[Red Badger]

AVIATION PING!.....................

[PIF]

original story:

Giving F-35 “NASCAR Upgrade” Can Deliver 80% Of F-47 Capabilities At Half Cost: Lockheed
Lockheed doubles down on the Joint Strike Fighter after its F-47 loss with plans to inject 6th generation capabilities into the F-35’s ‘chassis.’ Tyler Rogoway, Updated Apr 22, 2025

https://www.twz.com/air/f-35-chassis-can-deliver-80-of-6th-gen-capability-at-half-the-cost-lockheed-declares

[CodeToad]

This program is bleeding us dry. It is completely unnecessary.

[17th Miss Regt]

...may have already flown prototype sixth-generation fighters and could be gearing up for serial production,

They may be gearing for serial production, but I doubt the result will be comparable to an American 6th gen fighter.

[pfflier]

Critics slammed the F-16 as incapable against any peer adversary only useful as a numeric gap filler for the F-15 fleet. In hindsight the F-16 has real value in both capability and cost to its many users. It is still a contender in most arenas. IMO the F-35 will morph in mission capability to fill those shoes as the F16s age out. It will evolve in utility like it's predecessor, the F-16 did.

We can only hope that the "peace dividend" boneheads that killed the F-22 program are long gone and our combined F-47/F-35 air fleet can provide unmatched air dominance in both capability and numbers necessary to get the job done.

[sauropod]

Yeah, because Boeing did such a good job with FCS. /massive eyeroll

[bakeneko]

Nice picture at least.

THE Ed-209 of aviation. “Guaranteed Sales! Spare parts and upgrades for 25 years! Who cares if it works?!”

[Captainpaintball]

I think the defense industry can not even guarantee their products at this point. I don't believe all of them can and will be able to produce in a real war. In other words, they are lying to us.

If I was dictator, I would grab the heads of every top 10% of defense contractor execs from 1995-present, and I would sit them at a round table. And I would recreate a certain sene from The Untouchables on the worst offenders. And throw the rest in jail.

We ned GUARANTEES All we are getting is more expensive, hackable, chinese part-dependent smoke and mirrors.

[maddog55]

F-22 is far superior... An F-4 could probably do better than an F-35. Total POS aircraft.

[Bikkuri]

It’s still un ugly piece of 5h17.
They need to recover the blueprints for the F22 (that Obunghole had destroyed).