I hate when my brain is broken.
Military spending is obscene.
What could possibly go wrong?
Yes, I know they are supposed to be domestically sourced...
When it comes to the F35, don’t expect many “knowledgeable comments”.
In fact, there are only a few knowledgeable FReepers around here who know anything about aviation.
But there are many times that around here who do think they’re experts.
The F35 has flown when ALIS has had problems...there are backup options.
Interesting that Trump was aware that the test pilots were complaining about the responsiveness of these planes and wondered why they weren’t being listened to. Interview back in February.
Maintenance and spares software system. Some boondoggle sold by some educated fool to a bigger fool.
We have become to clever by more than half in thinking that we can somehow create software that eliminates thinking.
We have wrestled with an “established and proven” system called “maximo” now for three years. More trouble than it is worth. The systems we use for ship maintenance are nice for reminders and to archive all the mass of procedures but take six men and two boys to keep maintained, fed, watered and running.
'Documenting risks to the F-35's Autonomic Logistics Information System, which Department of Defense officials have described as the "brains" of the fifth-generation fighter'
Those officials are apparently idiots. The "brains" of the fighter are the various onboard computers that control just about every aspect of the plane - engines, armaments, sensors, communications and flight controls. That software is very complex, and (predictably) behind schedule. I expect ultimately it will work well, as will the plane itself.
The logistics system that's the target of this article is a support system running on ground-based computers, used as an aid in maintaining the plane. It's hard to say how critical it is that this is available at the moment F-35s are declared operational. The various problems discussed in the article look to be overblown, although I would say that the central server discussed should be mirrored at at least two different physical sites in case of disaster or attack.
The featured quote in this article:
"The GAO's report on the F-35's software problems is just the latest failure for this nearly $1.5 trillion program that is far over budget and well behind schedule," said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.There is absolutely no way the F-35 program will or should be cancelled at this point. This is just a military-hating Dem doing what military-hating Dems do.A consistent detractor of the F-35, Speier said she is finding it hard to be surprised each time a new problem is found due to the program's history of costly setbacks and delays.
"To continue pouring money into building planes that have ejector seat issues, cyber vulnerabilities, flawed aerodynamics, maintenance problems, an inability to fly at full speed while using weapons, and overheating issues is borderline malfeasance," she said.
The various problems with the F-35 are solvable, and will be solved. The hundreds of billions already spent shouldn't be thrown away - we need a replacement for the F-16, the Harrier, and the A-10.
Dangit, the entire F35 program should be JUNNKED. Spin up the F22 production lines.
Let F22s clear the skies, then use flying busses (B52s) to dump iron.
This is NOT that complex.
Of course, I am ignoring the kickbacks and lobbyists’ interests. Sigh...
I won’t say that the F-18 is a great aircraft, but it works. If the kid makes a career of Naval Aviation, though, he is likely to end up in an F-35 at some point. They better have the bugs worked out before they inflict this thing on an innocent unsuspecting Fleet.
Get your boy into a P38 Lightning! Best airframe ever devised!