Posted on 05/05/2018 3:02:59 PM PDT by PIF
We finally see the study that was oddly classified on arrival and it has new relevance based on Japan's desire for a new stealth fighter.
Finally, in early 2016, the debate surrounding the need for more F-22s came to a head and study was mandated by Congress for the USAF to research what putting the super-fighter back into production would take. That study was finished in late 2016 with some of its findings openly discussed, but the document itself remained classified, until now.
Snip
The total procurement cost would be between $40 and $42 billion, with the entire program costing a little more than $50.3 billion.
Snip
But if another country, say Japan, were willing to pay for the non-recurring restart costs, the Pentagon would be crazy not to buy more Raptors for largely their unit cost alone as well as plenty of spare parts to support the fleet efficiently for decades to come.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedrive.com ...
That's me.
Makin' mad yuan.
Those numbers had to be generated by F-35 stakeholders. There is no way in the world that the non-recurring startup costs should be $9B+ dollars.
And I work for a government contractor. I know how this game is played.
Insane decision to stop production and destroy tooling.
Thank you hussein.
“Restart it. The AF could use double their number.” I would suggest quadruple the number. The F22 is an insanely expensive fighter. In simulated combat it defeated the F-15 and the F-15s were many more than the F22s. They did not even see the F22 until they were dead. The pilots flying the F-15s were also F22 raptor pilots. The pilots had equal skills. The raptor killed them all in simulated combat.
Build more raptors, it is a bargain.
Again as far as I know, the tooling, videos and directions from the works on the original line were all preserved. Further, tool refurbishing costs are included in the report. Please read.
One of the worst decisions the AF made was to halt the production of the F-22.
Thank former Sen Obie whose amendment stopped export and effectively killed it there and then.
Universally agreed upon, even, I think, by the USAF.
The F-15 can’t hold a candle to the F-22 or F-35 and I’m not sure about China’s stealth fighter. Eagle pilots say in red/blue mock dogfights, they never even see the F-22 or F-35 when they get the signal that they have been shot down.
Because it would be more than 20 years before it would be deployed. We need new fighter now.
The F-15 is the most successful fighter ever but it’s days are numbered.
Several allies might.
Agreed. It was top dog and may still have a place, but not as a deep-penetrating, air-supremacy fighter.
F-22 is air superiority. F-35 is ground attack.
It's like saying this screwdriver if far better than this socket wrench.
” the Pentagon would be crazy not to buy more Raptors for largely their unit cost alone as well as plenty of spare parts to support the fleet efficiently for decades to come”
Well there’s the rub. The pentagram, oops, I meant the pentagon, IS crazy.
“An F-22 with F-35 avionics/Radar and IR detection”
Not really. The 35 moonpig’s target pod is literally over 10 years behind state of the art. It’s development has been so long that it could not update as technology passed it by.
An F-18 has a far better targeting pod, not even close.
The only thing the 35 has going for it is the ability to network data. That and it is slightly more stealthy than everything else out there. But by no means is it a stealth.
The 22 should be built and the 35 scrapped.
Second worst.
First was to keep the f35 and just pour more and more money down the crapper.
You have to be kidding. At this point a 35 cannot beat a 15 OR a 16 except is very staged and canned events.
It is slower than both, less maneuverable than both, less reliable than both, carries FAR less fuel and weapons than both.
USAF and Lockheed propaganda notwithstanding... in a real situation, it has no chance against the ships it’s replacing. The 22 is a very different story.
And any chance the 35 has against something else is to be hidden and fire BVR. Coincidently, our forces have almost never had ROE that allows BRV shooting. It’s rare to unheard of.
The 35 is a national embarrassment.
Yeah, except right now the F-35 sucks at ground combat. Even its sights are off.
It’s awful.
Canceling it for the F 35 fighter by committee was a disaster from the start. Of course the AF with their concern solely for political correctness is not overly worried about combat capability so long as everyone looks and thinks the way they mandate.
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