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The future of Marine NFO's

Zilch

Zilch

This...is...Caketown!
Greetings, all. 1st post here...

I'm applying for an NFO contract for the October OCC 193 class. I know right now I should be more focused on more immediate things, like OCS, but I can't help looking ahead.

From what I've read, it looks like both aircraft that the USMC puts NFO's in, the F/A-18D and the EA-6B, are in line to be replaced by the F-35 and E/A-18G, respectively.

Just doing some very simple math, with the single-slot F-35 and dual-slot Growler, it looks like Marine NFO's are going to have a much harder time staying in the air.

Am I incorrect here? Are the F-35's replacing just the single-seat Hornets, or the D model also? I've also heard that the Marines might not get the Growler, anyway, at least for some time.

So, are we looking at the majority of Marine NFO's being replaced by gadgets and avionics, or am I unduly alarmed?

I'm also concerned about the Growler...it seems to me that the work of 3 ECMO's being compressed into the brain of one NFO in the back seat could be a bit of an overload. Has technology advacned that much to cut the worload by three times?
 
zippy

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
Zilch,

Nothing wrong with looking ahead to the future...

This questions seems to have been comming up fair amount recently- try doing a search of the threads to see what some of the people around here have said on the subject. I'm neither a marine, a jet guy or a NFO, but I am relatively sure its going to take the Marine Corps a good bit of time to complete the transition (if they go with EA-18, which they appearently aren't getting). They will probably have a system in place re: what to do with the NFOs. I wouldn't worry about your perspective job going away just yet.
 
Zilch

Zilch

This...is...Caketown!
Good to know. I figure they wouldn't have contracted me in the first place if the job wasn't going to be there if and when I get winged. I was just thinking, say, 6 years down the line.
 
mmx1

mmx1

Woof!
pilot
Contributor
The transitions to the JSF will not start until 2011 at the earliest (this is before the much-discussed program delays of this year) and will take a few years to complete, so there's no reason the D model Hornets will get replaced until the end of your commitment. Given that the Navy, motivated by the success of the F-14D in a CAS role, plans to use it's 2-seat Hornets in a combat role, I don't think the NFO is dead in any sense. Not sure if that means we're keeping our Deltas a bit longer or getting Rhinos to replace them (this is, after all, crystal balling 6+ years), but you'll have a job.
 
TurnandBurn55

TurnandBurn55

Drinking, flying, or looking busy!!
None
That's surprising. The USMC is going to one tactical fixed-wing platform for the future? Yeah, I mean... cool, frees up money for the guys on the ground... they're the ones who have the really hard job. Sure doesn't bode well for self-sufficiency, thoughh...
 
BOMBSonHAWKEYES

BOMBSonHAWKEYES

Registered User
pilot
Harrier Dude said:
we can do the other 5 functions of air with what we'll (actually "they'll") have organic.
Click to expand...

That assumes that the F-35 works. Some things look great until you buy them, and then discover that they are not as good as advertized. Hopefully the F-35 will be a great platform and the only platform and replace everything. I want to win the lottery one day.
 
Zilch

Zilch

This...is...Caketown!
That's something I've been pondering also. I guess I'm not totally sold on the F-35 as the ideal platform for the Marines. Looking at the available stats (including price tag,) it seems more ideal for, say, the Air Force, with their mighty budget and scores of aircraft with different capabilities. If, for example, the F-35 ends up sucking at CAS, they'll probably have A-10's around for some time to counter that deficiency.

If the Marines are using only one fighter for everything they need, any deficiency would be universal.

Then again, I'm not quite in the system yet and don't really know what I'm talking about, and this is kind of off-topic anyway.

Anyway, there aren't any plans for a two-slot F-35 are there? And, the Marines are not buying the F-model Hornet?
 
J

jai5w4

.
Zilch said:
Heheh...it would have to get very dicey for me to even consider that.
Click to expand...

I hear ya. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

Best of luck with OCS, man. My bud's going for his second summer in Quantico (OCC dude) in a week or two.

-jai5w4
 
Zilch

Zilch

This...is...Caketown!
Thanks for the info everyone...I've been wondering about this stuff for a while and figured this would be the place for non-BS answers from people actually in the field.

Now I can quit worrying about the F-35 and Growler and go back to preparing for OCS. :icon_wink
 
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