Under a memorandum of agreement signed on 14 March 2011 by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos, the two sea services will buy a total of 680 F-35 Lightning II fighters. The Navy will buy 260 F-35C carrier variants, while the Marine Corps will buy a total of 340 F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variants as well as eighty F-35Cs. The Marine Corps, which was not planning to buy any F-35Cs, will assign five of its fighter squadrons to fly in the Navy’s carrier air wings. The F-35Bs will be assigned to amphibious assault ships. Training for the aircraft will be completely integrated, and there will be only one training pipeline.
