Navy Trains Next Generation Aircraft Carrier Pilots Aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in Atlantic

Navy Trains Next Generation Aircraft Carrier Pilots Aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in Atlantic underscores how the U.S. Navy is building the next generation of carrier aviators through qualification operations in the Atlantic. The Nimitz-class carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) is conducting training sorties with student pilots from CNATRA, using T-45C Goshawk advanced jet trainers. In imagery released June 27, 2026, the trainees practiced arrested landings and catapult launches while the ship operated at sea. Carrier qualification is described as one of the most demanding training phases because landings must engage an arresting wire within seconds on a moving deck about 150 meters long. Boeing’s T-45C, derived from the British Aerospace Hawk, includes strengthened landing gear, an arresting hook and carrier-compatible systems, supporting repeated training cycles. The program feeds future fleet replacement squadrons flying F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft.