Lightning Carriers: The Marines’ secret weapon in the Pacific
The Marine Corps is turning the Navy’s amphibious assault ships into small and agile carriers loaded with F-35B Lightning II aircraft in preparation for a fight in the Pacific.
Kyle Gunn
Published Jun 26, 2025 11:54 AM EDT
As the U.S. military prepares for the possibility of a conflict in the Pacific, the Navy and Marine Corps are working on a new way to project airpower, and they’re calling it the Lightning Carrier.
The concept, which the Corps began testing in 2016, turns amphibious assault ships, like the Navy’s America-class USS America, which is both easy to remember and ultra patriotic in a “Team America” kind of way, into small, agile flat-top carriers bristling with F-35B Lightning II aircraft and about 1,800 Marines. With the F-35B vertical take-off and landing capability, they can fit up to 20 on the deck that can support Marines as they secure or defend remote outposts through the Pacific.
https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/marine-corps-lightning-carrier-pacific/
