US Amphibious Ship Tests New 'Carrier' Mode in Drills With Philippines

[JayhawkSD]

3. The Wasp is actually LHD-1, Landing Helicopter Dock

The statement that the plan is "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," is pretty odd in several respects.

USS Wasp is number one in her class, and is the first of the "Wasp class" ships, so is not an America class ship, which is actually the successor to the Wasp class of ships. Only one America class ship is in service, America, one is finished but not yet in service, and a third is under construction, so reference to the use of this class of ships in the plural is erroneous.

Further, the idea that "10 or even more F-35 Lightning II jets" is twice the usual complement of these ships is erroneous to the point of being bizarre. The normal complement of USS Wasp is:

Standard ops: 6 Harriers or F-35s, plus 12 MV22 Ospreys, plus 8 helicopters.
Assault ops: 22 MV22 Ospreys
Sea Control: 20 Harriers or F-35s plus 8 helicopters.

Don't have the normal complement of the America class, but the ship is slightly larger than Wasp, so it would be more aircraft rather than fewer.

Pretty clear that Global Security has no idea what it is talking about.