"John S. Shinal" wrote:


I'm merely an amateur observer, but it looks like there are a
couple of issues.

Deployment to theater - means one fewer USN CTOL squadrons
aboard the carrier once in theater. This might not be a big deal if
you are mostly tasked with CAS for Marines, but for a large campaign
using two CVNs, would they configure both air wings with a Marine
squadron or not ?

No idea. But if the opportunity arose to move the marines ashore to an FOB, they
probably would.

Cyclic ops - CTOL has long operated with tightly timed
launches and deployments - do you launch and recover CTOL a/c together
and STOVL together, but never mix types ?

That certainly can be an issue, but with the reduced airgroups there may well be room
to do both simultaneously. Perhaps the angle will be used by the STOVL a/c to make
free runs, while the bow cats shoot off the rest, or vice-versa (this will require
some experiment). The ability of STOVL a/c to make simultaneous or near simultaneous
landings (by section or on CVs, even by division) probably makes landings, at least, a
non-issue.

How do you change over deck if you are landing a stack of CTOL
a/c and a STOVL has a an emergency landing ?

Where's the problem? Even assuming that the STOVL a/c can't just find a piece of
empty deck starboard, it can just get in the regular pattern. It's not as if they
have to reconfigure the deck (or do emergency pull-forwards), as would be the case
with a conventional carrier a/c declaring an emergency.

Are they planning deck run takeoffs with JSF ? (!!!!!)

Sure (I assume you're referring to the F-35B). FAIK they could do them with the
F-35Cs as well, at least when fairly light, if they've got the t/w ratio. This would
return the situation to what it was in WW2, when a deck-load strike was catapulted off
until there was adequate t/o run available, at which point the remaining a/c made
(faster cycle) free take-offs. Typically the fighters were furthest forward as they
required the shortest run, then dive bombers and/or torpedo planes.

Guy