VMFA 314 received its first F-35C on January 21, 2020, achieved initial operational capability in December, and was fully operational by this past summer.
Juan Anaya 'A lot of hard work and sacrifice'
Three Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II in June. Each aircraft enhances the combat power of the other.ĭion described the F-35's ability to enhance the carrier air wing, project power, evade higher-end threats, and mitigate near-peer assets as "a game changer." In combat, the F-35 can get a better read on the battlefield and then relay targeting information to the F/A-18s, which have a more robust missile loadout than their fifth-gen counterparts. "The jet brings a lot of capability to the Marine Corps and to the Navy," he said, "and to have an F-35 squadron on a carrier integrated with F/A-18s and the tactics we have with those F/A-18s, it just makes the carrier much more lethal."įor example, data links allow the carrier air wing to fight as a single force. It has more fuel, allowing for more time on station and the ability to carry different weapons. The major said the F-35C "brings a lot more capability" than the B. "That was huge, just being kind of the first ones out there, leading the way with the Marine Corps," said Dion, who is now out front on the Corps' efforts to field an F-35C squadron.Īsked whether he preferred the Hornet, the F-35B, or the F-35C, Dion said that his favorite aircraft was the C. "That was amazing," he told Insider, saying that it is something he'll always remember. He was part of the first US F-35 combat deployment, which saw Marine pilots flying F-35Bs off the USS Essex and conducting strikes in Afghanistan. Courtesy photo 'It just makes the carrier much more lethal'ĭion has also flown the F-35B, a short takeoff and vertical-landing variant for the Marine Corps that can fight from airstrips and amphibious assault ships. The first US Navy aircraft carrier to deploy with F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, the variant engineered for carrier operations, was USS Carl Vinson, which departed San Diego last month and sailed through the South China Sea recently with the "Argonauts" of Strike Fighter Squadron, or VFA, 147, the Navy's first F-35C squadron, on board. US Navy aircraft carriers have started deploying with F-35C stealth fighter jets, aircraft that one fighter pilot called "a game changer" and said are making US carriers even more lethal. See more stories on Insider's business page. The first Marine F-35C squadron is working up to its carrier deployment, expected in early 2022.Ī Marine pilot in the squadron talked to Insider about what the stealth jet means for US carriers. The US Navy's first F-35C fighter-jet squadron deployed on an aircraft carrier early last month. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 conducts a new expeditionary landing demonstration on December 3.
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