Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Brian James
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Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Lead Ship,Amphibious Assault Ship USS America...2019.
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Little h
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Re:-
Brian James wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:04 pm Lead Ship,Amphibious Assault Ship USS America...2019.
The U.S. Naval Institute, via their USNI News, used the image above in an article (titled below) and captioned the image as follows:-

Thirteen U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), and two Marine Medium Tilt-Rotor Squadron (VMM-166) are staged aboard amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Oct. 8, 2019. America is at sea conducting routine operations in the eastern Pacific. US Navy photo.

Open the link provided to read the article in full and view a further four images of F35B and associated operations.

Marines Test ‘Lightning Carrier’ Concept, Control 13 F-35Bs from Multiple Amphibs
By: Megan Eckstein
October 23, 2019 6:18 PM

The Navy and Marine Corps recently tested out the “Lightning Carrier” concept of packing an amphibious assault ship with F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jets, and they will likely continue to expand and exercise this capability.

On Oct. 8, USS America (LHA-8) was photographed with 13 F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122 on its deck. America is one of two aviation-centric amphibious assault ships in the fleet, eliminating a well deck from its design and instead using that vast space for aviation maintenance areas, greater jet fuel storage and more.

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Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer today expressed his excitement about the Lightning Carrier concept and said that more exercises could come.

“About nine months ago I was looking at … USS America, a terrific amphib ship, and said, you know what, why don’t we load this thing up with F-35 Bravos, put 20 F-35 Bravos on this, and make it quote/unquote a lightning carrier,” he said today at a Brookings Institution event.

He said that the Navy and Marine Corps might “put it in a couple of exercises and know that we have that up our sleeve” going forward.

Spencer mentioned the comparison between the Lightning Carrier concept and the Navy’s aircraft carriers with a full carrier air wing.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier can stay out and sustain itself for longer than can an amphibious ship, and its larger flight deck and crew can support a higher tempo of flight operations. However, in terms of capability, the only thing the Marine Expeditionary Unit’s aviation component lacks compared to an air wing is an airborne early warning capability, and the Marines’ large Group 5 unmanned aerial system they will field next decade will handle that mission.

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Source; from whence the few excerpts above were taken - USNI News (as linked above) where the full article can be read and images viewed.
Little h
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Blackbat242
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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VMFA-122 is the 3rd USMC F-35 squadron to reach operational status (all with F-35Bs).
VMFA-121 was the first, and is permanently stationed at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan.
VMFA-211 was the second, and has seen combat in Afghanistan in 2018 operating from LHD-2 Essex.

Each of the three squadrons have 16 assigned F-35Bs*, 10 for "normal" use and 6 for rotating duty aboard LHA/LHDs. As seen here, all 16 are available for shipboard duty if needed - although a "normal" 20-aircraft deployment would likely be two squadrons with 10 aircraft each.


* -122 is at the end of equipping with F-35Bs, and might not have all 16 yet, thus only 13 aboard America.
SGT USMC '81-'89 VMA(AW)-121, VMA(AW)-242, CV-61 AIMD
Brian James
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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An Lockheed F-35B Lightning II assigned to the Green Knights of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), lands on Amphibious Assault ship USS America,Indo-Pacific region,January 15th 2020.
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Brian James
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Sikorski CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265,lands on Amphibious Assault Ship USS America,January 16th 2020.
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designeraccd
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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The world's most expensive, "SMALL" carrier per aircraft vs ton of ship........... :( DFO
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designeraccd
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Rwo recent views of AMERICA in the South China Sea.......... :) DFO
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Brian James
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Lead Ship,Amphibious Assault Ship USS America,South China Sea,March 2020.
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Brian James
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Lead Ship,Amphibious Assault Ship USS America recovers an Lockheed F-35B Lightning II assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit,while sailing in formation with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Murasame Class Destroyer JDS Akebono,East China Sea,April 10th 2020.
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Brian James
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Re: Amphibious Assault Ships: America Class

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Sailors assigned to the forward-deployed Amphibious Assault Ship USS America rearm and refuel an Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopter assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262,South China Sea,September 6th 2020.
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