The main stream media has been ignoring the F-35 saga. They definitely don't know about the delayed development, spotty software and crushing cost of the airplane...but that is changing. The impetus behind the new found attention on the F-35?
ObamaCare.
It seems like TampaBay.com is using a comparison between the ObamaCare act and the F-35 to make ObamaCare seem affordable. Read it all but check this out.
But the congressional crusade for fiscal accountability would seem to be somewhat selective. If the Beltway is going to fulminate over $300 million wasted to create a website, surely there must be some froth to spare for the $400 billion already flushed away to develop the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which after years of delays and cost overruns has yet to shoot so much as a pea against an adversary in combat.Who knew that fiscal austerity being pushed by Republicans. Mixed with an innate hatred of the military, being pushed by the Democrats. Would combine to be the kryptonite to the F-35?
According to ELP Blog the Pentagon will lose around 5 F-35's due to continued sequestration.
It'll be more than that. Additionally the services will get their personnel cuts but they will be stretched out over more years than the Pentagon desires.
What does that mean? It means that their is nothing else of substance to cut. It means the F-35 will see its production schedule stretched out even longer (in a best case scenario)...which means fewer airplanes over the next five to ten years. It means costs will go up. It means fewer airplanes will be bought.
It means the death spiral is here.
"some froth to spare for the $400 billion already flushed away to develop the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter" should be "some froth to spare for the $400 billion already earmarked to develop and build the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter"
ReplyDeleteGood thing the Rafale and Typhoon were both on time and on budget and less than $100 million USD apiece. Not to mention out the door with AESA radar and ground attack capability on Day-1.......
DeleteLets not forget the A400 program as a shining example of Euro-competence, I mean it is a bigger C-130, how hard could it be?
Oh wait, the Typhoon and Rafale were both years late and were delivered as strictly A2A jets, the Eurofighter's AESA is still 1 working prototype, and the Rafale is going to be out of production in 9 years :)
Good thing both the F-15 and F-18 lines will be shut by 2018......
Daniel Ruth hit all the main points very well. This on-target article is what we'd see more of if (1) we lived in a "partner" country without so many jobs spread around or (2) we had an honest media.
ReplyDeleteRe: that quote above...." the $400 billion already flushed away to develop the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter".... Not that much. We have currently spent up to $60B on the F-35 program. Some additional millions on CALF, JAST etc (which produced no jets) add that to the $80-some billion on the F-22 (including latest upgrades) and America has spent about $140B-plus on the 5th generation fighter experiment...all for about 120-some combat-coded F-22s.
ReplyDeleteStope making up numbers.
DeleteThe USAF has Exactly 183 combat ready F-22s, plus 6 for testing.
You just HATE Lock-mart jets so GODDAMN much you can't see straight.
I cannot wait for the F-15 and F-18 lines to shutter in 3-4 years to see your crocodile tears.
FYI Combat Coded does not equal the entire inventory.
DeleteI didn’t think the fact sheet was correct, so I asked ACC to give me a breakdown of the Raptor fleet. This is what ACC sent me: “The F-22 inventory is 123 combat-coded, 27 training, 16 test, and 20 attrition reserve. The incident at Tyndall was a training aircraft which brought the number down from 28. There are currently 186 total.” - See more at: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2012/11/how-many-raptors-does-the-usaf/#sthash.LInSi8Qa.dpuf
Here's another good one.
ReplyDeleteWhat If Obamacare Was A Fighter Jet?
Like the comically bad roll-out of the Affordable Care Act’s website, the long-delayed and often-rejiggered F-35 program is a costly disaster rife with technological snafus, software problems and repeated contractor incompetence.
Unlike the circle-jerk of posturing, pontification and media preoccupation that gave us The Shutdown of 2013, the “first $1 trillion weapon system in history” has quietly metastasized into a debacle that is, to quote Sen. John McCain, “worse than a disgrace.”
http://my.firedoglake.com/jpsottile/2013/10/24/what-if-obamacare-was-a-fighter-jet/
Wait, are you implying that Obamacare taxes are secretly being used to give money to the F-35 program?
Deleteyes, he is.
DeleteDonald has it out for the F-35, facts be damned.
Congress does not make a stink about because the F-35 because the military says they "must have " this plane. Watch the air sea battle testimony. The ACV is mentioned once when prompted by BGen Killea but the Air Force and Navy flag officers repeated over and over that the F-35 was a key component and must be fully funded. The common mantra coming out of Pentagon is that we must have 5th generation aircraft and the only aircraft for that is the F-35.
ReplyDelete