Thanks for the link Joe!
I haven't been following this blog like I should but check this out....as usual a tidbit. Go here to read it all.
There are a couple of rules of thumb that one should understand if they're going to try and denigrate their competition. One, make sure you're not living in a glass house when you throw the stones. And two, make sure you know what you're talking about.Pretty freaking awesome in my opinion.
In both cases, a Boeing executive ignored those rules of thumb to take a few shots at his competitor's airplane, namely the F-35.
Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft division, met with reporters recently at the Boeing headquarters.
"The F-35 continues to delay and delay", he told them.
Right. Old news. As has been pointed out here, the testing that is now going on is ahead of schedule and has been for quite some time. That was a valid point a year or so ago. Now it just sounds like uniformed sour grapes.
Then there was this:
"Yes, the F-35 has all-aspect stealth, but that is used in a relatively small part of the combat envelope."
Really, sir? This is a Joint STRIKE fighter, that's understood right? Which means a large portion of its future missions will be penetrating hostile enemy airspace and engaging targets deep in enemy territory. That won't be a "relatively small part" of its "combat envelope", it will, in fact, be a rather large part of it. Especially if that enemy has sophisticated air defenses. If so, stealth becomes a very important tool that pushes up the chances of mission success in contested airspace much higher than if one is having to try it in an F/A 18.
We still need the F-35.
Consider this. The Chinese have J-20 plus one other stealth fighter and possibly a third under development. The Russians and Indians are developing another.
And all we have are legacy 4th gen fighters.
No doubt about it...WE NEED THE F-35.
The problem for the Marine Corps is we need new armor too.
General Mattis really should stick around and become the next Commandant. We need real leadership in the big chair...especially now....especially with this budget mess the Marine Corps finds itself in!