All of the comments here could have been answered by a check of (mostly current) Wikipedia. USN aircraft, by count: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_activ

All of the comments here could have been answered by a check of (mostly current) Wikipedia. USN aircraft, by count: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_States_naval_aircraft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_States_n... USN wings, by squadron equipment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_aircraft_wings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_air... In short: there's little reason to majority-equip carrier air wings with F-35Cs. They're an exquisite asset, with the maintenance and availability penalties that come along with that. Not all missions require exquisite assets. When you're thousands of miles from the nearest supply depot, in the middle of the ocean, it makes sense to be pragmatic and use a design that's been in production and refined for almost 30 years. Sometimes, good aerodynamic performance, good engines, and weapons compatibility is enough. Therefore a lot of the time, the F/A-18E/F is enough.