I saw a mention of it, but has it been funded and flown?

You will see warfare on the global scale within the next 20 years if the trends continue.

I don’t see it happening. Despite rheotoric, the world is ill prepared for any major warfare (except USA!).

Any air combat I see happening over next 20 years will be Syria and Iran, both of which are not exactly capable opponents and whose airforces are exhausted (Syrian one is being torn apart in current war, Iranian one never recovered from 1980s Iran-Iraq) or somewhere like Yemen or Sudan who again aren’t exactly capable opponents.

And that assumes they would launch fighters against any American intervention. Iraq didn’t in 2003 nor did Libya and Serbia did not launch any MiG-21 sorties.

War in Asia is too risky due to nuclear armed players.

EDIT: Any air-to-air combat not involving major powers will probably be fought using old fashioned tactics, even if fighters are VLO 5th generation.

Smaller operators seldom have the resources to develop proper modern integrated systems or develop advanced tactics. Look at the rather primitive tactics used by both sides of Ethiopia-Eritrean conflict (MiG-29 v Su-27).

But then number of such operators is dwindling.

Yet politics, national prestige and a various other number of factors including lack of dual cockpit version all serve to ensure JF-17 will never serve with any Western nation, let alone France.

I know it’s a big can of worms. It’s not about being a fan, it should be about using tax payer dollars efficiently whilst meeting realistic requirements.

Right now USMC is second army and second air force.

I’m not sure what USMC in it’s current format brings to the table.

And let’s not forget that in WWII Army did lots of amphibious landings and in fact was involved in largest amphibious landings of war that the USMC had nothing to do with (Operations Overlord, Husky and Torch).

An even more extreme alternative is:

1. Abolish regular Army (it has to be extended every 2 years by Act of Congress anyway)
2. Keep ANG ground and air units.
3. Abolish regular USAF Tac Air and Transport services
4. Massively expand Marine Corps as an expeditionary Air-Land integrated combat force.
5. USAF to be in charge of land based nuclear deterrent, space services, strategic recon and ANG based defence of continental USA.

It sounds off topic but force structure is a key driver of F-35 program.

Do you still think that in ten years the bad guys in an asymetric scenario will still hve only Ak47, old aden or bofor canons and religious song to throw at fast jets passing by?

Yep!

In fact the assymetric guys in 1970s and 1980s were often better equipped in terms of AA (e.g. SA-7 in Morocco, Angola, Stingers in Afghanistan) due to super power support and general proliferation of such weapons.

Since 1990s, super power support in terms of high tech AA has collapsed, and older weapons still in use are either time expired or have been neutralised by modern counter measures.

Even fall of Hussein and Gaddafhi and ransacking of arsenals did not increase aircraft losses to rates previously seen in previous counterinsurgencies.

In fact losses of Western fast jets to MANPADS have not occured since 2001.

Main threat has been to helicopters and then small arms and RPGs are a bigger contributor to loss rates.

Losses to MANPADS have been mainly in Syria and Libya and have involved SA-7 v older Soviet aircraft flying low level WWII style ground attack missions. In this case Bofors AA is also effective.

I think that would’ve been a very good idea.

However I think the Navy/Air Force requirements would still be too contradictory and program would’ve hit delays as such.

USMC would’ve wanted supersonic as part of requirement is replacement of F/A-18.

Personally I think a key part of the question should’ve been “does the Marine Corp actually need it’s own air force?”

Answer is most likely no.

And then roll with separate USN and USAF programs.

PPP is usually lower for militaries due to need for importing equipment. And advanced equipment ala fighter planes, SAMs and warships are very, very expensive in the first place.