The following are just some thoughts around the USMC and their AV-8B Harrier.
Number of AV-8Bs built for all customers: 323
Program cost US$6.5 billion (1987)
Unit cost US$24–30 million
USMC AV-8B mission capability (MC) rates:
-Desert Storm-over 90pc. Average turnaround time during the ground war surge rate flight operations was 23 minutes.
-Kosovo 1999-91.8pc.
-Iraq 2003-85pc.(OK)
Chief F-35B marketeer and F-35B fan-club president Gen. Amos said this about the AV-8B in Iraq: "I simply could not have been more pleased with the reliability of the airplane and its weapons systems... and in the courage and discipline of my AV8 pilots."
Radius, interdiction: 454 nautical miles
Or according to Global Security: (seems high but so is F-35 marketing)
Hi-lo-hi, short take off (366 m, seven Mk 82 Snakeye Bombs, two 300 US gallon external fuel tanks no loiter-594 nautical miles
Deck launch intercept mission, two AIM-9 missiles and two external fuel tanks-627 nautical miles
Active USMC squadrons: 6 line squadrons; 1 training squadron.
Cost per flight hour: $11,134
Expected to be in-service until 2030.
So you see some of the challenges for the USMC F-35B want:
- F-35 expensive acquisition cost.
- F-35 cost per flying hour 3-4 times that of a Harrier.
- Poor F-35B MC rates.
- Harrier sustainable to 2030.
- The F-35 can't take on emerging threats (obsolete JORD), which means legacy aircraft do non-high-threat work better/cheaper.
- The over-hype of STOVL combat ops.
- Many other existing fire-support options for the Marine.
- No two-aircrew option like the F-18.
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SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb. 9, 2013) Sailors and Marines reattach the wings of an AV-8 Harrier assigned to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 542 in the hangar bay of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group is deployed in the U. S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility and will take part in amphibious integration training (AIT), certification exercise (CERTEX), and participate in the annual multi-national combined joint training exercise Cobra Gold. (U. S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amanda S. Kitchner/Released)
