Considering that the Marines are replacing the AV8B with the F35, and the Harrier cannot go supersonic at all, it is clearly a plus there. For the fleet defense roll, the Nav is more low to medium altitude that the AF, so maybe not a problem but the devil is in the details.randy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:37 pm I dealt mostly with air-to-mud, not air-to-air, so I don't know just how often MACH1+ is actually used in that realm. I would think it would be more important for air defense types than strike operations. I can see how that might be important for Fleet air defense especially.
I have issues figuring out where it would really be needed for things like Marine air support. Especially with the development of hypersonic weapons to get to the target very quickly from a long ways away.
And it highlights again the problems that arise when the services (or someone above them) insist on a single do everything platform.
It will probably work out, but the Navy/Marines should have had their own platform.