Congress asking Air Force to look at restarting F-22 production line

Washington Examiner ^ | April 19, 2016 | Jacqueline Klimas

[Lou L]

I believe in the A-10 but I also believe that a newer version is needed.

The A-10 has a much different mission than either the F-22 or the F-35.

[Charles Martel]

I understand they destroyed the tooling for the A-10...a criminal act in my mind.

I agree - it should be treated as a criminal act, or at least have contract clauses that force the manufacturer to eat the cost of replacement tooling. Until the last of a given airframe goes to the boneyard or USAF museum, the tooling should be mothballed.

[huldah1776]

:) can’t miss that one! THANKS! visual learner.

[huldah1776]

DANG!

[huldah1776]

Hope I get to an air show (preferably Cherry Point) this year. One day I saw a jet with a totally strange shape. haven’t seen it since. I think I was in MO at the time. Got to see Whiteman’s birds a couple of times flying over Springfield MO for Independence Day. I only see transports out of McGuire now but I always wave. Enjoyed waving to the Osprey pilots when they flew over in Jville.

[huldah1776]

I used to love reading spy books but traitors should be shot in public.

[pfflier]

All-in-all I would like to see that. The F-22 fleet is way to small to be effective in a global level conflict. Couple that with the F-15 fleet they are replacing was first deployed in 1975.

I think the F-22B would have some upgrades like a smart helmet, data linking and AIM-9X integration that would absolutely make it unbeatable for decades to come.

The data linking ability could integrate F-16s and even F-15 as drones in a combined air battle force. That is a cost effective way to keep the 4th gen fighters viable and help boost fleet numbers to levels that are realistic in dealing with future threats.

[pfflier]

The tooling is not gone. I know exactly where it is and what state of preservation it is in. Complete and in good shape. It is reconstitutable for an assembly line.

I worked extensively with the subcontractors at the time and they can still meet the needs of the program. Their tooling needs are minimum and the advances in computer aided manufacturing, particularly 3-D printing may well replace most of the tooling and premium casting methods they previously used.

This is "do-able" if the USAF doesn't hang alot of new horns, bells and whistles on the airframe

[RitchieAprile]

It would be a waste of money to build them unless they were to be remote controlled or used only to blast the odd jihadi Toyota. Against an opponent with missiles flying these would be suicidal.

[sarge83]

Is the F35 a fighter or bomber? From what I have read it really doesn’t do either one well. It looks to be a total turkey. If I have to into a furball over the South China Sea I think I would rather be in a Raptor, Hornet or Eagle than the F35.

[pfflier]

Against an opponent with missiles flying these would be suicidal.

Huh?? Are we talking about the F-22?

[DuncanWaring]

The A-10 was designed to operate in airspace defended by these:

.

Quad 23-mm cannon, radar-guided.

[DoughtyOne]