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 aviator s ) " per se " , but they may perform many " co - pilot " functions , depending on the type of aircraft . Until 1966 , their duties were performed by both commissioned officer and senior enlisted naval aviation observers . In 1966 , enlisted personnel were removed from naval aviation observer duties ( but continued to serve in enlisted aircrew roles ) , while naval aviation observer officers received the newly established NFO designation , and the NFO insignia was introduced . NFOs in the US Navy all begin their careers as unrestricted line officer s ( 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 US 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 , weapon 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 . Indoctrination . Student NFOs ( SNFO ) initially attend the same classes with student naval aviator s ( SNA ) during Aviation Preflight Indoctrination at Naval Aviation Schools Command ( NASC ) at NAS Pensacola , Florida . Afterwards , they enter a dedicated NFO " pipeline " ( curriculum ) at Training Air Wing Six ( TRAWING 6 ) at NAS Pensacola / Sherman Field . Here they are first assigned to Training Squadron TEN ( VT - 10 Wildcats ) and are taught basic aviation fundamentals in the T - 6A Texan II , including aerobatics and instrument navigation during the primary phase . Based upon performance , personal preference , and needs of the Navy or Marine Corps , NFO students are assigned to various specialized NFO " pipelines " for further training . Training . Training for a naval flight officer is in a tiered system . After primary training is completed , students are selected for either carrier aviation or " maritime " aviation ( i . e . , land - based , larger aircraft ) . Selection is based on a combination of student preference and the rank of the student in his class . The top graduate is typically offered his or her choice of duty . The rest of the graduates are placed in billets according to " the needs of the Navy " or Marine Corps . For carrier aviation student NFOs , training progresses an additional fourteen weeks in the primary training squadron before they are assigned to Training Squadron 86 ( VT - 86 ) for jet training . VT - 86 prepares student NFOs for eventual assignment to F / A - 18F Super Hornet s ( USN ) , F / A - 18D Hornet s ( USMC ) , EA - 18G Growler ( USN ) , or EA - 6B Prowler s ( USN and USMC ) , flying the T - 39 Sabreliner and T - 45 Goshawk . Training in specific fleet aircraft occurs after graduation from advanced NFO training ( i . e . , " winging " ) and is conducted at the respective Fleet Replacement Squadron for the particular type / model / series ( T / M / S ) aircraft . This process also holds true for newly winged NFOs slated for land - based naval aircraft . An exception to this process is for those student NFOs assigned to the E - 2 Hawkeye community , who , following completion of intermediate NFO training at VT - 10 , are transferred to NS Norfolk , Virginia for advanced training at Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120 ( VAW - 120 ) , the E - 2 Hawkeye FRS . VAW - 120 awards these NFOs their wings during their training syllabus at the Fleet Replacement Squadron . Until 2009 , intermediate training for land - based aircraft typically sent student NFOs to Randolph AFB in San Antonio , TX for joint training with the 12th Flying Training Wing ( 12 FTW ) before being sent to Patrol Squadron Thirty ( VP - 30 ) at NAS Jacksonville , Florida , the Fleet Replacement Squadron for the P - 3 Orion and the EP - 3E Aries , or the Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Seven ( VQ - 7 ) , the FRS for the E - 6 Mercury TACAMO aircraft at Naval Air Facility Tinker / Tinker AFB , Oklahoma . Following the divestiture of specialized undergraduate navigator training ( SUNT ) from the Air Force ' s 12 FTW at Randolph AFB and its relocation to NAS Pensacola as the 479th Flying Training Group , a geographically separated unit ( GSU ) of the 12 FTW , a select number of student NFOs slated for the P - 3 Orion , EP - 3 Aries , and eventually the P - 8 Poseidon are being sent directly to VP - 30 , the FRS for P - 3s , EP - 3s and the P - 8 , as part of a prototype advanced training program similar to that historically utilized by the E - 2 community ( i . e . , NFO " winging " at the FRS ) , before beginning the normal FRS syllabus . A similar program for student NFOs slated for the E - 6 Mercury at Tinker AFB , Oklahoma is also underway with VQ - 7 . At present , the Navy is evaluating if this will remain a permanent change or if pre - winging NFO training will eventually shift back to the Naval Air Training Command . NFO training has recently undergone an extensive overhaul under a program known as undergraduate military flight officer ( UMFO ) . The UMFO program continues to use the T - 6A Texan II aircraft , has replaced the T - 2C Buckeye with the T - 45C Goshawk . Long term plans include eventually replacing the T - 39G / N with a modified T - 45C Goshawk once further navigational training system upgrades are made to NFO - specific T - 45C aircraft ( including a synthetic radar with both stored air - to - ground and data link - based air - to - air modes ) operated by Training Air Wing Six , the parent command for all student NFO training squadrons at NAS Pensacola . Naval aviator vs naval flight officer . Naval flight officers operate some of the advanced systems on board most multi - crew naval aircraft , and some may also act as the overall tactical mission commanders of single or multiple aircraft assets during a given mission . NFOs are not formally trained to pilot the aircraft , although they do train in some dual - control aircraft and are given the opportunity to practice basic airmanship techniques . Some current and recently retired naval aircraft with side - by - side seating are also authorized to operate under dual - piloted weather minimums with one pilot and one NFO . However , in the unlikely event that the pilot of a single piloted naval aircraft becomes incapacitated , the crew would likely eject or bail out , if possible , as NFOs are not normally qualified to land the aircraft , especially in the carrier - based shipboard environment . NFOs serve as weapon systems officers ( WSOs ) , electronic warfare officers ( EWO ) , electronic countermeasures officers ( ECMO ) , tactical coordinators ( TACCO ) , bombardiers , and navigators . They can serve as aircraft mission commanders , although in accordance with the OPNAVINST 3710 series of instructions , the pilot in command , regardless of rank , is always responsible for the safe piloting of the aircraft . Many NFOs achieve flight lead , mission lead and mission commander qualification , even when the pilot of the aircraft does not have that designation . Often , a senior NFO is paired with a junior pilot ( and vice versa ) . NFO astronauts have also flown aboard the Space Shuttle as mission specialists and wear NFO - astronaut wings . Like their naval aviator counterparts , NFOs in both the Navy and Marine Corps have commanded aviation squadrons , carrier air wings , shore - based functional air wings and air groups , Marine Aircraft Groups , air facilities , air stations , aircraft carriers , carrier strike groups , Marine Aircraft Wings , Marine Expeditionary Forces , and numbered fleets . Two NFOs have reached four star rank , one as a Marine Corps general having served as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps , and the other as a Navy admiral having commanded U . S . Fleet Forces Command & U . S . Atlantic Fleet , U . S . Pacific Command ( USPACOM ) and U . S . Central Command ( USCENTCOM ) . Another former NFO who retrained and qualified as a naval aviator also achieved four star rank as a Marine Corps general , has commanded U . S . Strategic Command ( USSTRATCOM ) and served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Notable NFOs . As a captain , Vice Admiral Richard Dunleavy was the first NFO to command an aircraft carrier , the . He previously flew in the A - 3 Skywarrior , A - 5 Vigilante , RA - 5C Vigilante and A - 6 Intruder . Later in his career , he was promoted to rear admiral and vice admiral , and was the first NFO to hold the since disestablished position of Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air Warfare ( OP - 05 ) . He retired in 1993 . Rear Admiral Benjamin Thurman Hacker was the first NFO flag officer , having been selected in 1980 . He previously flew in the P - 2 Neptune and P - 3 Orion . He retired in 1988 . Captain Dale Gardner was the first NFO to qualify and fly as a NASA Mission Specialist Astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle " Challenger " on mission STS - 8 . He previously flew the F - 14 Tomcat . He retired in 1990 . Rear Admiral Nora W . Tyson was the first female NFO to command a warship , the amphibious assault ship , and the first female naval officer to command an aircraft carrier strike group , Carrier Strike Group Two , aboard the . She previously flew in the land - based EC - 130Q Hercules and the E - 6 Mercury TACAMO aircraft . Vice Admiral David C . Nichols was the Deputy Coalition Air Forces Component Commander ( Deputy CFACC ) during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom . He was the first NFO to command the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center , the second NFO to command a numbered fleet , the U . S . 5th Fleet and was later Deputy Commander of U . S . Central Command . He previously flew in the A - 6 Intruder . He retired in 2007 . Vice Admiral ( Admiral selectee ) Harry B . Harris , Jr . , is the first NFO from the land - based maritime patrol aviation community to command a numbered fleet , the U . S . 6th Fleet and the first member of the maritime patrol community , pilot or NFO , to be nominated for four - star rank . The prospective Commander , U . S . Pacific Fleet , he previously flew in the P - 3C Orion . Admiral William Fallon , an NFO who flew in the RA - 5C Vigilante and the A - 6 Intruder , was the first NFO to achieve 4 - star rank . In 2006 , he was appointed by President George W . Bush to lead U . S . Central Command ( USCENTCOM ) . He had previously commanded U . S . Pacific Command ( USPACOM ) and U . S . Fleet Forces Command as a 4 - star admiral prior to his USCENTCOM assignment , and as a vice admiral , was the first NFO to command a numbered fleet , the U . S . 2nd Fleet . He retired in 2008 . General William L . Nyland , USMC was the first Marine Corps NFO to achieve 4 - star rank as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps . As a lieutenant general , he was also the first NFO to serve as Deputy Commandant for Aviation . He previously flew in the F - 4 Phantom II and the F / A - 18 Hornet , and he retired in 2005 . General James E . Cartwright , USMC was initially qualified as a Marine Corps NFO in the F - 4 Phantom II before attending pilot training as a captain and being re - designated as a naval aviator , subsequently flying as a pilot in the F - 4 , the OA - 4 Skyhawk and the F / A - 18 Hornet . He was the eighth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . He previously served as the Commander , U . S . Strategic Command ( USSTRATCOM ) , from September 1 , 2004 to August 10 , 2007 , and as Acting Commander , U . S . Strategic Command from July 9 , 2004 to September 1 , 2004 . He assumed the vice chairmanship on August 31 , 2007 and retired in September 2011 . The fleet . In the fleet , NFOs are currently assigned to Navy and Marine squadrons flying the EA - 18G Growler , F / A - 18F Super Hornet , F / A - 18D Hornet ( USMC Only ) , EA - 6B Prowler , E - 6 Mercury , E - 2C / D Hawkeye , EP - 3 Aries , the P - 3C Orion and the P - 8A Poseidon . In the EA - 6B Prowler NFOs are designated as electronic countermeasures officers ( ECMOs ) and may also be mission commanders . In the EA - 18G Growler NFOs are designated as electronic warfare officers ( EWOs ) and may also be mission commanders . In the E - 2C Hawkeye and E - 2D Advanced Hawkeye , NFOs are initially as designated Radar Officers ( RO ) , then upgrade to Air Control Officers ( ACO ) and finally to Combat Information Center Officers ( CICO ) and CICO / Mission Commanders ( CICO / MC ) . In the E - 6B Mercury , NFOs are designated as airborne communications officers ( ACOs ) and may also be mission commanders ( ACO / MC ) . In the EP - 3E Aries , NFOs are initially designated as Navigators ( NAV ) and eventually upgrade to electronic warfare officer / signals evaluator ( EWO SEVAL ) and EWO / SEVAL / mission commander ( SEVAL / MC ) . In the F / A - 18F Super Hornet and F / A - 18D Hornet , the NFO position is known as the weapons systems officer ( WSO ) and may also be mission commander qualified . In the P - 3C Orion and P - 8A Poseidon , the NFO is initially designated as a navigator / communicator ( NAV / COM ) and eventually upgrades to tactical coordinator TACCO and then TACCO / mission commander ( TACCO / MC ) . NFOs also serve as instructors or mission commanders in current versions of the T - 39 Sabreliner and USAF T - 1A Jayhawk . In all , the specific roles filled by an NFO can vary greatly depending on the type of aircraft to which an NFO is assigned . Past aircraft . NFOs also flew in these retired aircraft , including as mission commander : NFOs have also served as instructors / mission commanders in since retired training aircraft such as the UC - 45 Expeditor , T - 29 Flying Classroom , earlier variants of the T - 39 Sabreliner , the TC - 4C Academe , T - 47A Citation II and the USAF T - 43A Bobcat .