You realize the F-35B has VTOL capabilities, like the Harrier?
Code Over Country by Matthew Cole
- Thread starter AWP
- Start date
To be clear, the AV8Bs are early 80s aircraft way past their prime. It would’ve been inconceivable for the Corps to adopt a replacement that was not VTOL and impossible for the Corps to resist the JSF program. As it stands the 35Bs and CATOBAR C’s will fully replace the old AV8s in the next year or so. Most of the Harriers are already bone-yarded. A few carrier based Marine VMFs will get the C variant. I was very critical early on of the viability of the CAS role of the 35 over the A-10, and of airframe deficiencies on the 35B… but in the latter case, serious teething issues are common with complex aircraft and later blocks eliminate many of these. (Like others, I also expressed doubts about the early V22 and its occasions to kill aircrews; and in NC I covered enough Harrier mishaps when they were crunching with some regularity into the tarmac at Cherry Point.)
As far as tanks are concerned, the Corps’ vision for the near future does not require heavy armor so ridding itself of tanks was a necessary move to achieve a leaner operational profile. I’m cool with that. The Corps bloated into army-size in the Pacific in WW2—only because it had to—and despite force reductions still retained a lot of that weight through VN and the GWOT. It has to remain compact and unique to stay relevant or else it’s just a redundant component of the DoD,
I have no lingering nostalgia for outdated TTP or technology when it comes to the lethal hitting power of my country or my Marine Corps.
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Tanks are expensive and require considerable manpower to employ and maintain. The Corps could either look to future capabilities or keep tanks. Congress and the Navy would not fund both. At first I was anti removing tanks but as evidenced in Ukraine, tiny ass drones are taking out armor. Ship killing will turn tides of a war.
No country (including China) can crank out ships like during WW2. There’s way too much technology that goes into them.
No country (including China) can crank out ships like during WW2. There’s way too much technology that goes into them.
Devildoc
Verified Military
Fixed it for you. Yeah, they are old and the ratio of wrench hours-to-flight hours is just insane. I love them, but definitely time to go. Both last existing Harrier squadrons are slated to transition next year. I'm not sold on the F-35 as a CAS replacement, but a) I am not in the know, and b) no one asked me anyway.
70’s design and concept, R&D, test flight 1978, but they didn’t go into service until ‘85 so I’ll stand with my original sentence which better designates the actual beginning of day-to-day flight operations, hence the start of wear and tear on airframes etc
Devildoc
Verified Military
I was going by the original production date of 1969*, with my point of it being old. Yes, the Marines did not start using it until 85, by which time the design was over 15 years old. So I'll stand by original sentence of whatever it was.
*with the Limeys
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You are right and I am right in our different perspectives, where we choose to start the discussion over aircraft “life.” You start at conception, I start with the first diaper change.
At the time AV8’s first began service at MCAS Cherry Point etc, I was serving in the NCANG and there was intense interest among us in the aircraft…not to mention considerable criticism among aircrews after early mishaps, which were not infrequent.
At the time AV8’s first began service at MCAS Cherry Point etc, I was serving in the NCANG and there was intense interest among us in the aircraft…not to mention considerable criticism among aircrews after early mishaps, which were not infrequent.
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ThunderHorse
Verified Military
F-22's first flight was in 1997. It entered service in 2005.
F-35's first flight was in 2005. It entered service in 2015.
F-35's first flight was in 2005. It entered service in 2015.
Devildoc
Verified Military
I grew up and went to college in eastern NC, it felt like there was an AC going down every other week. On a couple of reserve ATs I was a SAR corpsman on Pedro at Cherry point and we lifted for a couple events, but by the time we got 'there' the pilot had already been recovered by local authorities.
