via Marine Corps Times.
Speaking alongside the other service chiefs at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Nov. 7, Gen. Jim Amos said the more than 10 percent in budget reductions the Marines are being forced to make over a 10-year period means they cannot sign new multi-year contracts and are being forced to cancel some current ones, paying a penalty for doing so.Read the whole thing here.
“In Marine aviation alone, it’s going to cost me $6.5 billion of inefficiences,” he said. “That’s four (F-35B Joint Strike Fighter) squadrons and two MV-22 Osprey squadrons.”
Sorry Amos.
I don't care.
The F-35 is prohibitively expensive and we have enough MV-22s to take care of a heliborne assault. The rest of our lift can be taken care of by buying MH-60's and tagging onto either the Army or Navy's buy of them.
Its stunning.
We have Marines about to do another decade in a Vietnam war era vehicle and the air power zealots don't understand and don't care how dangerous that is.
No. Instead we have trolls that work for the F-35 office coming onto my page spreading disinformation.
Marines get it. We need a new vehicle. We need to hold onto those combat experienced Marines so that the knowledge can be passed along in SOI/MCT/OCS and TBS.
Marines get it but Amos doesn't.
I worked on the A-4 Skyhawk, so I am from the aviation side of the Corps, and I get it. It's sad that in my day, (joined 1981) we made do with what we had.
ReplyDeleteyou brought up a GREAT point that i have been real fuzzy on. let me restate that. i've been unclear in my critique of Amos and its coming across that i'm SLAMMING the air wing.
Deletethe guys over on that side use whatever is given them. if they get a a plane that costs 250 million dollars then they run with it. if they got a bunch of A-4's or OV-10's they'd do the same.
there is no war between the wing and the ground side.
THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH CURRENT LEADERSHIP.
It's funny. I seem to remember David being very quick to call me a Boeing shill for advocating the Super Hornet over the F-35.
ReplyDeleteYes, because the Super bug is at its core a 40 year iks design. Lipstick on a pig won't make it any prettier
DeleteLike the Flanker,the Fulcrum...
DeleteWhait a secound...let me play your game...
The Super Hornet first flew in 1995.It is derived from the Hornet.The Hornet is derived from the YF-17.The YF-17 The aircraft's main design elements date to early 1965, from the internal Northrop project N-300...The N-300 was itself derived from the F-5E, and features a longer fuselage, small leading-edge root extensions (LERX), and more powerful GE15-J1A1 turbojets.The F-5 was first flow in 1959...AND was derived from the Northrop N-102 Fang proposed in 1953.
Soooo under your argument the SuperHornet is a 60 years old project?
David, now that I know you're on Lockheed's payroll I will no longer argue about anything with you because you have a stake in this and nothing will change your mind about that money. I have no respect for you because people like you are exactly what's wrong with our procurement system and contributing to America's decline. Congratulations on being part of the problem. Go fuck yourself.
DeleteTo Andrew:Sir,you have my respect....:)
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ReplyDeleteLet's see, 12 planes in a squadron times four squadrons is 48 X $150m (I'm being kind) = $7.2 billion just for the F-35B.
ReplyDeleteActually nobody knows what the F-35 will cost, and that includes General Amos. This fiscal year the MC has budgeted $237 million per aircraft for procurement.
GAO: DOD is investing billions of dollars on hundreds of aircraft before the design is stable, testing proves that it works and is reliable, and manufacturing processes mature to where aircraft can be produced in quantity to cost and schedule targets.
GAO: U.S. future budgets assume the financial quantity benefits of partners purchasing at least 697 aircraft. Second, the current procurement profile for the F-35 projects a rapid buildup in partner buys—195 aircraft through 2017 that comprise about half the total production during the 5-year period 2013 through 2017. If fewer aircraft are procured in total or in smaller annual quantities, unit costs paid by the U.S. and partners will likely rise.
Comment: The 697 aircraft buy, based on meager world orders to date, is no longer viable.
GAO: F-35 operating and support costs (O&S) are currently projected to be 60 percent higher than those of the existing aircraft it will replace. The current forecasts of life cycle sustainment costs for the F-35 fleet are considered unaffordable by defense officials.
Regarding F-35 maintenance at Eglin AFB:
ReplyDeleteOct 17, 2013:
There are 33 LRIP F-35s based at Eglin AFB, Fla. (17 F-35A (two international aircraft), 14 F-35B (including three international aircraft) and 2 F-35C) -- Lockheed
Nov 4, 2013
EGLIN AFB — A high-level commander of Eglin’s F-35 program was fired Monday for engaging in inappropriate behavior with subordinate female officers on his staff. Navy Capt. Lance Massey II, maintenance commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, oversaw about 400 maintainers who work on the F-35s.
400 maintainers, commanded by a Navy captain, for 33 aircraft.
Admiral Greenert slipped a little jewel into his Senate hearing testimony:
ReplyDelete"Also, we will cancel procurement of at least 11 tactical aircraft."
http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/11/07/cno-testifies-before-senate-armed-services-committee/