Posted on 09/26/2015 2:10:31 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
At all.
However I have always supported the F-22, and have never understood it's cancellation.
This article, seems to also do so. So I'm posting it, just for discussion.
The F-22’s sin is that it wasn’t “joint”. The F-35 is joint, so it was designed by committee. And people wonder why it sucks.
Cancelling the F-22 was one of the worst decisions that could have been made.
Having restarted programs several times, I can attest that they are much more expensive to restart than they would have been if the military kept them going. However, it is unlikely that the tooling was destroyed. It would have required an order from the customer to do so.
I can tell you how to make it substantially cheaper. Do away with all the insane political requirements; X amount must be built in somebody’s district, all the black and female quotas, small company quotas, etc.
I can tell you, though, that these are the last clauses that will be struck. More likely they’ll reduce the planes capabilities first.
Gates wanted it canceled because it wasn’t GAY enough for him.
The F-22 should have been built to replace the F-15E, which is what actually replaced the F-4, which is what replaced the F-100, which is what replaced the F-86; that is a two seat two weapon bay jet. Then, it would have been a real multirole aircraft. Even better if the F-23 had been built that way.
At the time, the F-22 was solely air-air...had no air-ground capability until they started 1k JDAM integration in ‘05 and SDB testing/integration in ‘07-’08 timeframe.
The argument as I recall it was that with the demise of the USSR, there was no longer a need for 750+ F-22’s and reductions in purchases unsurprisingly increased individual unit costs.
With JDAM/SDB integration, it now has a multi-role capability...oh wait, according to many around here multi-role aircraft are stupid.
I would think most all F-15 tooling was amortized, so continued airframe production with avionic improvements would have been a very cost effective way to keep a full fleet of air superiority fighters going.
The Air Force generals and K Street pimps who cancelled the F-22 and who are pushing to kill the A-10 should be put up against a wall and shot.
The F-22 is the baddest Mofo in the sky.
It was cancelled by people who hate it for that very reason.
As always..follow the money.!!!
By an A-10
First, don’t worry, the AF is readying a next generation bomber that will dwarf the cost even of the F-22.
F-22 is designated an air superiority weapon system; meaning, other airplanes. This has been the goal of the air force for decades. One after another plane is proposed with no ground attack capability and, for that, no air-to-air cannon either. It’s supposed to kill the enemy plane at a distance (current iteration) over the horizon.
As a boutique weapon system, the F-22 makes sense. It gives the President certain options. Because of its stealthiness, it increases the likelihood we could engage a second rate military power and secure the airspace without losing any of our people.
Perhaps you would like to comment on whether the Army should be allowed to field fixed-wing attack aircraft since the Air Force isn’t concerned with that mission any longer.
I believe I saw somewhere that the tooling was being kept - just in case ... better to spend a bit more money to restart (unless there is something in the pipeline even more deadly) than to hang with the F35 program.
They needed money to pay for MRAPs in Iraq. Gates said as much when he said, and I paraphrase, I don’t need F22s, I need MRAPs.
I’m not taking a position.
I don’t have enough background. But I support the F-22, and think we need to look at perhaps making a (lot) more of them.
Just saying.
Even worse here. Almost sure I remember they destroyed the tooling to make sure it could never be restarted even if someone wanted to.
“Almost sure I remember they destroyed the tooling to make sure it could never be restarted even if someone wanted to.”
Since it was gates and owebama in charge the tooling was probably sold to the Chicoms for 2 cents on the dollar.
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