USS VINSON to San Diego Ahead of 1st F-35C JSF Deployment

F-35 unit & base selection, delivery, activation
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by spazsinbad » 25 Aug 2020, 12:25

Carrier Vinson Heading to San Diego Ahead of First F-35C Joint Strike Fighter Deployment
24 Aug 2020 Sam LaGrone

"Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) departed Bremerton, Wash., on Sunday bound for its new homeport in San Diego after completing a year and a half of maintenance, the Navy announced. Part of the 17-month dry dock repair period was to make the carrier ready for the Navy’s first F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter deployment that is planned for next year.

The F-35C modifications added classified spaces to the carrier and replaced the carrier’s jet-blast deflectors. The ship’s current carrier launch and recovery systems don’t require modifications to handle the new fighters. The docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility that began on Feb. 28, 2019, added the systems needed to fly and maintain the Navy’s F-35, as well as additional upgrades to combat and electrical systems and repairs to the ship’s hull, rudders and shaft....

...The ship is now underway for sea trials and will arrive at its new homeport in San Diego, Calif., before beginning the months-long training period to integrate the air wing and surface forces for the anticipated 2021 first operational deployment of the F-35C. The “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 are expected to be first F-35C squadron to deploy....

...The next carrier up for an extended maintenance on the West Coast, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), is set to arrive at the Puget Sound yard sometime next year, USNI News understands."

Source: https://news.usni.org/2020/08/24/carrie ... deployment


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by spazsinbad » 03 Sep 2020, 21:30

VIDEO: Carrier USS Carl Vinson Returns to San Diego after Maintenance to Prepare for F-35C Deployment
03 Sep 2020 Megan Eckstein

"Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) shifted its homeport back to San Diego, after spending a year and a half undergoing maintenance in Washington to prepare for its first deployment with the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter....

...During the maintenance period, “Vinson underwent scheduled, periodic maintenance on major components like rudders, shafts and tanks, as well as upgrades to crew living spaces. The ship also received work to preserve its hull, upgrades to the electrical system, upgrades to combat systems, and it underwent a complete restoration and a system retrofit to accommodate F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter mission capabilities. The overall cost of the work totaled about $367 million,” according to a second Navy news release on the completion of the maintenance period....

...Vinson is expected to conduct a history-making deployment next year. Not only would it be the Navy’s first carrier deployment of the F-35C, it would also be the first deployment of the CMV-22 Osprey serving as the carrier onboard delivery aircraft. The V-22 variant is replacing the C-2A Greyhound as the carrier fleet’s COD, chiefly because the aging C-2 is not able to carry an F-35 engine if one were needed. The V-22 will bring that capability, along with the agility of being able to land on cruisers and destroyers if needed instead of only landing on the carrier’s flight deck.

With Vinson back in San Diego, the carrier, its escorts and air wing will be able to start training for the upcoming deployment."

Source: https://news.usni.org/2020/09/03/video- ... deployment


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by spazsinbad » 25 Sep 2020, 04:42

USNI News Video: First F-35Cs, CMV-22B Train for First Deployment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxpGa6TAmCI



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by spazsinbad » 25 Sep 2020, 04:56

VIDEO: USS Carl Vinson Preparing for First F-35C, ‘Advanced Carrier Air Wing’ Deployment [LONG ARTICLE]
24 Sep 2020 Megan Eckstein

"ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CARL VINSON, OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA – Next year, the most advanced carrier air wing in history will sail to the Pacific aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Last week, the Carrier Air Wing 2 took the first steps in getting its new F-35C Joint Strike Fighters and CMV-22B Ospreys integrated into the air wing and aboard the carrier.

Vinson went to sea with its air wing for the first time in this deployment cycle, following a lengthy maintenance availability to upgrade the ship to support the Navy’s first deployment of its fifth-generation fighter and a new cargo aircraft to support it.

Though there are still some little details to work out – moving the new F-35C Joint Strike Fighter safely around the deck, practicing with new firefighting equipment designed for the large nacelles on the CMV-22B Osprey – ship and air wing officials say they’re ready to spend this workup cycle figuring out how to leverage the F-35C’s stealth and data-sharing capabilities to make this advanced carrier air wing as lethal as possible.

“Fundamentally, not much has changed: the carrier strike group, we’ve fought integrated for years. And specifically in the air wing, what’s changed are the tools: advanced sensors, stealth technology, access to information. All that’s now being provided to the air wing. And those integrated channels we’ve had, now we’re just using those and passing different information,” Capt. Tommy Locke, the deputy air wing commander, told USNI News during a Sept. 17 visit to the carrier at sea.

To make the most of what the F-35C brings, Locke said the air wing has some other plus-ups: an extra E-2D Advanced Hawkeye was added to the “Black Eagles” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 113, and two additional EA-18G Growlers were added to the “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136.

“You put those aircraft together, couple that with our kinetic capacity of the F-18E/F, it’s a pretty powerful combination, able to distribute fifth-generation information, increase lethality of our legacy platforms, but also (increase) the survivability as well,” Locke said. “Our air wing configuration, again with the F-35C Lightning II as well as the E-2D, EA-18G Growler and the legacy F-18s, it really provides the strike group commander a very effective and efficient way to project power. So offensive in nature, but we also bring a pretty unique capability of gathering real-time over-the-horizon intelligence, information, passing that throughout the strike group to share in that fifth-generation information, and then also kinetic and non-kinetic fires to support carrier strike group defense.”

In conversations with sailors in the carrier strike group, the main focus of this advanced air wing seemed to be the F-35’s ability to sneak undetected into air space the air wing previously couldn’t safely access, scoop up information of all kinds to share with the rest of the carrier strike group, and perhaps take out a target or two to make way for the firepower of the F/A-18E-F Super Hornets coming in behind it.

Locke said specifically the combination of the F-35C and the Growler would control the air space, deny enemy access and leverage the electromagnetic spectrum in a way the air wing never could before....

...Eventually, the whole air wing will go through its advanced training syllabus at Naval Air Station Fallon before coming back to the aircraft carrier to join up with the destroyers and cruiser for full CSG integrated operations.

Asked how the F-35C would change how the air wing collaborates not only with the carrier but also the combatants, Locke said, “It’s all information. It’s the speed of information, how quickly you get it. E-2D plays a critical role, its nodes are connected really well with the surface fleet. It’s feeding information to the airborne fighters. All the fighters have the information they need; if they don’t they can share with each other; and if they don’t, they can get it from the E-2D. So in some cases we don’t need much, but there are also some cases when you may be fighting and you need a lot of information from the surface (ships).”...

...Vinson Commanding Officer Capt. Matthew Paradise said during the ship tour that new jet blast deflectors with added cooling were installed on the ship during its recent 17-month docking planned incremental availability to address the greater heat coming out of the F-35’s single engine. A new computer system was put in to support the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) logistics system the F-35 uses, lithium-ion battery storage and charging space was created for the jets’ batteries – the first time a jet has required these large batteries that pose potential fire hazards, but likely not the last time, officials said – and ready rooms and maintenance spaces were upgraded to support the F-35C and CMV-22B. For the Ospreys, new fire wands were installed on the flight deck that can reach high enough to put out an engine fire on the tall nacelles, if needed.

Paradise noted that, while this was the first time CVW-2 with the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 had embarked on the ship, it wasn’t the first time VFA-147 and its F-35Cs had operated from Vinson. This carrier was used in late 2018 and early 2019 to conduct carrier qualifications, safe-for-flight certification and operational tests, culminating in a Feb. 28, 2019, declaration of initial operational capability. Paradise said his team used lessons learned from that experience, from Lincoln’s operations and from elsewhere in the Navy and industry to inform its early operations with the F-35C now.

“It’s certainly a team effort. Our role is to be able to taxi the aircraft. We have a role in maintaining them as well, we have a pretty big maintenance function here. And so all that, you’re right, requires training. And so formal schools, a lot of on-the-job training. We have sent our sailors to where the JSF are in Lemoore to get hands-on training, and then we don’t go directly to deployment, we are training right now,” he said. “We’re kind of the crawl, walk, run mentality, we’re going nice and slow, making sure that everybody’s learning the new jet and just getting the band back together really for the first time in the workup cycle.”...

...Cmdr. William Gray, the aircraft intermediate maintenance department officer, showed off the lithium-ion battery charging and storage room – among the coolest spaces shown during the ship tour, with chill water and ventilation rerouted during the DPIA to create a cool room for the batteries to charge safely.

“This is the first airplane, naval airplane that’s flown this battery, and these batteries … you can get a really small battery with a lot of energy. They started using lithium-ion in spacecraft and now we’re down in the aircraft, and the advantage of these batteries are they produce a lot of power when you need it. The F-35 has two of them, and actually one of the batteries can support, if you have a propulsion failure the battery can actually support the flight control system of the aircraft, which is pretty awesome, a pretty nice thing to have in the airplane when things are going wrong,” he said."

Photo: "The “Ouija board” on USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) shows integrated air wing operations taking place on the flight deck, with the F-35C (shown in orange) operating alongside the F/A-18E-F Super Hornet (squadrons shown in white, green and blue) in Carrier Air Wing 2. USNI News photo." https://news.usni.org/wp-content/upload ... 08356.jpeg


Source: https://news.usni.org/2020/09/24/video- ... deployment
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by doge » 02 Dec 2020, 18:45

:salute:
https://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodl ... -squadron/
Vinson Conducts Flight Deck Cert with First Operational F-35C Squadron
– NOVEMBER 20, 2020
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) completed several certifications Sept. 17, including flight deck certification (FDC) and carrier air traffic control center (CATCC) certification, after nearly a week of flight deck operations designed to ready the carrier for future operations.
The underway also marked the first time Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 and Vinson, both part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, fully integrated and operated together since the addition of the F-35C Lightning II.
“The flight deck certification is one of many ways the Navy ensures the safety and readiness of our equipment and personnel,” said Rear Adm. Timothy J. Kott, commander, CSG-1. “The fact that Vinson was able to safely and successfully complete the flight deck certification while operating with the Navy’s first operational F-35 squadron is an exciting bonus.”
FDC is required for the carrier to embark aircraft, the primary weapons system for the platform, and is designed to provide operational continuity and proficiency training for carrier crews. During FDC, the carrier is evaluated on its ability to launch and recover aircraft in a safe manner in both day and night time operations.
Vinson, along with CVW-2 squadrons, also achieved certification in Precision Approach Landing Systems (PALS), Joint Precision Approach Landing Systems (JPALS) and carrier qualifications for the six fixed-wing squadrons.
“These certifications ensure that Vinson meets the standards, and, in our case, we went above and beyond the certification requirements,” said Capt. Matthew Paradise, Vinson’s Commanding Officer. “I’m not surprised we did so well because every day the teamwork I saw demonstrated by the ship’s crew and the air wing was fantastic. Their technical expertise, attention to detail and hard work resulted in our successful completion of certifications.”
Prior to integrated operations with the air wing, Vinson underwent a 17-month maintenance availability to receive major upgrades in support of fifth-generation aircraft, making Vinson the first aircraft carrier equipped to support both the F-35C Lightning II and CMV-22 Osprey. Upgrades included enhanced jet blast deflectors able to take the increased heat generated by the F-35C and the addition of the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), the new computer network that supports the unique maintenance and tactical operations functions of the advanced aircraft.
With its recent modifications, no other weapons system has the responsiveness, endurance, multi-dimensional might, inherent battlespace awareness or command and control capabilities of the Vinson and CVW-2.

Other components of the air wing include three Navy Strike Fighter Squadrons that fly the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, one Electronic Attack Squadron that operates the EA-18G Growler, Airborne Command & Control Squadron that operates the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, one Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron and one Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron.
Through multiplatform integration, CVW-2 will provide fleet commanders the ability to achieve the advantage across multiple domains: air, land, sea and electromagnetic.
Integration between the air wing and ship’s company is crucial to the everyday success of carrier operations. These flight operations take detailed coordination between ship’s company and the air wing squadrons, and flight deck certification was an opportunity to build that relationship.
“In the carrier environment, teamwork is everything,” said Capt. Matt Thrasher, commander, CVW-2. “Our Sailors and aircrew are focused on the task at hand and the path forward to deployment. Our success with the Vinson team is a direct result of the dedication, training and deployment-ready mentality we embrace daily.”
With the flight deck and air traffic control center now fully qualified, Vinson is eligible to perform carrier qualifications for new pilots and other missions to support the fleet.
Next, Vinson will complete a series of additional “work ups” and certifications in preparation for future operational tasking.
In accordance with COVID-19 safety protocols, all embarked personnel completed restriction of movement or COVID-19 testing, as required, prior to the ship’s underway period.
Lt. Cmdr. Miranda Williams is the Public Affairs Officer for USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) arrived at Naval Air Station North Island, California, on Sept. 2, concluding the ship’s homeport shift from Bremerton, Washington to San Diego, California.
Vinson departed Bremerton on Aug. 23 to commence sea trials as the final phase in completing a 17-month docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Upon the conclusion of DPIA, which began Feb. 28, 2019, Vinson returned to the fleet to begin her operational training cycle.
The DPIA included a complete restoration and system retrofit to accommodate F-35C Lightning II mission capabilities, as well as upgrades to combat systems, electrical systems and crew living spaces, and maintenance on the ship’s hull, rudders and shafts.
“I am proud of all of the hard work and dedication shown by the entire crew throughout the DPIA—and particularly with the added challenges we faced during this pandemic,” said Capt. Matthew Paradise, Vinson’s Commanding Officer. “Also, a huge thank you to our family and friends; because our success was, in large part, due to their unwavering support. We just couldn’t have done this without them.” Prior to its departure, Vinson conducted extensive COVID-19 prevention measures to ensure the health and safety of the crew while at sea, and to prevent potential spread to their families and the community upon their return to port. Those measures included: restriction of movement for all personnel for 14 days prior to embarking the ship, mandatory face coverings, continued cleaning and disinfecting throughout common areas, routine COVID-19 testing and social distancing. — Lt. Cmdr. Miranda Williams


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by spazsinbad » 02 Dec 2020, 19:06

Nice find 'doge'. <sarc on> Notice the badly corroded finish of the F-35Cs when aboard. <sarc off>

https://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodl ... 5B_web.jpg
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by spazsinbad » 20 Jun 2021, 08:35

Vinson Carrier Strike Group Drilling Near Hawaii Ahead of First Deployment With F-35Cs
18 Jun 2021 Mallory Shelbourne [WEIRDLY NOT A MENTION OF THE F-35C Squadron! or names of same]

"...“In August 2020, Vinson completed a 17-month maintenance availability to receive major upgrades in order to support 5th generation aircraft, making Vinson the first aircraft carrier equipped to support both the F-35C Lightning II and CMV-22B Osprey,” U.S. 3rd Fleet said in a news release. “Upgrades include enhanced jet blast deflectors able to take the increased heat generated by the F-35C and the addition of the Autonomic Logistics Information System, which is the new computer network that supports the unique maintenance and tactical operations functions of the advanced aircraft.”...

[WHAT A LOAD of bollocks - I'll look for the USN press release... ]

Same press release B/S that says buggaALL: http://navyrecognition.com/index.php/na ... v-22b.html

Source: https://news.usni.org/2021/06/18/vinson ... ith-f-35cs


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by Corsair1963 » 20 Jun 2021, 23:53

USN says they will have half of the fleet (CVW's) equipped with F-35C's by like 2025. Yet, at the rate they're buying them. It seems like wishful thinking....


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by spazsinbad » 24 Jun 2021, 21:58

U.S. Navy Air Wing 2 Completes Carrier Qualifications
23 Jun 2021 Lt. Drake Greer, USS Carl Vinson

"PACIFIC OCEAN - Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 successfully completed carrier qualifications aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), June 10, after four days of flight deck operations designed to ready the squadrons and carrier for future operations. Carrier qualifications evaluate a squadron’s proficiency and capacity to accomplish routine missions by launching, executing and recovering in a safe manner both day and night.

“It’s been an opportunity for the air wing and the ship team to become synchronized in our basic mission set, launching and recovering aircraft at sea,” said Capt. Tommy Locke, Jr., commander, Carrier Air Group (CAG). As CAG, Locke leads CVW-2, providing the eight squadrons of the air wing with guidance and support for mission planning, execution and debriefing. Both CVW-2 and Vinson are part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1....

...As the Navy’s most advanced carrier air wing, CVW-2 is leading the charge on introducing and integrating the next generation of aircraft and capabilities to the Fleet. CVW-2 is able to maneuver, assist and deploy over 5,000 nautical miles in less than a week, ready to fight and win through execution of a full range of military missions to defend our homeland, deter aggression and support peace and prosperity throughout the globe. One of the newest additions to CVW-2 is the F-35C Lightning II with Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147....

...Additional fixed-wing aircraft assigned to CVW-2 are the F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-2, the F/A-18E of VFA-113 and VFA-192, the EA-18G Growlers of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136, and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 113. Rotary-wing aircraft assigned to CVW-2 are the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 and the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78.

To ensure Carl Vinson had the capability and capacity to host the advanced carrier air wing, the U.S. Navy made a myriad of upgrades to the carrier to accommodate both the F-35C and the CMV-22B Osprey of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30...."

Source: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... tions.html
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by aussiebloke » 02 Aug 2021, 14:30

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group deploys today — the first U.S. Navy deployment of F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and the Navy’s CMV-22B new carrier onboard delivery aircraft.


https://news.usni.org/2021/08/02/usni-n ... aug-2-2021


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by XanderCrews » 02 Aug 2021, 16:39

A lot of lessons are going to be learned over the next 6 months and permeated through the fleet. Could be a whole new way of doing business all around
Choose Crews


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by mixelflick » 02 Aug 2021, 16:43

aussiebloke wrote:
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group deploys today — the first U.S. Navy deployment of F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and the Navy’s CMV-22B new carrier onboard delivery aircraft.


https://news.usni.org/2021/08/02/usni-n ... aug-2-2021


Fantastic news, and a big, big day for the USN. Let's hope everything goes as planned. Having even a small number of F-35C's in theater (or B's for that matter) will make a huge difference. Hopefully they see how huge, and pony up for 2 full squadrons per carrier like they originally planned...


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by Corsair1963 » 03 Aug 2021, 02:05

Could we see a joint strike force of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, USS Carl Vinson, USS America, and possibly even the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indo-Pacific/SCS....


What about other Allied Warships in the region like HMAS Canberra, HMAS Adelaide, JS Kaga, etc. etc.


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by spazsinbad » 03 Aug 2021, 02:27

OF course but for what purpose? There are training events which usually are planned well in advance then change due to circumstances at the time. IF you want a task force then look at the recent TALISMAN SABRE 21 exercise to see what the USN thinks about QUICKLY ASSEMBLING such a Naval Force. Always depends upon ships available at the time - not tasked for other purposes/out of maintenance etc. etc.

https://www.google.com/search?q=talisma ... 7953880940 [my internet access is slow again today in the land of the LONG SLOW INTERNET - so that is my reply]


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by Corsair1963 » 03 Aug 2021, 02:41

spazsinbad wrote:OF course but for what purpose? There are training events which usually are planned well in advance then change due to circumstances at the time. IF you want a task force then look at the recent TALISMAN SABRE 21 exercise to see what the USN thinks about QUICKLY ASSEMBLING such a Naval Force. Always depends upon ships available at the time - not tasked for other purposes/out of maintenance etc. etc.

https://www.google.com/search?q=talisma ... 7953880940 [my internet access is slow again today in the land of the LONG SLOW INTERNET - so that is my reply]


Point would be how fast the US and her Allies could respond and with a formidable force....This would be critical in any potential conflict in the SCS or over Taiwan....(among others)


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