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US Navy NWU 2-ED Fleet Intro Team coat


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I recently purchased this coat that suscited my curiosity. Does anyone here know what's the "Fleet Intro Team" ?

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I found that online :

Initial Operational Test and Evaluation reports E-2D Advanced Hawkeye ready for full-rate production

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The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is ready for full-rate production. Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1 tested the aircraft for ten months during the Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) period. The IOT&E report aided the Defense Acquisition Board in making their full-rate production decision in January. (U.S. Navy photo)

Feb 8, 2013

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1 declared the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye “suitable and effective” in an Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) report, aiding the Defense Acquisition Board in approving the aircraft for full-rate production in January.

“This milestone is the culmination of years of hard work,” said Capt. John S. Lemmon, E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data System Program Office (PMA-231) program manager. “The E-2D team came together with one vision and goal, and the IOT&E report confirms that we are delivering a solid product to the fleet.”

During IOT&E, VX-1 tested the E-2D to determine how well the aircraft could perform required missions and evaluated the aircraft’s readiness for fleet introduction scheduled for 2015. IOT&E was conducted according to current program System Design Development (SDD) requirements.

During testing, VX-1 deployed to several locations to collect flight test data. Tests were held at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev. VX-1 participated in aerial combat training exercises at Nellis Air Force Base during Red Flag, as well as the Black Dart exercise at Naval Air Station Point Mugu. Black Dart is designed to test the military’s ability to counter enemy unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

”We tested the E-2D in mountainous terrain near Nellis Air Force Base and elsewhere throughout the country and the aircraft performed phenomenally,” said Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Harkins, VX-1 operational test director.

Harkins also said testing showed an increase in combat effectiveness due to the E-2D’s ability to track small fighter size targets in difficult environments. The data showed significant improvements in radar and mission systems performance in overland and littoral scenarios.

“As we push towards fleet introduction, our program office team stays passionate about our work and committed to the mission,” Lemmon said. “We genuinely care about what we do and the product we are delivering to the fleet.”

Initial operational capability (IOC) for the E-2D is planned for 2015.


Source : http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=5258

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Navy types: What is the branch insignia on the left collar? Looks like it has wings but that wouldn't be an aviator would it? I thought the Navy had enlisted helicopter pilots shortly after WWII/Korean War (thinking of the Navy Chief helicopter pilot played by Mickey Rooney in the movie "The Bridges at Toko Ri") but did the Navy ever have Warrant Officer pilots?

 

I was under the impression that the only service that ever had Warrant Officer pilots was the Army. And am I correct that the rank for this officer would be a CW4?

 

The wings don't look like Navy Aviator wings so I'm thinking he was perhaps some kind of air crew member, perhaps an avionics or radar officer?

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Whoops, I guess I should have Googled first.

 

So the Warrant Officer was indeed a CW-4. The rating is for "aviation maintenance" which makes sense since there are "maintenance" warrants in the Army and Marine Corps as well.

 

As to my second question - very interesting! The Navy actually had a Warrant Officer Aviator program very recently, from 2006 to 2011. Here's the Wikipedia entry:

 


 


Flying chief warrant officer[edit]

The Navy started a test program called the "Flying Chief Warrant Officer Program" in 2006 to acquire additional naval aviators (pilots) and naval flight officers (NFOs), who would fly naval aircraft, but who would not compete with traditional unrestricted line (URL) officers in naval aviation for eventual command of squadrons, air wings, air stations, etc., the numbers of such commands which had been greatly reduced in the post-Cold War era, thereby limiting the command opportunity for URL pilots and NFOs.

Enlisted sailors in the grades E-5 through E-7 who had at least an associate degree and were not currently serving in the diver, master-at-arms, nuclear, SEAL, SWCC, or EOD communities were eligible to apply. Upon being commissioned as CWO2, selectees underwent warrant officer indoctrination and then flight school for 18 to 30 months. After completion of flight school, selectees were placed in one of four types of squadrons: Shipbased Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) or Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) squadrons, and land-based fixed-wing maritime patrol and reconnaissance (VP) and fleet air reconnaissance (VQ). These pilots and NFOs were then trained to operate the P-3 Orion, the EP-3E Aries II, the E-6 Mercury, or variants of the MH-60 Seahawk. Those in the VP community would also eventually qualify to fly the P-8 Poseidon once that aircraft began replacing the P-3 in 2012. The Navy re-evaluated the program in 2011, when the last of the "flying" chief warrant officers reported to their operational fleet squadrons and opted to subsequently terminate the program.[22][23][28]

 

The article doesn't say what happened to the Flying Warrant Officers after the program was terminated - perhaps they are still flying as Warrants or maybe they were directly commissioned as Limited Duty Officers in the Commissioned ranks?

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