Re: Jets & Planes but no UAV's here.
It's NOT "stealth" like the F-117 (or even F-22) it's more like a drastically reduced radar signature.
Aircraft carriers, and their planes, exist primarily to protect the fleet NOT support ground actions. Sure they train for and can do ground support (quite well) but during an amphibious landing their #1 priority is protecting the shipping. Plus the USMC aircraft need to be transported to the landing zone somehow and you sure don't want to have to reduce the complement of the carriers to haul them.
The main reason to sacrifice payload with the "B" model has absolutely nothing to do with ships however. It has everything to do with NOT needing to seize an airport immediately to support the landing. VTOL aircraft can make do with any parking lot or dirt road.
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Suhiir - Wargame Junkie
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." - Albert Einstein
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