The Navy and Marines Are Deploying a 'Lightning Carrier' to the Pacific

The U.S. Navy is swapping out an amphibious assault ship forward deployed in the Western Pacific with an improved version capable of carrying many more F-35B fighter jets. USS America, a warship designed to hurl waves of Marines over the beach in helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, is also designed to function as a “Lighting Carrier”, embarking nothing but fighter jets to act as a sort of “aircraft carrier lite”.

The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Japan, is one of the most powerful naval forces in the world. The Seventh Fleet is composed of a aircraft carrier, several large amphibious assault ships, destroyers, and minehunters. The Navy rotates ships through this force on a regular basis. The current USS Wasp, is based at Sasebo, outside Nagasaki.