Navy: US Deploys Warships to Japanese Base to Support Marine Version of F-35 Jet

18:32 GMT, 26 April 2019

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is sending two warships to the 7th Fleet, both capable of transporting Marines throughout the Indo-Pacific while providing takeoff and landing platforms for the F-35B fighter jet, the US Navy announced in a press release on Friday.

Sputnik

"The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) and landing platform dock USS New Orleans (LPD 18) will become part of the US 7th Fleet forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) in Sasebo, Japan", the release stated.

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The F-35B was modified for the Marine Corps with the ability to take off and land vertically while also providing fifth-generation electronic surveillance and weapons capability.

The Marine Corps has recently practiced landing the aircraft on assault ships and landing platform docks, according to published reports.

The Navy said in the release that the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region requires it to station the most capable ships forward.

This posture allows the most rapid response times possible for maritime and joint forces, and requires the most capable ships with the greatest amount of striking power, the release said.