America (LHA-6) returns to Ingalls Shipyard Jan. 31, 2014 from acceptance trials. US Navy Photo
THE PENTAGON – The Navy and Marine Corps amphibious fleet is on the cusp of two major changes – the introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter and the growth of the fleet from 30 to 33 ships – that will change the way the fleet trains and fights, the director of expeditionary warfare told USNI News. Read More
AV-8B Harriers and an MV-22 Osprey sit on the flight deck at night aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) on Oct. 8, 2014. US Navy photo.
PENTAGON — The Navy and Marine Corps should explore ways to make Marine aircraft a more useful part of the naval battle force – using alternate mixes of aircraft types on amphibious ship flight decks, finding additional missions for those aircraft, and pursuing increased connectivity to the rest of the naval fleet, the deputy commandant for aviation told USNI News. Read More
An F-35B Lightning II aircraft takes off from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1). US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include the F-35 software fielding timeline.
PENTAGON – The Marine Corps aviation community is keeping busy preparing to send its first F-35B Joint Strike Fighters to Japan in January 2017, ensuring the training and logistics pipelines are ready for global deployment of the new plane, the deputy commandant for aviation told USNI News. Read More
Salty Dog 502 as part of an April 11, 2015 non-contact test with a refueling tanker. The first successful autonomous refueling occurred on April 22, 2015. US Navy Photo
The House and Senate armed services committees came to an agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2016, releasing a $604.2-billion authorization plan after months of hashing out nearly 900 discrepancies between the bills. Read More
An artist’s rendering of the future HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier. Royal Navy Image
LONDON — The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II strike fighters on combat sorties from Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, a senior U.K. Royal Navy officer has confirmed. Read More
Lockheed Martin test pilot Billie Flynn puts F-35B test aircraft BF-02 into pre-contact position behind a US Air Force KC-135 tanker on the range near NAS Patuxent River, Md., on 5 September 2014. Photo courtesy F-35 Lightning II Program Office.
The Marine Corps’ Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will have the stealth of a fifth-generation fighter and a weapons payload surpassing a fourth-generation fighter by the time a software upgrade is ready for fielding in 2017, the Marines’ top aviator said this week. Read More
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan (right), the Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, and U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, Deputy Commandant Aviation, along with distinguished visitors from the U.S. Department of Defense and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, watch as an F-35B lands on the flight deck of USS Wasp (LHD-1) off the coast of Virginia on May 20, 2015. US Marine Corps Photo
The Marine Corps declared initial operational capability on its variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), after a final assessment showed the plane and its crew are not only ready to fight overseas if needed but also maintain and sustain the plane during extended operations. Read More
The Bell Boeing V-22 Program successfully completed an initial test of the V-22 Osprey performing as an aerial refueling tanker. In the August demonstration over north Texas, a V-22 equipped with a prototype aerial refueling system safely deployed, held stable, and retracted the refueling drogue as an F/A-18 Hornet flew just behind and to the side of the aircraft. Bell Boeing photo.
The Marine Corps expects to have its V-22 Aerial Refueling System (VARS) ready for early F-35B operations despite a one-year delay in securing funding, the Marines’ top aviator told USNI News. Read More
F-35Bs aboard USS Wasp (LHD-1) during operational testing at sea in May 2015. US Marine Corps photo.
PENTAGON – When the time comes for the Marines’ first F-35B Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs) to deploy on an amphibious assault ship, the six aircraft on the float will bring more strike, sensing and communications capabilities than the three platforms they replace, the deputy commandant for aviation said. Read More
An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Operational and Test Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 22 prepares to touch down aboard Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 9. US Marine Corps photo.
A previous version of this story indicated the U.S. Marine Corps flies F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets. In fact, the USMC flies the F/A-18 C/D Hornet. The post has been amended.
PENTAGON – The Marine Corps added one final test before deciding whether to declare initial operational capability for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF): a first-ever Operational Readiness Inspection. Read More
