[Cowboy Bob]

I like it. Competition! Trump also needs to get rid of no-bid, government set aside contracts and contracts for woman/minority firms.

[Secret Agent Man]

They built an entry for the xplane contract. They had a late redesign that wasnt fully tested by the deadline and lost.

[CurlyDave]

The way to decrease the per-unit cost of the F-35 is to guarantee more purchases. The final number of aircraft has decreased dramatically over time. If you divide the development costs over fewer airplanes, each one will cost more.

The second way to lower the cost would be to change government procurement to allow multi-year budgets. If there was a secure, ongoing source of funding, the program could run more smoothly and cost less.

[CivilWarBrewing]

What’s wrong with the F-22? Mod that thing for Navy purposes! Carrier landings? I don’t know!

[datura]

Just start building F-22 Raptors again. Simple.

[Bullish]

Trump understands the power of capitalist competition. Something our Washington overlords have been rejecting for decades. It’s been pay us off and grease the skids and you’ll get the contracts. President Trump will have none of that and that’s a great start.

[clearcarbon]

"Trump Pushes Lockheed to Cut F-35 Costs by Asking Boeing to Develop a Comparable Jet"

Like the Boeing X-32?

[fella]

The F35 may just gotten it’s baptism of fire with the bombing of the Hamas ammo dump in Syria this past week.

[tcrlaf]

Invite Textron/Cessna, Northrup/Grumman, Cirrus, and some of the other innovators as well.

Make it an OPEN COMPETITION, like they used to be.

Put out the parameters needed, and let the geeks go to work on it.

[cba123]

Maybe the answer is in not awarding the entire contract, to one company.

Maybe have two production sources, for everything. Always have a completion. On everything.

Always keep them, every trying to improve, every single thing.

Then again, I have never been in the military, and of course am not trying to get anyone who is, or has any sort of information to say one word.

To anyone.

But I think maybe, what Trump is saying is the procurement system currently seems to reward one contractor, who then runs with the contract to maximize their profits.

Maybe they need to compete. Even now. Have Boeing, producing a competitor, right now.

Not an F-18, but a real live competitor to the F-35. Maybe even better?

Competition.

Always.

[lavaroise]

F-15 Silent Eagle

[lavaroise]

And I say F-15 Silent Eagle because the F-35 is heavier than a F-15C.... With only one engine... Some cheap and powerful aircraft my arse...

[taildragger]

Again let me propose my Junk Yard Dog. Except the engine retrofit, all of this has been done, aka prototyped and test flown on a F-16.

* F-16XL Delta Wing variant.
* Diverterless Supersonic Inlet
* And the one that hasn't been done add the F-119 engine and Vectored Thrust off a F-22.

The last one I think is do-able. With the XL being longer and the F-119 a longer engine, I say why not. Especially since it would take you up too 35,000 lbs of thrust and give you supercruise potentially.

I read the XL was a heavy hauler and gave a F-15 variant a run for it's money in a fly off and lost because of politics. Yes at best this junk yard dog might be Gen 3+, but with the maneuverability, heavy hauling and range how could this not be a versatile addition to the fleet. While it doesn't have robust landing gear and a huge gun, how would it not be a compliment to the A10?

This picture below is close to what it would be, add the F-22 Turkey Feathers to it and you get the picture.

[Kickass Conservative]

Boeing did and it sucked. The F-35 beat it in a the Fly Off.

It looked like the Flying Sub on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.