US Amphibious Ship Tests New 'Carrier' Mode in Drills With Philippines [View all]
The American military vessel was earlier spotted passing through the disputed waters of the South China Sea despite numerous demands from China, who has a significant military presence in the region, calling for the US to stop such "provocations".
The US Marine Corps have been testing a concept of a so-called "Lightning Carrier" during joint drills with the Philippines military, Business Insider reported. The idea of this concept is to load an America-class amphibious assault ship, such as the USS Wasp currently participating in these drills, with 10 or even more F-35 Lightning II jets – twice the amount normally loaded on such vessels.
"The experiments led to the realization that this is an option […] I think the Marine Corps may be realizing that this is the best use of their large amphibious assault ships. I think you are going to see more and more deployments like that", Bryan Clark, a naval affairs expert told the media outlet.
US Marines are planning to use such "Lightning Carriers" as a supplement for big navy carriers. According to a Marines Corps spokesman, they will take full advantage of the amphibious assault ship as a sea base, but at the same time will provide a significant air force with strike capabilities.
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2019/04/mil-190413-sputnik04.htm
= new reply since forum marked as read