Naval Flight Officer

Naval Flight Officer

A Naval Flight Officer (NFO) is an aeronautically designated commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps that specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (Naval Aviators) per se, but they may perform many "co-pilot" functions, depending on the type of aircraft. Until 1966, their duties were performed by both officer and senior enlisted Naval Aviation Observers (NAO).

In 1966, enlisted personnel were removed from NAO duties (but continued to serve in enlisted aircrew roles), while NAO officers received the newly established NFO designation, and the NFO insignia was introduced. NFOs in the Navy all begin their careers as Unrestricted Line Officers (URL), eligible for command at sea and ashore in the naval aviation communities. They are also eligible to hold senior flag rank positions, including command of carrier strike groups, joint task forces, numbered fleets, naval component commands and unified combatant commands.

A small number of Navy NFOs may later to opt for a lateral transfer to the Restricted Line (RL) as Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officers (AEDO), while continuing to retain their NFO designation and active flight status. Such officers are typically graduates of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and/or the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School with advanced academic degrees in aerospace engineering or similar disciplines. AEDO/NFOs are eligible to command test and evaluation squadrons, naval air test centers, naval air warfare centers, or hold major program management responsibilities within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

Similarly, Marine Corps NFOs are considered also eligible for command at sea and ashore within Marine Aviation, and are also eligible to hold senior general officer positions, such as command of Marine Aircraft Wings, Joint Task Forces, Marine Expeditionary Forces, Marine Corps component command and unified combatant commands.

The counterpart to the NFO in the United States Air Force is the Combat Systems Officer (CSO), encompassing the previous roles of Navigator, Weapons Systems Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer. Although NFOs in the Navy's E-2 Hawkeye aircraft perform functions similar to the USAF Air Battle Manager, their NFO training track is more aligned with that of USAF Combat Systems Officers.

The United States Coast Guard had a short-lived NFO community in the 1980s and 1990s when it temporarily operated E-2C Hawkeye aircraft on loan from the Navy. Following a fatal mishap with one of these aircraft at the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard returned the remaining E-2Cs to the Navy and disestablished its NFO program.