October 4, 2019
Deadly Combo: The Navy Has Combined F-35s with Helicopter Assault Ships
Smaller aircraft carriers that still pack a major punch.
by Sebastien Roblin
Key point: The F-35 is very capable and can turn smaller flattops that would normally carry helicopters and U.S. Marines into serious aircraft carriers.
Were the USS America to cruise alongside the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the average Joe might struggle to distinguish their purposes. Both flat-tops measure longer than two-and-half football fields in length and carry jet fighters and helicopters.
But the America and her sistership Tripoli are technically “Landing Helicopter Assault†vessels numbered LHA-6 and LHA-7 respectively: super-sized members of the “gator navy†of amphibious assault ships designed to deploy the expeditionary units of the U.S. Marine Corps onto hostile shores. In addition to the Navy crew of 1,000-1,200 sailors and officers, each LHA can carry nearly 1,700 Marines.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/deadly-combo-navy-has-combined-f-35s-helicopter-assault-ships-85281