The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

's material-support organization for

naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based ...

from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and related systems. Aerial weapons, however, were under the cognizance of the Navy's

Bureau of Ordnance The Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd) was a United States Navy organization, which was responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval weapons, between the years 1862 and 1959. History Congress established the Bureau in the Departme ...

(BuOrd).

Origins

The USN's first attempt for naval aviation began in 1908 when it conducted observations of the Wright Brothers aircraft at

Fort Myer, Virginia Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, ...

.https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/pdf/History%20(1).pdf

First tests and Naval Aviation Corps

The first test of an aircraft from naval vessel was in 1910 when a

Curtiss Model D The 1911 Curtiss Model D (or frequently "Curtiss Pusher") was an early United States pusher aircraft with the engine and propeller behind the pilot's seat. It was among the first aircraft in the world to be built in any quantity, during an era ...

flown by

Eugene Burton Ely Eugene Burton Ely (October 21, 1886 – October 19, 1911) was an American aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft take off and landing. Background Ely was born in Williamsburg, Iowa, and raised in Davenport, Iowa. Having ...

took off from the

USS Birmingham (CL-2) USS ''Birmingham'' (CS-2/CL-2), named for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was a scout cruiser, reclassified a light cruiser in 1920. Entering service in 1908, the ship became known for the first airplane takeoff from a ship in history in 1910 ...

and again on

USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4) The second USS ''Pennsylvania'' (ACR/CA-4), also referred to as Armored Cruiser No. 4, and later renamed ''Pittsburgh'', was a United States Navy armored cruiser, the lead ship of her class. She was originally assigned the name ''Nebraska'' b ...

in early 1911. These test was enough for the USN to establish naval aviation units in the summer of 1911. The purchase of the first naval aircraft in May 1911 and passage of naval appropriations act in August 1916 lead to the establishment of the Naval Reserve Flying Corps, which would train and deploy air corps for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Formal Organization of Naval Aviation

Curtiss R3C-2 at Naval Aircraft Factory 1926

Congress established BuAer in 1921 in order to create a single organizational home for naval aviation. Prior to 1921, cognizance for aviation had been divided among various Navy bureaus and other organizations. The first Chief of BuAer was Rear Admiral

William A. Moffett William Adger Moffett (October 31, 1869 – April 4, 1933) was an American admiral and Medal of Honor recipient known as the architect of naval aviation in the United States Navy. Biography Born October 31, 1869 in Charleston, South Carolina, ...

(1869–1933), a Medal of Honor recipient and battleship commander who had long supported the development of naval aviation. He served as bureau chief from 1921 until his death in 1933, in the crash of the

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

''USS Akron'' (ZRS-4). Working closely with RADM Moffett, CAPT

Henry C. Mustin (1874–1923) Henry Croskey Mustin (6 February 1874 – 23 August 1923) was a pioneering naval aviator who undertook the task of establishing the first Naval Aeronautic Station (now Naval Air Station Pensacola) on the site of the abandoned Navy Yard at Warring ...

served as BuAer's first Assistant Chief helping lead naval aviation to the forefront of American military strength. A talented administrator, Moffett ensured the continued independence of naval aviation during the 1920s, when Army Brig. Gen.

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

and others sought to merge all U.S. military aviation into a single, independent air force. Upon Moffett's death, he was succeeded as Chief of the Bureau by Rear Admiral

Ernest J. King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was an American naval officer who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. As COMINCH-CNO, he directed the Un ...

, a future Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Other important bureau chiefs included Rear Admiral John S. McCain Sr., the grandfather of U.S. Senator John S. McCain III (R-Ariz.). During the 1930s, BuAer presided over rapid technological change in naval aircraft. The bureau's policy was to limit its own production, in order to support the civilian aircraft industry. BuAer used the

Naval Aircraft Factory The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established by the United States Navy in 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created to help solve aircraft supply issues which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I. ...

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, as a facility for building small numbers of prototype aircraft.

World War II and the postwar period

brought immense changes as well. BuAer was forced to expand rapidly in order to comply with the nation's defense needs. By the war's end, the bureau had developed an administrative structure that oversaw thousands of personnel, and the procurement and maintenance of tens of thousands of aircraft. In 1943, the Navy established the position of Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air, or DCNO(Air), a move which relieved some of BuAer's responsibility for Fleet operations. RADM McCain, now promoted to vice admiral, was the first to fill the position. BuAer downsized after the war, but continued its focus on aeronautical research and development. But as naval technology became increasingly complex, it became clear that the Navy's material organization was insufficient. In particular, the Navy needed better integration of aerial weapons with naval aircraft. There was also the question of "pilotless aircraft" (the ancestors of the late 20th century's

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...

s); BuAer considered these to be aircraft, while BuOrd saw them as guided missiles. To fix the problem, in 1959 the Navy merged BuAer and BuOrd to create the

Bureau of Naval Weapons The Bureau of Naval Weapons (BuWeps) was part of the United States Navy's material organization between 1959 and 1966, with responsibility for procurement and support of naval aircraft and aerial weapons, as well as shipboard and submarine naval we ...

(BuWeps). This was only a temporary solution, however, and in 1966 the Navy undertook a wholesale revision of its material organization. The bureau system, which had existed since the 1840s, was replaced with the "Systems Commands" (SYSCOMs). BuWeps was replaced with the current

Naval Air Systems Command The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the successor to the ...

(NAVAIR).

Bureau chiefs

References

External links

Naval Aviation History Office/Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C.

{{NHC 1921 establishments in the United States 1959 disestablishments in the United States Air units and formations of the United States Navy Aeronautics Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1959 United States naval aviation