Outgoing Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Matthew Baumann (far left), Naval Test Wing Atlantic Commodore Capt. Elizabeth Somerville (middle left), squadron Chief Test Pilot Christian Rice (middle right), and incoming Commanding Officer Cmdr. Nicholas Green (far right) pose for a photo on the flight line against smoky skies over the Patuxent River at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 after a flight where Baumann turned over command to Green during an airborne change of command ceremony on June 8, 2023 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. (U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt)
Cmdr. Nicholas Green took command of the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 Blackjacks from Lt. Col. Matthew Baumann during a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Patuxent River on June 8, 2023.
Naval Test Wing Atlantic Commodore Capt. Elizabeth Somerville presided over the ceremony.
“The scope of responsibility is absolutely immense and the Blackjacks have answered the call every single time,” said Somerville. “Developing and delivering what our military needs would be impossible without the Blackjacks.”
Green assumes command after serving as HX-21’s Chief Test Pilot. Baumann, who led the squadron since May 2022, was selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to become an executive fellow at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California as part of the Secretary of Defense’s Executive Fellowship program.
“In the fleet, results are the end-state,” said Green. “Here [in developmental test], results are just one-half of the equation–our achievements are tied to how we do it.”
Green is a native of Virginia Beach and U.S. Naval Academy alum. The H-60 Seahawk pilot flew with multiple squadrons over various sea and shore tours, including two assignments with HX-21 where he lead Seahawk advancement overseeing all developmental test efforts across each of the Navy’s MH-60R/S variants, international military variants, as well as mission system upgrades and foreign military sales. He also served as chief engineer for the Navy’s H-60 Multi-Mission Helicopters Program. The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) graduate has flown more than 2,300 flight hours in 27 different aircraft.
“I don’t know what’s harder: taking command or giving up command,” said Baumann. “Cmdr. Green will keep moving this squadron forward–I couldn’t have asked for a better leader for the most professional and talented group of people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with.”
Baumann is a California native and Johns Hopkins University graduate. The AH-1W Cobra pilot also flew with various squadrons over multiple sea and shore tours, and deployed three times in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Baumann served as chief engineer and lead foreign military sales for the USMC Light/Attack Helicopter Programs Office before training with Class 144 at the USNTPS. Upon graduation, Baumann oversaw flight test for all Navy and Marine Corps rotary and tilt-rotor aircraft at HX-21 and spent time leading acquisition programs for the Navy’s joint V-22 and CH/MH-53E platforms before taking the helm of the HX-21. Baumann has flown more than 2,000 hours in 28 different aircraft.
HX-21 is a component of Naval Test Wing Atlantic, test wing under the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Nicknamed the “Blackjacks,” the squadron provides developmental flight test and evaluation for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps rotary-wing and tilt-rotor aircraft. NAS Patuxent River is home to HX-21 since 1949 where the squadron advances capability and readiness for six families of aircraft including the CH-53E/K, the C/MV-22, the H-1Y/Z, MH-60R/S, the Presidential Helicopter fleet.
HX-21 is a component of Naval Test Wing Atlantic, under Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. With facilities in Patuxent River, Maryland; Lakehurst, New Jersey; and Orlando, Florida NAWCAD advances capability and operational readiness for naval aviation.
Outgoing Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Matthew Baumann (far left), Naval Test Wing Atlantic Commodore Capt. Elizabeth Somerville (middle left), squadron Chief Test Pilot Christian Rice (middle right), and incoming Commanding Officer Cmdr. Nicholas Green (far right) pose for a photo on the flight line against smoky skies over the Patuxent River at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 after a flight where Baumann turned over command to Green during an airborne change of command ceremony on June 8, 2023 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. (U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt)
