osu33
Registered User
This may be well known already, but I couldn't find anything posted before about it. Could this mean less SNA/SNFO slots in the future?
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
February 24, 2006
Navy's No. 2 Leader Says Service Committed To 10 Aircraft Carrier Air Wings
The U.S. Navy is committed to maintaining 10 aircraft carrier wings, according to Adm. Robert Willard, vice chief of naval operations.
The recently completed 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review calls for reducing the number of carriers from 12 to 11, which Willard says is "adequate." But "we intend to hold to 10 air wings," he adds, noting 10 carrier air wings "is a key factor" in meeting Navy goals of maintaining a continuous carrier forward presence while having the ability to dispatch a "surge" of six carriers in emergencies.
However, the Navy must overcome funding hurdles to keep those 10 wings adequately equipped in a time of budget constraints. Willard, a naval aviator and former aircraft carrier commander, notes that much of the Navy's F/A-18 fleet is aging and "we're trying to extend their life a bit to try and bridge the gap" until the Joint Strike Fighter comes on line in 2013 or 2014. The Navy is seeking funding in fiscal 2007 to replace 30 older F/A-18s with newer F/A-18Es and 18-Fs.
In remarks Feb. 22 at a gathering of the Naval Aviation Foundation, Willard said the "cornerstone of our future Naval air force" will include the JSF, the E/A-18G Growler, "which will be key to insuring [the] Navy remains pre-eminent in airborne electronic attack." Rotary wing aircraft and unmanned aircraft "play an ever increasing role in our future," Willard added.
On other topics, Willard said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen believes the Navy electronic warfare community "and specifically our aviators" could help in the campaign against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have caused so many casualties in Iraq. He said the Navy is using a variety of technologies, including jammers, to work through the IED threat. The Navy EA6 community will provide nearly 300 electronic warfare experts to Iraq and Afghanistan to try to assist in spectrum management and other IED warfare issues.
"There are a lot of options still on the table" to replace the capability lost when the airborne common sensor program was cut, Willard says, adding that the Navy is looking at other airframes that might work with the intelligence payload.
--John M. Doyle
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
February 24, 2006
Navy's No. 2 Leader Says Service Committed To 10 Aircraft Carrier Air Wings
The U.S. Navy is committed to maintaining 10 aircraft carrier wings, according to Adm. Robert Willard, vice chief of naval operations.
The recently completed 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review calls for reducing the number of carriers from 12 to 11, which Willard says is "adequate." But "we intend to hold to 10 air wings," he adds, noting 10 carrier air wings "is a key factor" in meeting Navy goals of maintaining a continuous carrier forward presence while having the ability to dispatch a "surge" of six carriers in emergencies.
However, the Navy must overcome funding hurdles to keep those 10 wings adequately equipped in a time of budget constraints. Willard, a naval aviator and former aircraft carrier commander, notes that much of the Navy's F/A-18 fleet is aging and "we're trying to extend their life a bit to try and bridge the gap" until the Joint Strike Fighter comes on line in 2013 or 2014. The Navy is seeking funding in fiscal 2007 to replace 30 older F/A-18s with newer F/A-18Es and 18-Fs.
In remarks Feb. 22 at a gathering of the Naval Aviation Foundation, Willard said the "cornerstone of our future Naval air force" will include the JSF, the E/A-18G Growler, "which will be key to insuring [the] Navy remains pre-eminent in airborne electronic attack." Rotary wing aircraft and unmanned aircraft "play an ever increasing role in our future," Willard added.
On other topics, Willard said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen believes the Navy electronic warfare community "and specifically our aviators" could help in the campaign against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have caused so many casualties in Iraq. He said the Navy is using a variety of technologies, including jammers, to work through the IED threat. The Navy EA6 community will provide nearly 300 electronic warfare experts to Iraq and Afghanistan to try to assist in spectrum management and other IED warfare issues.
"There are a lot of options still on the table" to replace the capability lost when the airborne common sensor program was cut, Willard says, adding that the Navy is looking at other airframes that might work with the intelligence payload.
--John M. Doyle
