By Rick Burgess
Feature
READY ROOM: THE STORY BEHIND THE US NAVY HEADLINES
Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) overfly the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). US Navy/MCS2C Kaila V. Peters
OBSERVERS OF US naval aviation regularly focus on the structure of the carrier air wing (CVW) and how it evolves. Changes are usually small and almost imperceptible, that is until one looks back and realizes how much today’s CVWs have changed from how they looked a decade ago, for example. Looking ahead, the US Navy is planning some big changes as it brings in three new aircraft types on carrier decks and retires another. The complement of aircraft attached to a CVW also is on the rise — set to grow from 66 to 75.
