The National Interest, a U.S. diplomatic and security journal, writes that the F-35 on an aircraft carrier is enough to make Communist China and Russia very nervous.
This specialized F-35 variant was built specifically for the U.S. Navy, and now it has shipboard capability.
Highlights: The F-35C was developed to be the U.S. Navy’s first stealthy naval air platform and will replace the Navy’s Hornet as the primary strike fighter for the Carrier Strike Group (CSG). The multirole F-35C can also be used for close air support, ground attack missions and carrier strike group air defense.
In December 2020, the U.S. Marine Corps’ first carrier-capable F-35C Lightning II fighter squadron reached initial operational capability, a key certification prior to its first deployment on an aircraft carrier. After retiring its legacy F/A-18A/C Hornet earlier this year, the 314th Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA), became the first Marine squadron to transition to the LOMA Joint Strike Fighter F-35C.
For much of 2020, the squadron transitions pilots and maintenance personnel to the new single-seat fifth-generation fighter, which is loaded with more powerful navigation, avionics, weapons systems and sensors than the Hornet. As part of the Marine Corps’ 2019 aviation plan, the service announced it will procure 67 F-35Cs for four carrier-capable squadrons. in 2020, the Marine Corps also announced it is considering reducing the number of jets per squadron from 16 to 10.
The U.S. Marine Corps also uses the F-35B, a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter that can operate on short-runway and flat-deck amphibious assault ships (LHAs).
The F-35C was developed to be the U.S. Navy’s first stealthy naval air platform, replacing the Navy’s Hornet as the primary strike fighter for carrier strike groups (CSGs). The multirole F-35C can also be used for close air support, ground attack missions and carrier strike group air defense.
The U.S. Navy is the F-35C’s largest customer. This variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has the largest wings of the platform and features stronger landing gear – features that make it well suited for catapult takeoffs and block landings on aircraft carriers. the F-35C’s wingtips can also be folded to allow more space on the carrier deck when deployed. the F-35C also has the largest internal fuel capacity of any Joint Strike Fighter, with each aircraft able to carry nearly 20,000 pounds of internal fuel – which provides it with more range and greater endurance than any other active combat aircraft. Like the F-35B employed by the U.S. Marine Corps, the F-35C can utilize probe and drogue refueling, which allows the Navy to operate its carriers from a safe distance away from the threat, but still allow the fighters to reach long-range targets.
In addition to being able to operate from the carrier deck, the F-35C still has fifth-generation stealth, sensor fusion and reliability capabilities. Its robust stealth allows the fighter to evade enemy detection and operate in anti-submarine and corner environments while improving lethality and survivability. The aircraft’s active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, along with distributed aperture system (DAS), electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) and helmet-mounted display system, also give pilots unprecedented situational awareness of the battle area.
The F-35C can serve as an intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance means and combat manager, and can share information with all networked ground, sea and air assets in the theater. It can carry more than 5,000 pounds of internal weapons, or more than a combined 18,000 pounds of internal and external weapons. This allows the F-35C to conduct stealth operations if necessary, or increase its lethality by adding additional weaponry depending on the mission.
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