HAWKEYE DEMONSTRATES
REFUELING CAPABILITY
A ight crew from Northrop
Grumman and air test and
evaluation squadron VX-
conducted the rst aerial refueling
between E-2D BuNo 166501
and KC-130T BuNo 166310
over Chesapeake Bay near NAS
Patuxent River, Maryland on
July 14, 2017. During the course
of the four-hour ight the E-2D
connected with the KC-130T 12
times, including 10 ‘dry plugs’.
A total of 1,700lb of fuel was
transferred to the Advanced
Hawkeye during two wet contacts.
The aerial refueling capability
will allow the E-2D to y missionslasting more than seven hours.
Development of the capability
began in 2013 and Northrop
Grumman is under contract to
modify three E-2Ds as part of
the development program. Two
aircraft are already flying.
The initial modi ed E-2D made
its maiden ight on December
15, 2016, at St Augustine, Florida.
From next year, all new E-2Ds will
be con gured for aerial refueling.
The rst operational squadron
capable of extended missions
is expected to achieve initial
operational capability and be
ready to deploy in 2020.US Navy/Liz WolterRelocation of the rst US Navy
ghters from NAF Atsugi, Japan,
to MCAS Iwakuni occurred on
November 28, 2017, when Super
Hornets and Growlers arrived at
the latter facility. The arrival of
F/A-18Es and EA-18Gs operated by
strike ghter squadrons VFA-
and VFA-195 and electronic attack
squadron VAQ-141 took place at
the conclusion of the aircraft carrier
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) carrier
strike group’s latest deployment.
Although carrier air wing CVW-5’s
rotary-wing squadron will remain
at Atsugi, F/A-18Es, F/A-18Fs and
C-2As operated by VFA-27, VFA-
and VRC-30 have all now relocated
to Iwakuni. The move of the
xed-wing aircraft from Atsugi to
Iwakuni was directed by a Security
Consultative Committee document
(also known as the US-Japan Road-
map for Realignment) that was
released on May 1, 2006.COD OSPREY UPDATE
The Navy is moving forward
with plans for elding a eet
of 38 CMV-22B carrier on-
board delivery (COD) aircraft,
beginning in 2020. The service
has begun conducting required
environmental assessments
(EAs) at NAS North Island,
California, and Naval Station
Norfolk, Virginia’s Chambers
Field. Although both facilities
will support the COD variant of
the tilt-rotor Osprey, the number
of aircraft assigned to each
location is under consideration.
The location that is chosen for
the Osprey eet replacement
squadron (FRS) will determine
the nal alignment.
Under the rst of two
alternatives, the FRS would be
located at North Island alongside
one operational squadron. The
second operational squadron
would be stationed at Norfolk.
The option would result in the
assignment of 23 Ospreys to the
former and 15 to the latter. The
two facilities currently operate 10
and 17 C-2A Greyhounds in the
COD role respectively. The last
C-2As would leave North Island in
2024 and Norfolk by 2028.
Under alternative 2, the FRS
would be located at ChambersField alongside an operational
squadron and the second
operational squadron would
be stationed at North Island.
Under this option the two bases
would be home to 20 and 18
CMV-22Bs respectively. The last
C-2A would leave NAS North
Island in 2024, and Norfolk by- In both cases the transition
from Greyhound to Osprey
would be completed by 2028.
Whereas each of the deployed
COD detachments operates
two Greyhounds, the Osprey
complement will be increased to
three aircraft.
The COD version of the V-
is scheduled to achieve initial
operating capability no later
than September 2020 with full
operational capability following
in 2024. Initial training for
Osprey crews will be conducted
by marine medium tilt-rotor
training squadron VMMT-204 at
MCAS New River, North Carolina.
The service has also decided
that eet logistics support
squadrons VRC-30 and VRC-
will be redesignated as eet
logistics support multi-mission
squadrons VRM-
and VRM-40 as part of the
Osprey transition.
NAVY SQUADRONS
ARRIVE AT IWAKUNI
An F/A-18E assigned to strike ghter squadron VFA-115 ‘Eagles’ lands at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, on November
28, 2017. The squadron arrived at the base as part of carrier air wing CVW-5’s relocation from Naval Air
Facility Atsugi, Japan. USMC/Cpl Donato Ma nUS NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018
(^18) AIR POWER REVIEW
14-19 Air power review C.indd 18 31/05/2018 15: