The F/A-18E/F and EA-18G Acquisition Programs Green Hornet Team recently captured its fourth consecutive Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition team award.

Established in 1993, the team focuses on developing ideas that lead to improving existing processes or products—or sometimes replacing them with more environmentally progressive substitutes. The team’s work has had a direct impact at St. Louis-based Boeing facilities, helping to reduce hazardous wastes by more than 62 percent, since 2005.

Led by the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 and EA-18G program office, PMA-265, the team is composed of members from Boeing and other key Super Hornet suppliers, including Hornet Industry Team members Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and GE Aviation.

The team has made extensive progress, such as investigating ways to reduce engine noise and green house gas emissions. Other successes include reducing – sometimes eliminating – airborne paint dust created by sanding operations. The new paint removal process developed by the team reduced paint dust particles and slashed process time by more than 4 hours per aircraft.