R 261900Z JUN 25 MARADMIN 300/25 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM// SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2026-02 TEST PILOT SCHOOL (TPS) SELECTION PANEL  ANNOUNCEMENT// REF/A/MSGID:  DOC/CMC/YMD:  20241115// REF/B/MSGID:  DOC/CMC/YMD:  20210510// NARR/REF A IS MCO 1542.3E, UNITED STATES NAVY/UNITED STATES AIR FORCE TEST PILOT SCHOOLS.  REF B IS MCO 1300.8 CH 1, MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY.// POC/J. KENNEDY/LTCOL/EXECUTIVE OFFICER/MARINE AVIATION DETACHMENT  (MAD) PATUXENT RIVER/ TEL:  (301) 342-1421, DSN:  342-1421/ EMAIL:  [email protected]// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. The FY26-02 TPS Selection Panel will convene on or about 28 August 2025. Major timeline milestones are: Date                        Milestone                    Note Release of this message     TPS questionnaire open         1  14 August 2025              Completed questionnaire due    2 28 August 2025              FY 26-02 TPS Panel Convenes Note 1:  Refer to paragraph (9) of this message for additional  details regarding questionnaire completion. Note 2:  Applicants must complete the questionnaire by 2359 EST on 14 August 2025. 2.  The FY26-02 TPS Selection Panel will consider applicants for assignment to United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) Class  170, convening July 2026. Additionally, applicants will be  considered for USNTPS Class 171 and Air Force Test Pilot School  (AFTPS) Class 27A, commencing January 2027. The panel will be  considering the best and most fully qualified aviators for primary  and alternate selection.  If no applicants are selected, a  subsequent panel will be held.  3.  Aviators from the type-model-series MOSs listed below this  paragraph (read in four columns) are highly encouraged to apply to  support the test team types listed.  Any selected prospective test  pilot should expect to fly and test their primary platform after  graduation, unless selected for Marine Air-Ground Task Force  Unmanned Aerial System Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX-T).   MUX-T order of desired background is: 7318, 7315,  TACAIR pilots/Naval Flight Officers (NFO), all other fixed wing  aviators. Applicants will be selected and assigned a class  according to program schedules and priorities that may change. The  list of test team types screening is subject to change up until  conclusion of the panel.  MOS               TYPE   CLASS                QUANTITY RW MOS (7563/65)  H-1    USNTPS CLASS 170     1 RW MOS (7566)     H-53   USNTPS CLASS 170     1 FW MOS (UAS/FW)   MUX-T  USNTPS CLASS 170     1 RW MOS (7563/65)  H-1    USNTPS CLASS 171     1 RW MOS (7532)     V-22   USNTPS CLASS 171     1 FW MOS (7557)     C-130  USNTPS CLASS 171     1 FW MOS (7523)     F-18   AFTPS  CLASS 27A     1 4.  Eligibility 4.a.  Eligibility criteria 4.a.1.  Active component commissioned officers on active duty. 4.a.2.  Regular commissioned officers in the rank of first lieutenant and above. 4.a.3.  Designated Naval Aviators or Naval Flight Officers. 4.a.4.  Rotary-wing, tiltrotor, and fixed-wing pilots have a  minimum of 750 military flight hours by the projected class  convening date. 4.a.5. Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) officers have a minimum of 500  UAS flight hours by the projected class convening date. 4.a.6.  Must have successfully completed college physics or  mechanics and college-level mathematics through calculus.  Although  not a requirement, a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering,  physical science, computer science, or mathematics fields is highly  desirable. 4.a.7.  Must meet anthropometric requirements for TPS syllabus  aircraft.  Applicants who fall outside the below requirements may  contact the Marine Aviation Detachment for additional guidance. 4.a.7.a.  Weight:  103-245 lbs. 4.a.7.b.  Sitting height:  32.0" through 40.9". 4.a.7.c.  Buttock-knee length:  21.0" through 27.4". 4.a.8.  All captains shall have completed Professional Military Education (PME) for grade by the projected class convening date. 4.a.9.  Security clearance:  All selected officers must have a  current Tier 5 investigation or Tier 5 reinvestigation with  eligibility for Top Secret/ Sensitive Compartmented Information  (TS/SCI) before transferring to this command.   4.a.10.  Must meet the time on station requirements described in paragraph (5). 4.b.  Ineligibility criteria 4.b.1.  Reserve component commissioned officers. 4.b.2.  Officers in the above-zone for promotion on the convening date of the FY26-02 TPS Selection Panel. 4.b.3.  Officers serving in a joint billet who have not met their minimum time on station requirements by the first day of the month  one month prior to reporting times listed in paragraph (6) class  convening date. 4.b.4.  Officers pending any medical or legal action that would preclude successful completion of the period of instruction and  subsequent tour of duty. 4.b.5.  Officers who have not completed their Commandants  Education Board (CEB) utilization tour by the first day of the month one month prior to reporting times listed in paragraph  (6). 5.  Time on station requirements: 5.a.  Applicants must meet the minimum 24-months time-on-station  requirement for continental United States (CONUS) assignment or be  able to complete their tour control factor for outside the  continental United States (OCONUS) assignments.  If an applicant  does not meet time-on-station requirements, they must submit a  command-endorsed request for Exception To Policy (ETP), via NAVMC  10274 (AA-Form), with the application.  Transfer inside of the  normal 24-months permanent change of station time-on-station  obligation will result in a gap for that command until the  24-month period has concluded.  If an officer is selected prior to  his or her normal rotation date, Manpower Management Officer  Assignments branch will attempt to provide a backfill.  A  commander's endorsement of the applicant’s letter of intent is  considered acknowledgement of this situation.   5.b.  Those officers in a joint billet must meet their minimum time -on-station requirements by the first day of the month one month  prior to reporting times listed in paragraph (6). 5.c.  Weapons and Tactics Instructors (WTIs) must serve a minimum of 18 months in their unit upon successful completion of Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course prior to executing a PCS or PCA.  This requirement does not preclude WTIs from applying to TPS, and orders can be adjusted on a case-by-case basis to ensure this prerequisite is satisfied. 6.  Arrival timelines. Prospective test pilots selected for AFTPS should expect to report the month prior to class convening date  listed in paragraph (2). Because of extensive pre-arrival training  associated with the curriculum, prospective test pilots selected  for USNTPS should expect to report for duty prior to the class  convening date listed in paragraph (2) IAW the below approximate  timelines: T/M/S               Months Prior to Convening Date  UAS Officers/NFOs   2 Rotary Wing Pilots  2 Tiltrotor Pilots    3 Fixed Wing Pilots   5 7.  Officers should report with a current Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) and instrument check in their primary T/M/S. 8.  Exception To Policy.  If an ETP is required for paragraph (4.a.) requirements, it shall be annotated on the online application questionnaire mentioned in paragraph (9.a).  All ETPs will be processed during the selection board.  The requirement for an ETP should not be considered a disqualifier for favorable endorsements by the chain of command. 9.  Application Requirements 9.a.  Complete the entire online application questionnaire by navigating to: https://www2.manpower.usmc.mil/appli cation_cac/edu/consentBanner.jsp?boardID=5045 9.a.1. Applicant shall disclose if they were subject to a Field Flight Performance Board and the results of the board. 9.a.2.  Applicant shall include a scanned "Letter of Intent" to  apply for TPS endorsed through the first colonel (or O6 equivalent)  in their chain of command via a standard letter format.  A letter  of intent template is provided via the MMOA-3 website under the Top  Level Schools and Programs Tab, Test Pilot School Sub-tab at:  https://www.manpower.marines.mil/Divisions/Manpower-Management/Offic er-Assignments/Plans-and-Programs-MMOA-3/#tab/top-level-schools-and- programs.  9.a.3.  Command endorsements should specifically address the flying abilities and aviation leadership qualities of the applicant.  In cases where the endorsing officer has no firsthand knowledge of the applicant's flying ability, a letter of recommendation shall be included from one or more officers who have supervised the applicant in an operational flying billet within the past three years.  9.a.4.  In the event an officer submits an application and is subsequently transferred, endorsements from the gaining command shall also be forwarded. 9.b.  Digital copies of the following documents shall be submitted in a single PDF document, in the following order, via the online application questionnaire: 9.b.1.  Letter of intent (refer to paragraph 9.a.2) and all endorsements. 9.b.2.  Email correspondence from PMOS monitor confirming applicant's eligibility. 9.b.3.  Email correspondence from the Graduate Education Manager  confirming applicant's eligibility. 9.b.4.  1-page applicant military biography without photograph.   Biography should summarize military school experience, operational, flight and leadership experience, as well as other noteworthy personal experiences that would be of interest to the selection board. 9.b.5.  Legible copies of official college transcript(s).  There is no requirement to have official copies sent directly to the selection board from the educational institutions.  Transcript(s) shall show type of degree conferred and date conferred.  Do not submit copies of diplomas. 9.b.6.  Letters of recommendation (optional, maximum of three). 9.b.7.  As required, legible copies of Field Flight Performance Board material and/or any other legal matters. 9.b.8.  All digital documents shall be combined into a single PDF document and uploaded to the survey with the nomenclature: EDIPI_APP_Last Name or EDIPI_ETP_Last Name. 10.  Application procedures.  The application deadline is 2359  Eastern Standard Time on 14 August 2025. 11.  Prospective applicants should contact the MAD Patuxent River  Executive Officer if assistance is needed during the application  preparation process. 12.  All applicants shall submit a complete application package. Information contained in previous applications is not retained after the selection panel. 13.  Points of contact: Fixed Wing Majors Monitor    Major Adam Chase    Comm:  (703) 784-9267    Email:  [email protected] Fixed Wing Company Grade Monitor    Captain Maverick Santamaria    Comm:  (703) 784-9267    Email:  [email protected] Rotary Wing Majors Monitor    Major Brandon Thompson    Comm:  (703) 784-9267    Email:  [email protected] Rotary Wing Company Grade Monitor    Capt Alexander Lee    Comm:  (703) 784-9267    Email:  [email protected] Executive Officer, MAD PAX River   Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kennedy    Comm:  (301) 342-1421   Email:  [email protected]   14.  This MARADMIN is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve. 15.  Release authorized by MajGen Ryan S. Rideout, Director, Manpower Management Division.//