The US Navy could use experimental “lightning carriers” in a possible conflict with China over Taiwan, Business Insider reported on Wednesday.
The lightning carrier concept involves using converted amphibious assault ships (LHAs) carrying Lockheed Martin F-35B “Lightning II” stealth jets. It was tested last summer by the US Navy and US Marines Corps using the America-class warship USS Tripoli.
US Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, the commander of the US Navy 7th Fleet, in October said that the concept is part of efforts to increase the firepower of the fleet’s ships, Business Insider reported.
Photo: Screen grab from the Twitter account of the US Navy
Thomas made the remarks during an event hosted by think tanks the US Naval Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has been expanding its capabilities to match its US counterpart, and Beijing might invade Taiwan within the decade if it achieves superiority, US officials have said.
An amphibious assault ship — which typically carries helicopters, vehicles and a battalion of marines — can be configured into a “lightning carrier” with up to 20 F-35B jets stored onboard, Thomas said.
The F-35B is the short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant of the fifth-generation F-35 joint strike fighter designed to utilize stealth and with advanced sensors to defeat opposing aviation and air defense systems.
“I will note that [an] LHA with 14 F-35Bs is much more capable than either of the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] current carriers, both from a sortie-creation perspective as well as just a sheer capability,” Thomas was quoted as saying.
“There is no comparison between a J-15 and an F-35B,” Thomas said, referring to the PLAN’s main carrier-based strike fighter.
Lightning carriers carry fewer jets than fleet aircraft carriers, which can feature more than 50 jets, but are significantly cheaper and more versatile, as the configuration enables ships to switch between naval aviation and amphibious assault platform, he said.
“One day you can have F-35Bs on the flight deck. The next day you can have MV-22s and you can be putting marines at the shore, and so it just is a very versatile instrument,” he said.
The US Navy is continuing to experiment with integrating lightning carriers with existing naval forces and formations, the report said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS