Navy eyes 'mini-carrier' for F-35Bs

The U.S. eyeing the past for a possible solution to its current aircraft carrier woes. Borrowing an idea employed in WWII, the sea-service is looking at retrofitting smaller ships used to transport Marines. Instead of troops, the proposed “mini-carriers” would support a squadron of F-35B vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) fighter jets. “I have a demand for carriers right now that I can’t fulfill,” Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said Oct. 30. Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of the Navy’s forward-deployed military, but are very expensive. USS Gerald Ford costs about $12B, and still has some fixes to be made. In WWII, the Navy augmented the fleet with escort carriers, sometimes known as “Baby Flattops.” They were smaller, carried fewer aircraft, but cheaper and quicker to build. The Marines have been studying modern applications. They are looking to see if an “amphib” assault ship (LHA) could be adapted. The initial idea would remove troops from a Marine Expeditionary Unit and replace them with additional F-35Bs. Current LHAs are designed to carry nine F-35Bs, but may be adapted to have more than 20, Spencer said. “They’ve already marked it out [on an LHA]. They did it as a cerebral exercise,” he said. (Source: Washington Time 10/30/19) (Source: Washington Time 10/30/19) Gulf Coast Note: Huntington Ingalls Industries at Pascagoula, Miss., began building LHAs again in 2008 with the first-in-class USS America (LHA 6). The America class has no well deck but its focus was on aviation. USS America (LHA 6) was delivered in April 2014. The second ship in the America class, Tripoli (LHA 7), is currently under construction and successfully completed acceptance trials on Oct. 30. In June 2016, Ingalls was selected to build LHA 8. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/30/navy-weighs-adding-extra-fighter-amphibious-ships-/