U.S.

Naval Aviation and

Weapons Development in Review
By Commander Guy M. Snodgrass, U.S. Navy

aval aviations greatest achievement during the past year may

not be the advancement in its
platforms, although increasing stability in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and
Gerald R. Ford (CVN-70)-class aircraft
carrier programs, more clarity regarding
the future of several airframes, and continued advances in weapons and payloads
certainly help. Instead, the continued
maturation of integrated fires control and
multi-platform cooperative-engagement
capabilities likely steal the show as investments from the preceding decade continue
to bear fruit.

and share a common operational picture

while significantly extending the range of
cooperative targeting. More than this, the
most appropriate platform and weapon
pairing can be selectively employed on
another platforms target-quality track file.
Such an opportunity, and the corresponding survivability that comes with it, is already available today. Platforms optimized
for detectionsuch as the E-2 Hawkeye,
P-8A Poseidon, or MH-60R Seahawk
can serve as the hunter, while another
platformsuch as the F/A-18E/F Super
Hornetcan serve as the killer, delivering a wide variety of ordnance on demand.
In its simplest sense, the hunter can precisely fix the target while the killer loiters
at a safe distance, only consummating the
attack when it is advantageous to do so.
Advanced weapons, like the AGM-154C-1
Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), are also

ity of a kill. Such capabilities are within

reach today and will only continue to expand with the incorporation of the E-2D
Hawkeye and F-35C Lightning II.
While the advent of NIFC-CA will
increase significantly the carrier strike
groups sensing capabilities and effective
range, aircraft and payloads still remain
key.

Strike/Interdiction Aircraft

TOP: U.S. NAVY (COLE C. PIELOP); BOTTOM: U.S. NAVY (JONATHAN JIANG)

F-35 Lightning II: The F-35 program

continued to mature rapidly throughout
the year. Lieutanant General Chris Bogdan, head of the J-35 Joint Program Office, noted that while development chalNaval Integrated Fire
lenges certainly remain, costs continue to
ControlCounter Air (NIFC-CA)
stabilize amid greater schedule certainty.
The increasingly interconnected nature
Several testing milestones were met with
of naval aviation has been made possible
the F-35B and F-35C programs, allowthrough the past decades multi-platform
ing the U.S. Marine Corps to successfully
transition to new airdeclare initial operating
frames. Swapping
capability (IOC) in sumout platforms dedimer 2015. Demonstratcated to a singular
ing the anticipated lonpurpose with newer
gevity required of the
aircraft incorporating
fifth-generation fighter,
modular designs and
the Joint Program Ofmulti-mission capafice announced in early
bility allow carrier
2016 that production
strike group comof the F-35 would conmandersand other
tinue through 2038,
senior leadersto
and planned operations
think more about the
would be extended an
desired effects than
additional six years,
about a particular airfrom 2064 to 2070.
frame. These newer,
Underpinning the camodular platforms
pability of the F-35s
also bring an ability
advanced systemsevto interoperate more
erything from the AN/
seamlessly through
AAQ-37 Distributed
the incorporation of
Aperture System and
advanced data links,
AN/APG-81 active elecsuch as the widely
tronically scanned array
The hunter and the killer: An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18E Super Hornet
available Link-16, launch from the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). The coordination of two platforms for radar to sensor fusion
facilitating the early cooperative targeting is a key component of naval integrated fire controlcounter air.
and battlespace-manstages of NIFC-CA.
agement capabilities
A key component in overcoming anti- re-targetable airborne, enabling future sce- is its onboard software. Spanning more
access and area-denial concerns, the use narios in which the F/A-18 could launch than 8 million lines of code, four times
of NIFC-CA will make possible multiple and leave while an MH-60R updates the as many as the F-22 Raptor, the current
airborne and seaborne platforms to build weapon in-flight, increasing the probabil- Block 2B software provides initial warf84

May 2016

www.usni.org

ighting capabilities such as enhanced data

links and a live-weapons capability. Block
3F software will enable full warfighting
capabilities and is expected to be available in mid-2017, one year prior to the
U.S. Navys F-35C variant reaching IOC
in 2018.
F-35B short-takeoff and landing
(VSTOL) variant: Having moved from
Eglin Air Force Base to Marine Corps Air
Station Beaufort in July 2014, the Warlords of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron
501 (VMFAT-501) participated in the first
F-35B shipboard operational test (OT-1)
on board the USS Wasp (LHD-1) in May
2015. OT-1 demonstrated the capability to
deploy on board an amphibious ship and
lays the groundwork for future deployments. Subsequently, in July the Green
Knights of VMFA-121 became the first
F-35 squadron to declare an initial operations capability, signaling the ability
to perform real-world close-air support,
armed reconnaissance, and counter-air
missions.
The Green Knights are stationed at
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma
along with 17 F-35B aircraft. VMFA211 will join them following a planned
transition from the AV-8B Harrier this
summer. The first operational deployment
is currently scheduled for January 2017,
when VMFA-121 travels to MCAS
Iwakuni in Japan. (Of note, Japan
is planning to eventually acquire 42
F-35As.) The U.S. Marine Corps intends
to buy 353 F-35B and 67 F-35C variants
to replace the aging AV-8B Harrier and
F/A-18D Hornet.
F-35C carrier-based variant: The
largest of the F-35 variants, specifically
designed to provide improved slowspeed performance and handling in the
aircraft carrier environment, continued
developmental testing with Air Test
and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23).
Several significant milestones were
achieved, including the successful
carriage, release, and separation of
external weapons (specifically, a GBU12 laser-guided bomb) in September, as
well as a second successful aircraft carrier
developmental-testing phase (DT-II) on
board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
(CVN-69) in October. DT-II continued
to expand the F-35Cs envelope in the atsea environment, testing Joint Precision
www.usni.org

U.S. NAVY (COREY DILL)

Copyright 2016 U.S. Naval Institute / www.usni.org

An F-35C Lightning II launches off the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in
October 2015, during the aircrafts second successful carrier developmental-testing phase.

Approach and Landing System (JPALS)

upgrades intended to make landings
aboard the aircraft carrier safer and
less task-intensive for pilots. DT-II also
conducted the F-35s first catapult shot
in afterburner, additional night arrested
landings, and the maintenance and fit
tests necessary for the aircraft and support
equipment to work on board an aircraft
carrier. The final developmental-test sea
trial, DT-III, is planned for August 2016.
Additional testing throughout the year
focused on the external gun pod validation
testing as well as the 23 March release
of an AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon
(JSOW), the first smart weapon released
from the F-35Cs internal bay. The JSOW
has a range to 70 nautical miles when
released from high altitude.
Current plans include an August 2018
IOC and the standing up of Strike Fighter
Squadron 125 (VFA-125) as the West
Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron at
Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.
Overall, the Navy plans to buy 260 C
variants.
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet : First
deployed in 1999, the Super Hornet
continues to receive software updates to
improve its overall level of capabilities.
Pushed to the fleet in 2016, the recently
received H10E software upgrade provides
improvements to multi-sensor integration,
aircraft displays, short-range tracking, and
combat identification. H10E also provides
improved stability for the APG-79 AESA

radar system. Several improvements in

H10E are designed to lay the groundwork
for H12E and H14E, the next two software
upgrades dedicated to more extensive airto-air and air-to-surface improvements. A
new capability called Magic Carpet will
also accompany the planned 2017 fleet
delivery of the H12E software load. Magic
Carpet is the most significant change to
carrier aviation in decades, providing the
F/A-18E/F and EA-18G with updated
heads-up display symbology and new
flight-control laws (similar to the F-35C)
designed to greatly simplify aircraft
carrier approaches and landings. Magic
Carpet successfully completed 181 passes
to the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77)
in 2015. Evaluation will continue until
its 2017 release, bringing a cutting-edge
update to a 17-year-old airframe.
The long-awaited AIM-158C Long
Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)
began load testing on the Super Hornet
in November 2015. LRASM is a
precision-guided, antiship standoff missile
designed to meet the needs for a longrange weapon in an anti-access/areadenial environment. Expected to have
precise target discrimination, LRASM
will be able to independently target a
specific ship within a task group without
off-board intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance (ISR) information.
Captive-carry flights were conducted
through December 2015 and successfully
completed in January 2016.
PROCEEDINGS

85

U.S. NAVY (CHRISTOPHER D. GAINES)

Buttressed with significant software upgradesand testing the forthcoming, game-changing Magic Carpet software loadan F/A-18E Super
Hornet lands aboard the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) in April 2015.

The AIM-120D Advanced Medium

Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)
was also fielded during the past year,
providing significant improvements in
range and probability of kill. A two-way
data link, GPS-aided inertial navigation
unit, larger no-escape envelope, and an
improved high off-boresight mode provide
additional capabilities in the air-to-air
arena.

Electronic Attack
E A - 1 8 G G ro w l e r : A n a i r b o r n e
electronic attack platform designed
to offensively suppress an enemys
electromagnetic spectrum while operating
in a high-threat environment, the Growler
also received the H10E update in 2016,
providing Joint Tactical Terminal
Receiver (JTT-R) as well as enhanced
combat identification and expanded
jamming assignment capabilities. The
JTT-R, in development since 2009,
incorporates an ultra-high-frequency
receiver designed to provide nearreal-time, over-the-horizon situationalawareness informationsuch as targeting
and blue force tracker locationsthrough
satellite communications.

86

May 2016

The Next Generation Jammer, developed by Raytheon, also continues to

develop as it matures toward a planned
2021 IOC. The Next Generation Jammer uses an active electronically scanned
array radar and an advanced deceptiontechniques generator to combine electronic warfare, communications, radar,
cyber, and signals-intelligence capabilities into an externally carried podded
system. The preliminary design review,
a critical step forward, was completed in
November 2015.
The U.S. and Australian Departments
of Defense are also cooperating to improve the AN/ALQ-227 Communications
Countermeasures Set avionics suite to
help locate, geo-locate, and jam enemy
communications. Like the Next Generation Jammer, the AN/ALQ-227 improvements are planned to reach IOC in 2021.

Early Warning
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye: A replacement for the venerable E-2C, the E-2D
incorporates numerous improvements
into an already proven carrier-based
platform. The Advanced Hawkeye features a new avionics suite, including an

AN/APY-9 active electronically scanned

radar with mechanical rotation, new
radio systems, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, flight
management systems, improved engines,
and a glass cockpit. The AN/APY-9, in
particular, significantly enhances the
E-2s early-warning capabilities with its
capacity to see smaller targets at greater
ranges in more environments than the E2Cs radar it is replacing.
The Advanced Hawkeye is key for
NIFC-CA, serving as a central node to
relay between both airborne platforms
and surface ships, significantly expanding radar line-of-sight and weaponsemployment capabilities. This concept
was demonstrated when an E-2D used
its radar to provide over-the-horizon targeting information to a shore-launched
SM-6 Standard Missile used to intercept
an overland cruise missile. Improving the
Advanced Hawkeyes NIFC-CA capabilities will fall to the Tactical Targeting
Networking Technology (TTNT), a new
data link designed to massively increase
both bandwidth and range.
The first operational E-2D squadron,
the Tigertails of VAW-125, transitioned

www.usni.org

in 2015 and deployed on board the USS

Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) that same
year, marking the first deployment of an
increment one NIFC-CA carrier strike
group. The Tigertails will move from
Naval Station Norfolk to join Carrier
Air Wing Five as part of the permanently forward-deployed naval force at
MCAS Iwakuni in 2017. The Bluetails
of VAW-121 were the second squadron
to transition to the E-2D. In total, the
U.S. Navy plans to purchase 75 E-2Ds
by 2027.

Maritime Patrol & Reconnaissance

P-8A Poseidon: Designed as a replacement for the P-3C Orion, Boeing delivered the first production P-8A Poseidon
antisubmarine aircraft to the U.S. Navy
in March 2012. The P-8A is primarily an
antisubmarine platform but also has ISR
sensors installed. With a versatile internal
weapons bay and external hard-point capability, the P-8A can carry bombs, torpedoes, depth charges, and air-to-surface
missiles.
The APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS) active electronically scanned
array radar completed its first flight on
the P-8A in May 2015. A follow-on to
the APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar
System, the AAS is externally mounted
under the P-8As fuselage and provides
a wide-area ISR, targeting, and mast/

periscope detection capability. The AAS

provides weapons-quality sensor and
trackfile data, enabling the Poseidon to
prosecute the target itself or to hand off
targeting to another platform.
Other key components of the P-8A
currently in development include the
SSQ-125 multistatic active coherent
(MAC) sonobuoy, Automatic Information
System (AIS), and High-Altitude ASW
Weapons Capability (HAAWC) systems.
The SSQ-125 MAC sonobouy, featuring
digital signal processing and GPS capabilities, provides undersea target location
and tracking using multiple ping types
and optimized waveforms, and serves as
the P-8As primary wide-area acoustic
search system. The AIS transponder and
receiver will enable the P-8A to more effectively track and classify surface ships,
while the HAAWC kit will provide a
long-range standoff capability for highaltitude torpedo employment, allowing
the P-8A to optimize detection and loiter
time by remaining at altitude rather than
descending to release an Mk-54 torpedo.
The P-8A has entered the 7th Fleet
area of operations, with the first deployment to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa
occurring in 2013. Routine deployments
have continued since that time, typically
with one P-3C and one P-8A squadron
working in tandem. The U.S. Navy is
planning to buy 117 aircraft.

Tiltrotor Aircraft
CMV-22B Osprey: Chosen to replace
the C-2 Greyhound for carrier onboarddelivery missions, the U.S. Navy intends
to procure 44 Bell-Boeing tiltrotor CMV22Bs in 2018 for delivery in 2020. Leveraging heavily off of the U.S. Marine
Corps MV-22 that carries Marines into
battle, the CMV-22 will include an extended-range fuel system (increasing the
current range of the MV-22 from 860 to
1,150 nautical miles), a high-frequency
radio for long-range communications,
and a public address system.
One possibility for the newly redesignated CMV-22B is to shuttle the F-35
engines power module, the largest and
weightiest part of the F-135 engine, to
and from the aircraft carrier or amphibious ship. This role was demonstrated in
May 2015 when an F-135 power module
was carried out to the Wasp during sea
trials.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

MQ-8C Fire Scout: The Northrop
Grumman MQ-8C combines the proven
ISR architecture of the MQ-8B with the
extended range, payload, and cargohauling capacity of the Bell 407 helicopter, delivering twice the endurance
and three times the payload capacity of
the MQ-8B. A fully autonomous, fourbladed helicopter, the MQ-8C provides

U.S. NAVY (ANNA VAN NUYS)

An E-2D Hawkeye prepares to launch from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in April 2015. The Hawkeye is assigned to the Tigertails of
VAW-125the first-ever operational E-2D squadron.

www.usni.org

PROCEEDINGS

87

U.S. NAVY

Another historic first: The Navys unmanned X-47B receives fuel from an Omega K-707 tanker while
in flight over the Chesapeake Bay in April 2015marking the first aerial refueling of a UAV.

expanded situational-awareness capabilities to compatible surface combatants

through the Navys Mission Control
System. Earlier this spring, the MQ-8C
successfully tested the wideband line-ofsight data link, designed to provide the
high-speed transfer of time-sensitive ISR
information to ground forces and surface
ships. Ship-based testing of the MQ-8C
is scheduled to begin in 2017.
MQ-XX: The yet-to-be-designated
Carrier-Based Aerial Refueling System

platform is the latest iteration of the

Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne
Surveillance and Strike program, signaling a move away from an all-in-one
unmanned strike platform to an aircraft
with a primary aerial refueling role, albeit with additional ISR and data link
relay capabilities. MQ-XX will leverage heavily from the proof-of-concept
flights performed by the X-47B, which
successfully demonstrated the ability to
autonomously launch and recover from

an aircraft carrier, as well as divert to

a shore-based airfield. Fielding the
MQ-XX program will free Super Hornets from the current organic tanking
role, preserving the strike fighters flight
hours for its primary mission while increasing the carrier air wings available
striking power. The Navy envisions that
the open standards employed in its design will enable greater flexibility and
affordability to the platform after it has
been integrated as part of the air wing.
MQ-4C/RQ-4 Triton: The Northrop
Grumman MQ-4C was developed under
the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance
program, intended to provide a real-time,
wide-area ISR capability to complement
the P-8A Poseidon. A derivative of the
Global Hawk, the Triton is optimized for
long-endurance missions in the maritime
environment with a sensor suite capable
of tracking ships over time by gathering
information on their speed, location, and
classification. Equipped with an X-band
active electronically scanned radar and
AIS, the MQ-8C can effectively survey
2,700,000 square miles of sea during
its 24-hour on-station time. The Triton
is also equipped with a multi-spectral
electro-optical/infrared sensor capable
of automatically tracking what the
X-band radar detects.

LOCKHEED MARTIN (ANDY WOLFE)

An F-35C makes a successful arrestment at Naval Air Warfare Center Lakehurst in March 2016, where work has been under way on redesigned
advanced arresting gear for the Gerald R. Ford class.

88

May 2016

www.usni.org

The MQ-4C Triton performed its first

flight in May 2013 from Palmdale, California. Since that time the MQ-4C has
continued flight and operational testing,
including conducting orbits in the 5th
Fleet area of operations. The MQ-4C
completed an operational assessment in
February, clearing the way for low-rate
initial production and an IOC and initial
deployment to the Pacific in 2017. The
Navy plans to purchase 68 Tritons.

Aircraft Carriers
Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78): A followon to the Nimitz-class carriers, this is
the first new carrier class to take to the
seas in more than four decades. Improvements from the Nimitz class include a
larger flight deck, increased electricalgeneration capability, an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS),
and redesigned advanced arresting gear.
Technological improvements in the Gerald R. Ford class and reduced manning
will result in a $4 billion reduction in
operating costs over the course of each
aircraft carriers lifetime as compared to
the Nimitz class.

``

In 2014, problems were first identified

with the advanced arresting gear, resulting
from premature failure of the water twister
used to absorb and dissipate the energy
from an aircraft catching the arresting wire
across the flight deck. The water twister
was redesigned, and the first aircraft arrestment with the new design was successfully completed with a land-based version
at Naval Air Warfare Center Lakehurst in
March 2016. Despite its first-of-a-kind
status, the electromagnetic launch system
has fared better, with the first successful
tests occurring in May 2015. Since then
EMALS has launched the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter, F/A-18E Super Hornet, EA-18G
Growler, and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
from the Lakehurst test site.
The Gerald R. Ford also incorporates
the dual-band radar originally built for
the new Zumwalt-class guided-missile
destroyers. The radar can simultaneously
operate over the S-band and X-band frequency ranges, providing superior coverage as well as tracking capabilities.
The Gerald R. Fords keel was laid in
November 2009; the last structural portion
was installed in May 2013; and the ship

was christened in November 2013. As of

September 2015, construction was 93 percent complete. Delivery to the U.S. Navy is
expected in late August or early September
2016.
John F. Kennedy (CVN-79): Fabrication
on the John F. Kennedy began in 2011; the
keel was laid in August 2015; and the first
phase of a two-phase delivery is currently
scheduled for June 2022. The second phase
of delivery, during which key combat systems will be installed to limit obsolescence,
will be conducted through 2025, coinciding
with decommissioning of the USS Nimitz
(CVN-68). Based on the high cost of the
dual-band radar system caused by the truncated Zumwalt-class program, the John F.
Kennedy will be the first aircraft carrier to
use the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar,
saving the carrier program $180 million in
the process. Currently in development, the
radar will replace the SPS-48 and SPS-49
radars used by the Nimitz-class carriers.

Commander Snodgrass is the commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 195 (VFA-195), permanently forward-deployed to Naval Air Facility
Atsugi, Japan, as part of Carrier Air Wing Five.

U.S. Naval Institute Reprint Program

U.S. Naval Institutes Reprint Program is an
opportunity for you to have customized copies of
articles featured in Proceedings and Naval History.
United States Naval Institute

PROCEEDINGS

Use Them As: Handouts for tradeshows, sales

meetings and conferences
Press releases and media kits
New product announcements
Potential investor information

PROCEEDINGS
April 2016

For more information on

U.S. Naval Institutes Reprint
Program, or to order, please email:
magreprints@usni.org
or call 410.295.1079

14 2 /4/ 1,358

WWW.USNI.ORG | 800.233.8764

www.usni.org

PROCEEDINGS

89