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Marines aim for complete transition to F-35 jets by 2030 amid production delays

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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

Jan 13, 2025

The United States Marine Corps is the second-largest operator of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, following the United States Air Force. The Marines are planning to replace their legacy F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harrier II jump jets with new F-35B and F-35C models by 2030. This transition has been affected by delays in production.

The Marine Corps aims to acquire 353 short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35Bs and 67 carrier-variant F-35Cs. "It's not gonna happen all overnight, but right now, I think the forecast still has us completing it (the transition) in 2030," stated Col. William Mitchell of Marine Aircraft Group 11.

The program faced complications due to a pause in deliveries from Lockheed Martin related to the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade. Deliveries resumed after a mid-2024 agreement, allowing progress towards transitioning to the new jets without further delay.

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By late 2024, Lockheed Martin met its delivery targets with predictions of producing over 156 units annually moving forward. Despite these challenges, Mitchell reported that readiness rates remain high: "Readiness is some of the best I've seen in many years."

Efforts continue to maintain existing aircraft until their replacements arrive. Upgrades have been made to extend service life for current fleets while infrastructure modifications prepare bases for incoming models.

"While the service prepares for its future fleet, it’s squeezing all the life out of its remaining Hornets," noted Defense One regarding ongoing upgrades like RTX's APG-79 radar installations on older models.

Despite setbacks from production hiccups or infrastructure adjustments needed for newer technology integration—such as training pilots and maintainers—the Marines anticipate fulfilling their transition goals within set timelines without significant ripple effects on operations.