Newly-built aircraft-carrier specifically designed to handle F-35 can't handle F-35

[DetlefK]

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/navy-builds-ship-for-f-35-ship-needs-months-of-upgrade-1697523492

My, what a fine ship you have there. First of its class! And named USS America, nonetheless! The pride of the Navy and built to serve as an aircraft-carrier for the famous F-35! It would be a shame if something were to happen to it, say, an F-35 actually landing on it.

Long story short:

The exhaust of the F-35 engine is much hotter than the exhaust from the Harrier. If an F-35 actually tried to land on that carrier, it would soften the metal of the landing-deck like a giant blowtorch.

So, the freshly-built multi-billion-dollar carrier has to return to dock. All they have to do now is rearrange some support-beams and rearrange some machines and electronics to make way for those support-beams... and add a special heat-resistant coating to the landing-deck.

And when all is said and done, F-35s can finally land on a carrier designed for F-35s... Well, at least on 2 specific spots on the landing-deck. If the F-35 lands somewhere else, it's exhaust will melt antennas and put life-boats on fire.

[n2doc]

1. The solution- Diamond coated carrier!

Its. The. Only. Way!

[A Little Weird]

2. Geez, don't give them ideas!!!

[lpbk2713]

3. As if working on a flight deck wasn't hazardous enough.

Now the flight deck crew is more likely to get toasted. Ah but they're
expendable. Just as long as there's no harm done to the flight deck.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. If ever there was a fuck more clustered . . .

I don't know if it.

Perhaps George Custer's last sit.

[Savannahmann]

5. Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

[hunter]

6. 21st Century version of the Maginot Line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line

The terrorists just go around it.

[Politicalboi]

7. I wonder if they've heard of Graphene?

[Lancero]

8. Merika!

[Capt. Obvious]

9. This is the F-35 Supporters Room. Only posts supporting F-35's and their tiny carriers

are allowed. Please delete your dumb, sarcastic post.

[DetlefK]

10. What... No... Please... GD is the only forum I am still allowed on...

Please don't block me, this is all I have left...

I hereby pledge allegiance to Hillary... wait what?

[hobbit709]

11. The Pentagon's planning department is run by General Pandemonium and Major Disaster.

[Scuba]

12. If we can't afford to educate our children, to heal our sick or care for our elderly ...

... just what is it this carrier will be defending?

[Adrahil]

13. Just so you know....

The harrier, while technically capable of landing on any spot on the LH class ships, never does. It always lands at one spot, with another used for back up.

[Lurks Often]

14. What a remarkably inaccurate headline

1. The USS America class is an an amphibious assault ship, not an aircraft carrier, despite what the author at the link thinks.
2. The problem is for the F-35B ONLY, which is the VSTOL version designed to replace the Harrier aboard the amphibious assault ships.

That doesn't mean that there isn't a problem or that the entire F-35 project is an unmitigated cluster fuck that should have cost the jobs of senior officers of the USAF, US Navy, USMC and numerous civilians in the DOD.

Unfortunately the critical need to start replacing 1970's era aircraft designs both here in the US and with a number of overseas allies has turned the F-35 program into something that can't be canceled without major domestic and international diplomatic implications, along with the enormous loss of money already spent.