The United States Marine Corps (USMC) has completed its first operational at-sea deployment of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, a two-month tour on the USS Wasp. This deployment was also notable for testing the “upgunned” Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) concept, whereby a traditional three-ship ESG is joined by two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, to enhance the survivability and offensive capabilities of the group.

“The F-35B performed very well on its first deployment,” a USMC spokeswoman told AIN. "The F-35B is the most capable aircraft ever to support a Marine rifleman on the ground. It brings a range of new capabilities that make us a more lethal and effective Marine Air-Ground Task Force," said Col Tye R. Wallace, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) commanding officer to U.S. Navy internal media.

The F-35Bs belonged to VMFA-121 squadron that has been based at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, since January 2017. They became the first F-35Bs to be loaded with live munitions while under way in a deployment, in this case 1,000-pound bombs. 

The deployment was presumably a means for the USMC to test the F-35B supply chain and the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) when deployed for prolonged periods. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted this issue in a recent report that reviewed the stationing of F-35Bs in Japan. The report was classified, but an unclassified summary was published last month.

The summary noted that the USMC had encountered “several challenges with the F-35’s supply chain” and that “it is uncertain how long the F-35 can effectively operate if ALIS becomes disconnected from the aircraft.” The challenges included poor reliability and shortages of certain parts; and travel time for parts from the U.S. to Japan, including delays in customs.

The GAO recommended that the USMC operate the F-35 disconnected from its ALIS for extended periods of time in a variety of scenarios; assess and mitigate the risks associated with key supply chain-related challenges to operating the F-35 in the Pacific; and determine the F-35’s ability to support distributed operations through the use of exercises and/or analyses.

It was reported that 3D printing was used aboard the USS Wasp to reproduce certain non-critical components to keep the F-35B flying.  

The GAO report also urged the F-35 Program Executive Officer to “formally share or make available, through a new or existing communications mechanism, F-35 operational lessons learned across the three services.”