War is Boring has a take on USMC F-35's operating off UK carriers...
The Marines are open to the idea—and have been for a while. In early November, the Marine Corps published the 2015 edition of it its aviation plan. Twice in the plan, the Corps’ proposes to send its F-35s into combat aboard British carriers.I like WIB. But in this case I think they're wrong. Look at the optics of such a move. Moving F-35's onto Brit carriers while USMC MEU's go on float with Harriers would simply look terrible. How would you viably claim that more amphibious ships are needed if you're able to farm out F-35's to foreign ships?
In a section about so-called “distributed operations,” wherein the Marines spread out their forces in order to make it harder for the enemy to target them, the plan foresees F-35s—scattered across the battlefield—periodically returning to a ship for repairs.
Elsewhere in the aviation plan, the authors underscore the U.S. F-35Bs’ “interoperability” with Queen Elizabeth. That compatibility “will provide robust and flexible maritime power projection for allied forces.”
So how could the Marine Corps help out the Brits while they have a gap with regards to their own F-35's operating from them?
SPMAGTF-CR's.
You assign SPMAGTF-CR's to the Brit Carriers. If F-35's are part of the mix of supporting aircraft then that's sauce for the goose.
The result? You emphasize the need for increased amphibious shipping for the USMC. You emphasize the need for the F-35 for the Royal Navy. The downside? The Queen Elizabeth is used as a super size LHD...exactly what the Royal Navy wouldn't like talked about. Additionally some will ask why the Royal Navy simply doesn't use it as a large LHD while waiting for the F-35 with Royal Marines or British Army helicopters/troops aboard.
I think this suggestion of USMC F-35's operating off the QE is a trial balloon that falls flat.
Training pilots to operate from any compatible carrier if their own is destroyed, why not? Small carriers is perfectly fit to a "don't put all eggs in one basket" doctrine.
ReplyDeleteThe RN has in fact talked at great length about using the Queen Elizabeth as an oversized LPH, specifically its ability to embark and maintain substantial numbers of RAF Chinooks and AAC Apaches. While the lack of F-35s to operate from the ships upon their entry to service is no doubt embarrassing for the MoD they have been de-emphasising the carriers as pure fast jet platforms for a number of years now. This is due in no small part to the fact that the planned replacement for HMS Ocean has been permanently shelved due to lack of funds.
ReplyDeleteAs to USMC F-35 Squadrons operating from the carriers, it is somewhat difficult to pin down exactly to what extent this is intended.
For the longest time it was implied that the carriers would occasionally deploy to the US to maintain deck qualifications and skills until British JSFs became available in sufficient numbers, similar to when a USMC harrier squadron embarked aboard HMS Illustrious back in 2007.
If the intention is to extend this to operational deployments while unlikely due to various reasons there is already ample precedent for the deployment of US aviation assets aboard RN ships from which to build from.
Didn't the RN originally have a plan to share carriers with France as well? I sort of remember something along that lines once upon a time.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly it was never officially a plan as such but was suggested by various people as a way of drastically cutting costs.
DeleteThat idea died in the moment they resign from catapults.
DeleteI understand the US Forces refused to operate, aid in operating or assisting UK forces when the Falklands war broke out.
ReplyDeleteIf USMC F-35 are aboard a UK carrier and political concerns disallow their use against a target US Navy and US Marines are assaulting wouldn't this mean a dead zero loss of forces needed to support such operations?
Much as Turkey screwed the pooch when the Gulf war was on and disallowed US Army to operate from Turkish soil, or when Libya was bombed and France disallowed use of airspace for FB-111.
This shit is triple stupid.
Its not really an issue, if the US were ever desperate enough to require the squadron that may be aboard Queen Elizabeth and Britain was unwilling to take part in operations it could simply be crossdecked to the nearest US base or LHD.
DeleteThe British government is unlikely to refuse to allow the squadron to depart unless it was an issue on which both governments were directly at odds over(incredibly unlikely).
Lets be brutally honest here, any such deployment to a British carrier by the USMC would be the US doing the RN a favour, the USMC and the USN in no way needs the deck capacity of the QE and PoW and should the US ever go to war without Britain its not like the UKs contribution would be much missed.