United States Navy Aviation

United States Navy Aviation

UNITED STATES NAVY AVIATION (USN) • Naval Air Forces Navy ε334,400 personnel. Naval Aviation ε98,600 personnel. Organization: 10 carrier air wings (CVW); an average air wing comprises 8 squadrons. Modernization Strategy: Prioritizing "distributed lethality" and the integration of 5th-generation and uncrewed platforms to counter advanced A2/AD threats.

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type

• AIRCRAFT 970+ combat capable.

Fighter & Fighter Ground Attack with 34 active squadrons:

• 471 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
• 55 Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II (23+157 additional on order).
• (Note: Engineering for the sixth-generation F/A-XX air-combat platform is ongoing to replace legacy Super Hornets in the 2030s).

Electronic Warfare (EW) with 14 active squadrons:

• 153 Boeing EA-18G Growler.

Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) with 10+ squadrons:

• 86 Northrop Grumman E-2C/D Hawkeye (13+6 additional on order).

Anti-Submarine Warfare (Fixed-wing) with 13 active squadrons:

• 126 Boeing 737 (P-8A Poseidon).
• 4 Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion (phasing out).

Command, Control & Comms (C2) with 1 active squadron:

• 16 Boeing 707 (E-6B Mercury).
• 3 Lockheed Martin E-130J (ordered/initial delivery).

Tanker & Transport:

• 34 Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey (Carrier onboard delivery/transport).
• 26 Lockheed Martin C-130T/KC-130T.
• 19 Grumman C-2A Greyhound (divestment ongoing; being replaced by CMV-22B).
• 17 Boeing 737 (C-40A Clipper).
• 13 Beechcraft UC-12 Huron.

Training with ε576 active ac:

• 231 Raytheon T-6B Texan II.
• 237 McDonnell Douglas T-45C Goshawk.
• 55 Raytheon T-44C Pegasus.
• 44 Raytheon T-6A Texan II.
• 7 Northrop Grumman T-38C Talon.

• HELICOPTER ε500+ active hel.

Anti-Submarine Warfare (Rotary-wing) with 15 active squadrons:

• 252 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk.

Multi-Role & Transport (Helicopter) with 14 active squadrons:

• 235 Sikorsky MH-60S Knight Hawk.

Mine Countermeasures (MCM):

• 22 Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon.

Training (Helicopter):

• 41 AgustaWestland TH-73A Thrasher.
• 62 Bell TH-57B/C Sea Ranger (divestment ongoing).

• UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS (UAS)

Combat & Tanking (UAV):

• 3 Boeing MQ-25A Stingray (Initial deliveries/IOC expected in 2026).

ISR (Heavy / Medium / Light):

• 36 Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout.
• 13 Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout.
• 8 Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton.
• 12 Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack.

Armament

• Air-to-Air Missiles (AAM): AIM-9X Sidewinder II; AIM-120C/D AMRAAM.
• Air-to-Surface Missiles (ASM): AGM-65F Maverick; AGM-114B/K/M Hellfire; AGR-20A APKWS.
• Anti-Ship Missiles (AShM): AGM-158C LRASM; AGM-84D Harpoon.
• Anti-Radiation Missiles (ARM): AGM-88B/C/E HARM/AARGM.
• Precision Bombs: GBU-53/B Stormbreaker (SDB II) (Initial Operational Capability reached); GBU-31/32/38 JDAM; GBU-10/12/16 Paveway II; GBU-54 Laser JDAM.

Note: By 2026, U.S. Naval Aviation is defined by the integration of the F-35C Lightning II and the introduction of the MQ-25A Stingray, aimed at extending the lethality and range of the carrier air wing in contested environments. The service is executing a "divest to invest" strategy, retiring legacy types like the P-3C and C-2A to fund future technologies including the F/A-XX and uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). Deployments of modernized carrier groups, such as those led by the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), continue to anchor regional deterrence missions in the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea.