The Corps’ F-35Bs may finally get their first taste of combat in 2018.
The F35-B, which can take off and land vertically on an amphibious assault ship, is expected to deploy with two Marine expeditionary units to the Pacific and Central Command theaters in the spring and summer, officials said.
The first deployment will be with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp and the second will be with the 13th MEU aboard the amphibious assault ship Essex, said spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns.
It’s a key step in the Corps’ long-term plan to replace its current fleet of tactical aircraft — the F/A-18 Hornets, EA-6B Prowlers and AV-8B Harriers — with the new fifth-generation fighters by 2032.
The Marine Corps plans to buy a total of 353 F-35Bs, and 67 F-35Cs, which have tail hooks that allow them to land on aircraft carriers.
This past year, the Corps’ Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the service’s first overseas-deployed F-35B squadron, arrived in Iwakuni, Japan, and conducted a range of training exercises.
Marine aviation officials have said that up to half of the current F/A-18 Hornet fleet is not ready for combat, and the deployment of the F-35Bs are key to restoring readiness to the tactical air fleet.
The Pentagon lifted a longstanding ban that prevented troops and civilians from searching for abortion-related term last month.
Experts are split on the Army's quick reversal of high school education waivers, but some applicants are left out in the cold.
President Joe Biden is bestowing the nation’s highest military honor to four Army soldiers for their heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War.
Judges should deliver their decision in the coming weeks.
Putin has declared victory in the eastern Ukraine region of Luhansk, but the high cost of Russian gains may limit a new advance.
"It was clear from the onset and confirmed throughout our visit that volunteers played a critical role in the defense of Kyiv, yet their role has not been systematically studied."
Sunday’s statement comes as North Korea’s neighbors say the country is ready for its first nuclear test in five years
Air Force linguists scrambled to keep up through the Afghanistan withdrawal and, now, the war in Ukraine.
"Our head is above water, but I'm not sure for how long," one soldier said of his family.
Relatives say Lois “Bunny” Drueke spoke to her son Alexander Drueke, one of two Alabama veterans captured earlier this month in Ukraine, via telephone.
Load More