The first of the Lightning carriers is the USS America. This 45,000ton vessel is equipped with a 257meter flight deck and a large aircraft hangar that can carry about twenty F35B fighters alongside MV22B Osprey tiltrotors and conventional helicopters. The USS America is designated as a Landing Helicopter Assault ship and serves as the flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, an amphibious warfare task group configured to embark more than 2,000 marines and their equipment, and is escorted by destroyers and submarines as necessary.