The F-35 goes FMC this month

[DrainBamage]

You and others on here need to get an F-35 and get a room.

Darryl is right, you aren't really doing much to support your arguments here with stuff like this. It sounds like you've realized you can't support your claims on F-35 so are just punting and deciding to accuse others of being rabid fans because they are taking the time to spell out and stand by their positions. It's weak.

It's probably a very good aircraft, but is a money sponge and it has failed on numerous occasions to live up to its billing.

It's entire delivery schedule is late, that is the main thing it has failed to live up to. It isn't a money sponge any more than any other aircraft is a money sponge, F-35A is now under $100 million and will be closer to $85M by 2019. That is comparable to other modern fighter aircraft while being far more capable.

I am addressing the here and now, because we need this aircraft here and now, not 5 years from now.

Why? What sortie needs doing right now in this very moment that US military couldn't accomplish with existing assets?

There are already more F-35s than F-22s, and they'll churn out almost 100 more in 2018.

 

[DrainBamage]

Like I said, you and your F-35 need to get a room!

I have never seen this much adulation heaped on an aircraft that has yet to be proven.

Yeah how dare anyone call you on the BS you're spewing, they must be in love with the plane and that is reason enough to avoid backing up anything you say right?

My nephew is a Marine F-35B avionics tech. He worked on AV-8s before. When he gives me the thumbs up, I'll let you know.

Well there you go. We should ignore the mountains of information available on this plane's schedule, price, production, and performance and instead focus on the opinion of the nephew of someone who spews a lot of things but can't seem to put together any form of coherent argument to support it other than accusing others of fighter adulation.

I don't give a shit about your nephew.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Like I said, you and your F-35 need to get a room!

I have never seen this much adulation heaped on an aircraft that has yet to be proven.

Yeah how dare anyone call you on the BS you're spewing, they must be in love with the plane and that is reason enough to avoid backing up anything you say right?

My nephew is a Marine F-35B avionics tech. He worked on AV-8s before. When he gives me the thumbs up, I'll let you know.

Well there you go. We should ignore the mountains of information available on this plane's schedule, price, production, and performance and instead focus on the opinion of the nephew of someone who spews a lot of things but can't seem to put together any form of coherent argument to support it other than accusing others of fighter adulation.

I don't give a shit about your nephew.

If he really does have a nephew I care about him if, in fact, he is a Jarhead. We both know that there quite a few imaginary people when some needs t have a reference. But I will give him the benefit of the doubt on this one for now.

Otherwise, I agree with what you say.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

I thought we were talking about the capabilities of the aircraft in a general sense, not what it can do at this exact second via operational aircraft.

USMC has operational F-35Bs in Japan and they have proven in exercises they are capable of efficiently crippling advanced air defense systems, so that is the answer. However even with 3F software upgrade to full warfighting capability I doubt they'd be used in Korea immediately, such is the nature of new aircraft. With 3F USMC F-35Bs will be able to employ GBU-12/32/49/51 both internally and externally and AIM-9X. They will continue training with them and their new capabilities, and might use them if North Korea actually invaded South Korea, otherwise any strike against North Korea would involve existing 4th gen aircraft, B-2s, and F-22s.

If I had to guess who will use F-35s in combat first look no further than Israel. They already have seven, will be getting two more before end of this year, and will likely declare IOC shortly thereafter. Plus the Israelis don't give a shit.

The pilots, on a daily basis, are finding new ways of using the F-35. And they astounded with each time they find one. It's not like a 4th gen fighter. The rule books are just being written flight after flight.