VP-30’s FMS Program

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Curtis Spencer | JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2023) Royal New Zealand Service Members, who are training at Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP) 30 as part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program, pose in front of a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft on the VP-30 flight line, September 9. VP-30’s mission is to provide P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and MQ-4C UAS specific training to pilots, Naval flight officers, and enlisted aircrew prior to reporting to the fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Curtis D. Spencer.)  

JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES

10.24.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mathew Lombardo 

Patrol Squadron 30

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Oct. 24, 2023) – Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP) 30, conducts training on the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft year-round with members from across the world through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

VP-30 provides valuable training through the FMS program with pilots, Naval flight officers and aircrew, aimed at creating cohesive excellence with partner nations.

Currently, the FMS program at VP-30 includes service members from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and Norway, with Canada slated to join the FMS training at VP-30 in 2025.

“It’s important we fly together to build connections and relationships,” said Lt. Ryan Davis, VP-30 Patrol Plane Commander (PPC). “Having the opportunity to conduct initial flight training in the P-8A is invaluable and only enhances our interoperability. They are great students and aviators, and the flow of knowledge is always both ways when flying together.”

This interoperability provides cohesion amongst allied partners across the world.

“Flying together gives us a chance to learn from each other’s experience, and to make sure that we understand better how each other operate,” said New Zealand Air Forces Cmdr. Hemi Frires, an air warfare officer in the FMS program. “This lets us build relationships and understanding so that when we operate together in the future, we have a shared experience that vastly improves our relationship building.”

The FMS program guarantees service members from other countries the opportunity to receive the best possible training from the skilled VP-30 instructor cadre.

“All of the training is state-of-the-art,” said German Navy Cmdr. Michael Langhof, a Naval flight officer in the FMS program. “We appreciate the timeline of the training. The FMS program allows us to complete the vital training on a broad range of topics over a much shorter amount of time.”

The VP-30 FMS Program tailors the instructing to the tactical level of the students. Each nation goes through the training with pilots, Naval flight officers and aircrew. Each FMS crew begins their syllabus by working through classroom training, followed by simulation training. The next step is for the flight crews to perform supervised tactical flights.

“It is crucial to have a shared platform,” said Lt. Peter Fahan, VP-30 instructor pilot. “The advantages of interoperability increase exponentially through this program. Our partners are not only getting to know their allies, they are getting to train with them.”

VP-30, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS). VP-30’s mission is to provide P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and MQ-4C UAS specific training to pilots, Naval flight officers, and enlisted aircrew prior to reporting to the fleet.

For more news from Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP) 30, visit, https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMPATRECONGRU/-Patrol-and-Reconnaissance-Squadron-VP-30-FRS/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/VP-30.

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• Date Taken: 10.24.2023
• Date Posted: 12.13.2023 10:14
• Story ID: 459808
• Location: JACKSONVILLE, FL, US