Marine Corps F-35s practice ‘shock and awe’ strikes in the Pacific with back-to-back bombing runs

Marine Corps F-35s recently carried out the first at-sea “hot reload” of ordnance, dropping 1,000-pound bombs in the Pacific in rapid succession, the service said in a statement.

Marine F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters armed with a 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition and a 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb took off from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and conducted a strike on a “killer tomato,” a large red inflatable target.

After dropping its payload, the aircraft quickly returned to the ship, refueled, reloaded, and set out on a second attack run on the floating target.

The fifth-generation stealth fighters also opened fire with their GAU-22 cannon, which can uses four barrels simultaneously to fire 3,300 rounds per minute. The 25mm gun is,
according to Military.com, carried on an external pod on the Marine Corps' F-35 variation, which is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings on the amphibs, basically small aircraft carriers.

Ordnance Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to load a Joint Direct Attack Munition onto an F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019
(U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Luis Velez)

At-sea hot reloading is a critical capability that allows for the surge offensive air support for strike missions in this theater, where U.S. forces are increasingly training to fight in contested environments. While the training is not directly aimed at any particular adversary, the U.S. military is focused on great power competition and is training for a high-intensity conflict with China and Russia.

“Our recent F-35B strike rehearsals demonstrate the 31st MEU's lethality and readiness to address potential adversaries.” Col. Robert Brodie, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked aboard the Wasp, said in a statement. “The speed that we can conduct precision strikes with devastating effects while providing close air support to our Marines is nothing shy of awesome. Bottom-line; the F-35B defines shock and awe!”

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Sallese, aviation ordnance officer with the 31st MEU, said that the troops are learning to “rain down destruction like never before.”

Marine F-35Bs with the 31st MEU
achieved another milestone earlier this year, flying in “beast mode” and conducting strike missions with externally-loaded inert and live munitions.

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