The Navy’s T-10 Test Cell Facility at Pax River is undergoing a significant revitalization that will enable engine testing in a noise-suppressed environment.

Driven by a collaborative effort between the Common Aviation Support Equipment program office (PMA-260) and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), this initiative strengthens NAVAIR’s propulsion community by enhancing engine testing capabilities, emphasizing the Navy’s commitment to maintaining mission-ready aircraft.

The Navy’s Common Aviation Support Equipment program office (PMA-260) successfully delivered the first of 27 replacement Crash and Salvage Cranes (CSC) to Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) in Pensacola, Florida. 

PMA-260 coordinated the development, acquisition and fielding with support from Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, Fleet Readiness Center Aviation Support Equipment (FRC ASE), NAVAIR Technical Data & Engineering Services Command (NATEC) and Allied Systems Company.

The Aviation Maintenance Advancement Solutions (AMAS) production and logistics team, one of the many Fleet Support Teams (FST) assigned to Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE), was recently recognized as the Common Aviation Support Equipment Program Office (PMA-260) Team of the Year. It’s the first time that an FRCSE FST has received the accolade. 

The Common Aviation Support Equipment Program Office (PMA-260) received a NAVAIR Commander’s Award May 31 for small business advocacy during the annual ceremony at Patuxent River.  

The PMA-260 team demonstrated the value of partnering with small business by exploring innovative solutions through sponsorship of five successful Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs and leading Program Executive Office, Aviation Common Systems and Commercial Services in small business use by awarding 20 percent of its total obligation authority to small businesses. 

The Navy’s Common Aviation Support Equipment Program Office (PMA-260) welcomed a new program manager during a change of command ceremony May 25. 

Capt. Robert Burgess, who will retire after more than 30 years of service, transferred leadership to Capt. Matt Wilcox, who most recently served as the military director of the Product Support Management/Integration Department in the NAVAIR Sustainment Group.   

The Navy’s Common Aviation Support Equipment program office (PMA-260) successfully completed the Crash and Salvage Crane (CSC) Maintainability Demonstration (MDEMO) at the Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) Norfolk, Virginia Feb. 3. 

The MDEMO is an important milestone in the acquisition process, ensuring that the new crane is sustainable, maintainable, and ready for reliable operation in the Fleet. The demonstration verified the Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) for Intermediate Level maintenance is within the required and specified limits. 

The Navy’s Common Aviation Support Equipment program office (PMA-260) is currently evaluating Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) on a Crash and Salvage Crane (CSC) at the Aircraft Anechoic Test Facility in Patuxent River.

Electromagnetic waves within the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum are used for communication, radar and information networks aboard ships. The E3 evaluation currently underway in the Aircraft Anechoic Test Facility will determine the CSC’s compatibility with the RF environment.

The Common Aviation Support Equipment program office’s (PMA-260) Lt. Cmdr. Wanda Colon was selected for the 2021 Admiral Merlin O’Neill Officer of the Year award by the Military Officers Association of America. NAVAIR’s Vice Adm. Carl Chebi presented the award to Colon in a ceremony held on 18 Nov.

The Navy’s Common Aviation Support Equipment program office (PMA-260) received the Department of the Navy Acquisition Excellence Sarkis Tatigian Small Business Award for outstanding small business contracting achievements during a ceremony on Nov. 4 at the Pentagon.

The acquisition excellence award is named after the DoD’s longest-serving civil servant, Sarkis Tatigian, who served for nearly 78 years! Sarkis Tatigian joined the Navy in 1943 at the age of 19 and passed away in 2020 at the age of 96.

The Common Aviation Support Equipment program office’s (PMA-260) shipboard aircraft handler (SAH) was used in an operational environment for the first time aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in June.