Marines say a deployed F-35 stealth fighter squadron clocked nearly 5,000 hours without any mishaps

The US Marine Corps says one of its F-35B stealth fighter squadrons flew almost 5,000 hours without any mishaps while on deployment this year.

The five months in the US CENTCOM area of operations, which primarily covers the Middle East, but also Central and South Asia, as well as several bodies of water, included over 1,000 combat sorties and saw the F-35s flying various missions, providing real-world experience that'll impact future F-35 operations.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) returned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina earlier this month after completing what Marine Corps Forces Central Command called a "historic" deployment that marked "a major milestone in Marine Corps aviation and Joint Force integration."

The squadron flew close air support, armed overwatch, and defensive counter-air missions in support of the other services as well as US allies and partners.

The Corps said that during VMFA-542's time in the region, the unit flew 1,099 combat sorties with over 4,736 mishap-free fight hours, leading fight time for the Marine Corps and keeping a high aircraft mission-capable readiness rate.

F-35Bs are a specific variant of the stealth fighter with unique capabilities for short takeoffs and vertical landings. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Austyn Riley

The squad's "historic deployment has set new benchmarks for Marine Corps aviation, demonstrating that a forward-deployed F-35B squadron can deliver unmatched combat power and readiness while seamlessly integrating with Joint Forces during a major regional crisis," said Lt. Col. Carlo F. Bonci, executive officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542.

The Marine squadron achieved full operating capability with the F-35B in April 2024 and has 12 of them. It's one of 12 active Marine Corps F-35B squadrons. The F-35B variant, also known as the short takeoff and vertical landing variant, is flown by the Marines. Its unique lift fan allows the plane to take off from a variety of locations, including amphibious assault ships.

Other variants of the jet include the A used by the Air Force and equipped with a main gun and the C, which was built for carrier operations.

The F-35, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, has received criticism throughout development and even in the wake of its fielding for ballooning lifetime program and sustainability costs, as well as key readiness concerns.

Japan is a major foreign buyer of the F-35 and is upgrading some of its vessels for the F-35B variant. Dane Wiedmann

The US Government Accountability Office, a watchdog agency, has flagged maintenance issues, delivery delays for new F-35s, challenges with hardware and software upgrades, and operational concerns.

Last year, the GAO reported that the F-35 program's expected lifetime cost had soared to over $2 trillion, up from $1.7 trillion, to cover expected procurement, operations, and sustainment costs over the coming decades. Despite rising sustainment costs, the agency reported last year that the US F-35 fleet had been consistently falling short of its mission-capable goals for six years.

In 2023, the GAO found, the US F-35 fleet was ready to execute a mission just over half the time, highlighting readiness and reliability challenges.

The Pentagon has continued to tout the combat-proven capabilities of the F-35 and still plans to buy around 2,500 of them. American allies and partners also keep putting in orders for the fifth-generation fighter.

With Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542's deployment to CENTCOM this year, having the F-35B represented a "major upgrade in tactical flexibility, intelligence gathering, and precision strike capabilities," the Corps said.

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