Chalet Hills Terrace
Henderson, NV 89052
cell 702-595-6767
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Flag Officer Assignments
Our new Deputy Director, N88
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead
announced the following assignments:
Rear Adm. (lower half) William F. Moran
will be assigned as deputy director, Air Warfare
Division, N88, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations,
Washington, D.C. Moran is currently serving
as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, Norfolk,
Va.
Rear Admiral William F. Moran
Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group
 Rear
Admiral Bill Moran was born and raised in New York
State. He is a graduate of Valley Central High School
and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United
States Naval Academy (1981) and a master's degree from
the National War College (2006).
Moran's operational Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance
Aircraft (MPRA) tours span all four MPR sites including
his first in Patrol Squadron 44, Brunswick, Maine;
department head, Patrol Squadron 45, Jacksonville,
Fla.; command of Patrol Squadron 46, Whidbey Island,
Wash., and command of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 2,
Hawaii. He has deployed to Sigonella, Sicily; Rota,
Spain; Lajes Azores; Keflavik, Iceland; Misawa, Japan;
Diego Garcia; Masirah, Oman; Bahrain; and numerous
detachments around the world. His other operational
tours include flag lieutenant and Battle Group tactical
watch officer for commander, Carrier Group 6, Mayport,
Fla., completing a Mediterranean deployment aboard USS
Forrestal and a subsequent deployment to the
Caribbean aboard numerous cruisers as part of the first
deployed staff in support of Counter Narcotics
Operations. He has served extensively as an instructor
pilot in multiple operational tours and two tours with
Patrol Squadron 30, the Fleet Replacement Squadron.
Moran's shore assignments include: Patrol Wing 11,
Jacksonville, Fla., as safety officer and assistant
maintenance officer; the Bureau of Naval Personnel,
Washington, as assistant Washington placement officer
and assistant flag officer detailer; deputy executive
assistant and executive assistant to commander, U.S.
Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, from July 2000 to
July 2003; deputy director, Navy staff from July 2006
until June 2007 and as executive assistant to the Chief
of Naval Operations from June 2007 until August 2008.
Upon selection to flag rank, Moran assumed the duties
as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group in August
2008.
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
announced the President has made the following
nominations:
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph P.
Aucoin has been nominated for appointment to the rank
of rear admiral. Aucoin is currently serving as
commander, Carrier Strike Group Three, Bremerton, Wash.
Rear Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin
Commander, Carrier Strike Group 3 
Rear Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin graduated from North
Carolina State University with a bachelor of Science in
Electrical Engineering and received his commission
through the University of North Carolina NROTC program
in 1980. He was designated a naval flight officer in
1981 and reported to Fighter Squadron (VF) 101 for
initial training in the F-14 Tomcat.
Aucoin served in VF-33 “Tarsiers” embarked aboard USS
America (CV 66), VF-101 as an instructor, VF-84
“Jolly Rogers” embarked aboard USS Nimitz (CVN
68) and VF-41 “Black Aces” embarked aboard USS
Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). He served as Carrier
Air Wing 8 operations officer embarked aboard
Theodore Roosevelt and returned to VF-41 as
commanding officer embarked aboard USS Kennedy
(CV 67) and Theodore Roosevelt. He commanded
Carrier Air Wing 5 forward deployed in Japan and
embarked aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).
Ashore, he has served in the Program Planning and
Development Branch (N801), OPNAV staff; Programming and
Budget Division (PBAD), J8, Joint Staff; Aviation
Strike Warfare Requirements (N880); head, Program
Planning and Development Branch (N801); head, Maritime,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aviation Training Plans and
Programs (N882) and deputy director, Air Warfare
(N88B).
Aucoin has accumulated more than 4700 hours and more
than 1300 carrier arrested landings. His personal
awards include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit,
the Distinguished Flying Cross with V and Bronze Stars.
He is an Arthur S. Moreau Scholar and holds masters
degrees in Public Administration from Harvard
University and in National Security Studies and
Strategic Affairs from the Naval War College.
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Ted N.
Branch has been nominated for appointment to the rank
of rear admiral. Branch is currently serving as
commander, Carrier Strike Group One, San Diego, Calif.
Rear Admiral Ted N. Branch
United States Navy
Commander, Carrier Strike Group One 
Rear Admiral Branch, a native of Long Beach, Miss.,
graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979 and
earned a master’s degree in International Relations
from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.
A naval aviator, his operational assignments include
Light Attack Squadrons 15 and 37, USS Forrestal
(CV 59), and Strike Fighter Squadron 37. He served as
executive and commanding officer of Strike Fighter
Squadron 15, executive officer in USS John C.
Stennis (CVN 74), and commanding officer in USS
Coronado (AGF 11) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
During those tours, Branch deployed with both the
Atlantic and Pacific Fleets and has logged combat time
in A7’s and F18’s over Grenada, Lebanon,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Iraq. He participated in
Operations Urgent Fury, Ernest Will,
Southern Watch, Deliberate Force, and
Iraqi Freedom.
Ashore, Branch has served as an instructor in the A7 an
F18 Fleet Replacement Squadrons, the Joint Staff in
Washington, completed Navy Nuclear Power Training,
served as executive assistant to the commander U.S.
Pacific Fleet, and as director of Operations and Plans
(N31) on the chief of Naval Operations staff in
Washington.
Decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense
Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal,
Strike Flight Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with
Combat “V”, Navy Achievement Medal, and various unit
and campaign awards.
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Kevin M.
Donegan has been nominated for appointment to the rank
of rear admiral. Donegan is currently serving as
commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan.
Rear Admiral Kevin M. Donegan
Commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet
Commander, Carrier Strike Group 5 
Rear Admiral Donegan is a 1980 Cum Laude graduate of
the University of Virginia where he earned a Bachelor
of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering.
His first operational assignment was as a “Plank Owner”
to the “Wildcats” of Strike Fighter Squadron 131 where
he made the first East coast deployment of the F/A-18
culminating in the successful Libyan air strikes in
April 1986. During this tour he graduated from the Navy
Fighter Weapons School, and was named “Wildcat Pilot of
the Year.” He served as a department head in Strike
Fighter Squadron 37 earning the Strike Fighter Wing’s
“Mike Longhart Leadership Award”. He also served as
executive officer on USS George Washington (CVN
73) when the ship garnered the Battle “E”, The Admiral
Flatley Safety Award and the Battenberg Cup.
Donegan commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 131
completing a deployment to the Persian Gulf on USS
John C. Stennis and a change of homeport to Oceana,
Va. He also commanded the 3rd Fleet Command Ship, USS
Coronado (AGF11) earning three Command
Excellence Awards. He commanded the aircraft carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) through work-ups and a
seven-month around-the-world combat deployment earning
the Battle “E”. He also led Carl Vinson through
the first 12 months of their refueling overhaul and
spearheaded Naval Aviation Enterprise’s Carrier
Readiness Team. He was honored as the Tailhook
Association’s “Tailhooker of the Year” for 2006.
Ashore, he served at the Pentagon as director of
Strategy and Policy Division on the Navy Staff, as a
test pilot, as the aide/administrative assistant to the
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans, Policy and
Operations and he completed joint duty as flag
lieutenant to the Commander, Allied Forces Southern
Europe in Naples, Italy. He deployed to Sarajevo as the
NATO liaison officer to the Commander, United Nations
Protection Forces (UNPROFOR) serving as the principal
air advisor during NATO’s Deliberate Force air strikes.
Donegan graduated the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School as
the “Outstanding Student”, the Navy Nuclear Power
School, the USAF Air Command and Staff College and the
Joint Forces Staff College.
His personal awards include four Legion of Merits, the
Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious
Service Medals, the Air Medal, two Navy Commendation
Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals and several unit,
service and campaign awards. His flying experience
includes over 3,700 hours in 31 different types of
aircraft and over 800 arrested landings on 15 different
aircraft carriers.
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Patrick
Driscoll has been nominated for appointment to the rank
of rear admiral. Driscoll is currently serving as
commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Va.
Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll
 Commander,
Carrier Strike Group 10
Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll is a native of Homewood,
Ill., and graduated from the University of Illinois in
1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
He entered the Aviation Officer Candidate Program and
was commissioned an ensign in January of 1979.
Driscoll's initial fleet assignment was with the 1983
Battle "E" winning VS-32 “Maulers," where he completed
two Indian Ocean deployments and was selected as the
Atlantic Fleet Sea Strike Pilot of the Year. Following
transition training in the A-7E CORSAIR II, Driscoll
deployed with the VA-105 "Gunslingers" to the
Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean, which included
participation in tanker escort operations during
Operation Earnest Will.
His next sea assignment was with the "Clansmen" of
VA-46, where he deployed aboard the USS John F.
Kennedy (CV 67) to the Red Sea in support of
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Driscoll then attended the Naval War College, with a
follow-on joint assignment with the U.S. Arms Control
and Disarmament Agency in July of 1993.
In 1996, Driscoll reported once again to the
"Gunslingers" of VFA-105 deploying aboard USS
Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and participated in
Operation Deliberate Guard over Bosnia and
Operation Southern Watch in Iraq. Driscoll's
next assignment was as commanding officer and flight
leader of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (The
Blue Angels) for the 1999 and 2000 show seasons.
In April of 2001, Driscoll reported to Carrier Air Wing
5 based in Atsugi, Japan. During Operation Enduring
Freedom, he led the TACAIR strike element aboard
the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), which served as an
Afloat Forward Staging Base during combat operations in
Afghanistan. He deployed again in 2003 and led his air
wing in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In 2008 he served in Baghdad, Iraq as director of
communication and spokesman for Multi-National
Force-Iraq (MNF-I). He is currently serving as
commander, Carrier Strike Group 10.
Driscoll’s staff assignments include: deputy director,
Deep Blue; executive assistant (EA) to the Deputy Chief
of Naval Operations for Information, Plans and
Strategy; EA to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations and
the Chairman’s Joint Strategic Working Group.
Personal awards include the Legion of Merit with two
gold stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat
V, three Bronze Stars and the Defense Meritorious
Service Medal. He is a distinguished graduate of the
Naval War College and holds a Masters degree in
National Security and Strategic Studies.
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) David A.
Dunaway has been nominated for appointment to the rank
of rear admiral. Dunaway is currently serving as
commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force,
Norfolk, Va.
Rear Admiral David A. Dunaway
 Commander,
Operational Test and Evaluation Force
Rear Admiral David Dunaway was born in El Paso, Texas.
He received his wings in April 1984 and subsequently
served as a Selectively Retained Graduate flight
instructor in Meridian, Miss. After completing FA-18
initial training, he served in VFA-151, aboard the USS
Midway in Yokosuka, Japan, from 1986-1989, when
he was selected for the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
Class 96, Patuxent River, Md.
Dunaway’s test assignments include: VX-5 as the A-12
operational test director; F/A-18 branch head (during
this tour, he was selected as an aerospace engineering
duty officer); F/A-18 Weapon System Support Activity as
the deputy for Test and Evaluation; and, VX-9 as the
F/A-18E/F operational test director. In this position,
Dunaway flew more than 200 developmental test missions
and was selected as the Test Pilot of the Year.
His program management assignments include: PMA-265 as
the F/A-18 Radar IPT lead for the APG-79 Active
Electronically Scanned Array radar, for which he and
his team received the 2003 Aviation Week and Space
Technology Laureate Award in developing this
state-of-the art radar; PMA-201 as the program manager
for the Precision Strike Weapons program office, for
which the JSOW program received the David Packard Award
for innovative business practices; and, most recently,
as the deputy program executive officer, Air
Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission
Programs.
Dunaway served as the Commander of the Naval Air
Warfare Center, Weapons Division China Lake and Point
Mugu, Calif., and the Naval Air Systems Command Deputy
for Test and Evaluation from September 2007 until
January 2009. He currently serves as the Commander,
Operational Test and Evaluation Force in Norfolk.
Dunaway is a Class of 82 graduate of the U.S. Naval
Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering, an Master of Science in Aviation Systems
Management from the University of Tennessee and a
Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the
Naval Postgraduate School. His personal decorations
include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal,
Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal.
He has accrued more than 2,900 flight hours and 290
arrested carrier landings.
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Mark D.
Guadagnini has been nominated for appointment to the
rank of rear admiral. Guadagnini is currently serving
as commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine, Everett, Wash.
Rear Admiral Mark D. Guadagnini
Commander, Carrier Strike Group 9 
Rear Admiral Guadagnini graduated with distinction from
the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980, earning a Bachelor of
Science in Economics. After a brief tour with the Navy
Fighter Weapons School, he entered flight training,
earning his wings in 1982.
Operationally, he has served as a division officer in
Attack Squadron (VA) 65, on the staff of Carrier Air
Wing 8 as head landing signal officer and strike
operations officer, as head of the safety and
maintenance departments in VA-65, and as operations
officer for Carrier Strike Group 8. He commanded Strike
Fighter Attack Squadron 15 from 1997 - 1998, and
Carrier Air Wing 17 from 2004 - 2005. During these
operational tours he operated from the decks of 12
different aircraft carriers, participating in combat
operations Desert Storm, Provide Comfort,
Deliberate Force, Southern Watch,
Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
Shore duty assignments include three years as a
test pilot and instructor at the Naval Test Pilot
School, a Legislative Fellowship in the United States
Senate, and as an aide and flag lieutenant in the
Bureau of Naval Personnel and on the Commander in
Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet staff in Hawaii. Guadagnini
also worked as a liaison between the Office of the
Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Congress, and served
in the Navy Personnel Command as the division director
for Aviation Officer Distribution.
Guadagnini served as the chief of Naval Air Training
and head of Human Resources for the Naval Aviation
Enterprise from August 2007 to September 2009. He
assumed command of Carrier Strike group 9 in January
2010.
Guadagnini has over 4600 hours of flight time in 52
different aircraft. His awards include two Battle Es
and he has flown 95 combat missions.
Navy Rear Adm. (lower
half) Nora W. Tyson has been nominated for appointment
to the rank of rear admiral. Tyson is currently
serving as commander, logistics group, Western
Pacific/commander, Task Force 73/commander, Navy Region
Singapore.
Rear Admiral Nora W. Tyson
Commander, Logistics Group, Western Pacific
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Rear Adm. Tyson graduated
from Vanderbilt University in 1979 with a bachelor's
degree in English. She attended Officer Candidate
School in Newport, R.I., receiving her commission in
the U.S. Navy in December of that year.
Tyson reported for flight training in Pensacola, Fla.,
after serving a brief tour ashore in Washington. She
earned her wings as a naval flight officer in 1983.
She served three tours in Fleet Air Reconnaissance
Squadron (VQ) 4 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent
River, Md., and Tinker Air Force Base, in Oklahoma,
including one as commanding officer. She also commanded
the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5),
leading the Navy's contributions to disaster relief
efforts on the U.S. Gulf Coast in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, and deploying twice to the
Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Other tours at sea included duty as assistant
operations officer aboard the training aircraft
carrier, USS Lexington (AVT 16), and as
navigator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise
(CVN 65).
Ashore, she served as Airborne Communications Officer
Course instructor and officer in charge at Naval Air
Maintenance Training Depot 1079, NAS Patuxent River,
Md. She has also completed tours on the Joint Staff as
a political-military planner in the Asia-Pacific
Division of the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate;
as executive assistant for the assistant to the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; as director of
Staff for Commander, Naval Forces Europe/Commander 6th
Fleet, and, most recently, as executive assistant for
the chief of Naval Operations.
Tyson earned a Master of Arts in National Security and
Strategic Affairs from the U.S. Naval War College in
1995.
Tyson is currently serving as CTF-73, Commander,
Logistics Group, Western Pacific, in Singapore
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
announced today that the President has made the
following nominations:
Navy Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller has been
nominated for appointment to the rank of vice admiral
and assignment as superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy,
Annapolis, Md. Miller is currently serving as chief of
legislative affairs, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Rear Admiral Michael H. Miller
Chief of Legislative Affairs 
Rear Admiral Michael H. Miller, a native of Minot,
N.D., was commissioned at the United States Naval
Academy in 1974, and earned his “Wings of Gold” at
Pensacola in January 1976. Subsequent flying tours were
primarily out of Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Fla.,
flying the S-3A/B Viking on carrier deployments around
the world, including combat operations against Libya,
the Achille Lauro terrorist incident and squadron
command in the Persian Gulf during Desert
Shield/Desert Storm.
Rear Adm. Miller’s shore assignments include duty as
Flag Lieutenant and Aide to the Deputy Commander in
Chief, U. S. Atlantic Fleet (1979), Chief Staff Officer
to Sea Strike Wing One (1986), and Executive Assistant
to the Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific (1994).
Rear Adm. Miller has served at sea as Air Operations
Officer for Commander, Carrier Group 8, Executive
Officer onboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), and
in command of the Third Fleet Flagship, USS Coronado
(AGF-11). During this tour, he was responsible for a
state-of-the-art technology infusion into the command
ship for the eastern Pacific.
Following Coronado, Rear Adm. Miller was assigned as
the Operations Officer for the 7th Fleet on board USS
Blue Ridge (LCC-19), home ported in Yokosuka,
Japan. He returned to John F. Kennedy in August
of 1999 as Commanding Officer, and left almost
immediately for an extended deployment to the Persian
Gulf. He reported for duty as the Deputy Director of
the White House Military Office in November of 2000;
Rear Adm. Miller was commissioned as a Deputy Assistant
to the President and the first-ever active duty
Director of the White House Military Office in November
2002. He next assumed command of Carrier Strike Group
7/USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group in April, 2005,
and subsequently led the Reagan Strike Group on
its maiden deployment to the Persian Gulf and Western
Pacific in 2006.
In April 2008, RADM Miller reported as the Chief of
Legislative Affairs following a tour as the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Global Force Management & Joint
Operations (N3/N5), U.S. Fleet Forces Command (2007).
Rear Admiral Miller’s personal decorations include the
Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of
Merit (6 awards), the Bronze Star, three Air Medals,
the Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), the Joint
Service Commendation Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal
(2 awards), Navy Achievement Medal and various service
and campaign awards.
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Navy Rear Adm. Allen G. Myers has been
nominated for appointment to the rank of vice admiral
and assignment as commander, Naval Air
Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet,
San Diego, Calif. Myers is currently serving as
director, warfare integration/senior national
representative, N8F, Office of the Chief of Naval
Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Rear Admiral Allen G. Myers
Director, Warfare Integration/Senior National
Representative (OPNAV N8F)
A 1978 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a
northern Virginia native, Rear Admiral Myers is
director, Warfare Integration/Senior National
Representative (OPNAV N8F). He recently completed a
tour as director, Air Warfare Division (OPNAV N88).
Prior to that he served as commander, Carrier Strike
Group 8, where he commanded Expeditionary Strike Force
5th Fleet, Combined Task Force 50, Combined Task Force
152 and the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group
during an extended deployment in support of Operations
Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom
2006/2007. Prior to that assignment, Myers served in
flag tours as the senior military assistant to the
secretary of the Navy and deputy director for
Requirements, Assessments Division (OPNAV N81D).
In August 2001 he completed command of USS Kitty
Hawk (CV 63), permanently forward deployed to
Yokosuka, Japan, and deployed to the Western Pacific.
Prior to that he commanded USS Sacramento (AOE
1). Sacramento deployed to the Western Pacific and
Persian Gulf with the Constellation Battle
Group, and was awarded the Battle “E” and CNO Safety
“S” under his command. In December 1994, he completed
command of Fighter Squadron (VF) 32, flying F-14
Tomcats aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN
69). VF-32 deployed to Bosnia and the Persian Gulf, and
was awarded the Battle “E”, the Clifton Award and the
Fleet Fighter Adversary Readiness Program Trophy under
his command.
Prior squadron and sea tours include: VF-143; VF-14;
VF-101 and VF-103. Tours ashore have also included:
executive assistant to commander U.S. Fleet Forces;
Organizational Policy Branch chief in the Strategic
Plans and Policy Directorate, J-5, Joint Staff; deputy
executive assistant to the chief of naval operations;
chief staff officer, Fighter Wings Atlantic; and deputy
special assistant to the chief of naval personnel for
flag officer matters.
He is a 1988 graduate of the Naval Command and Staff
College, and holds master's degrees in National
Security Affairs from the Naval War College and Salve
Regina University.
Myers has accumulated more than 3,600 flight hours and
over 900 arrested landings. Decorations include:
Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit (seven
awards); Meritorious Service Medal (two awards); Air
Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Navy
Commendation Medal (two awards) and Navy Achievement
Medal (two awards), in addition to various campaign and
unit awards.
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Navy Hurricane Hunters Reunion
Our 2010 reunion will
be held at the Naval Air Museum Naval Air Station
Pensacola, FL. The dates are Sept 30, 2010 thru Oct 03,
2010.
You can view our web-page by going to
www.navyhurricanehunters.com my e-mail address is
on the home page but here it is::
ereaton77@aol.com my phone # is
770 251 9088
Thanking you in advance::
E.R. Eaton
President
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NATO Osprey Chopper Crashes
KABUL- A U.S. military aircraft crashed early Friday
morning in Southern Afghanistan, killing three American
service members and one civilian.
A NATO press release said the Air Force CV-22 Osprey
crashed near the city of Qalat in Zabul Province.
The Taliban claimed to have shot down the hybrid
helicopter-airplane, but NATO officials said the cause
of the crash is unknown and that an investigation is
underway.
The Taliban regularly take responsibility anytime a
coalition aircraft crashes, often after a NATO press
release has been issued. In this case, the Taliban
claimed responsibility long before NATO acknowledged
the crash.
Helicopters are an important transportation tool for
U.S. and coalitions forces due to the lack of roads and
difficult terrain in Afghanistan. The Osprey is
typically used for long-range infiltration and resupply
missions for US Forces.
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India Will Buy More MiG-29Ks
(AVIATION WEEK) ...
Maxim Pyadushkin
Moscow -- New Delhi and
Moscow are moving forward on the procurement of a new
aircraft carrier and additional carrier-based fighters
following the visit to India of a top-level Russian
delegation. However, the delegation could not lock in
agreement on other key defense projects.
Russian-supported
Indian navy programs were boosted by Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi this month, but
pivotal air force projects did not move ahead as some
had anticipated. There was no final deal on Indian
participation in Russia’s fifth-generation fighter
program nor visible progress on the long-running
proposal to codevelop a military airlifter.
Agreement was reached,
though, on India’s buy of 29 more MiG-29K carrier-borne
fighters, as was the price for modernization of the
ship on which the type will eventually be based.
While Russian officials
would not confirm the revised cost for the
modernization of INS Vikramaditya (formerly the Admiral
Gorshkov), Indian press reports put the cost at $2.34
billion.
Moscow and New Delhi
initially struck a deal on the conversion of the
Kiev-class cruiser in 2004, when work on the ship at
the Severodvinsk-based Sevmash shipyard was priced at
$800 million. The Gorshkov was moved from the wet dock
to the outfitting quay in 2008.
Its deck was extended
and a ski-jump added to enable operation of the MiG-29K
aircraft. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Sergey Ivanov, under the revised contract the
Vikramaditya will be delivered at the end of 2012.
India’s navy now has 45
MiG-29Ks on order. The first batch of 12 MiG-29K
single-seat and four MiG-29KUB two-seat aircraft was
ordered in 2004 at a reputed cost of $650 million. MiG
CEO Mikhail Pogosyan was quoted by Russian news agency
RIA Novosti as saying the additional order is worth
$1.5 billion. The first of these are to be delivered in
2012.
The original
carrier-borne version of the MiG-29 Fulcrum, known as
Article 9-31, was developed in 1988. The variant being
delivered to India is an improved standard, the 9-41.
This has an upgraded airframe with increased use of
composites, a digital fly-by-wire system, inflight
refueling and new avionics, including a glass cockpit
and the Phazotron Zhuk-ME slot array radar.
Work has been
undertaken to reduce the radar cross section of the
aircraft, possibly including the use of radar-absorbent
material on parts of the radars. The aircraft can also
carry an increased weapons load, such as export
versions of the R-73 (AA-11 Archer) and the R-77 (AA-12
Adder) air-to-air weapons as well as the Kh-35 (AS-20
Kayak) and the Kh-31A (AS-17 Krypton) anti-ship
missiles. Flight tests have been carried out with the
aircraft carrying two Kh-35s.
Flight trials of
MiG-29K began in 2007 and were completed last year,
culminating with takeoff and landing trials using
Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetzov.
The first six MiG-29Ks were delivered to India in 2009
and introduced into service by the navy last month
(AW&ST Mar. 1, p. 34). Pogosyan says the rest of the
first batch will be delivered this year.
Finalizing New Delhi’s
involvement in Russia’s fifth-generation fighter
development will likely take several months longer.
India’s aim is to base the aircraft on Sukhoi’s T-50
development, including a two-seat variant of the
aircraft.
Under the Russia-Indian
intergovernmental agreement signed in 2007, development
should be split 50:50 between Russia’s Sukhoi and
India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). Despite
discussion during the negotiations of Indian
involvement in development of the fifth-generation
fighter, Sukhoi and HAL did not conclude an agreement.
Little progress appears
to have been made on the Multirole Transport Aircraft
(MTA) during Putin’s visit. The transport aircraft
division of Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. and HAL were
expected to officially establish a joint venture to run
the program during Putin’s visit.
The aircraft, with a
takeoff weight of 55 tons, payload capacity of 18.5
tons and a range of 2,500 km. (1,553 mi.), is intended
to replace the Russian air force’s aging fleet of
Antonov An-12s by 2016. According to an
inter-governmental agreement, the Russian air force
promised to buy up to 100 MTAs, while the Indian
backlog is 45 aircraft. The Russian government is
underwriting the project with 2 billion rubles ($68.4
million).
The two countries did
strike a deal allowing India access to the
high-precision signal of Russia’s Glonass satellite
navigation system. Ivanov says that while Russia allows
many countries to use Glonass for commercial needs,
India is the first that will use it for defense
purposes.
RETURN TO INDEX
Navy Wants Carrier-Based Unmanned Aircraft For ISR
And Strikes
(INSIDE THE NAVY) ...
Cid Standifer and Dan Taylor
The Navy needs a
carrier-based unmanned aircraft system to provide
persistent intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance and strike capabilities for hybrid and
irregular warfare, and is looking toward industry
partners for information on the capabilities available.
According to a request
for information posted on Federal Business
Opportunities, Vice Adm. Jack Dorsett, the deputy chief
of naval operations for information dominance (N2/N6),
believes a low-observable unmanned vehicle would
enhance the flexibility of aircraft carriers. The Navy
will define requirements and begin development of an
unmanned aircraft to fill that gap over the next
decade.
“The Navy is interested
in information on carrier based, low observable
unmanned air systems (UAS) concepts optimized for
irregular and hybrid warfare scenarios, capable of
integrating with manned platforms as part of the
carrier air wing by the end of 2018 to support limited
operations in contested scenarios,” the RFI states.
“The UAS should enhance situational awareness and
shorten the time it takes to find, fix, track, target,
engage and assess time sensitive targets.”
The RFI states that the
notional system for the UAS includes four to six
vehicles, carrier mission control interfaces and ashore
mission control interfaces, sensor payloads, weapon
interfaces and personnel. Concepts put forward by
industry must contain mature technology and be operable
by sailors, and should be able to launch and return
home autonomously to shore stations and both CVN-68 and
CVN-78 aircraft carriers.
The UAS would have to
be compatible with command and control systems based on
a carrier or on land, and with both the Navy and joint
forces. The Navy is looking for a vehicle that can fly
between 11 and 14 hours without stopping for fuel, and
is compatible with Air Force and Navy airborne tankers.
The document says that existing sensors will be favored
over new kinds.
The RFI also states
that this effort, dubbed the Unmanned Carrier-Launched
Airborne Surveillance System, or UCLASS, should be
capable of communicating with Special Operations Forces
to track and engage targets, and of using lethal force.
The Navy expects the
system to be deployable by the fourth quarter of fiscal
year 2018. Responses to the RFI are due by May 3.
Currently, carriers
rely on “limited ISR capabilities” provided by sensors
such as the Shared Reconnaissance Pods (SHARP) and
Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR)
pods carried aboard F/A-18 Hornets, Capt. Jeffrey
Penfield, the program manager for Air-to-Air Missile
Systems (PMA-259), said in a March 24 e-mail response
to questions from Inside the Navy.
“These systems do not
provide the levels of persistence envisioned for the
UCLASS system,” he said. “In addition, most of the
carrier’s aircraft are assigned missions conducting
strikes, close air support and air defense, limiting
the assets available for ISR tasking. Additional ISR
information may be provided by other sensors via data
links to the aircraft carrier.
“The UCLASS system is
intended to increase the range and persistence of
carrier-based ISR aircraft, thus enhancing the
versatility provided by an aircraft carrier,” he
continued.
RETURN TO INDEX
F-35 Pilot Training On Track Despite Problems
(NAVY TIMES) ... Andrew
Tilghman
Development of a
training pipeline for pilots and maintainers for the
F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter remains on track
despite the recent problems with the jet’s cost and
development schedule.
“Our focus has remained
the same — to be ready when that first jet arrives,”
said Navy Capt. Mike Saunders, deputy commander of the
33rd Operations Group, based at Eglin Air Force Base,
Fla.
Saunders is helping
oversee the joint command that is standing up the
F-35’s first fleet training squadrons for the Air
Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
All three services plan
to begin flying the F-35 within the next two years,
Saunders said.
The first simulators
arrived in late March, he said.
The Marine Corps’
training squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Training
Squadron 501, stood up April 2, making the Corps the
second service to formally create a training unit. The
Air Force created the 58th Fighter Squadron last year.
The Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 101 will stand up
next year.
The Air Force and
Marine Corps have several pilots at Eglin for training.
The Navy, which will be the last service to put the
F-35 into operation, expects to send its first pilots
to the Florida base early next year.
The timeline for the
training wing has not changed despite the wrangling
among Washington bureaucrats about the shortcomings of
the F-35 program, which is run by Lockheed Martin.
Pentagon officials added 13 months to the fighter jet’s
development schedule and warned that it may cost much
more than initially thought.
The 33rd Fighter Wing
staff and squadrons have 141 total personnel for all
three services. Hangars, academic centers and a dining
hall are under construction.
Initial staffers are
developing standard operating procedures for the
training squadrons, drawing up a curriculum and
becoming technically familiar with the engine, software
systems and other components of the new aircraft.
“We are really getting
down into the devil in the details on this,” Saunders
said.
Joint JSF Training
The joint training
program for the F-35 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.,
will include three separate training squadrons for the
Air Force, Marines and Navy.
• Air Force: 58th
Fighter Squadron stood up in October. Has seven
officers and one enlisted airman. First F-35A expected
to arrive this fall.
• Marine Corps:
VMFA-501 stood up April 2. Has eight officers and 23
enlisted Marines. First F-35B expected to arrive spring
2011.
• Navy: VFA-101 stands
up in October 2011. First pilots expected to arrive in
early 2011. First F-35C expected to arrive in early
2012.
RETURN TO INDEX
USMC F-35 TRAINING
 The
Marine Corps on April 2 activated the Marine Fighter
Attack Training Squadron 501 at Eglin AFB, Fla., where
it will train pilots in the F-35B short
takeoff/vertical landing variant under Air Education
and Training Command's 33rd Fighter Wing at the joint
F-35 schoolhouse. This marked the first time a marine
unit has been embedded with a USAF wing, which already
gained USMC Col. Arthur
Tomassetti last fall as deputy wing commander
and Navy Capt. Mike
Saunders last summer as 33rd Operations Group
deputy commander. Despite the F-35
restructure announced in February, Air Force senior
leaders have said the Pentagon plans to
provide early delivery of F-35 training assets.
VMFAT-501 expects to receive its first STOVL aircraft
this fall,
as does the 33rd FW for the first F-35A
conventional takeoff and landing variant. (Now vintage
2008 briefing charts pegged first F-35A CTOL
arrival in March 2010.) (Eglin
report by Samuel King Jr.)
Pilot Training Under
Way For F-35 Fighters
(SUN JOURNAL (NEW BERN,
NC) 06 APR 10) ... Sue Book
Pilot training for the
F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is on track
despite recent cost overruns and development delays,
the Navy Times reported.
Navy Capt. Mike
Saunders, deputy commander of the 33rd Operations Group
at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., said “our focus has
remained the same — to be ready when that first jet
arrives.”
The Marine Corps’
training squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Training
Squadron 501, stood up April 2 at Eglin, making the
Corps the second service to formally create a training
unit for the aircraft that may be based at Cherry Point
air station.
Hearings here for
environmental impact studies for as many as 11
squadrons are tentatively scheduled for early June for
STOVL F-35B Lightning II, the plane ultimately
scheduled to replace three different Marine Corps
combat aircraft — the F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier and
EA-6B Prowler.
Air Force, Marine and
Navy pilots plan to begin flying the F-35 within the
next two years, Saunders said. All will train at Eglin
in separate training squadrons for the three JSF
versions.
The Air Force created
the 58th Fighter Squadron last year and expects the
first F-35A Joint Strike Fighter to arrive in the fall.
It has seven officers and one enlisted airman in
training.
The Navy’s Strike
Fighter Squadron 101 will stand up in October 2011 with
first pilots who begin training in early 2011 for the
F-35C Joint Strike Fighter expected to arrive in early
2012.
Marine Corps squadron
VMFA-501 has eight officers and 23 enlisted Marines and
the first F-35B is expected to arrive in spring 2011.
The first operational squadron of 10 F-35Bs is now
planned to be based in Yuma, Ariz.
The first simulators
arrived in late March, Saunders said.
The timeline for the
training wing has not changed although Pentagon
officials have added 13 months to the Lockheed Martin
jet’s development schedule, and politicians are saying
that the dramatic increase of cost estimates will most
likely mean fewer will be bought.
Aircraft manufacturer
Lockheed Martin reported to Congress in mid-March that
its estimated cost for the plane has increased more
than 60 percent to somewhere between $95 million and
$113 million each. The Defense Department originally
hoped to buy 2,443 of the planes but some close to the
process now say initial purchases could be as few as
one-third that many.
The 33rd Fighter Wing
staff is developing the standard operation procedures
for training the squadrons with its 141 total personnel
for all three services. Construction of hangars,
academic centers and a dining hall is under way.
RETURN TO INDEX
Russia To Upgrade Country’s Only Aircraft Carrier
(BARENTS OBSERVER
(NORWAY))
Russia plans to upgrade
its only operating aircraft carrier, the Northern
Fleet’s “Admiral Kuznetsov”, Russian media reports. The
vessel is due to enter a dry dock in 2012 and to be
re-launched in 2017.
The full-scale
modernization of the aircraft carrier will take place
at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk
Oblast, web site Lenta.ru reports, citing Interfaks.
According to the
information, the aircraft carrier will get new weapons
systems and new radio electronic equipment. The hangar
deck will also be expanded.
“Admiral Kuznetsov” is
the flag carrier of the Russian Navy. She was built in
Ukraine and launched in 1985. The carrier was intended
to be the lead ship of her class, but the only other
ship of her class, Varyag, has never been commissioned
and was sold to the People's Republic of China by
Ukraine under the condition she would never be refitted
for combat.
The carrier’s air wing
currently consists of multirole Su-33 fighter
aircrafts. After the modernization the air wing is to
consist of 26 new MiG-29K multirole fighter aircrafts,
RIA Novosti writes.
The aircraft carrier’s
propulsion unit comprising steam turbines and
turbo-pressurized boilers will be replaced either with
a gas-turbine or nuclear propulsion unit, according to
RIA Novosti.
The plan is to complete
the modernization by 2017, but the time schedule might
be altered, Lenta.ru writes. The overhaul of the
aircraft carrier “Admiral Gorshkov” for the Indian Navy
started in 2004 and was planned to be finished by 2008.
In 2010 the schedule was moved to 2012-2013.
RETURN TO INDEX
Hawker Beechcraft Delivers Its 600th T-6B Training
Plane To The U.S. Navy
(WICHITA EAGLE (KS) 08
APR 10) ... Molly McMillin
Hawker Beechcraft
delivered its 600th Beechcraft T-6 military training
aircraft Wednesday, 10 years after deliveries initially
began.
The plane, a T-6B, was
delivered to the U.S. Navy, where it will be used for
primary flight training. It will be based at Naval Air
Station Whiting Field in Milton, Fla.
The company celebrated
the delivery with a ceremony attended by Navy officials
and Hawker Beechcraft employees.
More than 2,000 people
work on the T-6 program.
The T-6 was selected 15
years ago to fill the Joint Primary Aircraft Training
System role for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.
Since then, it's been
selected for use as primary trainers by NATO Flying
Training in Canada, the Hellenic air force of Greece,
the Israeli air force, the Iraqi air force and the
Royal Moroccan air force.
It's been used to train
pilots and navigators from about 20 countries.
Hawker Beechcraft's
contract with the U.S. Navy is for 300 aircraft,
company officials say.
The plane will give the
Navy continuity in training. The T-6B is equipped with
a glass cockpit. That will allow Navy pilots to make
the transition to other aircraft in the Navy's fleet
that either have or will have similar avionics.
"You're providing a
great service to our country," Capt. James Vandiver,
commander of the U.S. Navy's Training Air Wing Five at
Whiting Field, told the Hawker Beechcraft employees.
"We'll be good stewards of your planes, and we'll be
good stewards of your sons and daughters as they go
through flight training with us."
The plane replaces the
T-34s.
"It's a horse,"
Vandiver said of the T-6B. "It's twice as powerful."
RETURN TO INDEX
First P-8A Poseidon Arrives At Pax River
(NAVY TIMES) ... Andrew
Tilghman
The first P-8A Poseidon
aircraft landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
Md., on Monday, the latest milestone for the aircraft
that will replace the P-3 Orion as the fleet’s primary
patrol and reconnaissance plane.
The Poseidon came from
the Boeing’s Seattle-area facilities, where it began
flight testing about six months ago.
The Navy’s first P-8A
squadron is scheduled to be operational by 2013.
The P-8, a militarized
version of the Boeing 737, is primarily designed for
hunting submarines, but it will also have extensive
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
capabilities. The P-3s it will replace are spending a
majority of their deployed missions doing ISR over Iraq
and Afghanistan, Navy officials said.
The Navy plans to buy
117 P-8As and hopes to have a fleet replacement
squadron up and running in 2012, Navy officials said.
“It was an exciting
moment to watch the first P-8A Poseidon touch down at
Pax River today,” said Capt. Mike Moran, Maritime
Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program manager
(PMA-290). “The maritime patrol and reconnaissance
platform is in great demand throughout the world and
this flight put us one step closer to delivering
Poseidon to the Fleet. I cannot be more proud of our
team as they work to ensure this aircraft will meet our
warfighters’ requirements.”
RETURN TO INDEX
Kodiak-based Aircrews Win National Award for Alaska
Rescues
Coast Guard Aviation
Association
The Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl
KODIAK, Alaska – Eight Alaska-based Coast Guardsmen
from Air Station Kodiak will be awarded the American
Helicopter Society’s prestigious William J. Kossler
Award at the American Helicopter Society Forum in
Phoenix, AZ on May 12, 2010 for saving the lives of
seven commercial fishermen in 2009.
CDR Shawn Tripp, aircraft commander, LT David McCown,
pilot, AMT1 Dennis Dewinter, flight mechanic and AST3
Eric Stoecker, rescue swimmer, are being recognized for
their rescue of two men from the F/V American Way,
grounded on Aghiyuk Island on January 4, 2009.
This crew battled low 500-foot ceilings, 3 miles
visibility, and driving snow for the 230 mile transit
to the stranded crewmembers. Once on scene, the crew's
rescue swimmer was lowered and fought crashing waves, 0
degree Fahrenheit temperatures, and a rocky shoreline
to reach the survivors, as the pilots hovered the
helicopter precariously close to a 300-foot vertical
cliff at night, in turbulent 50 knot winds, at the
power limits of the aircraft. Despite this, the aircrew
worked together to rescue the vessel’s crew, and the
two crewmembers were safely hoisted from a narrow strip
of beach and flown to safety.
LT
John Bartel, aircraft commander, LCDR Craig Neubecker,
pilot, AMT3 Chad Redmond, flight mechanic and AST3
Alexis Torres, rescue swimmer, are being recognized for
the rescue of five men from the F/V Mar-Gun, grounded
on St. George Island on March 5, 2009.
Flying on instruments in visibility of less than ½
mile, 200-foot ceilings, blowing snow, icing, and 50
knot winds, this crew safely conducted the nighttime
hoists of the Mar-Gun crew. The pilots worked closely
to maintain a steady hover, as they fought swirling,
unpredictable winds off a nearby cliff without
exceeding the aircraft’s power limits, as the flight
mechanic directed the aircraft into hoisting position.
He then placed the basket down on the vessel’s deck
that was awash and canted 20 to 30 degrees to port,
while also avoiding the swaying masts and antennas; as
22 foot waves rocked the vessel and crashed over the
decks, as the aircrew worked together to safely recover
the entire crew.
The AHS’s Capt. William J. Kossler Award is given for
the greatest achievement in practical application or
operation of rotary wing aircraft, the value of which
has been demonstrated by actual service during the
preceding year. This program was initiated in 1944 and
over the years has paid tribute to the leaders of the
vertical flight industry. The aircrews were nominated
for this award by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.
The Society's awards program recognizes extraordinary
achievements and serves as a catalyst for stimulating
technological advances in the vertical flight industry.
AHS International – The Vertical Flight Society is a
professional, technical society of more than 6,000
members founded in 1943 that represents the interests
of the worldwide vertical flight industry and is
dedicated to the advancement of vertical flight
technology and its applications.
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