Page 33 - F-35B and USMC

The Integration of the F-35B into USMC Operations

Lt. Col. Bardo described the path to get to where the squadron was right now as it prepared for its Japanese
deployment.

The period since declaring IOC has been a busy and challenging one as the squadron pushed out the
boundaries of the operational capabilities of the aircraft and worked with MAGTF to integrate the
airplane into the CAS role as well as working with the USAF on the air to air missions as well.

It has been a busy period for Bardo and his squadron but certainly historic as well.
Throughout the squadron has found the core capabilities of the aircraft to be a solid foundation for shaping
the way ahead.

As Lt. Col Bardo described the F-35:

“For the pilot, the ability to shift among missions without having to think sequentially about doing so is really a
key strength of the aircraft.
The airplane can think CAS and air-to-air at the same time and the pilot can then mix and match as the
mission demands rather than having to think through the sequence of going from one mission set to the next.”

In broad terms, Lt. Col. Bardo described the progress of the squadron going from its time at 29 Palms working
CAS, to working closely with MAWTS-1 on shaping the tactics for the use of the aircraft in support of the
MAGTF, to its participation in Red Flag this summer as the F-35 component of the air operations being
exercised at Red Flag.

In total, these experiences have been crucial in preparing the squadron for its deployment to Japan.

With regard to 29 Palms, the support to the ground combat element was the focus of attention in Steel Knight
2016, which included operating from Red Beach, an austere combat training facility where the presence of
FOD or ground debris is a challenge.

http://www.sldinfo.com/vmfa-121-at-red-beach/

http://www.sldinfo.com/steel-knight-16-a-step-for-vmfa-121-on-the-way-to-japan-in-2017/

“At the exercise we could show Marines that the F-35 is a core asset for expanding the operational
environment in which the MAGTF could operate and how we can support the GCE.
We built trust in the infantry in what this revolutionary STOVL asset can bring to the force and to enhance
their lethality and survivability as well.”

With MAWTS-1, the squadron has worked closely on shaping the tactics and training for the new aircraft.

The MAWTS-1 F-35 instructors have come from VMF-121, and the synergy has been crucial to shaping
the way ahead for VMF-121 as it faces its deployment to Japan.
Then this summer, the squadron sent planes to Red Flag and flew in a US-only exercise with the full panoply
of USN and USAF aircraft, excluding the F-15s.

There the USMC flew its jets and were part of reshaping of air-to-air operations associated with the F-35.

Lt. Col. Bardo noted that there were many F-16 National Guard pilots who were there, some of which had
flown with the F-22 but had not flown with the F-35.

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