2016-11-29 By Todd Miller The US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35 program is accelerating rapidly, and deployment is underway. Second Line of Defense had the opportunity to see the progress in action during a “Proof of Concept” demonstration on the USS America off the coast of Southern California November 18-20, 2016.…
2016-11-28 The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. USS America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B…
2016-11-27 DTIII Testing for F-35B: Working an Integrated MAGTF at Sea The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. USS America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing…
2016-11-27 By Todd Miller The fourth ship to carry the name, the USS America (LHA-6) serves as the flagship for a new class of amphibious assault ships that is built specifically to support “aerial assault.” The LHA class utilizes the area on assault ships typically occupied by the “well deck”…
2016-11-26 DTIII Testing for F-35B: October 31, 2016 The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. USS America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third…
11/26/2016: Exercise Croix du Sud (CDS) is a medium size tactical multi-national Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) and Stability and Security Operations (SASO) Field Training Exercise (FTX) being held in the vicinity of Noumea, New Caledonia from 07 – 18 November 2016. Ex CDS16 is…
2016-11-25 By Todd Miller The rumble of the MV-22B reverberated off the flight deck of the USS America (LHA-6). The 12 F-35Bs onboard represented more F-35s than had ever gathered at sea. The F-35B moving steadily towards deployment represents an unprecedented leap in capability, the future of formidable maritime power.…
11/23/2016: Twelve F-35B Lightning II's embarked on USS America (LHA 6) November 19, 2016. The demonstration is the first shipboard Marine Corps F-35B integration demonstration alongside other Marine Corps Air Combat Element assets. With over 22,500 flight hours logged, the F-35B is the most versatile aircraft in the skies today. 11/19/2016: Video…
