The first squadron of the much maligned, much criticized (including by this author because of significant cost and schedule overruns and some technical problems) F-35B Lightning II aircraft is finally ready to fight worldwide.
On July 31, the Marine Corps declared the initial operational capability (IOC) of its variant of the “Joint Strike Fighter,” or JSF.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, or VMFA-121, based in Yuma, Arizona, thus becomes the first squadron in military history to become operational with an F-35 variant.
The IOC also “marks a significant milestone in the continued evolution of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program” according to Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall.
Secretary Kendall:
The decision was made following a thorough operational readiness inspection, which assessed the Marine Corps’ ability to employ this complex weapon system in an operational environment…This achievement is a testament to the efforts of the F-35 Joint Program Office and industry team, as well as the hard work and support from the Marine Corps… an affirmation that the F-35 program is on track to deliver essential 5th generation warfighting capabilities to our U.S. services and international partners.
But, Kendall rightly adds, “It is also a reminder that we still have work ahead to deliver the full warfighting capability required by all three services and our partners while we continue our successful efforts to drive cost out of the program.”
The 10 aircraft have all the prerequisites to be deployed “to an austere site or a ship …[are] capable of conducting close air support, offensive and defensive counter air, air interdiction, assault support escort and armed reconnaissance as part of a Marine air-ground task force, or in support of the joint force,” declared Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr.
Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, Deputy Commandant for Aviation, said about the IOC, “The squadron’s aircraft performed well in all five IOC operational scenarios: Close Air Support, Air Interdiction, Armed Reconnaissance, Offensive Counter Air and Defensive Counter Air. This included live ordnance deliveries…”
Capable of short take-off and vertical landing, the F-35B is capable of conducting operations from expeditionary airstrips or sea-based carriers and will eventually replace the “three legacy platforms”: the AV-8B Harrier, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the EA-6B Prowler.
Such capabilities, however, come at a cost. As the most expensive of the three versions of the JSF, the F-35B comes at a cost of around $134 million each, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Four F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) fly near their base a MCAS Beaufort, S.C. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
The other two F-35 variants are the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force and other air forces and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy.
The F-35 JSF program, with Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor, is a huge program — perhaps the largest single multinational defense program in history — involving the development and production of more than 2,400 aircraft at a cost of almost $400 billion
The Air Force hopes to declare its first squadron of F-35s combat ready in 2016, with the Navy in 2019.
Watch the “F-35 Road to USMC IOC” below.
Lead photo: Two F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters complete vertical landings aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1) during the opening day of the first session of operational testing, May 18, 2015. The aircraft are stationed with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Beaufort, South Carolina and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Remington Hall)
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.