The Department of the Navy requested $230.8 billion for FY23 - $9.1 billion more than last year’s enacted budget. The Navy did not request any F/A-18 Super Hornets this year. It also asks for four F-35Cs, 15 F-35Bs, five KC-130Js and 10 CH-53K King Stallions for the Marine Corps. Primary training is conducted in the T-6B at VT-27 or VT-28 at Training Air Wing FOUR and VT-2, VT-3, or VT-6 at Training Air Wing FIVE. The foundation of a Naval Aviator's development begins in the Primary phase of training. Meanwhile, the Navy’s FY23 budget request asks for 96 aircraft, including nine F-35Cs and five E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes. CNATRA conducts six Student Naval Aviator training pipelines - Strike, Rotary, Maritime, Tilt-rotor, E-2/C-2, and E-6. Kenneth Whitesell, the commander of Naval Air Forces, told Defense News in February the service anticipates it will eliminate the fighter shortage by 2025, but must stay on schedule developing the Next Generation Air Dominance program’s F/A-XX manned fighter to prevent another shortage down the line. Naval Flight Officers are the navigators, the lookouts and the weapon operators inside naval aviation. Leaders are also counting on fielding the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter as a way to help. The service said it hopes to offset a shortage of approximately 49 aircraft by adding to its fighter inventory and tacking on 4,000 additional flight hours of service life to F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The Navy did not respond to a request for comment for an updated fighter pilot shortage number.Īt the same time, the Navy is also tackling a fighter jet shortage.

Westendorff said at the time it would take roughly three years to recover from the shortage.

Us navy fighter pilot