Northrop Grumman has commenced production of the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye for the French Navy, ushering in a new era of airborne command and control capabilities for the European naval air arm. The symbolic event took place at Northrop Grumman’s St. Augustine manufacturing facility and saw key representatives from the French Navy, Northrop Grumman, and US Naval agencies in attendance.
The Pentagon has once again grounded its entire fleet of V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. This comes after a worrying incident at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico on Nov. 20, where a CV-22 Osprey experienced a near-crash shortly after takeoff. Initial investigations suggest that weakened metal components in a critical part may have been a contributing factor.
An Estonian Special Operations Forces operator prepares to be hoisted up to a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey, assigned to 352d Special Operations Wing, during Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System training near Amari, Estonia, Sep. 3, 2019. During the week-long training, U.S. and Estonian special operation forces partnered on FRIES familiarization, casualty evacuation and rapidly loading and off-loading a tactical vehicle onto the aircraft. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Pena) Continue reading “Osprey grounded again”
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the U.S. Navy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Dec. 6 aimed at bolstering cooperation between their electronic attack squadrons. The agreement, inked at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, marks a new chapter for the JMSDF’s VQ-81, which for decades has trained closely with the U.S. Navy’s VQ-1, a squadron now in the midst of retiring its venerable EP-3E Aries II aircraft.
NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI (Dec. 6, 2024) Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Vice Adm. Koji Kaneshima, Commander, Fleet Air Force (CFAF), right, and U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70, pose for a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to increase bilateral operations between the forces’ electronic attack squadrons, at the CFAF headquarters aboard Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, Dec. 6. The MOU represented a pledge between the two commanders to increase bilateral operations and training between the JMSDF Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 81 and CTF 70 electronic attack assets. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Caroline H. Lui) Continue reading “JMSDF, U.S. Navy sign new electronic attack pact as EP-3 era ends”
The U.S. Navy is grappling with a hidden enemy that could be as dangerous as any adversary on the battlefield: brain injuries, according to a report by The New York Times. The paper’s investigation focuses on the elite fighter pilots trained at TOPGUN, where the constant exposure to high-G forces may be taking a devastating toll on their brains.
170215-N-GD109-029 PHILIPPINE SEA (Feb. 15, 2017) Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zackary Alan Landers takes a selfie while flying with two F/A-18E Super Hornets assigned to the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 over the Philippine Sea during operations with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of U.S. 3rd Fleet. U.S Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific regularly and routinely for more than 70 years. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Z.A. Landers/Released) Continue reading “Are elite U.S. Navy pilots suffering brain injuries?”
On Nov. 28, a shadow emerged from the depths of the South China Sea, not far from the shores of the Philippines. It was the Russian Kilo-class submarine RS Ufa, an underwater vessel nicknamed the “Black Hole” by the US Navy for its stealth capabilities, surfacing within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around 80 nautical miles west of Cape Calavite in Occidental Mindoro. The Philippine Navy, alerted to the submarine’s presence by their own intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, quickly scrambled the warship BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and four aircraft to monitor the situation.
