The Sneaky Way the Navy Is Getting More Aircraft Carriers (with F-35s)

[rangerrebew]

May 15, 2019

The Sneaky Way the Navy Is Getting More Aircraft Carriers (with F-35s)

Think light aircraft carriers.
by David Axe Follow @daxe on Twitter L

As the Marines in recent years began replacing old AV-8Bs and other jets with "fifth-generation" F-35s, planners dusted off the "Harrier carrier" concept and rebranded it as the "Lightning carrier." Other naval experts simply refer to the Harrier and Lightning carriers as "light carriers."

The U.S. Navy is beginning to deploy its nine amphibious assault ships with large numbers of fixed-wing F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, in essence transforming the 40,000-ton-displacement vessels into light aircraft carriers.

Cheaper and easier to build and maintain than 100,000-ton supercarriers are, light carriers might seem like an attractive option for many navies that are trying to enhance their at-sea aviation capabilities.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/sneaky-way-navy-getting-more-aircraft-carriers-f-35s-57607

[PeteS in CA]

"Sneaky"? There are multiple threads here in which several people have pointed out that with the F-35 the Wasp and America class amphibious assault ships have effectively become light carriers with the capability to land an assault force.