Posted on 04/05/2010 6:58:40 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Delays and cost overruns for the Lockheed Martin F-35 have not changed the US Air Force's plans to deactivate about 250 fighters later this year, says its chief of staff, Gen Norton Schwartz.
The USAF, however, has begun destructive tests on Boeing F-15s and Lockheed F-16s to prove the viability for a potential service life extension programme, says Schwartz.
"At 10-15% of the cost [of a new fighter] you could perform a service life extension programme," Schwartz says, "which would get us close to where we need to be in, we think, a more affordable way."
Schwartz rejected buying the latest "fourth-generation-plus" versions of the F-15 and F-16 despite a new two-year slip and nearly 90% projected cost overrun for the F-35. "To be sure, we do not think it prudent to utilise precious procurement dollars for anything but fifth-generation aircraft." But Schwartz added an important caveat, that the USAF still has not determined whether the service life extension programme would be technically or financially viable.
The USAF has terminated Lockheed F-22 production with 186 aircraft in inventory after 2011, leaving only plans to acquire 1,763 F-35s over the next 30 years to modernise its fighter fleet. Meanwhile, the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review set the tactical aircraft requirement at about 2,000 fighters.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
Obama has visited USAF procurement, I see.
If it was my decision, we’d do service life extension programs on all planes forever IN ADDITION to procuring new planes. Keep them all going indefinitely. When they’re too outdated to put a pilot in them and send into harms way, convert them to UAVs and run them until they get shot down.
We instead will send billions to the new ACORN and other welfare programs. Why not employ people in the defense industry rather than send out unemployment compensation?>
That would be unfair to stoopid people. Not to mention racist.
LLS
LLS
Will see after the Rats lose Congress this year that is when F-22 makes a comeback.
We have older F-15’s, F-16’s, some F-22’s, a shutdown F-22 line and an F-35 that probably will be killed.
I'm sure there are future designs out there but how are we going to pay for them in a welfare society? Europe?
Your plan seems much better than desert storage until useless.
I’m going to practice building and using the sling.
well this is decent news. finally some fiscal responsibility. why is it every military program consistently overshoots its budget by significant and sometimes ongodly (iraq) amounts?
snif
I smell RonPaul Fruit n Nut Cake in the air.
....isn't the F-22 the fighter and the F-35 everything else?
I heard that Lockheed has been told by some DoD types to keep everything in place for the F-22. Maybe ZERO expects the Air Force to put on Superman capes and fly like he does! Sure he gets plenty high!
For good reason. The AF and DoD types can read the political tea leaves that the Dims are in all likelihood not going to be able to hold onto Congress, and Obama is a 1 term Turkey.
Off the top of my head, the B-1 was resurrected by Reagan. And the acquisition of new C-17s has been terminated before, but there it is, still in the Defense budget.
Dumb-O is going to be in for it next year.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.