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| The first F-35C Lightning II for the US Marine Corps was delivered to Eglin AFB, Florida, on 13 January 2015. Marine Lt. Col. J.T. Ryan, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501 detachment commander, flew the aircraft (Bureau Number 169031) from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to the base near Fort Walton Beach. It is assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101), the US Navy’s only F-35C fleet replacement squadron. This aircraft is the first of five Marine Corps F-35Cs that will be delivered to VFA-101. The delivery marks the beginning of Marine training in the F-35 carrier variant. The first operational Marine Corps F-35C fleet squadron, VMFA-115, is scheduled to stand up at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, in 2019. |
Have you been keeping track of the numbers of F-35's the US Navy is planning on deploying with each carrier? Do you remember the number of F-35C's the USMC is programmed to buy?
Is it possible that the US Navy is going to get out of buying the F-35C by relying on the USMC to provide their carrier wings with the few aircraft needed? I've speculated that some kind of deal must have been struck for the US Navy to pick the MV-22 for the COD mission and this seems like a trade they'd be willing to make.
One thing we do know.
No one is enthused about the F-35 anymore. Its seen as a bad plane that must be bought because we've gone too far to turn back now (I totally disagree with that but more on it later). Everyone from US Senators, to the Commandant of the Marine Corps is unhappy about the situation they find themselves in with regard to this plane.
The cutbacks are coming, the planning for the 6th gen has already begun and the only thing left to do is assign blame for the biggest procurement boondoggle in the history of defense procurement...anywhere.
Saddled? Maybe. There has been a longstanding MOU between the Navy and the Marine Corps about F-35C buys. Originally 80 F-35Cs would be Marine aircraft, to cover their share of CVN embarked aircraft because the Marines refused to buy F/A-18 E/FAs. That number has somehow been reduced by 13 to 67 -Cs, while the Navy remains at 260. Coincidentally, the USMC planned buy of F-35Bs has increased to 353. Funny that.
ReplyDeletething is, if F35 cancelled, whats their replacement ? after all those hype and hoopla about 5th gen, now everyone going hoopla with 4.5 gen and non stealth platform ? basically admitting that stealth / LO alone are not enough anymore ?
ReplyDeleteso the interim solution will be advanced super hornet and silent eagle ? why not just reopen F22 production line with avionics upgrade for F22 ?
After the debacle with US procurement, I suspect people will rather tie in with the Koreans or Japanese for the "5th gen" stealth fighter. Remember, most of the rest of the planet do not have stealth aircraft yet. At least the Japs are known to be on time.
DeleteOwl,
DeleteHow sure are we on the Japanese Stealth Fighter? Wasnt it supposed to be a bargaining chip kind of Research Project rather than a fully determined project? The South Korean project looks more promising though...and with more political/military support as well
buntalanlucu, that's just it, 5th gen is mere marketing hoopla, meant to sell the plane.
DeleteRemember, the F35 was supposed to replace the F16 in the F15-F16 Hi-Low combo, but at the prices it is being built at, it's more of a F-22 as the High and the F35 as almost as High in terms of price and capability.
The F35 is a dog and it's gone feral. Someone needs to be brave enough to step up and put a bullet in their old pet before it does more damage. Forget the money we've spent on it, we can't get it back even if we built it in the numbers they want. Someone put this dog down.
That would be a waste Para, the basic airframe is still good to go, so we can still use it as a bare bones plane, once the lab boys get over their "fusion sensor" fixation. Take the basic frame, use all the old tried and proven equipment on it instead of experimental stuff and you're more or less good to go.
DeleteLess experimental stuff, more practical. From what I can see, the basics are already there, it's the tweaking for the "5th gen" (which I totally agree it is LM hype to make their plane look "unique") that is delaying the project and driving up costs.
I've wondered how that would work out as well, especially for the B version. I'm not sure if the A/C will ever have the performance to justify replacing current platforms, especially twin engine ones. But close up the internal weapons bay and use that for extra fuel an a gun, put an additional hard point on top of that area, and use the wing hard points and you would have a super sonic harrier replacement.
Delete