Declaration

With its pencil-whipped initial operating capability declaration, you are witnessing the beginning of the end of USMC fast tac-air.

Unless some adult supervision steps in.

The F-35B won't be able to provide credible:

1. Close air support.
2. Air defense.
3. Cost effective capability.
4. Sortie rates anywhere near its operational requirement document.

The USMC F-35 program of record will cost somewhere around $51B.

And that is just acquisition dollars and not the well over $50,000 per flight hour.

Crazy how this kind of corruption is allowed to breath air...

...as the U.S. military costs more per year and...

...delivers less over-all combat capability.

.