Inside VSX-1: The Navy’s Cutting-Edge Science & Technology Squadron

Meet VSX-1: the Navy’s elite science and technology squadron that takes cutting-edge, never-before-flown gear from the lab to the skies. With uniquely modified aircraft—from heavy-lift P-3s to the Navy’s only Twin Otter—they put new tech to the ultimate test in real-world conditions. A tight-knit team of maintainers, aircrew, and contractors fuel innovation for the Navy, NASA, and beyond, turning experimental ideas into airborne reality.

Transcript

00:00:00 St. Mary's traffic. Navy twin order flight of two. Uh turning right base runway 29.
>> All right, y'all. Woo. We're doing it.
>> All right. VXS1 is the Navy Research Laboratory's uh own squadron. So, our primary job is to put on new capabilities, new boxes that scientists are testing, some

00:00:40 sometimes tested in or built in their garages or just in their shops or at work, something that hasn't been tested before. Uh and we'll put it up on the aircraft to see how it performs. actually in there as opposed to computer simulations
>> as a dedicated science and technology squadron. We're you know designed and intended solely for that purpose. So

00:01:01 we're not working programs record. We are taking brand new equipment that maybe has never been in the air before and take it to where the scientists need to further the research. So, some of the capabilities that VXS1 has, uh, we have two, uh, modified P3 Charlies, uh, which, uh, provide us some heavy lift, so we can take 4 to 6,000 lb worth of equipment up in addition to to people,

00:01:23 uh, which gives us room for a lot of different tests. Uh, we can also mount things on the wing pylons. We also have two lighter aircraft, one C12 and one, uh, Twin Otter aircraft that we can use uh, for lighter lighter budget projects, smaller projects. um something that doesn't need quite the speed or the altitude to go out and test.

00:01:44
>> We've got a Twin Otter. It's the only Twin Otter in the Navy. Uh so to to be able to go low and slow and do those types of missions is really fun, but also to come here and to be able to fly three different platforms is awesome.
>> We're very small. There's only 60 maintainers in the entire squadron. Uh so we have a pretty tight-knit group, which is unique. The VXS1 is a kind of a

00:02:06 unique uh naval asset and the airplanes that we have uh are uh uniquely capable and uniquely configured to support the science of technology mission both for NRL um ONR Naval Research Enterprise and other customers including NAVAIR um US Forest Service, NASA, Noah, anybody else that needs uh um airborne platforms designed and tailored specifically for science and technology missions. waking

00:02:32 up in the morning, super excited to go fly, super excited uh to work with all these guys and gals. We got hard workers out here, their maintenance controllers, the the uh air crew, and our civilian contractors. They everybody's committed to providing good S&T for the fleet out there.