Amphib decks to decide future of F-35Bs? - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Amphib decks to decide future of F-35Bs?

The future of Marines on aircraft carriers may hinge on the F-35 program.

The Marine Corps, which is the only U.S. service that has not announced a significant delay for the Joint Strike Fighter, remains fully committed to the F-35B Lightning II short take-off, vertical landing variant. Marine officials already have purchased 29 planes in the fiscal 2008-2010 budgets and officials insist they are on track to see a squadron operational by December 2012.

The test plane, BF-1, conducted its first vertical landing March 18, checking off a major milestone in the F-35B program. But that event was delayed by almost a year. Still, officials with Lockheed Martin, the F-35’s lead manufacturer, and the Corps said they are confident the timeline will be met, adding that the first two training aircraft are expected to be delivered by the end of 2010.

“We are going to be able to operate our planes from the sea, on our amphibious force fleets initially, and we’ll move ashore to the same kinds of forward operating bases that we operate the AV-8B,” Lt. Gen. George Trautman, the deputy commandant for aviation, said in a conference call with reporters.

Trautman said nothing about the Corps’ jets operating from carriers — as the Marines F/A-18 Hornets do today — but he did say the first F-35 squadron is expected to deploy with a Marine expeditionary unit in 2014.

Some observers say the Corps’ commitment to the F-35B is driven by a long-term desire to break away from Navy carriers. A powerful and versatile fighter jet that could operate from smaller-deck amphibs would grant the Marines more autonomy than ever before.

“If the F-35B makes its numbers, that empowers the Marines in their effort to get a divorce from the traditional large carrier groups,” said Richard Aboulafia, a defense analyst with the Teal Group in Virginia.

Big Navy is not happy about the potential break-up.

At a time when the Navy is already facing questions about whether it really needs 11 carriers in the fleet, the leadership will have an even harder time persuading lawmakers to fund the world’s largest ships if the Corps doesn’t have any use for them.

The Corps, however, wants a fifth-generation fighter capable of operating off carriers, amphibs and from forward operating bases downrange, said Capt. Craig Thomas, a Marine spokesman based at the Pentagon.

Commandant Gen. James Conway has admitted that the service does not have a clear alternative to the F-35B, since it opted not to purchase any new F/A-18 Super Hornets. The service’s aging Hornets will start transitioning out of service in fiscal 2013 as will its Harriers.

That means questions about the future of the F-35 may lead to even more questions about the future of the Corps’ fixed-wing fleet, according to some analysts. If the F-35 became too expensive, the Marines may have no other options. While the Navy can just buy more Super Hornets, the Corps has expressed no interest in buying them or extending the purchase of the AV-8B Harriers.

“In the end, the Marines may not have a jump jet,” said James Hasik, a defense analyst in Virginia. “I’m not terribly convinced of the argument that the Marine Corps actually needs its own close-support arm that isn’t rotary driven.”

Winslow Wheeler, an analyst with the Center for Defense Information in Washington, agreed.

“How many times have you seen an AV-8B land next to a unit engaged in combat to talk to the commander and get insights on the close-air support mission?” Wheeler said. “I don’t think it’s ever happened.”

Thomas says the Corps has no intention of saying goodbye to its fixed-wing fleet. The Corps’ commitment to the aircraft is a key factor, said Bob Dunn, a retired Navy vice admiral who has watched it closely.

“When the Marines get dedicated to something, they are going to go for it — come hell or high water,” he said.

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Staff writer Amy McCullough contributed to this report.