Fleet Readiness Center Southwest
Fleet Readiness Center Southwest is an American naval aviation repair and maintenance facility based at the NAS North Island complex in San Diego, California.
History
FRCSW was established in 1919 on NAS North Island CA. It was the U.S. Department of Defense's first aviation maintenance and repair facility, making it the birthplace of U.S. naval aviation maintenance. The largest of six main Fleet Readiness Centers in the US Navy, it provides support to Navy and Marine Corps tactical, logistical and rotary wing aircraft and their components. It maintains field sites at Point Mugu, Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, MCAS Yuma, MCAS Kaneohe Bay, NAS Whidbey Island, MCAS Futenma and MCAS Iwakuni.Personnel and mission
In 2023, FRCSW employed 4,172 people, 697 of whom were military.Its mission statement is, "We generate readiness through timely and responsive production of engines, aircraft, and components for the warfighter."
Products
FRCSW is the only Navy facility performing overhaul on General Electric LM2500 Marine Gas Turbine engines, which power a large number of the Navy's surface fleet including Spruance-Class, Aegis-Class, and Burke-Class surface warfare ships. It repairs and maintains the steam-powered catapults, arresting gear systems and landing guidance systems onboard Navy aircraft carriers. It has three 3-D printers capable of producing a variety of aircraft components, such as aircraft tailhooks, and covers to covers cracks found on F-18s.Past commanders
- Captain Luis Rivera
- Captain Christopher Couch
- Captain Marc Farnsworth
- Captain Steve Leehe
- Captain Anthony Jaramillo
- Captain Craig Owen
- Captain Timothy H. Pfannenstein
- Captain Donald B. Simmons, III
- Captain John C. Smajdek
- Captain N. F. Melnick
- Captain Michael A. Kelly
- Captain F. E. Cleveland
- Captain W. T. Trainer
- Captain James G. Woolway
- Captain Peter J. Laszcz
- Captain Emory L. Chenoweth
- Captain Coleen A. Watry