Here’s Why US Marine F-35B Pilots Quit For Airline Jobs Paying Roughly Double

The issue of the US Department of Defense losing military pilots to the airline industry is true across the fast jet service branches (the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy) and across fighter jet types. Until mid-2026, the Marines operated four types of fast jets: the F-35B, the F-35C, the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, and the legacy F/A-18 Hornet. It faces pilot retention issues with all its fast jet pilots, not just with the F-35B.