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Marine F-35B Lightning II
First Externally-Mounted Ordnance Strike At Sea
by U.S. Marine Corps Capt. George McArthur
May
15, 2019
F-35B Lightning II aircraft with the fixed-wing detachment of
Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced), 31st Marine
Expeditionary Unit, conducted milestone flight operations with
externally-loaded inert and live ordnance in expeditionary strike
training from the USS Wasp (LHD 1) in the Philippine and East China
Seas, Jan. 26 through Feb. 6, 2019.
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An F-35B Lightning II with the F-35B detachment of Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) carries Guided Bomb Units above the East China Sea, Feb. 3, 2019. Naval aviators with the detachment fly the Marine Corps' newest, most advanced multi-role fighter, the F-35B. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Maj. Jesse Peppers)
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During the missions, the fifth-generation fighters were loaded
with CATM-9X air-to-air missiles and dropped inert and
high-explosive munitions with precision Guided Bomb Units, including
500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II and 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct
Attack Munition ordnance, according to LtCol. Michael Rountree, the
F-35B detachment officer-in-charge with VMM-262 (REIN).
"We achieved mission success by using the full capabilities of
the F-35B at sea. We flew sorties in both a clean configuration and
a configuration with external pylons and weapons. We conducted these
missions by launching from the USS Wasp, engaging role-player
adversary aircraft, striking simulated targets with internally and
externally mounted precision guided munitions, returning to the
Wasp, and recovering via a vertical landing - a niche capability of
the F-35B” said Rountree. “This was the first time that this level
of training has been performed by an operationally-deployed F-35B
detachment with the 31st MEU."
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An F-35B Lightning II with the F-35B detachment of Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) releases Guided Bomb Units on-target above the Pacific Ocean, Feb. 3, 2019. Naval aviators with the detachment fly the Marine Corps' newest, most advanced multi-role fighter, the F-35B. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU partnering with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Maj. Jesse Peppers)
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This operational milestone marks the first time that F-35B
aircraft performed strikes with ordnance fully-loaded in the
Indo-Pacific region, demonstrating an increase in lethality and
integrated amphibious capability, according to Col. Robert Brodie,
commanding officer of the 31st MEU.
“The combination of stealth tactics and fully-loaded strike
aircraft increases the lethality of the F-35B, enabling greater
contribution and combat effectiveness by the Amphibious Ready
Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit Team,” said Brodie, a career F/A-18
Hornet pilot. “The formidable and versatile capability of the F-35B
provides a premier platform to support the Marine Air-Ground Task
Force’s ability to own the fight in the dynamic and evolving
Indo-Pacific environment.”
The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously
forward-deployed MEU partnering with Wasp ARG, provides a flexible
and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military
operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific
Region.
The U.S. Marines
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