Why the Air Force Won't Buy the F-15X or 'New' F-22 Raptor

[Cow Poke]

Why the Air Force Won't Buy the F-15X or 'New' F-22 Raptor

[One Bad Pig]

Why the Air Force Won't Buy the F-15X or 'New' F-22 Raptor

That would not explain why they don't want more F-22s, which would be better in an air superiority role AFAICT. The F-35 IS way over-budget, and the way to make that look better is to buy more of them.

[Cow Poke]

That would not explain why they don't want more F-22s, which would be better in an air superiority role AFAICT. The F-35 IS way over-budget, and the way to make that look better is to buy more of them.

Yeah, I'm looking for more info on this.

[kiwimac]

Let's just ignore the fact that the F-35 is almost entirely unsuited for the role currently filled by the A-10 as well.

[One Bad Pig]

Let's just ignore the fact that the F-35 is almost entirely unsuited for the role currently filled by the A-10 as well.

At this point, I'm not sure what role it is satisfactorily suited for, other than "hard to see on radar."

[Cow Poke]

More here....

The Mangled Myths Dogging the Joint Strike Fighter

[Leonhard]

Denmark is getting F-35s. We need them. Our aging F-16 airfleet is no match for Russians who are currently flying their MIGs across our cities now and then to show off that they can.

Its about as good a plane as we can get.

[Cow Poke]

US F-35 fighter jet poised for combat debut

Washington (CNN)The US Marine Corps' stealth F-35B Lightning fighter jet could fly its first combat mission within days, according to several US defense officials, who told CNN that the fifth-generation aircraft are currently aboard the USS Essex amphibious assault ship and should soon be in a position to conduct airstrikes over Afghanistan.
The USS Essex has already sailed from the Gulf of Aden into the North Arabian Sea and is expected to move into the Persian Gulf in coming days, one official said.

F-35 pilots have been conducting intelligence and surveillance missions in Somalia while on standby to conduct air support for US troops on the ground there if needed.
While available for support, the advanced fighter jet was not used in an airstrike over Somalia on Saturday that killed 18 militants after US and local forces came under attack.

In May, Israel Defense Forces said they were using their version of the F-35 in operational missions, striking at least two unspecified targets in the region.

That announcement marked the first time that the F-35 had been used in an actual combat situation -- a significant moment given the program's checkered past.

The F-35 fighter jet is touted as the future of military aviation; a lethal and versatile aircraft that combines stealth capabilities, supersonic speed, extreme agility and state-of-the-art sensor fusion technology, according to Lockheed Martin, the plane's primary contractor.

The F-35B is one of three variants of the F-35 aircraft and the only one with the ability to land vertically like a helicopter. It can also takeoff in a much shorter space than other fighter jets, which is why it can operate off the Essex, a warship only half the size of the 100,000-ton aircraft carriers in the US fleet.

[shunyadragon]

I believe the next generation of fighters and bombers will be unmanned drones capable of greater speeds and maneuverability than manned aircraft. Technically they are all obsolete already.

[Cow Poke]

I believe the next generation of fighters and bombers will be unmanned drones capable of greater speeds and maneuverability than manned aircraft. Technically they are all obsolete already.

Yeah, the public would have to get over the fear factor of one of those babies being hacked or hi-jacked.

[shunyadragon]

Yeah, the public would have to get over the fear factor of one of those babies being hacked or hi-jacked.

The technology is going this way anyway. Technology race does not end. It is possible now and in the future anything is possibly hijacked. It is possible for these advanced aircraft, modern airliners and other modern aircraft to be hacked, but in terms of military craft, unlikely.

[Cow Poke]

The technology is going this way anyway. Technology race does not end. It is possible now and in the future anything is possibly hijacked. It is possible for these advanced aircraft, modern airliners and other modern aircraft to be hacked, but in terms of military craft, unlikely.

We are not in disagreement.

[Sparko]

And then Skynet.

[Cow Poke]

F-35B crashes near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina

[Leonhard]

One thing I don't like about the F-35 is the US refuses to share the source code for its systems. This is particularly problematic for countries that are purchasing it. Threatening their sovereignity. To compensate the US is providing 'upgrade facilities' in Florida to do customization of the software, but it refuses to let the source code be shared.

This refusal extended even to Israel who had offered to buy an additional 75 F-35 fighters as part of a technology transfer like that.

I think the decision stinks. It smells a lot like there being secret backdoors and killswitches built into the planes.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-l...5AO01F20091125

Correction is appears that Israil has gotten some limited ability to do their own repairs and modifications.

https://www.wired.com/2016/05/israel...-35-least-now/