Aviation Specials - July 2018

carrier based JSF [Joint Strike Fighter]

squadron. We expect their transition to

F-35C will be complete this fall at which

point they will begin OFRP [Optimized

Fleet Response Plan] training. The F-35C’s

 fth-generation capability is crucial to the

continued success of the carrier air wing.

It provides increased survivability, sensor

fusion and enhanced electronic attack,

which will integrate within the carrier

strike group, enhancing overall lethality.’

Air wing evolution

Helping ensure that the F-35C and other

aircraft of the carrier air wing can stay

ahead of the  eld, especially over long

distances such as those in the Paci c, the

Navy plans to spend almost $2.5 billion to

produce as many as 72 new tanker aircraft

under the MQ-25 Stingray program.

Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General

Atomics are all vying for this important

US Navy contract. ‘The MQ-25 is just the

 rst step in an evolutionary way forward

for unmanned aircraft in carrier aviation,’

Miller says. ‘Its aerial refueling will extend

the performance, e ciency and safety of

our manned aircraft and provide longer

range and greater endurance to execute

missions that we could not otherwise

perform. Our carrier air wing is already

the Navy’s most lethal  ghting force,

and the MQ-25A will only increase our

lethality by extending our air wing’s range

with an increased fuel o oad capability.’

The MQ-25 started out as a surveillance

and strike-capable drone, but saw its

requirements restructured in 2016

to make aerial refueling the primary

mission. This will help reduce the need

for Super Hornets to cover the aerial

refueling mission, freeing them up for

high-end operations.

While both the Hornet and Super

Hornet have been the staple of carrier

aviation for the past decades, years of

LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW^09

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018

6-12 Leadership Interview_v2.indd 9 01/06/2018 10: