AI, advanced tech central to new Marine Corps aviation plan

The U.S. Marine Corps released a revised aviation strategy Monday that focuses on using autonomous systems, drones and artificial intelligence-driven software to ensure its aircraft fleet can survive in a fierce war zone.

And the Corps is also shifting its procurement plans for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to buy more carrier-based F-35Cs and fewer of the B variants that can hover and vertically land.

The Corps billed its 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, the service’s first in three years, as a “roadmap to enhancing operational readiness and ensuring Marine aviation remains a lethal force.” A centerpiece of the plan, signed by deputy commandant for aviation Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, is a modernization strategy the Corps calls “Project Eagle.”