Why are military pilots getting sick?

On June 28, a young Navy officer flying in a two-seater electronic warfare (EW) EA-18G Growler above Washington state suddenly felt tightness in his chest and tingling in his extremities. He instantly recognized his symptoms as signs of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation. The jet was from a training squadron out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island that was diverted to a local airport, and made an “uneventful” landing, according to the Navy. The crew member, an EW warfare officer in training, was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. The incident was among a string of similar physiological episodes (PEs) that leave aviators disoriented and shaken, especially across the Air Force and Navy aircraft, including the T-45C trainer at NAS Meridian, Miss.; T-6 trainer used at Columbus, AFB, Miss.; F-22 fifth-generation AF jet (squadron at Tyndall AFB, Fla.); F-35 fifth-generation jet; EA-18G; and F/A-18. Across the U.S. military fleets, pilots and aircrew are experiencing a dramatic surge in so-called PEs that leaves aviators disoriented and shaken. At worst, these unexplained incidents can be fatal. The Navy has linked four F/A-18 pilot deaths to the events over 10 years. The rate of fatal aircraft crashes has reached a six-year high. It also raises the question of the ability of the U.S. military to resolve a basic problem. In the T-45C fleet, the spike was more significant. In 2009, the Navy reported just one incident, but rose to 38 in 2016. Modifications to the T-45C has reduced the number of incidents, according to Rear Adm. Sara Joyner, who until recently led the Navy’s PE probe. Rear Adm.-select Fredrick Luchtman currently leads that effort. Neither the AF nor Navy has identified a single point of failure or solution to the episodes despite years of investment – a fact that has gotten lawmakers attention. NASA is wading into the fray. After completing a mandated review of the Navy’s investigation into the F/A-18 and EA-18G incidents, which faulted both the Navy and Boeing, the space agency is embarking on a new study of how pilots breathe while flying high-performance aircraft. (Source: Foreign Policy 07/04/18)