U.S. Marine Corps Cut F-35B Stealth Fighter Procurement Plans By 21 Percent

The U.S. Marine Corps has announced plans to reduce procurement of the F-35B fifth generation fighter to 280 aircraft, down from a previously planned fleet of 353, with the intention of reallocating funds to more than double its planned fleet of F-35C fighters from 67 to 140. The Marines are the only service in the U.S. Armed Forces to have ordered two separate F-35 variants, with the F-35B designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings to deploy from small amphibious assault ships and from makeshift airfields on land, while the F-35C was developed to deploy from the Navy’s Nimitz Class and Gerald Ford Class nuclear powered supercarriers. Marine aviation units were previously intended to rely primarily on the F-35B due to the much greater versatility of locations form which it can deploy, with its ability to fly from very small air strips set up by advancing units, known as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), having been particularly highly valued. EABO operations were previously considered vital to the Corps’ plans for operations in the Pacific theatre in particular, due to the major threat which Chinese and North Korean strike capabilities can pose to larger more permanent air bases.

Deep cuts to orders for the F-35B have fuelled speculation that the Marines have encountered difficulties in employing the aircraft for EABO operations. The Corps’ ability to do so has long been questioned due to the F-35’s inherent very high maintenance needs that leave it ill suited to operating away from major bases. The F-35C, although unable to be deployed in such ways, has the benefit of lower operational and procurement costs, as well as a significantly greater combat performance including higher manoeuvrability and carriage of 50 percent more air-to-air missiles. Its significantly longer range is also particularly highly prized in the vast Pacific theatre. Deep cuts to Marine orders for the F-35B could have highly detrimental implications for the future of the program, with the British Armed Forces having also significantly reduced orders for the niche and highly specialised aircraft. The reallocation of funding away from the F-35B leaves the future of the Marine Corps’ planned expeditionary operations in serious question, which has particularly signifiant implications in the Pacific.