Introduction

For my 3rd blog post I will be talking about aviation! Aviation is a very popular choice for commissioning because flying planes for the United States Navy is an amazing experience and extremely interesting. In this post I will talk about what aviation consists of, how to become an aviation officer, and where aviation officers work!

What is Aviation in the Navy?

Aviators in the Navy have a very important job of providing strategic projection in a variety of ways. Not only do they do the same jobs of some ships (maintaining freedom of the seas, maritime security, power projection) but they also maintain security in the air by protecting the area around important assets like aircraft carriers. Furthermore they are the go to offensive weapon in emergency situations and can be used both for close and long range operations. Fleet air defense is extremely important because it provides protection to a team of vessels which may be heading to various locations. Aviation is also important for anti-surface and anti-submarine attacks since they have bombing and missile capabilities.

Naval Pilot

There are two categories of Naval aviation officers. Naval pilots are those who actually pilot the planes and are the only ones allowed to take full control of flying. In order to become a Naval pilot one must first graduate, and then pass Introductory Flight Screening (ISF). After passing this medical screening students will head to Pensacola, FL for Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API)  for 6 weeks. Here they will learn the basics of aerodynamics, engines, meteorology, air navigation, flight rules etc. Following API, those who pass will then head to Primary Flight Training where all new pilots learn to fly the T-6 Texan. For 6 months this will further teach them skills regarding basic flying instruments, radio equipment, takeoff and landing and much more. Depending on the type of aircraft that aviators choose to fly, they may get up to 9 months more of training (especially for aircraft like fighter jets).

Naval Flight Officer

Naval Flight Officers differ then Naval pilot because NFO’s specialize in airborne weapons, sensor systems, and other co-pilot functions; however they are not actually allowed to take control of the aircraft. The training is very similar to that of a Naval pilot except NFO’s go to a different introductory school. Also different, NFO’s do not have to have 20/20 vision while Naval pilots are required to have that perfect vision. Many times NFO’s sit in the back seat of the aircraft or are the co-pilot who control a variety of functions.

Types of Naval Aircraft

While I won’t go into all of the crazy details of how to know which plane is which, it could be interesting to know why some planes start with a B or a V and why does one plane end in 13 while another ends with 104 etc. Well it’s actually not too confusing! The numbers just represent the aircraft made in chronological order. The letters distinguish the type of plane and their purpose. I’ll describe some of these plane functions below.

Fighter Jets

Fighter jets have a multitude of operations, mainly being air to air combat and getting to places at extremely quick speeds. They are destructive, fast, stealthy, and can suppress enemy air defense systems. The Navy has F/A-18’s and F-35 lightnings. The F-18 Super Hornets are slightly larger and a little more advanced than the regular Hornets.

Early Warning

Early Warning planes are extremely important to the navy because they are like the control-man of the sky. The all-weather plans are made to detect enemy aircraft, ships, and vehicles at very long ranges. They also have surveillance capabilities and command and control systems. The Navy uses a E-2 Hawkeye.

 

Electronic Warfare

Electronic warfare consists of aircrafts that are capable of taking out enemy radar systems by the use of jamming or deceiving enemy radars. Many of these planes are fast and have these electronic weapons under them that can completely mess with the radars, which allow friendly planes to fly in unnoticed. The Navy has a EA-18G Growler.

Patrol Planes

Patrol planes have an extremely important role because they are maritime reconnaissance planes that can operate for long hours. These planes observe important locations, enemy vessels, go on search and rescue operations, and track down other necessities. They can also be armed with a variety of weapons.

Transport

Transport planes are extremely valuable because they provide all the items needed for planes, vessels, submarines, crews, and more. This can literally be ANYTHING: food, clothes, fuel, missiles, people, water, parts, tools etc. Without being able to transport the necessary items it would be impossible to have a successful navy. The U.S. Navy has many of these planes with the most recognizable being the C-8 and C-130.

 

 

Helicopters

Lastly, I will talk about helicopters. While helicopters can play many different roles (transport, attack, anti-surface, mine warfare) they play a critical role because of their versatility and mobility. They are usually quick, fit limited people and space, however can provide high firepower and strength if needed.

Why Should You Become a Pilot?

There can be many reasons why someone might want to fly in the Navy. If you hate flying or are afraid of heights, I hope you enjoyed but you can stop reading. If you enjoy that stuff just know you will get great experience, travel the world, earn a very solid amount of money, and meet great people along the way. As usual, you may be put in tough situations and must be willing to protect the country at all costs. If you are looking to become a airline pilot one day, this is also the experience you will want to have.

Introduction

So now that everybody knows the basics of Navy ROTC, I am going to start by discussing the different types of unrestricted warfare that students can commission into once they graduate and become officers. This week I will talk about SWO!  This is very exciting to me because this is what I plan to commission into when I graduate.

What is SWO?

SWO stands for Surface Warfare Officer and SWO officers have a very important responsibility of protecting the world’s oceans. The United States Navy was created in 1775 and Surface War ships have been there since the beginning. Surface Warfare is maintaining the security of the seas throughout the world, through a variety of different missions. The U.S. Navy has had dominance over the seas for many years and because of this they have kept the waters safe, deterred piracy, kept trade routes open, and given the U.S. an advantageous position in world conflicts. Surface Warfare officers choose a specific port when they graduate which correlates to an assigned ship and they will later be assigned a specific job. However, before we go into those details we should first talk about the different types of SWO missions.

SWO Missions

Anti-Air Warfare: This type of warfare defends ships from enemy missiles and prevents attacks on high value assets like Aircraft Carriers. Tomahawk missiles are very common on Navy ships.

Amphibious Warfare: This warfare is conducted by “littoral combat ships” and is mainly to transport Marines anywhere in the world and provide them with the support needed.

Ballistic Missile Defense: This warfare uses ship missiles to protect attacks from the mainland U.S. or other points of interest abroad.

Anti-Surface Warfare: This focuses on the ability to detect, track, and destroy any enemy vessels using any weaponry that is available on the ship.

Anti-Submarine Warfare: This warfare detects submarines which is extremely important in today’s age and sends locations to friendly submarines.

Mine Warfare: This limited warfare focuses on the detection and safe destruction of sea mines to provide security for sea routes throughout the world.

Types of Ships

The surface warfare community has a variety of ships that each serve a specialized purpose in the Navy. Furthermore, these ships are constantly being renovated and updated, while new ships are also being developed. While I won’t list every ship or give a detailed description of each one, it is important to recognize that each ship plays a different role.

Cruisers: These ships perform the modern battleship role and have various capabilities and support many of the missions stated above.

Destroyers: Many destroyers have missile capabilities that support the anti-air and anti-surface capabilities. They are fast, maneuverable, and intended to escort larger vessels in the fleet.

Littoral Combat Ships: These are some of the more advanced ships made by the U.S. Navy. They are smaller ships designed for near shore operations, and are extremely agile and stealthy. However, they are extremely expensive and therefore only a few have been made.

Aircraft Carriers: While SWO officers do not have the option to work on Aircraft Carriers unless they are working as a nuclear engineer, I wanted to mention these extremely important ship. Many countries throughout the world have yet to develop an aircraft carrier and the United States has 11. The U.S. also has more deck space on their aircraft carriers which is over twice than all other countries combined. These ships are extremely important because they are like air bases over the water. They are mobile and provide the opportunity to send out planes or helicopters at a moments notice and have them reach a location extremely quick.

What are the duties of a SWO officer?

SWO officers are unique because they a put into a specific job on a ship without much prior knowledge about that position. They might be an officer of communications, navigation, weapons, damage control, etc. However, chief petty officers (high ranking enlisted) are in charge of teaching you the skills necessary for this position because for the next 6-9 months SWO officers are in charge of this position while underway. They are also in charge of the 10-15 enlisted soldiers who will mainly be doing this work while you supervise and complete paperwork. There is a lot of leadership in this position and while you may delegate responsibility you must always take responsibility for any mistakes from enlisted.

Where do SWO officers work?

The U.S. Navy has a variety of bases in the United States and abroad. Here in the U.S. there are bases in: Mayport FL, Everett WA, San Diego CA, Pearl Harbor HI, and Norfolk VA. Abroad there are bases in Japan, Bahrain, and Spain. Of course we have presence around the world but we spend most of the time in these ports.

Why do I want to go SWO?

While I am still learning about all my opportunities I would like to go SWO because I want to travel the world. Additionally, I have the opportunity to learn how to take charge of a command of enlisted from ages 18-40 and become connected with them, and make sure everything runs smoothly. The job of a SWO is difficult with long hours, watch that occur in the middle of the night, and require the ability to learn a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time. However the experiences it gives you and the places you can go are unforgettable and will always be memories of retired officers.