I was thinking, if the Marines had not insisted on a VSTOL aircraft, say decided to put catapults on their new LPA ships.
I wonder how long ago the F35 would have come into service? Not having to put lift fans on the plane, possibly having it twin engined, surely the process would have been quicker and cheaper.
It could be argued that if the USMC was trying to catapult F35s off LHAs then the EMALS catapult system might have been sorted. Even if the Marines had had to refit all if their LHDs and LHAs to have angled decks, catapults and arrester gear, the whole program costs I do feel would have been more in line with the initial estimates for cost and time scale.
The undercurrent to this train of thought is how realistic is it for the USMC to operate F35Vs from austere fields, when just offshore is a small carrier with all the necessary support infrastructure?