{"id":52342,"date":"2020-06-01T08:50:46","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T08:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/01\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:51:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:51:33","slug":"at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/06\/01\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\/","title":{"rendered":"At a budgetary crossroads, the US Navy\u2019s aviation wing must choose between old and new"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 In the coming years, the U.S. Navy will be faced with a decision that will radically shape the carrier air wing: Is the service willing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2018\/08\/16\/the-us-navys-fight-to-fix-its-worn-out-super-hornet-fleet-is-making-way\/\" target=\"_blank\">to sacrifice dozens of new Super Hornet jets<\/a> for the promise of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/farnborough\/2018\/07\/16\/whats-going-on-with-americas-next-fighter-designs\/\" target=\"_blank\">a sixth-generation fighter in the 2030s<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy is opting to buy a final 24 F\/A-18E\/Fs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/02\/13\/the-us-navys-budget-looks-headed-for-the-congressional-shredder\/\" target=_blank>in fiscal 2021<\/a>, slashing a planned purchase of at least 36 Super Hornets that would have spanned FY22 through FY24. The move will save $4.5 billion, which the service plans to redirect to its sixth-generation fighter program, known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2017\/07\/21\/speed-and-range-could-be-key-for-navys-next-fighter-jet\/\" target=_blank>Next Generation Air Dominance, or F\/A-XX<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the decision may not be as clear cut \u2014 or final \u2014 as budget documents make it seem.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/navy-league\/2019\/05\/06\/whats-killing-the-us-navys-air-wing\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_coverjump_airwing.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What\u2019s killing the US Navy\u2019s air wing?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. Navy is on the brink of an explosion in research and development funding for its next-generation fighter program \u2014 an effort that could make or break the mainstay of the fleet\u2019s powerful strike arm.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy is at the very start of the NGAD development process, having completed an analysis of alternatives in June 2019, as well as broad requirements and guidance for a concept of operations. The effort is now in the concept development phase, during which defense companies explore ideas \u201cthat balance advanced air dominance capabilities and long-term affordability\/sustainment,\u201d said Navy spokesman Capt. Danny Hernandez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But with an economic downturn potentially leading to even more pressure on the defense budget, the Navy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2019\/12\/22\/amid-a-heated-aircraft-carrier-debate-the-us-navy-sees-funding-slashed-for-a-next-generation-fighter\/\" target=\"_blank\">may not have the funds to proceed with NGAD as a clean-sheet fighter jet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlthough the Navy would like to start developing the next generation of aircraft &#8230; I just don\u2019t think \u2014 and increasingly people in the department are thinking \u2014 there\u2019s not going to be the money to devote to this next generation of fighter,\u201d said Bryan Clark, an analyst with the Hudson Institute and a retired naval officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think they are going to fall back to looking at F\/A-XX as a modification or an evolution of the F-35,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead of the other half of the air wing being some new aircraft, you\u2019ll have a combination of F-35Cs and then some modified version of the F-35 or a modified Super Hornet.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5060\" height=\"3129\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg 5060w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg?resize=300,186 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg?resize=768,475 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,633 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,950 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Photo-planes.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1266 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5060px) 100vw, 5060px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Multiple aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 5 fly in formation over the Navy\u2019s forward-deployed aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan.  (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaila V. Peters\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and an analyst with the Telemus Group, said the service\u2019s enthusiasm for F\/A-XX is a sign of a continued preference for manned aviation as well as a desire to shut out any hope of fielding a long-range, penetrating strike drone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve always been in favor of extending the Hornet production line because it is solid and stable,\u201d Hendrix said. \u201cBut the extension was based on the proviso that we\u2019re extending in order to get to an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. If it was an extension to get to the next manned fighter \u2026 we\u2019re missing the idea of what the future competitive environment, or really the present competitive environment, is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A tightrope of risk<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy has grappled in prior years with the question of whether to cease production of the Super Hornet in favor of a future fighter, and it is an argument that lawmakers are wary of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy first planned to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2015\/03\/13\/world-events-f-35-delays-drive-hornet-push\/\" target=_blank> stop buying the F\/A-18 in its FY15 budget <\/a>\u2014 a decision made to fund the transition to the F-35. But technical issues and delays pushed out the fielding of the Navy\u2019s F-35C takeoff-and-landing model for aircraft carriers to 2018, leaving the service dependent on a fleet of aging, battle-worn F\/A-18s in need of a service-life extension. The Navy ended up listing the F\/A-18 on its unfunded priorities list, and Congress followed by funding enough Super Hornets to keep Boeing\u2019s line running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we go back a few years and we look at what happened when we thought we were going to plant the F-35, we let the F-18 slide down,\u201d Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., said in a March 10 hearing. Norcross is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The process of standing up the F-35C was much slower than expected, and the Navy ended up buying additional F\/A-18s to bridge the capability gap, he said. \u201cYet, here we are getting ready to curtail 36 Super Hornets because we are expecting, you know, the F\/A-XX to come online,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"864\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/160122-N-MY174-015.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-113805\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/160122-N-MY174-015.JPG.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/160122-N-MY174-015.JPG.jpg?resize=300,203 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/160122-N-MY174-015.JPG.jpg?resize=768,518 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/160122-N-MY174-015.JPG.jpg?resize=1024,691 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors perform maintenance on an F\/A-18E Super Hornet. (MCSN Tomas Compian\/U.S. Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked how he could be confident that F\/A-XX would stay on schedule, Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, the Navy\u2019s director of air warfare, said he could provide lawmakers a more detailed defense of the Navy\u2019s Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems in a classified setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re working closely with the Air Force to ensure the systems that we put on that have the [technology readiness level] that gives us confidence that we can achieve that aircraft on time in the early 2030s to replace the F\/A-18E\/F as it reaches the end of its service life,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler, the subcommittee\u2019s top Republican, pointed out that the Navy already has a fighter shortfall of about 49 aircraft, with additional F\/A-18s being pulled from the operational fleet into a service-life extension period that will take at least a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI feel like this is too much operational risk,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you add all those up, this is a severe shortage that we are experiencing, and if you don\u2019t account for the attrition rate, actually in combat we would have a very large gap there potentially.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">James Geurts, the Navy\u2019s assistant secretary for research, development and acquisition, said there is always risk when transitioning from legacy to new aircraft, but that improved mission-capable rates and a steady flow of jets moving through upgrades will help balance the shortfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re taking risk until the late 2020s. I think 2029 is when we will get to the full fighter inventory, and so we had to take some risk as we balance that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most likely scenario is that, as the Navy presses forward with its plan to curtail funding for F\/A-18s, Congress will simply continue buying more of them, Hendrix said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4928\" height=\"3280\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-113808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg 4928w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2613871.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1363 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4928px) 100vw, 4928px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Vicky Hartzler, left, eats lunch with U.S. Navy sailors on the mess decks aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Seaman Apprentice Joshua Murray\/U.S. Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But one unanswered question is whether lawmakers will also intervene to force the Navy to consider a wider range of aviation options that could give the carrier air wing longer legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that there will be a broader conversation, led by Congress and the administration, perhaps together, to say: \u2018We are looking at the future security environment. We are looking at the Chinese threat. We are looking at what\u2019s happening in Taiwan, what\u2019s happening [in] Hong Kong and within the first island chain, and we really need to have this new capability of long-range, penetrating strike,\u2019 \u201d Hendrix said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat I do realize is that because the Navy is very conservative right now in how it\u2019s approaching its procurement programs, the Navy will not be the one to say we need this mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No matter what the Navy decides, it could impact its procurement of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2018\/08\/30\/us-navy-selects-builder-for-new-mq-25-stingray-aerial-refueling-drone\/\" target=\"_blank\">the MQ-25 unmanned tanker drone currently under development by Boeing<\/a>. Hendrix sees the MQ-25 program as a likely bill payer, particularly if the service continues to buy Hornets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat was the reason for the MQ-25? It was to take the strain off from the Hornets,\u201d which were being used to refuel other F\/A-18s and burning through their service lives faster than anticipated, Hendrix said. \u201cWhen you reopen the Hornet production line and you add 120-something new Hornets, you actually took that strain off the Hornet fleet. So there really isn\u2019t a requirement now for a recovery tanker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clark agrees that the Navy should develop a long-range unmanned combat aircraft but is unlikely to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But should the Navy choose not to proceed with an F\/A-XX program, Clark believes the service could funnel some of that money into modifying the MQ-25 to supplement strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacities, and could even end buy more MQ-25s than planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe MQ-25 program, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2019\/09\/19\/the-us-navys-new-autonomous-refueling-drone-takes-historic-first-flight\/\" target=\"_blank\">once it gets fielded and proven out<\/a>, I could see the Navy expanding it,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the operational and programmatic pressures have driven the Navy to embrace the MQ-25, and because it\u2019s a complement to the manned aircraft, it\u2019s generated less resentment among the manned aviation community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Navy plans to curtail Super Hornet production in fiscal 2022. It remains unclear, however, whether that effort will be successful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":113804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[7,160,162,16,133,36,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-52342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-daily","category-naval","category-us-naval-fleet-priorities","category-newsletters","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"GHJ76HXJEVEOZDB5OMSJJFUS6Y","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2020\/06\/01\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>At a budgetary crossroads, the US Navy\u2019s aviation wing must choose between old and new - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Navy plans to curtail Super Hornet production in fiscal 2022. It remains unclear, however, whether that effort will be successful.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At a budgetary crossroads, the US Navy\u2019s aviation wing must choose between old and new\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Navy plans to curtail Super Hornet production in fiscal 2022. It remains unclear, however, whether that effort will be successful.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/06\/01\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-01T08:50:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:51:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"At a budgetary crossroads, the US Navy\u2019s aviation wing must choose between old and new\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-06-01T08:50:46+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:51:33+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1443,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1633905.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Air Warfare\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Digital Show Daily\",\n\t                \"Naval\",\n\t                \"Naval Fleet Priorities\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/01\\\/at-a-budgetary-crossroads-the-us-navys-aviation-wing-must-choose-between-old-and-new\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"At a budgetary crossroads, the US Navy\u2019s aviation wing must choose between old and new - 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