HQ Marine Corps Aviation Plan Jun 07

[jarhead]

Every couple years HQ Marine Corps puts out an Aviation Plan (AvPlan). It can be found on the HQ USMC Aviation website. They released the latest one this month … contains some interesting stuff, particularly JSF intro timeframe, 2 more reserve Hornet sqds going away, 2 cadre active duty Hornet sqd’s coming back in several years flying JSF, JSF RAG standing up in 3 years, the addition of two HMLA’s?, WSO’s/ECMO’s going by-by by 2018, Prowler RAG up in the air once the Squids shitcan the EA-6B RAG, and the Prowler itself going away by 2020. The Plan talks a lot about MV-22, JSF, CH-53K, UH/AH-1Z transitions.

The one that caught my eye was the chart that shows the Tacair community manned approx at 85% and the Helo community at 96% … interesting because the complaint I heard back in Nov at the MMOA “road show” was the Hornet community was saturated – IA billet bullseye the last couple years - [chart says it’s manned only at 86%] and the Harrier as well as the Helo community was struggling for people - yet all Helo communities except the CH-53D over 98% and the Harriers’s manned at 94% - as of Sept 06 per the chart? Dunno …

The Plan lists chain of command structures, squadron locations & aircraft numbers, lots of stuff people ask about in this forum can be answered in this document (.pdf or .ppt) … even shows time to train info and predicted pilot production requirements from this fiscal year until 2014. Shows which squadrons are expected to transition to new aircraft, i.e. CH-43 → MV-22 and AV-8/F/A-18 →JSF. A lot of eye charts and some “wishful thinking” on the part of HQMC, but decent gouge overall. Take if for what it’s worth.

S/F

 

[gaijin6423]

Great find, thanks. As gay as it sounds, I was waiting for that to come out, but got sidetracked due to other crap going on. The C2 section is what I was specifically after, because it was supposedly the first time they were going to publicly (outside of TTF 'what if we _____' seminars anyway) talk some details of the TAOC/DASC merge. Personally, I think it's a big mistake, but I've actually made that opinion known to quite a few MARCORSYSCOM people who are involved in this debacle, and I doubt anyone will actually listen to what I say.

One thing that I had not heard even a whisper of, though, was the apparent plan to take our 'plus-up' personnel from Cherry Point and make a MASS det at New River. I'm not sure where that idea even came from, because it hasn't even been thrown around in any DASC circles before. I've mentioned it via PM to one or two people before, but the East and West coast MASS units are each slated to have their TO's grow by over 100 people at the begining of the the next FY, thanks to the plus-up. Basically, this amounts to a whole new DASC 'company' with assorted comm, MT, and logistics personnel added in. The idea was to better support OIF, MEU, and various exercise commitments in an easier (manning-wise anyway) way. Personally, I'll believe it when I see it, and with just enlisted attrition at the DASC schoolhouse hovering between 30-40%, the actual on hand numbers probably won't grow that much.

Okay, I'll stop boring everyone with my MACCS lecture. It's not like you bastards listen to us anyway...

Thanks for posting that.

 

[HeyJoe]

Every couple years HQ Marine Corps puts out an Aviation Plan (AvPlan). It can be found on the HQ USMC Aviation website.
S/F

Link added for those who want to get on it. May I also recommend the Plans and Programs Guide for your reading pleasure. These are all open source and handy references whether you are wearing the globe and anchor or aspiring to some day. One thing the Marines do better than any other service is lay out a plan and execute it. You will not find such a comprehensive plan for Naval Aviation ( I brought that up to the senior budgeteer a few years ago and he said "Then we'd have to stick to it! Nuff said?).

 

[usmarinemike]

JSF RAG standing up in 3 years

Just made a whole bunch of OCS applicants start counting on their fingers.


Great gouge. Thanks for posting that it had come out.


Gaijin: I haven't met a single 7200 below the rank of O-4 that thinks the MACCS reorganization is a good idea. There are so many things very wrong with the idea. Most of them are centered around the new gear which apparently has become a civilian contractor whore.

I also can't see a reason to take up space at New River with a MASS det other than making up a new billet for a major and having a det for TACP shoots that doesn't have to drive so far. I can also see them being Blackburn's bitches.

 

[bert]

One thing the Marines do better than any other service is lay out a plan and execute it.

Another thing they do very well is execute any of their own who stray from that plan. Nobody holds their folks to the party line on acquisitions better than the Marines.

 

[FLY_USMC]

I wonder how it will all pan out with the Marine Corps still wanting all F-35 B's and the Navy not wanting VSTOL on the CV's<-----all according the Marine Corps Times article like a month ago. No more USMC tailhookers?

 

[gaijin6423]

I've met plenty of 7200's that like the idea...but they're all in the TAOC. Hell, the guy who came up with the concept is a TAOC bubba. He gets kind of offended when us knuckle-dragging DASC types look him square in the eye and tell him that his plan is a POS, too. I'm convinced it's just those folks trying to justify their existence these days by trying to cross over into our realm, but they suck pretty badly at it. They do good work in their own land of hooked tracks, ABT's, etc., and if we ever get into a full-bore shooting war, complete with a real enemy air threat, we're gonna need them, bad. But right now, I think they're a little bitter having to just do WTI's and stand guard duty at AA.

It's funny, though, because all the DASC folks who wind up out there at the development site seem to have been held down, jaws pried open, and the koolaid poured down their gullets. Ever seen a movie where a brainwashed dude pulls a gun on his pals, tears streaming down his face as he can't help but pull the trigger on them? Yeah, that's pretty much every brief given by a DASC Marine out there.

 

[AArider]

I wonder how it will all pan out with the Marine Corps still wanting all F-35 B's and the Navy not wanting VSTOL on the CV's<-----all according the Marine Corps Times article like a month ago. No more USMC tailhookers?

F-35B's on CVN's will happen. CONOPS being worked as we speak.

 

[VFA-203 Forever]

*Sigh* makes it official that the Gators (VMFA-142) are goners next FY. Gonna miss those boys.

Surprised to hear the Road Hogs and Coyotes (769/775) are going bye-bye yet the 775 det at Johnstown is staying as HMLA-7738 (Sounds like a squadron off Ace Combat)

 

[phrogdriver]

*
Surprised to hear the Road Hogs and Coyotes (769/775) are going bye-bye yet the 775 det at Johnstown is staying as HMLA-7738 (Sounds like a squadron off Ace Combat)

I think thats HML/A-773 B, not "8."

The reserves as getting thinned out because we use them so much they may as well be active duty. Probably a good move.

 

[DimndDave14]

I tried to read through the Aviation Plan but it was mainly "Greek to me".
So what does all of this mean ? Is the Marine Corps
downsizing the airwing or increasing ? Is the Marine Corps
going to be looking for more pilots this year compared to the
past three to four ? Or are they just going to shuffle people
around and fill slots where needed ?

 

[jfulginiti]

2018...... that will almost take me to retirement.

 

[JTB7]

I tried to read through the Aviation Plan but it was mainly "Greek to me".
So what does all of this mean ? Is the Marine Corps
downsizing the airwing or increasing ? Is the Marine Corps
going to be looking for more pilots this year compared to the
past three to four ? Or are they just going to shuffle people
around and fill slots where needed ?

Naval Flight Officer Sundown Plan
Based upon the current aircraft lay-down plan, there will no longer be a requirement for USMC Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) in FY18.The F/A-18D Weapons and Sensors Officer MOS (7525) and the EA-6B ECMO MOS (7588) will be programmed to end as a primary MOS at a date TBD. Plans are being developed to ensure both Officer end strength and accessions are managed to provide the greatest flexibility with the remaining NFO inventory at the time of final sundown.

-Getting rid of NFO's [Goose from TopGun]
-Upgrading all aircraft
-Shifting(attack, fighter, recon)fixed-wing pilots until f-35b JSF comes in
-Not sure about looking for more pilots



KC-130 F/R/T -->KC-130 J/T

CH-46E---->MV-22
CH-53D

UN-1N----->UH-1Y

AH-1W----->AH-1Z

Pioneer/Shadow--->VUAV

CH-53E------------>CH-53K

F/A-18
AZ-8B------------->F-35B JSF
EA-6B

VH-3-------------->VH-71
VH-60

 

[PSno23]

CH-46E---->MV-22
CH-53D

UN-1N----->UH-1Y

AH-1W----->AH-1Z

I'll believe that when I see it!

 

[phrogpilot73]

CH-46E---->MV-22
CH-53D

UN-1N----->UH-1Y

AH-1W----->AH-1Z

I'll believe that when I see it![/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, that's already starting to be the case...