F-35B fan

I will play F-35B fan for the day. Or, at least this post.

It is part of a routine quality check to make sure that the F-35B does or does not have any value.

I am not a fan of STOVL jet ops. With that, some are. And regardless,, come hell or high-water, that is were the USMC and the UK is going. No matter how many battles or wars it may cost. No matter how much wasted money.

If the F-35B is what the fan-base claims, we can examine the need for the other variants. No matter which variant, they will need tankers.

The need for a 2000lb bomb carry is a over-rated thing for tac-air. Many target-sets die no matter if a Small-diameter bomb or a 2000lb JDAM land within 4 meters of them.

For the F-35B weight is a prime concern. Well so is maintenance and high/hot ops. But let us pretend that will get all sorted. Look! A squirrel!

It needs small munitions of a wide variety.

For Navy / Marine operations, an LHD-8 inspired ship, some with and without well decks, should be able to put the nuclear aircraft carrier into retirement and save us a lot of money. As an aside, you can chuck cruisers with that.

Long range stirke: Tomahawk Block IV fired from Virginia-class subs and Burke-class destroyers.

Manned tactical air handled by 12 F-35Bs on a LHD-8. Where close air support can be more times than not, performed by attack helicopters, F-35Bs, KC-130 Harvest Hawks and a wide variety of precision artillery (both from ship and shore). And sometimes: drones.

"Strike group"

1 LHD-8
2 Burke-class destroyers
2 Virginia-class submarines.


Operational use: keep out of the way of major threats.
AWAC's-like ISR can be performed by land-based aircraft and drones.
Land-based air-refueling tankers like the KC-130 and KC-46 would be assumed.

Manned tac-air just will not do everything for every situation as it once did. Because, time moves on.

Note that campaigns like Libya, did not use a nuclear carrier group.

Operational requirement:

12 "strike groups":

12 LHD-8
24 Burke-class destroyers
24 Virginia-class submarines.
144 USMC F-35Bs combat-coded for ship operations.

Retired:
All nuclear carriers and Navy tac-air wings.
All cruisers.

Savings in manning and ship resources in the budget?

Huge.

You see, if I was to bump my head and go nuts, I can be a much more logical F-35B fan...

...than anyone else on the planet.


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