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The F-15 Eagle has a perfect combat record of 101 victories and zero defeats. F-15s downed four Mig-29 fighters during the recent Balkan conflict and 33 of the 35 fixed-wing aircraft Iraq lost in air combat during Operation Desert Storm. During the Balkan conflict, the F-15E was the only fighter able to attack ground targets around the clock, in all weather conditions....
Air-Attack.com :: F-15 Eagle Factsheet
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 17 (RIA Novosti, Yury Nikolayev) - Venezuela is considering replacing its contingent of U.S.-built F-16 multi-role fighters with Russian Su-35s, a high ranking Venezuelan general said.
"We are considering procurement of Russia's Su-35 fighter aircraft to replace F-16s, after the United States banned weapons exports to Venezuela," Venezuelan General Staff official General Alberto Muller Rojas said. "At the moment the Su-35 is world's best multi-role fighter."
The United States announced a ban on arms sales to Venezuela May 15. The U.S. State Department accused the South American country of having an intelligence-sharing relationship with Iran and Cuba, both of which the U.S. says are state sponsors of terrorism.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused the United States of breaching an agreement to supply parts for Venezuela's F-16s.
Venezuela looking to swap U.S. F-16 fighters for Russian Su-35s | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire
Underlying the proposal is the fact that age and OPTEMPO are wearing out the F/A-18Ds. There is already a projected three-and-a-half-squadron shortfall in the Marine fighter inventory lasting from 2009 until 2014, when JSFs - the only new fighters in Marine planning - are due to replace them. But unless something is done to extend the life of the Ds, says Beisbier, any slippage in JSF will leave the Marines with "little choice but to decommission four more F/A-18D squadrons." Ouch.
The same situation is emerging in Australia, where there are reports that - if there is a further slip in the JSF program - the country may order more Super Hornets, beyond the 24 jets already on order, possibly as part of a defense review to be announced around the end of the year. In Australia's case, if the JSF slips, the choice is to add to the Super Hornet buy (with EA-18G Growlers, Super Hornets or both) or to attempt more life-extension on the classic Hornets. See these notes from Eric Palmer
Ares Homepage
The federal opposition has dismissed new doubts about the capacity of the multi-billion dollar Joint Strike Fighter to perform against jets used by Russia and China.
The JSF jets, for which Australia is likely to pay $16 billion, were comprehensively beaten in highly classified simulated dogfights against Russian-built Sukhoi fighter aircraft, it has been reported.
The war games, conducted at Hawaii's Hickam airbase last month, were witnessed by at least four RAAF personnel and a member of Australia's peak military spy agency, the Defence Intelligence Organisation, The West Australian said.
Opposition defence spokesman Nick Minchin said he was taking "with a grain of salt" the validity of the report.
Australia's fighter jets 'clubbed' by Russians - National - BrisbaneTimes
Maggie.. Gates is an appointee and I could care less what his opinion is on the number needed by the Air Force. You remember this is the same DoD that has spent over 71 billion dollars on a helicopter for the President and cancelled it at an additional cost of 43 billion dollar and receieved exactly nothing for it. So again, I could care less what Gates assesment is. US Air Force has stated the number needed to fill the mission and that number is for 60 additional aircraft. Further, this talk of "well the cold war is over" so we don't need cold war aircraft is made by those who have zero idea of what they are talking about. Air Superiority and the need for it does not stop with the end of a regime, further, Russia as I have shown has developed in the SU-35/37 a very capable aircraft that is able in most ciscumstances to defeat the F-35 in several envelopes. They also are as of this moment clearly exporting this aircraft to all buyers. China is also develping an aircraft along the lines of the F-22 that will defeat the F-35. So when the Air Force makes it known that they require the worlds premire fighter then our Govt. should provide it to them. In addition the the jobs I mentioned above will just mean that many more people in the unemployment line that I believe our Govt. had the chance to keep from joining. These kinds of jobs are not the kind that you just retrain someone if you want to build another aircraft they are highly specialized and take in some cases years to learn. Again, the case of the F-22 is just a sign of an even bigger issue and that is a congress that has little interest in the welfare of this nation and more interest in it's own welfare. I have contacted John McCains office to let him know he will not get my support for re-election and to inform him that congress should lift the export ban on the F-22 to allow nations like Aurtralia to buy this amazing aircraft and keep these good people in their jobs.
You're just incapable of discussing anything without your ideology getting in the way. The problem is NOT one of no interest in protecting this nation, but one of MONEY!!!! We cannot do EVERYTHING--which simply means that some of the old costly relics (or soon to be relics) need to go bye bye in order to make room for new, more functional technology. How many contracts does Lockheed need in order to keep all its employees? Looks like this one may prove to be more lucrative than some ol' airplane.
Strike-Anywhere Missile Plan Could Get Hypersonic Boost | Danger Room | Wired.com
The Department of Defense budget takes up two-thirds of the overall annual budget, when all of the related costs from other agencies (like the VA) are taken into consideration. It seems the conservative right wants carte blanche funding for DoD but Heaven Forbid some domestic program should require more money.
The U.S. defense budget accounted in fiscal year 2008 for about 21% of the United States federal budget.
Because of constitutional limitations, military funding is appropriated in a discretionary spending account. (Such accounts permit government planners to have more flexibility to change spending each year, as opposed to mandatory spending accounts that mandate spending on programs outside of the budgetary process.) In recent years, discretionary spending as a whole has amounted to about one-third of total federal outlays.[5] Military funding's share of discretionary funding was 50.5% in 2003, and has risen steadily ever since.[6]
Military budget of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maggie, frankly when discussing things with you and facts are presented to you, I've noticed that once done rather than admitting that perhaps that the lose of 95,000 jobs that F-22 not exactly saving billions of dollars like you want it to with a stop in production you would rather say thats somehow ideaology. So be it, if you choose to call it that then , I cannot stop you. The other thing I would submit to you especially in this case, is you have presented nothing that would make the case that the F-22 is a relic and in fact when compared to every fact I've shown you from China, Russia, US Air Force, you still deflect to calling it my ideaology. I might suggest that given the chance the next time an airshow is near you go, and talk to the people that actually fly the aricraft and ask them what they think. Ask them if they think it's a relic of the cold war. I have also pointed out to you a few other factors Maggie that are involved here. It's my humble opinion Maggie that you would rather see your fellow Americans that build these fine aircraft in the unemployment line rather than admit that anything the military does or needs is needed. At the very least I can compliment Barbara Boxer, Chris Dodd and others for their being able to see through the McCain/Levin Amendment and recognize that these jobs are a vital asset to the American economy as well as the F-22, it saddens me that you don't. Not that it will help any but I thought you might like to see exactly how much it's going to cost to shut that line down, and this does not include the costs associated with all those families impacting their local economies.
WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) defended on Thursday a contract clause that irked the Pentagon's top arms buyer and that could cost U.S. taxpayers as much as $147 million to end output of the F-22 fighter jet.
Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales, also denied it would be bucking industry practice by imposing a so- called "tail-up" clause as part of a three-year, 60-plane deal that could end production at 183 aircraft.
"Tail-up describes the inefficiencies that occur at the end of an aircraft production line," said Sam Grizzle, a company spokesman. "Tail-up costs have occurred at the end of virtually every U.S. military aircraft production line."
John Young, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, said in a statement that Lockheed was planning to seek $147 million to wind up its production line.
"In my view, the Air Force should not have negotiated a punitive tail-up provision which pressures (the Office of Secretary of Defense) and Air Force leadership to purchase additional aircraft," he said.
"Our industry partners generally work to efficiently complete production programs, and they do not seek tail-up provisions," Young added in the statement relayed by his spokesman, Chris Isleib.
Lockheed defends F-22 fighter line-shutdown charge | Industries | Industrials, Materials & Utilities | Reuters
Thats just a one time agreed upon fee by the DoD and does not include the rise in price of the remaining F-22 and the spares associated with keeping the purchased 187 flying. Imagine how many people you could have helped with that 147 million dollars. So I submit Maggie it is you who spends too much time listening to your party line and not investigating the facts to make an infomed decision when it comes to legislation.