SPECIAL REPORT / THE 2016 BUDGET PROPOSALty dramatic increases” but that the increases were not
enough to shield the rest of shipbuilding. From ’76 to
’80, when we first began the Ohio class, our fleet went
down by 40 percent.”
Aircraft
The $16.3 billion for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft
includes nine F-35B and four F-35C Lightning II joint
strike fighters, five E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar
early warning aircraft, 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime
patrol aircraft, 29 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, two
KC-130J Super Hercules tanker/transports, 19 MV-22B
Osprey tiltrotor transports, 12 UH-1Y Venom utility
helicopters and 16 AH-1Z Viper helicopter gunships.
Also requested are two MQ-8C Fire Scout, three MQ-
4C Triton and seven RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aer-
ial vehicle systems.
Unless modified by Congress, fiscal 2016 will mark
the completion of procurement of the MH-60R and the
UH-1Y. No funding was requested for the MH-60S hel-
icopter, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft or
C-40A Clipper airlifter.
The 2016 budget request also reflects the Navy’s
decision to procure the V-22 Osprey to replace the C-
2A Greyhound in the carrier onboard delivery role.
The service has requested funds in 2018-2020 for 24
Ospreys toward an overall requirement set at 44.
Lescher said the Navy has delayed the Unmanned
Carrier-Launched Strike and Surveillance (UCLASS)
unmanned aerial system but plans to provide an early
operational capability to carrier strike groups in the
2022-2023 time frame. He said the Navy review is
“part of a broader ISR [intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance] portfolio” assessment that will help to
refine requirements.
“With the UCLASS, they’re not moving forward in
the direction we felt was wrong for them to move to
last year,” Forbes said.Weapons
Fiscal 2016 extends procurement of the Tactical
Tomahawk cruise missile for one more year, which
Lescher said would keep the line open until the recer-
tification of the current inventory of missiles begins in
2019, with the Navy beginning development of the
Next-Generation Land-Attack Weapon.
Forbes said the budget has not put in enough funds
to sustain the Tomahawk production line.
Procurement of the AGM-154C1 Joint Standoff
Weapon has ended. The Navy will procure 30 modifica-
tion kits to convert infrared-seeker AGM-65 Maverick
missiles with an enhanced laser seeker. A restart of pro-
curement of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air
Missile begins in 2016. The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile
program is scheduled to procure missiles for the Navy in
2017 to replace Hellfire, Maverick and the Tactical
Optically Wire-Guided Missiles.
Procurement of the Small-Diameter Bomb will
begin in 2018. The Longbow version of the Hellfire
missile for the LCS will begin in 2017. Pro curement of
the new Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, as Increment 1
of the Offensive Anti-Surface Weapon requirement, is
planned for 2017. A restart of the
Mk48 heavyweight torpedo is
scheduled for 2016 with eight new
torpedoes.Personnel
Navy personnel strength for 2016 is
budgeted at 329,200 active Sailors
— up by 5,600 from 2015 — and
57,400 Reserve Sailors, up 100 from- The growth will be used to
man a new MH-60R helicopter
squadron for the dormant 10th car-
rier air wing, support George Wash -
ington , crew some cruisers and a
dock landing ship that will be kept
active, and add crews for new sub-
marines and destroyers. The Navy
also will increase civilian workers by
approximately 2,600, mostly to beef
up its shipyard and aircraft depot
workers to enable the service to
catch up on maintenance.
W W W. S E A P O W E R M A G A Z I N E. O R G S E A P O W E R / A P R I L 2 0 1 5 15
The $16.3 billion included in the fiscal 2016 budget request for Navy and
Marine Corps aircraft includes 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
P-8A No. 760 is shown here taking off from a Boeing facility in Seattle Dec. 9
for delivery to fleet operators in Jacksonville, Fla., marking the 20th overall pro-
duction Poseidon P-8A for the U.S. Navy.
U.
S.
NAVY/
BOEI
NG