The United States Navy recently transferred 10 TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopters to the Sri Lanka Air Force, strengthening the defense cooperation between the United States and Sri Lanka.

The U.S. Navy declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the T-54A Marlin II training aircraft in May, giving future naval aviators a modern platform to prepare them for the advanced aircraft they will fly in the fleet.

New multi-engine training system brings modernized training, prepares pilots for advanced aircraft in fleet

The U.S. Navy received the first two operational T-54A multi-engine training system aircraft last week at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

Capt. Duane Whitmer relieved Capt. Holly Shoger as the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office (PMA-273) program manager during a change of command ceremony in California, Maryland, on Thursday, March 7.

PMA-273 develops and oversees diverse and carrier-capable naval flight training systems for student pilots and undergraduate military flight officers to acquire mission-critical aviation skills for current and future missions of the U.S Navy. Shoger assumed command of the office in March 2020.

New training aircraft will equip pilots across the services for tomorrow’s battlespace

The U.S. Navy announced on Jan. 25 that it awarded Textron Aviation a single, firm-fixed-price contract to develop the T-54A multi-engine training system (METS) aircraft. The T-54A will provide advanced instrument and asymmetric engine handling training to student naval aviators selected for multi-engine fleet communities.

Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) has resumed T-45C Goshawk aircraft flight operations today. 

The Navy and Marine Corps’ fleet of T-45Cs have been on a safety pause since Oct. 14 following the discovery of an engine blade failure. Engineering analysis has revealed that a subset of T-45C engine blades do not meet the manufacturer’s engine specifications; those aircraft remain grounded. The T-45Cs that have returned to flight contain engines that are compliant with these specifications. 

Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) placed the Navy and Marine Corps’ fleet of T-45Cs on a safety pause Oct. 14 to review an engine blade fault.

"Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of our aviators, CNATRA made the decision to halt all T-45C Goshawk operations following the discovery of an engine blade failure,” said CNATRA Rear Adm. Richard Brophy. “We are working with our partners toward a swift resolution. Safety is at the core of our operations, and we must not expose our pilots or aircraft to unnecessary risk."  

The T-45 team at Naval Air Systems Command delivered the first Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) (Out)-compliant aircraft in January to Training Squadron (VT) 86 in Pensacola, Florida, to meet a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirement.

ADS-B is a system that repeatedly broadcasts an aircraft's current position, altitude, airspeed, identification and other information over a common frequency. It is intended to replace or augment ground-based radar and enhance traffic flow.

The Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) Team, part of the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems (PMA-273) Program Office at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), was named the Navy's Competition Excellence Acquisition Team of the Year for its streamlined acquisition program to achieve Milestone C/Full Rate Production and four contract awards (three competed) in just a year and a half.