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Military Admits Billion-Dollar War Toy F-35 Is (bleep)
The Daily Beast ^ | 03.17.16 12:01 AM ET | David Axe

Posted on 03/18/2016 6:40:44 PM PDT by maddog55

Officials are finally admitting the F-35 fighter has turned into a nightmare—but it’s too late to stop the $400 billion program now.

Way back in the early 2000s, the U.S. military had a dream. To develop a new “universal” jet fighter that could do, well, pretty much everything that the military asks its different fighters to do.

But the dream of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter turned into a nightmare. The program is six years behind schedule and tens of billions of dollars over budget. And now, 16 years after the JSF prototypes took off for their first flights, top officials are finally owning up to the trauma the $400 billion fighter program has inflicted on America’s finances and war readiness.

In a remarkable period, beginning in February and lasting several weeks, senior officers and high-ranking bureaucrats finally publicly copped to the warplane program’s fundamental failures.

(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
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To: Figment
F4 didn't start out as a be-all/end-all aircraft, it got drafted.
If you want to prove a point go to the F111 (the Edsel & later the Aardvark)
A multi mission tactical fighter/fighter bomber/strategic bomber; which ended up an EW platform.
It was supposed to have a carrier variant as well - never happened.
61 posted on 03/18/2016 10:50:39 PM PDT by norton
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To: PJammers

Yes, I think I remember that the pilot failed a lot more often than the radar. I knew I was uneasy about diverless cars.


62 posted on 03/19/2016 12:45:56 AM PDT by Retain Mike
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To: maddog55

For those with long memories, during Vietnam, McNamara jammed the F-111 down the militarists throat as the plane that could fill all roles for Army,Navy,and Air Force requirements. It was a dog and it’s only practical use was electronic jamming.


63 posted on 03/19/2016 3:34:06 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: MinorityRepublican
That's what nukes are for.

Are you being sarcastic? You may be, I just don't get the subtleties sometimes.

I hope you are.

So the next time we have to face the Chinese down over one of their faux islands that they construct, instead of engaging airpower for interdiction, we launch a full scale nuclear war........right?

My God.

64 posted on 03/19/2016 4:04:44 AM PDT by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: smokingfrog

To bad it wan’t like the older Excel Spreadhseet.. the flight simulator in there was pretty good !!


65 posted on 03/19/2016 4:06:40 AM PDT by maddog55 (America Rising a new Civil War needs to happen.)
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To: Retain Mike
Very true. All of what you posted.

One of my friends from my pilot training class was assigned to fly an EF-111, which he did during Desert Storm.

He was not too happy, and could not wait until he could transfer to F-15s.

The F-111 did have impressive engines though. I remember taxing behind one, waiting to take off in a T-38 at Cannon AFB. When it lit its full burner on takeoff, it felt like I was sitting in an empty beer can and my chest was vibrating.

66 posted on 03/19/2016 4:09:08 AM PDT by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: laplata
People need to be in prison over this.

Follow the money. With a boondoggle this big, someone got paid.

67 posted on 03/19/2016 4:12:29 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: ClearCase_guy

Actually sounds like the government itself. Do you think DT will hire the tightest people or will they be as greedy as the rest? Lots of money involved.

Do you think cleaning up the DOJ would do any good? They are as corrupt as Satan himself. If patriot missle-blowers, oops, whistle blowers were truly defended by the DOJ instead of intimidated by them (as they are in the V.A.), then I could see someone like Freeper above Salvavida (post 12) stepping up and reporting.

If DT responds to corruption against the people of the US like he does against himself, then the courts would be very, very busy with backlogged cases. The courts are corrupt, too, though. Whatever happened to honor?


68 posted on 03/19/2016 4:40:24 AM PDT by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: PJammers

So neither did neither.


69 posted on 03/19/2016 5:51:37 AM PDT by armydawg505
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To: armydawg505

Total production F-15 all variants - 1,198
Total production F-22 - 195

The F-22 was so advanced it was forbidden from sale outside the country by congress, then congress decided to cut orders which doomed its production. The last one was deliver in 2012 and the production line scrapped.

The disparity in numbers between the F-15 and the F-22, it’s replacement, is alarming.


70 posted on 03/19/2016 7:03:46 AM PDT by PJammers (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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To: usconservative

You are exactly right. The corruption has permeated the whole system.


71 posted on 03/19/2016 8:24:01 AM PDT by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: norton

F4 didn’t start out as a be-all/end-all aircraft, it got drafted.

point taken.


72 posted on 03/19/2016 8:56:52 AM PDT by Figment
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To: norton

F4 didn’t start out as a be-all/end-all aircraft, it got drafted.

point taken.


73 posted on 03/19/2016 8:57:59 AM PDT by Figment
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To: Lee Enfield
"The USNC wants a svtol, the Brits have built two aircraft carriers on the promise of its existence. Lockheed has some ‘splainin to do."

Give them Super Stol and make it work IMHO, Flying Flapjack on Steriods or invert it's config known as "Inverse Zimmerman" the UAV guys have found it's sweet spot. Off the shelf components ( F-18 gear, PW-F100 or PW F-119, F-16 cockpit, HOTAS, & Sidestick, all internal weapons stores, let Scaled Composites build the Proto.


74 posted on 03/19/2016 8:59:44 AM PDT by taildragger (Not my Monkey, not my Circus...)
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To: taildragger

I was under the impression that the “Flapjack” got it’s stol capabilities from the propwash over it’s wing/body. That’s why the props were set so far out in front. How do you do that with a jet?


75 posted on 03/19/2016 9:06:49 AM PDT by Lee Enfield (I identify as rich, cut me a check.)
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To: Lee Enfield

Yes, it did, but it also got rid of the wing tip vortices off the tips via outward rotating props which negated the tip tornados which only enhanced the high alpha capabilities of a low aspect ratio platform. Apparently the reverse Zimmerman doesn’t have the tip vortices that Flapjack did, and you’d still get the high-alpha. Winglets work good with these type of platforms too, or add the Boeing “C” wings. Off the shelf Turbofan buried in the wing, F117A type Platus on the aft end. Ya I don’t have the bugs worked out, but why not give it a try...


76 posted on 03/19/2016 9:20:57 AM PDT by taildragger (Not my Monkey, not my Circus...)
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To: taildragger

I’ld love to see it work. I got to see the rebirth of the flying wing, this would be the icing on the cake.


77 posted on 03/19/2016 9:25:31 AM PDT by Lee Enfield (I identify as rich, cut me a check.)
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To: Tennessee Nana

You probably think he’ll pay your mortgage and fill your car with gas too.


78 posted on 03/19/2016 9:52:59 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: SkyPilot

What a great analogy.


79 posted on 03/19/2016 11:23:27 AM PDT by Retain Mike
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To: maddog55

As I recall, there were two companies that bid on the joint-fighter project and build prototypes. Maybe they ought to go back to the other company and say, “WHAAASSSS UPPP!


80 posted on 03/19/2016 3:02:35 PM PDT by wildbill (If you check behind the shower curtain for a slasher, and find one.... what's your plan?)
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