The Osprey as a Cross-Deck Combat Capability: The Case of USNS Mercy

04/20/2021
PACIFIC OCEAN (Apr. 14, 2021) An MV-22B Osprey assigned to Air Test and Evaluation (HX) Squadron 21 of Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md., landing aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy’s (T-AH 19) flight deck for the first time Apr. 14. Mercy is underway off the coast…

Tactical Innovations and the Next Phase of Viper Operational Development

03/27/2021
The Viper is the expeditionary strike helicopter flown by the USMC. The US Navy is in the throes of a significant transition to fighting as a fleet, rather than operating around classic carrier task forces. One aspect of the change is reworking how the amphibious fleet can operate within the…

CH-53K First Fleet Flight: The View from New River

02/20/2021
CH-53K King Stallion takes first fleet flight - Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1) at Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC, launch the CH-53K King Stallion on its first fleet flight January 15, 2021. The aircraft now enters a new phase of testing where it will be…

Attack Utility Helicopter Team Adapting Close Air Support

01/05/2021
As the strategic shift from the Middle Eastern land wars to engagement where flexibile, expeditionary basing is envisaged, the attack utility helicopter team of Vipers and Venoms is adapting. In a visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing in December 2020, the adaptation process was described in discussions with Marine Light…

The Australian Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise

10/26/2020
"The National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise is an ambitious nation-building project that will deliver cutting-edge capabilities to the Royal Australian Navy while creating thousands of jobs and building Australian industry. "The Enterprise is on track, with a modern new shipyard nearing completion in South Australia, patrol boats and Offshore Patrol Vessels…

A Video Update on the CH-53K: December 2019

10/17/2020
A compilation of test video showing how the CH-53K King Stallion delivers the capabilities needed by the U.S. Marine Corps. 12.16.2019 Video by Victoria Falcon  Naval Air Station Patuxent River For an archive of CH-53K articles, see the following: https://defense.info/system-type/rotor-and-tiltrotor-systems/ch-53k/ For a recent report on the CH-53K, see the following e-book: