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Subject: F-18s
AThousandYoung    9/12/2010 7:51:43 PM
Why do USMC pilots fly F18s, especially in light of the existence of the Harrier?
 
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USN-MID       9/12/2010 8:37:54 PM
Marine aviation has always flown pretty competitive aircraft: Corsairs, Phantoms, Crusaders, Skyhawks. 
 
Until more recently (Tomcat, Super Hornet), they pretty much matched USN TACAIR inventory with few exceptions. 
 
Also, when procured, the Harrier wasn't very impressive, no afterburner, no radar, very limited fuel and ordnance. Today, with PGMs and radar/AMRAAM upgrades, the quality gap is obviously narrowed down a little bit, but PGMs didn't really become commonplace until after Gulf War I, especially in naval air.
 
Then there's the USN/USMC drug deal, where the USMC's C Hornets plus up the CVWs. The D Hornets OTOH add two-seater FAC(A) capability (and originally provided All Weather attack when procured...again before the proliferation of PGMs). 
 
 
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Shawnc    Marines believe in combined arms   9/13/2010 5:40:07 PM
The USMC practices a form of combined arms, termed Marine Air-Ground Task Force, where all aviation is organic - they firmly believe that the best air support for US Marines is another US Marine. Currently, the USMC operates about 96 Harriers and 260 F-18 C/D Hornets.
 
The Smallest such task force, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, is what is primarily embarked on a US Navy Amphibious Assault Group, and comprises of a reinforced Marine ground combat battalion with an Aviation and Logistics Combat Element.  This is primarily where the AV-8B Harrier is operated, on a big-deck assault ship like the Wasp Class LHD, but with an assault ship crammed full of Marines and their helicopters, only 4-8 Harriers are generally operated at one time. 
 
That number of Harriers is usually enough for most peace-time missions, up to and including some low intensity conflicts, but in a 'hotter' situation against an adversary with more resources, there simply aren't enough Harriers to perform all the necessary roles - from close air support to recon, combat air patrol, etc.
 
So the Marines have to rely on a nearby USN CVBG, which thankfully these days usually operates with at least one squadron of Marine F-18 C/Ds, which also means that the Navy aviators can do all the glamorous Strike and Air Combat missions while the Marine pilots do what they do the best - close air support for fellow Marines.
 
When the Marines are able to deploy a full Marine Expeditionary Force, which is a Division of ground troops with an Aviation Wing and Logistics support (such as during the 1991 Gulf War), they tend to bring both their Harriers and Hornets to play.
 
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