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Video by Timothy Boulay, Corinne Milligan, Charles Regner

K-12 students design the Navy’s Next Jet

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division

Nov. 20, 2024 | 3:02

The U.S. Navy called upon students across the Southern Maryland region to draw on their innovation and creativity to design naval aviation's next jet in an inaugural competition by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).

"The aviation pros of Southern Maryland are the foundation of what makes America's Navy the most capable and dominant force in the skies," said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. John Dougherty IV. "The Navy's Next Jet Competition builds up our community's next generation of aviation excellence."

The Navy's Next Jet Competition launched on Sept. 4, 2024, and invited K-12th graders across St. Mary's, Charles, and Calvert counties to submit their futuristic jet designs for a chance to earn a tour of a NAWCAD squadron, meet the pilots, and experience Naval Aviation up close. The competition's top designs were featured on exhibit at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.

Naval aviation leaders judged student designs across the competition's three submission categories - K-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th grades - based on creativity, feasibility, and innovation. The students were presented with awards at a ceremony held at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum on November 8, 2024, which launched a museum exhibit showcasing contest designs and chronicling naval aviation past, present, and future.