Henry J Cobb wrote:
Mike Weeks wrote:
Henry J Cobb wrote:
B: The USMC plans to buy zero F-35Cs.

So? That means, what? That the USMC is going to keep their F/A-18s is
what it means ...

Forever?

Who stated anything about "forever"? Nothing is "forever".

This looks like a plan for a breakup, not a merger to me.

Well, since the "merger" has already taken place, then it's possible a
"breakup" could be the next step; but only if it's agreed to by the
major partner, the USN ...

The USMC F/A-18s will serve their last few years on the big decks and
then not be replaced there by another Marine aircraft, ever.

No, the USMC F/A-18s will serve both aboard the big decks, and ashore
-- as currently is being done.

Down the road, a good number of years from now, you might wish to
wonder what will happen to USMC fix-wing air (non-VSTOL) and how that
will impact the TAIP -- but given that just about everything now days
is written in jello, I might suggest waiting to see how the intro of
the F-35 series goes; it might then become more obvious.