USS Ronald Reagan air wing completes certification

Pilots from Carrier Air Wing 5 completed over 200 missions including four carrier landings per pilot.

"The combination of the Carrier Air Wing and the aircraft carrier is the backbone of U.S. Naval power projection capability," air operations officer Cmdr. Raymond Marshall said in a press release.

"With that team, we can deploy significant military power or render humanitarian aid anywhere in the world within a few days. What sets this team apart from other military capabilities is the indefinite persistence as soon as the commands deploy."

The USS Ronald Reagan and its Strike Group is attached to the 7th Fleet in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. It is a Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a wing of 70 or more planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Boeing to manufacture additional F/A-18s for U.S. Navy
Washington (UPI) Sep 14, 2017 - Boeing Co. has received a $676.6 million modification to a existing contract for the production of F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft for the U.S. Navy.

The modification, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, provides for the manufacture of six lot 41 F/A-18E and eight F/A-18F fighter jets. The production run is expected to be completed by February 2019.

The F/A-18 series of multirole fighters is capable of operating from airstrips and aircraft carriers. It is designed for both air-superiority missions and land attack, and can carry a variety of ordnance ranging from air-to-air missiles and precision-guided bombs to standoff munitions.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is the primary carrier and land-based multi-role fighter of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It has been widely exported and is expected to serve for decades to come alongside the F-35.