The F-35B At Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

Video by Lance Cpl. Joseph Abrego, Lance Cpl. Mason Roy and Cpl. Waiyan Tin Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II's with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 conduct vertical landings at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, June 13, 2017. VMFA-121 is permanently stationed at MCAS Iwakuni and belongs to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter, which is the world’s first operational supersonic short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft. The F-35B brings strategic agility, operational flexibility and tactical supremacy to III MEF with a mission radius greater than that of the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II in support of the U.S. - Japan alliance. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Waiyan Tin, Lance Cpl. Joseph Abrego, and Lance Cpl. Mason Roy)
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[@danp.2843]

my brother stationed there mid 80's Still have the BEAUTIFUL embroidered USMC jacket he got me from there Christmas !!! F-35B WOW!

[@wahswolf88]

super gorgeous

[@SBHSGA]

sure is a beautiful plane - especially when "brand new" right off the showroom floor. I think I saw the MPG stickers on one of the canopies?

[@MrTonyharrell]

We fly from aircraft carriers and remote locations like Diego Garcia. We fly from southern Louisiana to the middle east. TANKERS. These F35s are too delicate to be on the ground just anywhere and can't perform the basic mission of Marine Corps aviation which is CAS. I'd like to see how it would handle ground fire during a CAS mission. How many rounds does it carry? 3 seconds? How many redundant systems does it have? Can it be patched and fly the same day? No doubt it is very cool but that's about it.

[@EpicThe112]

For the F-35B the USMC squadron on this base needs to train Japanese Navy personnel since they're getting them for the Izumo to counter the Chinese Navy J-15 (Chinese copy Su-33) over the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea. As a bouns USMC personnel should let Bandai Namco's Kazutoki Kono into the base for proper F-35B rendering and sound including a 25mm gun pod firing for a future Ace Combat game.

[@tossedsaladandscrambledegg8576]

Awesome! 30 years ago I was at the same base with the same unit. A-6Es back then. The Green Knights have come a long way.

[@Nine-TailedFox4]

Literally every F-35 video has exactly all the same comments and criticisms coming from the same people who don't understand anything. Ridiculous. Not a single engineer or fighter pilot....

[@TheDarwiniser]

I just CANNOT fathom how the brits design for the harrier, was not expanded on and improved to make this aircraft. Instead, it lugs around single use vertical lift equipment, useless whilst doing anything but vertical landing. All that machinery, useless weight for such a high percentage of its mission..... but anyone who criticises such a jaw dropping step backward in design, is considered a fool.

[@TheMotorick]

How many Gen 5 fighters can do that?

[@edmondov]

but since they take time to land they are much more vulnerable to missile attack

[@Locutus494]

One: the F-35B.

[@MrBen527]

They are not going to be landing in an unsecured zone.

[@MrTonyharrell]

Moto Rick To what end? Who cares if a plane can hover anyway?

[@MrBen527]

The Marines require hover for small FOBs if needed. You don't have time in a war to build a whole runway/airfield.

[@BeechSportBill]

How much fuel left after a VTL? Vertical landing, I mean...

[@Locutus494]

Umm... what's a VTL?

[@terrancestorey7254]

it can hover. But can it supply oxygen to its pilot?

[@MrCampasaurus]

You do realize the F-22 had the same problem and so does the Super hornet with the same OBOGs system? But that doesn't fit your anti F-35 narrative wahhh

[@terrancestorey7254]

It fits my anti corrupt military industrial complex narrative. There's many problems with the raptor and hornet. It just happens that the F-35 has more so it makes those other two look like giant successes. Name an airplane and I'll explain why the corruption in the Airforce and the big 3 has screwed that program.

[@MrCampasaurus]

"corrupt military industrial complex" Oh boy, one of these, times to exit stage left.

[@terrancestorey7254]

If the top brass making the decisions on what airplanes to buy, are allowed to be paid by the companies making the planes, that's corrupt. How else would you define that?

[@MrTonyharrell]

I don't really see the need for this type plane today. If we need it, why aren't all planes like this? The Harrier was developed in case air fields were destroyed plus it could be hidden in the woods waiting for soviet tanks. Not gonna happen today. This and the whole F35 program is a huge waste of money. I'd like to see if an F35 can take a beating like the A10, loiter as long and carry as much ammo. Remember the F16 was a cheap alternative to the F15 and is still a great plane. We should marvel at this technology but get our heads out of the clouds. Drones are the future anyway.

[@Locutus494]

So what are we to use on our amphibious assault ships without STOVL, then? How do you think that airfields could not be destroyed today; that is just as likely if not more so. The ability of the A-10 to "take a beating" is extremely over hyped. It only has armor around the cockpit to protect the pilot; the rest of the plane is just as vulnerable as any other. The A-10s in Desert Storm got so shredded by Republican Guard troops that they had to be pulled back to low-risk missions. The F-35A has a greater payload than the A-10 as well as a greater combat radius and loiter time. The F-15 and F-16 are fine planes, but they are obsolete now and can't handle the kind of high threat air defense systems that exist now. Drones will never be able to take over the role of a fighter.

[@soccerguy2433]

there's no reason to have 3 variants of a "Joint" fighter. Might have just as well gotten 3 specialized planes... they would be better at each of their service's air doctrine.

[@MrTonyharrell]

Hovering is limited to the amount of water available to inject in the exhaust to keep it from overheating. I think it's about 6 minutes.

[@Locutus494]

No, this is not a Harrier. The F-35 carries no water.

[@frankoch1]

in extremely clean environments for VTOL operations ...caries 2nd fan assembly, wastes space. extra weight. large fuel consumption. Limited usefulness. Crazy money.

[@BrassLock]

+frankoch1 : The Hawker Siddley "Harrier Jump Jet" has been doing this for the past 50 yrs, and that's plenty of time to work out if it's useful or not. It proved very useful during the Falklands War. The original British design was taken up by the military with enthusiasm. Where HAVE you been all that time ???

[@ProfessorImbakeXBoomshaka]

It took the Harrier 25 years to be engineered to the point that it was effective in Desert Storm and at that it wasn't that great when compared to existing Army & Marine Corps aviation assets. Once enough forward operating bases were created for refuel and armament the need for the Harrier versus using helicopters and fighter/bombers for close air support plummeted. The F-35 is a boondoggle, it's gonna get pilots killed(f-35a currently grounded for obogs failure) and loose battles. but they sure do look cool

[@BrassLock]

+burt sampson : Aussie taxpayers just bought a truckload of them, so they'd better shape up real quick.

[@MrCampasaurus]

OBOG failure isn't strictly an F-35 problem. But what can i expect from a person that can't even spell "loses" to be reasonable or use logic. Loses battles? What battles has it lost?