F-35s Display Show of Force in the South China Sea

Video Above: What Role Would 5th Generation Stealthy Fighter Jets Play in a War with China?

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

US Navy F-35Cs are taking off from two Carrier Strike Groups at the same time in the South China Sea, showing coordinated reach, power projection ability and the possibility of high-optempo attack in highly contested or sensitive areas of the Pacific.

F-35Cs Take Flight from Carrier Strike Groups

Dual carrier operations involving the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group have taken flight in close coordination with one another to perform a wide-spanning range of maritime warfare operations. These include anti-submarine warfare, air war, replenishment at sea, cross deck flight operations and maritime interdiction missions.

Sortie rate optempo and coordination is a large part of these kinds of maneuvers, as when take off missions and attach missions are synchronized, staggered and integrated, the US Navy has a much larger ability to project power. 

This kind of capability is especially critical in areas such as the Pacific where land bases are spread out, smaller in size and separated by vast swaths of ocean, complicating air attack possibilities. Launching stealth 5th-generation fighters from the sea quickly and in large numbers not only increases attack reach in an exponential fashion by placing otherwise inaccessible areas within reach, but it also greatly increases dwell time or “time on station” during which attacking aircraft can respond and make adjustments as new target information arrives.

In the context of the South China Sea, this kind of operational reach would likely prove to be of critical relevance, as the Spratly Island chain is hundreds of miles from many potential land-launch points for attack aircraft. A carrier-launched squadron of F-35Cs, for example, could circle disputed, high-threat island areas conducting reconnaissance, searching for targets and even conducting integrated attacks if need be. By launching from a carrier in the area would enable F-35s to attack for an extended period of time without necessarily needing to refuel.