Jan 26 2023

Video: What's in the kit of a U.S. Navy fighter pilot?

What’s in the kit of Lieutenant David Cattano, a US Navy fighter pilot? A pair of pants that squeeze his legs to keep blood in his head during high-speed manoeuvres, and a helmet that lets him lock on targets wherever he looks, to name a few items.

Cattano serves in Strike Fighter Squadron 37, the ‘Raging Bulls,’ which embarked on the supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford as it cruised to Europe for its first deployment. He flew his F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter on several training missions off the coast of Portugal, taking off from and landing on the US Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, which sailed in a multinational carrier strike group consisting of 11 ships from 6 NATO Allies.

The USS Gerald R. Ford’s first deployment lasted from early October to late November 2022, with port visits in Halifax, Canada and Portsmouth, England.