War is Boring

More Marine Aerial Antics
Tuesday April 03rd 2007, 5:32 am
Filed under: Up in the Air

Finding itself cornered by a vicious confluence of policy and
circumstance, the Marine Corps tactical air force is struggling to
transform from today's diverse but depleted fighter fleet - flying
three models of Boeing F/A-18 Hornet plus Boeing AV-8B Harrier jump
jets - to tomorrow's flying just one
type: the forthcoming Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, formerly
Joint Strike Fighter. And questions persist about the Lightning's
suitability to replace all the older designs.

The F-35B is designed to land vertically like the Harrier by way of a
heavy lift-fan. That plus its single seat mean it's perhaps less than
ideal for replacing both two-seat Hornets, which are optimized to
support ground forces, and the nimbler single-seat Hornets that make
Marine aviators some of the most feared dogfighters in the world.

The Marines want to buy around 300 F-35Bs beginning with six in 2008,
but lawmakers have threatened to delay the purchase in order to save
money and to make more time for development. Lieutenant General John
Castellaw, deputy commandant for aviation, says the 2008 purchase is
"very important" if the Corps is going to field the first F-35B
squadron by 2012. He said delays would result in a massive fighter
shortage in five years.

But the shortages, exacerbated by wear and tear from relentless
operations in Iraq, are a problem now. The Marines are shuttering
several fighter squadrons and even borrowing Hornets from the Navy in
a desperate attempt to keep its remaining squadrons fully equipped
with airplanes.

Read more in the current issue of Defense Technology International.
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aw/d...p?startpage=14