The Marine Corps' Future of Attack and Utility Helicopters: Survivability Through Manned and Unmanned Teaming

The Marine Corps is rapidly advancing towards the Expeditionary Advanced Basing Operations (EABO) concept. Right now, the Marine Corps is wagering that the F-35 will be a one size fits all solution. Time and history have shown, especially when it comes to aviation, that these kinds of solutions are hardly solutions at all. The Marine Corps, if it wants to protect its EAB sites, needs to emphasize CAS assets in an EABO environment. The second aspect of this is if the Marine Corps addresses the limited amount of potential CAS platforms, then the ability to protect those platforms in a saturated radar environment becomes paramount. This leads to a need for more unmanned systems that can fulfill the EW role that the EA-6B Prowler used to provide. Another facet to the EABO fight is projecting power forward, and again, the F-35stands poised to be up to the task in a slightly limited capacity. The weapons payload of the F-35 is severely limited due to its stealth capability and will leave it to use indifferent mission sets. The HMLA can supplement the number of weapons and sorties required to ease the responsibility off of the F-35.