F-35s to replace Marine Harriers destroyed in Bastion attack
By Hope Hodge Seck, Staff writer 6:09 p.m. EDT August 12, 2015
The Marines are set to get a half-dozen new F-35B joint strike fighters to replace aircraft lost during an airfield attack in Afghanistan in 2012.
Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy commandant for Marine Aviation, said Congress recently approved the purchase of the aircraft, which will allow the Corps to jump ahead in its plans to replace legacy aircraft systems with the 5th generation fighter jet.
Six Marine AV-8B Harriers were destroyed in a single night at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan when disguised Taliban fighters rushed the airfield. The attack, which also resulted in the deaths of Marine Lt. Col. Christopher Raible and Sgt. Bradley Atwell, was called the worst loss of U.S. aircraft in a single incident since the Vietnam era.
The Marine Corps requested $1.01 billion to purchase the F-35s in early 2014 as part of a $2.5 billion unfunded priorities wish list submitted to Congress. Davis said the buy was approved this year and the aircraft would likely come online in 2018.
"It's great; it allows us to stand up a squadron a little bit early. So we really appreciate that," he said.
A spokesman for Marine Corps Aviation, Maj. Paul Greenberg, said the provision for the six additional F-35s was in both the House and Senate versions of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act as the bill enters conference deliberations. The measure awaits final approval, he said.
Davis, who spoke Wednesday about the future of Marine Corps aviation at a think tank event in Washington, D.C., said the new F-35s would allow the service to deactivate a squadron of F/A-18 Hornets, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 out of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, about a year earlier than was planned. It will also accelerate the activation of another F-35 squadron, he said.
The Marine Corps expects to replace all of its Hornet squadrons with F-35s by 2030, though the plan hinges on a review, assessment and final decision in 2019. Joint strike fighters will also replace the Marines' Harriers by 2026, according to the Marine Corps' 10-year aviation plan.
"We'll be able to move out of classics a little bit early," Davis said.
Davis was bullish on the future of the joint strike fighter following the Marines' declaration of initial operational capability for the aircraft July 31. He saidthe first operational F-35B squadron, VMFA-121, excelled during an intensive readiness inspection and scenarios involving discovery of obscure targets in a high-threat environment during testing.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/08/12/f-35s-replace-marine-harriers-destroyed-bastion-attack/31553413/
