Naval Air Systems Command honored Michelle Passfeld, Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATC&LS) division’s Expeditionary and Range Systems branch head at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF), with the 2025 Supervisor of the Year Award for NAWCAD Jan. 21.

The Supervisor of the Year Award is presented to individuals who exhibit exceptional leadership, foster a positive work environment and achieve impactful results for the command and the warfighter.

Innovation at the Naval Aviation Warfare Center Aircraft Division Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF) Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATC&LS) division is saving time and money for the warfighter by providing organic sustainment services for the Navy’s primary Shipboard ATC air surveillance radar system, the AN/SPN-43C, in support of the Naval Air Traffic Management Systems Program Office (PMA-213).

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field’s (NAWCAD WOLF) Supervisory Financial Analyst Kari O’Brien was recognized as a winner of the Department of the Navy’s annual Financial Management awards at a ceremony held at the Pentagon June 18.

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF) hosted more than 200 members of the workforce for an open house June 25.

The biennial event brings the workforce together from across the command to see firsthand NAWCAD WOLF’s unique approach to developing and delivering shipboard, air, and land based rapid engineering capability solutions to the warfighter, allowing them to make connections and align requirements to NAWCAD WOLF resources.

Capt. Beau Massenburg relieved Capt. Kevin J. Watkins as the Program Manager of Naval Air Traffic Management Systems Program (PMA-213) during a change of command ceremony Aug. 9 here.

Rear Admiral Joseph Hornbuckle, commander of Fleet Readiness Centers, served as the event guest speaker and lauded Watkins for his leadership that drove outcomes for the fleet.

The Naval Air Traffic Management Systems Program Office (PMA-213) enhanced Marine Corps aviation functionality and operations by fielding the first MRQ-13 communications system onto the AN/TSQ-120D Control Tower in February at Marine Air Control Squadron 1 Company B at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.

This rapid acquisition effort is a “quick, impactful win for the USMC,” said Capt. Kevin Watkins, PMA-213 program manager, adding that it “squarely aligns with Commandants Force Design 2030 for a more agile and expeditionary Marine Corps Force posture.”

The U.S. Navy declared initial operational capability for the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) on May 4, signaling the system’s ready to provide precision approach and landing capabilities to tactical carrier aircraft at sea in support of naval aviation operations worldwide.

The Naval Air Traffic Management Systems Program Office (PMA-213) completed Precision Approach and Landing System (PALS) certification on the United Kingdom’s newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), in March, completing a critical step in readying the ship for its first operational deployment.

The flight deck crew casts no shadows; the low, dark cloud ceiling completely covers the sun. The aircraft marshaller, donned in a yellow life preserver, raises the bright orange collar of his Marina Militare jacket to shield his neck. Rain collects in the pad eyes (padeyes).

Some miles away, above the gray blanket, an F-35 pilot is preparing to recover aboard the currently out-of-sight rectangle of real estate that he is sure is below in the middle of a vast ocean.

The U.S. Navy awarded a $25-million contract to Saab Inc. on Sept. 25, 2020, for two AN/SPN-50(V)1 Shipboard Air Traffic Radars and one Installation and Checkout kit.

The new fixed-price incentive fee contract is a sole-source procurement with the first AN/SPN-50(V)1 scheduled for delivery in September 2021. It will replace the Navy’s current radar system, AN/SPN-43C, on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships in fiscal 2021 timeframe.