The Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighter: Is STOVL the Way Ahead?

Abstract

The Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant has come under increased scrutiny because it has lagged behind the F-35A and F-35C variants during development test phases. Therefore, the Marine Corps currently faces a significant dilemma on the future direction it will take to support th~ Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with fixed-wing Tactical Aircraft (TACAIR). Critics of the F-35B variant propose that the Marine Corps should procure an additional, or alternate, platform to the F-35B. Of the proposed alternatives, no other platform can replicate the diverse STOVL basing options, capabilities of a fifth-generation aircraft, or integration capacity within the MAGTF. A single TACAIR platform with standardized procedures, streamlined maintenance, and the ability to support any MAGTF mission optimizes an asset and maximizes an opportunity for the Marine Corps. Therefore, the Marine Corps should procure solely the F-35B JSF variant, as opposed to augmenting fixed-wing tactical aviation with additional platforms.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA600231

Entities

People

  • Brian W. Bann

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Electronically Scanned Array
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Maintenance
  • Military Aviation
  • Military Organizations
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Short Takeoff Aircraft
  • Tactical Aircraft
  • Tanker Aircraft
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Naval Engineering and Maritime Security