US Navy strike fighter squadrons have been experiencing significant readiness concerns. How will this issue shape the future face of the carrier air wing?
THE US NAVY’S nine carrier air wings (CVWs) are experiencing some of their most challenging times in recent history. Set against the service’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP) — introduced in 2014 to define a new 36-month prepare/deploy/sustain/repair tiered readiness cycle for aircraft carriers and their assigned CVWs — the availability of full mission-capable (FMC) aircraft has dwindled to levels that are approaching critical.
The backbone of the air wing — the Boeing Super Hornet and Growler family — is perhaps the worst-hit by readiness woes. To illustrate this, in 2017, two of the navy’s Super Hornet-equipped squadrons could only muster around six ‘up’ aircraft each during their critical predeployment phase — such a level should only be typical for a squadron in its OFRP maintenance phase. Around the same time, VFA-122 ‘Flying Eagles’ — the F/A- 18E/F fleet replacement squadron (FRS) at NAS Lemoore, California — had just a handful of serviceable aircraft from its 63 on strength. The resultant inability of such a ‘schoolhouse’ to train stud…
