Cold Fusion38
SUPER GENIUS
they tried to cram too many missions onto a single airframeYes, I know that about the F22 being canceled by the military. But I was hearing rumors of the F35 also having problems being put into production. That was my only reason for concern. A gap in replacement technology.
As for the Warthog and B 52, I know they're being kept around because they're still effective. But, the airframes are hitting the wall, unless we're still building em.
Regardless, P-BO could give a shit about our national security except in how it reflects on his legacy.
Fitz the F-35 is a disaster of an aircraft and the DoD recently announced that it is slowing down the implementation of the F-35 and calling for more flight testing. The US Navy along with a few nations are having considerable problems trying to justify this aircraft and I agree with them.
The study, by the Navys aviation arm, says the cost to buy and operate that services version of the F-35 will be dramatically higher than predicted 40 percent more than existing aircraft and will put a serious squeeze on future budgets.
The report follows continued reports of F-35 development delays. It was also reported Jan. 6 that the 2011 Pentagon budget, set for release Feb. 1, will cut planned F-35 purchases.
The validity and accuracy of the Navys cost analysis is open to debate. Navy officials did not comment or elaborate on the study, but several veteran defense observers said it was a sign that many in the naval aviation ranks remain less than committed to buying the sea services version of the F-35.
By allowing the cost study to leak widely, "the Navy seems to be putting a log on the fire and prepping the battlefield to bail out" of the F-35 program, said Winslow Wheeler, director of the Strauss Military Reform Project and former longtime Senate defense staff member.
Navy F-35 study has fueled new speculation in the defense industry | Business | Dallas B...
In fact the F-35 was designed originally as a compliment to the F-22 not as a stand-alone system to work in all envelopes as the DoD is trying to make it work. It would be WELL worth the effort to actually let the services decide which is best for them rather than forcing this aircraft down their throats.
In July, Davis accused Boeing outright of spreading lies and half-truths about the F-35 in order to bolster the international sales campaign for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. He specifically called out Boeing for publicly predicting future cost overruns and delays for the F-35. Boeing responded: People with greater insight [into the F-35 programme] than I are looking at the offerings available. Let people draw their own conclusions about why.
More recently, a commentary written by Pierre Sprey, widely considered the conceptual father of the Lockheed F-16, claimed the F-35 would be an aerodynamic dog and outclassed in combat by the fighters it is replacing.
Davis shot back that the F-35s turn-rate and manoeuvring is no different than the F-16, and the latter has stealth and far more advanced sensor fusion capability.
Another article appearing in the Australian press claimed the F-35 was clubbed like a baby seal in a classified US Air Force exercise.
Davis replied that the basic wargame did not even involve an air-to-air scenario. Some excursion scenarios did involve F-22s, but the F-35 was mentioned only tangentially.
F-35 programme officials bash critics, suspect hidden agenda-22/09/2008-Washington DC-Flightglobal.com
I guess a lot depends on what you want to believe in this, however the last time something like this was tried it was the F-111 which turned out to be a disaster for the US Navy and a good overall aircraft because it suited the mission for the USAF but not the Navy. The Navy eventually went with another aircraft called the F-14 which most know its long and storied history. In short this one size fits all solution like the F-35 is a VERY bad solution.
i said this way back when they first started to develop it
I said the EXACT same thing to my brother who is an areonatical engineer about the F-22. Each service has it's OWN unique needs and buiding a SINGLE airframe to accomplish them all is foolish at best.