Posted on 10/24/2015 7:46:36 AM PDT by McGruff
Donald Trump boasts, “I’m the most militaristic person there is,” and that he’d build a military force so robust “no one is going to mess” with the U.S. Yet at his core, Trump is a businessman. So when the Republican presidential frontrunner looks at the Defense Department’s multi-billion dollar F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, he sees a lousy deal.
During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the real estate mogul said he has received briefings on the fighter jet effort and that it has “big problems.”
“I’m hearing that our existing planes are better. And one of the pilots came out of the plane, one of the test pilots, and said this isn’t as good as what we already have. And to spend billions and billions of dollars on something that maybe isn’t as good,” Trump said. He was referring to a recent five-page report written by a test pilot and obtained by War is Boring that said the fifth-generation aircraft was easily outmatched by the F-16 fighter, which the F-35 is meant to replace.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefiscaltimes.com ...
“Functionally, we have the ability to put a lot more A-10s into active service and keep them there for a very long time.”
Yes, but you currently do not have a Defense budget for anything, much less for the existing or past A-10 inventories. Due to the budget limitations imposed by Obama and Congress, the Air Force is not permitted to have the air crews and ground crews necessary to maintain the existing inventory of A-10 aircraft or any expanded inventory. It is also overdue for everyone to take notice that the ability to field and effective combat force is highly dependent upon having an economy capable of paying for those combat forces.
This ain't the Middle Ages, when renowned blacksmiths took their steel-making secrets with them to the grave. Process technologies are extensively documented and used on other aircraft. The tools for any plane can be recreated at a fraction of the cost of the original project. The real issue is that Congress doesn't actually want to do this, and hides behind mythical tooling issues to not revive aircraft.
Very astute observations. It would not surprise me to learn that while we have been pursuing the F-35 project, that there has been parallel development going on over at the Skunk works on aircraft that would put the F-35 to shame.
Wishful thinking perhaps, but I still have great faith in our engineering creativity when it comes to advanced combat aircraft.
For the cost of one aircraft, you could build a million ordnance carrying drones and dispatch them to 10000 infantry, 10 per vehicle, and 1000 per rear command with extended flight range.
F-35 is a fancy flying dumptruck. F-22 is an actual apex fighter.
Okay, so he gets elected and stops the F-35 after 150 planes are pumped off the assembly line. At 500 billion dollars for the program, each plane cost 3 billion dollars. We’ll never use them in fear of losing them.
Does the F-22 assembly line start up again? Upgraded F-15 or F-16? Start buying Navy F-18s? What will take the place of the F-35 buy (which is supposed to be 700+ airplanes)?
Not a fan of the F-35, but what is Plan B?
I read somewhere once that Lockheed has all the dies, jigs and plans still on hand. Although if you look at the new Chinese fighter, that ChiComs must have them as well.
Where is the article?
I’m OK with this but what is plan B? What are we going to do about our aging and increasingly obsolete aircraft instead of the F-35?
This won’t happen but I can dream. About 1/2 this dream would provide equipment for a strong force but not solve the leadership and manpower problems we have now. The airmen you will see on 60 minutes tomorrow night are going through the motions of doing a good job because it is their job and they do it with honor. I’m pretty sure they are making the most of a bad situation though.
We are not defenseless but we are in need of refreshing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_States_military_aircraft
The legs of our air arm need to be efficient, reliable, effective and ready. We have wasted years on the F-35 boondoggle. All because Lockheed made more money on that than the F-22 and an F-22 budget would delay or kill the 35. So what did they do? They killed the F-22 by lobbying.
There is the F-35 to replace the F-16, F/A-18 and A/V-8 but it does not look like a good airplane and it isn’t coming out soon and it is not any replacement for the F-22 and F-15E which are short in number and/or war weary. That is what this argument is about, a bad replacement and no replacement.
We need a new USAF because the one we have is just old and worn out. What we don’t need is a profiteering boondoggle to build a new one. Trump should know how to make good buys of:
at least 200 new F-22 to replace our ancient F-15C/D models and offset russia’s 360 air superiority fighters,
200 to 300 F-15SE to supplement the reconstruction of our 200 D models and counter the nearly 400 similar aircraft russia has that include much newer variants like the Su-34 and Su-35. As a bomb truck that can fight in and out the F-15E is still hard to beat, with upgrades harder to beat and with a few new air frame tweaks, canted tails and some kick ass bigger engines is really hard to beat.
and about 1,300 F-16V and F/A-18F to replace a like number of aging F-16 and F/A-18. If not that then can the affair and go with drones and missiles though drones don’t have the requisite flexibility and situational awareness of manned airplanes I’m told.
I’ve left off the A-10. All of the ones in service have been rebuilt to “as new” condition and there are more for the same inexpensive upgrade / refurbishment at Davis-Monthan. We need to keep the Hog. It is the best plane for the job in the world.
The shopping list is 1,700 to 1,800 new airplanes to replace about 2,100 that are old variants or airplanes that are worn out. 1,700 or 1,800 proven aircraft designs that just need to be built instead of the ongoing operational R&D on another 2,443 copies of a bad airplane like the F-35. That 2,443 is scheduled to replace 2,179 or so aging airplanes but when? If the airplane could live up to its promise it might be worth some wait.
We have many more combat aircraft than russia (about 3100 vs 1700) do but they are upgrading old airplanes and they have large attack aircraft that we don’t that are similar to the F-15E. Our F-16 and F/A-18 are good airplanes but have lower payload and mission capability to newer aircraft like the Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 and even the upgraded Mig-29 and Su-27.
The problem though is not airplanes if you have them. The problem is enough pilots snd WSO to operate them. The millennials don’t’ seem to have the same inspiration to be pilots young men once did. The people we do have want out as soon as possible. Morale is horrible. If it were not for the young men being told frequently and with regularity that they are all dangerous potential rapists they are being pilloried by the LGBT or some other oppressive social agenda. They have to watch every single word and thought they have because they are being watched. They are also being poorly led by a bunch of dungo toadies at the top.
We are in much better condition than the russians for trainer aircraft but we also need to upgrade our fleet of 490 50+ year old T-38s, great little airplanes for what they do but they are getting old, tired and costly to maintain.
Our adversaries are not asleep. They are not doing nothing and they are becoming more well equipped for war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_currently_active_Russian_military_aircraft
Just my thoughts. I hope some biased mouth does not steer Trump in a wrong direction. And, the YF-23 people got robbed. That airplane was far ahead of its time. I’m afraid they just didn’t grease the right palms.
but it was a much bigger taxi!
It was also a great bomber but not even close to being a good multipurpose airplane.
I’ve heard pilots who should know say that they would rather get in an F-111 for an all weather mission to anywhere than any other airplane they could choose. One declared it an absolute beautiful beast!
I personally know that all of the tools, plans, and equipment were very safely put away. We knew ending production was absolutely stupid.
There is no aircraft in the world today with the capabilities of the F-22. It is even more capable than most people think.
With today’s F-35 overruns, more F-22s would have actually been cheaper.
Politicians should decide when to go to war. Besides that they should shut the hell up and let the military professionals make the military decisions.
Thank you so much for that!!
At least some folks had some rare common sense.
Agree about your assessment of the F-22. We need triple the number we have at a minimum.
From what I’ve read and watched the designers of the YF-23 were robbed. I only hope that it is being developed and built as a black program but with bonzo in the hut my hope is likely nothing more than a fart in a hurricane.
A loud faction of government and its media have rarely promoted any military program, whatever it may be, whether aircraft, ships, tanks, firearms, you name it.
They have tried to kill off or deny funding for every aircraft, every ship, every weapon system proposed and have killed the F-22 and ended production of all but a handful of currently produced 40 year old designs.
As such, it is not at all surprising that the general population only reads about what an expensive failure the F-35 is, as told by the loud faction of government and its media who are doing their best to kill it.
If Trump can get past that gauntlet and he actually talks with the people with hands on and seat of the pants knowledge and then wants to end the program, I'll be interested in what he has to say.
Until then, I've read the same reports he cites and I don't trust the reporters.
Propaganda works and we should know. We mastered the psychology long ago and have perfected the art form for the digital age.
1. Not Russians using (Syrian markings)
2. Not Russian (Czech L-39ZA)
3. Not A-10 equivalent (That's the Su-25), but an armed version of a trainer with more power, payload and an internal cannon (Think 21st Century Cessna A-37 Dragonfly)
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