DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS 2000 NAVY PENTAGON WASHINGTON DC 20350-2000 OPNAVINST 3120.35L N96 OPNAV INSTRUCTION 3120.35L From: Chief of Naval Operations Subj: REQUIREMENTS FOR AIR CAPABLE AND AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS TO OPERATE AIRCRAFT Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 3120.28C (b) NAVAIRINST 3120.1C Encl: (1) Aviation Operational Requirements for Air Capable Ships (2) Aviation Operational Requirements for LHA and LHD Ships (3) Definitions 1. Purpose. To define the level, class, and type of aviation facilities requirements for air capable and amphibious assault ships to operate specified aircraft. a. This revision updates date all currently operational aviation type vessels and transports to currency, as indicated in subparagraphs 1a(1) and 1a(2). (1) Added operational aviation type vessels and transports: Expeditionary mobile base; container and roll-on/roll-off ship (T-AK) 3015 and T-AK 3017 class military prepositioning ships and expeditionary fast transport (formerly joint high-speed vessel) class ships; H-53K helicopter; attack aircraft (AV)-8B Harrier; short take-off/vertical landing stealth multirole fighter aircraft, a variant of the F-35 II Lightning Joint Strike Fighter (F-35B); and the Blackjack unmanned air vehicle (RQ-21). (2) No longer operational and deleted from this instruction: helicopter (H)-53D, TH-57, and H-46 helicopters; fast frigate guided missile sea fighter; high speed vessel (HSV)-2 helicopter landing trainer (HLT IX-514); joint high-speed vessel, amphibious transport dock (LPD-4); Military Sealift Command ammunition (T-AE 26); and Military Sealift Command dry cargo (T-AKE 3005) class ships. b. This instruction is a complete revision and should be reviewed in its entirety. 2. Cancellation. OPNAVINST 3120.35K. 3. Scope and Applicability. This instruction applies to all ships whose mission includes the conduct of flight operations and defines the level, class, and type of aviation facilities for air capable and amphibious assault ships to operate specified aircraft.
4. Background a. Reference (a) establishes the requirements for formalized ship certification which ensures the maintenance of proper standards for afloat aviation facilities, and defines the basis of the aviation certification program. b. Reference (b) outlines responsibilities for aviation certification and inspection of aviation facilities in naval ships operating aircraft. 5. Discussion a. The aviation facilities requirements updated by this instruction cover the full spectrum of aviation operations from the launch and recovery to personnel and stores transfer. To ensure safe aircraft operations, all afloat aviation facilities are to be certified. b. The variety of ship configurations which occur as a result of the unique mission requirements complicates the problem of standardization in the fleet. c. The certification of an afloat aviation facility does not constitute an authorization to conduct air operations. Authorization to operate aircraft aboard ships is the responsibility of fleet commanders, Commander, Military Sealift Command, or Commander, Naval Research as applicable. 6. Action. All air capable and amphibious assault ships must be certified per reference (a) to operate with specified aircraft according to the levels, classes, and types of aviation facilities defined in enclosures (1) and (2). Enclosure (3) defines the acronyms and abbreviations cited in enclosures (1) and (2). 5. Records Management. Records created as a result of this instruction, regardless of media and format, must be managed per Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Manual 5210.1 of January 2012. 6. Review and Effective Date. Per OPNAVINST 5215.17A, OPNAV Director, Surface Warfare (OPNAV N96) will review this instruction annually on the anniversary of its issuance date to ensure applicability, currency, and consistency with Federal, Department of Defense, SECNAV, and Navy policy and statutory authority using OPNAV 5215/40 Review of Instruction. This instruction will be in effect for 5 years, unless revised or cancelled in the 2
interim, and will be reissued by the 5-year anniversary date if it is still required, unless it meets one of the exceptions in OPNAVINST 5215.17A, paragraph 9. Otherwise, if the instruction is no longer required, it will be processed for cancellation as soon as the cancellation is known following the guidance in OPNAV Manual 5215.1. R. A. Boxall Director, Surface Warfare Releasability and distribution: This instruction is cleared for public release and is available electronically only via Department of the Navy Issuances Web site, http://doni.documentservices.dla.mil 3
AVIATION OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR AIR CAPABLE SHIPS Enclosure (1)
2 Enclosure (1)
3 Enclosure (1)
4 Enclosure (1)
AVIATION OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LHA AND LHD SHIPS Enclosure (2)
DEFINITIONS These terms, their definitions, and list of acronyms and abbreviations, listed in alphabetical order, will aid in interpreting enclosures (1) and (2). 1. Aft. Near, toward, or in the stern of a ship or the tail of an aircraft. 2. AS. Submarine tender (USN). 3. AV. Attack vertical aircraft (Harrier). Follow on numbers and letters denote aircraft model/type. 4. CG. Guided missile cruiser (USN). 5. DDG. Guided missile destroyer (USN). 6. ESB. Expeditionary sea base (USN). 7. F-35. Part of a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters. Combat aircraft designed for short takeoff/vertical landing providing direct support to troops on the ground. Follow on letter denotes aircraft type. 8. FWD. Forward. Toward the stem, between the stem and amidships. 9. GPM. Gallons per minute. Unit of measurement for the flow of liquid. 10. H. Helicopter designation with follow on numbers and letters denoting model and type. 11. HIFR. Helicopter in-flight refueling. 12. LCC. Amphibious command ship (USN). 13. LCS. Littoral combat ship (USN). 14. LHA. Amphibious assault ship (general purpose) (USN). 15. LHD. Amphibious assault ship (multipurpose) (USN). 16. LPD. Amphibious transport dock (USN). 17. LSD. Dock landing ship (USN). 18. MK. Mark Enclosure (3)
19. MQ. Multipurpose unmanned vehicle. MQs are capable of operating from any suitably equipped air-capable ships or land bases. Follow on numbers and letters denote aircraft type and model. 20. PSI. Pounds per square inch. 21. RQ. Unmanned air system. RQs are capable of deploying from shipboard environments. Follow on numbers and letters denote aircraft type and model. 22. T-AH. Hospital ship, Military Sealift Command (MSC). 23. T-AK. Container and roll-on/roll-off ship (MSC). 24. T-AKR. Large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship (MSC). 25. T-AKE. Dry cargo and ammunition ship (MSC). 26. T-AO. Fleet replenishment oiler (MSC). 27. T-AOE. Fast combat support ship (MSC). 28. T-ARS. Rescue and salvage ship (MSC). 29. T-ATF. Fleet ocean tug (MSC). 30. T-AVB. Aviation logistics support ship (MSC). 31. "T" Line. Vertical replenishment (VERTREP) "T" line. Obstacle clearance is ensured when the helicopter for which the facility is certified hovers with its rotor hub(s) on or aft of the line. Where two "T" lines are encountered with the "T"s pointed towards each other, clearance is ensured when the rotor hub(s) are between the two lines. 32. USA. United States Army. 33. USAF. United States Air Force. 34. USCG. United States Coast Guard. 35. USMC. United States Marine Corps. 36. USN. United States Navy. 2 Enclosure (3)
37. VERTREP. Vertical replenishment. The use of a helicopter for the transfer of materiel to or from a ship. 38. WAGB. Polar class ice breaker (USCG). 39. WHEC. High-endurance cutter (USCG). 40. WMEC. Medium-endurance cutter (USCG). 41. WMSL. Maritime security cutter, large (USCG). 42. V-22. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The V-22 is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. 3 Enclosure (3)