If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
More Marine Aerial Antics
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 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
aerial photography | [email protected] | Home Built | 2 | November 8th 05 02:01 PM |
Aerial Photographs/Aerial Patrols | [email protected] | Piloting | 10 | December 15th 04 01:43 PM |
look for aerial photo of | Moragacawebcam | Military Aviation | 1 | August 28th 04 09:31 PM |
look for aerial photo of | Moragacawebcam | General Aviation | 0 | August 28th 04 09:09 PM |
Marine Is Blamed in Marine Deaths | Henry J Cobb | Military Aviation | 3 | March 30th 04 01:21 AM |