Navy aircraft to fly over Super Bowl LVII

ByEnsignBryanBlair

Commander Naval Air Forces

SAN DIEGO Three U.S. Navy tactical aircraft squadrons will conduct an integrated flyover at the conclusion of the National Anthem during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Feb. 12

The flyover formation will include two F/A-18F Super Hornets from the “Flying Eagles” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122, an F-35C Lightning II from the “Argonauts of VFA-147, and an EA-18G Growler from the “Vikings” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 These aircraft represent the strike and electronic attack capability of the “Carrier Air Wing of the Future,”providingadvancedtechnologyand enhancedflexibilitytoourmilitarycombatantcommanders.VFA-122andVFA-147are based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, Calif.; VAQ-129 is based at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash. The squadrons willstage and departfromnearbyLukeAirForceBase

Theflyoveralsocommemorates50years of women flying in the U.S. Navy In 1973 the first eight women began flight school in Pensacola, Fla., and one year later six of those eight women, titled “The First Six,” earned their Wings of Gold. Since then, women have served, operated and led at every level of Naval Aviation.

Lt Katie Martinez, a Naval Flight Officer assigned to VFA-122, looks forward to representing Naval Aviation at one of the world’s most-watched events “It’s not a feeling I can even put into words,”saidMartinez.“Itdoesn’tgetbigger thantheSuperBowl,andIamhumbledand honored to be able to participate with my friendsandfellowNavalAviatorsaspartof this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Thefifth-generationstrikefighterF-35C

Lightning II integrates advanced stealth technology into a highly agile, supersonic aircraft that provides unprecedented battlespace awareness, versatility and survivability.TheF-35C whichistheNavy variantoftheF-35JointStrikeFighter sets new standards in weapon system integration, maintainability, combat radius and payloadthatbringformidablemultimission power projection capability from the sea.

Enteringfleetservicein1999,TheF/A-18 Super Hornet, has earned a reputation as the backbone of the Navy’s carrier air wing and a workhorse within the fleet continuingitskeystrikefighterroleagainst the advanced threats of the 21st century

Designed to meet current Navy fighter escort and interdiction mission requirements,theSuperHornetmaintainsfleetair defense and close air support roles, as well as an increasing range of missions, including in-air refueling

The EA-18G Growler is a variant in the F/A-18 family of aircraft that combines the proven Super Hornet platform with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite that performs a variety of functions including communications jamming and countermeasures.

Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) is the type commander for Naval Aviation that oversees the Navy’s aircraft wings, squadrons, aircraft carriers,support facilitiesandtrainingcommands BasedatNaval

Air Station North Island, Calif., CNAF is responsible for manning, training and equippingdeployable,combat-readyNaval Aviation forces to compete and win in any environment

ByStephanieSlater Naval Safety Command

Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) seeks Sailors andMarinestofeatureinsafetycampaignsandpromotions suchasthe“101CriticalDaysofSummer,”“FallandWinter Safety”andotheroff-dutyactivities

To support this goal, the command is launching a Fleet-facingPublicAffairsCampaigntosolicitsafety-related videoscreatedby,andfeaturing,SailorsandMarinesacross theenterprise First,secondandthird-placewinnerswillbe recognizedbyCommander NAVSAFECOM

Sailors and Marines are encouraged to develop and produce videos highlighting and reinforcing a safety message.Idealsubmissionswillbetailoredforsocialmedia, engaging and easy to follow. Videos should be between 12 and60secondsinduration

The submission window is Feb. 1 through Oct 31, 2023. Each video will be promoted across all NAVSAFECOM social media platforms and evaluated on the effectiveness ofitsengagementafter30daysfromthedateitisfirstposted.

The NAVSAFECOM command master chief and public affairs office staff are available to assist and to answer your questions.

NAVSAFECOM’s goal is to promote behaviors of self-awareness,self-assessment,self-correctionandcontinual learning to enable an effective defense-in-depth that ensuresthenavalenterpriseisSafetoOperateandOperating Safely through proper risk identification, communication andaccountabilityattheappropriatelevel.

For contest guidelines and additional information, visit 2023NAVSAFECOMFleet-FacingPublicAffairsCampaign under the Resources tab at navalsafetycommand.navy.mil, or reach out via email to the NAVSAFECOM public affairs officeatSAFE-PAO@navy.mil.