Posted on 07/27/2025 5:42:21 AM PDT by whyilovetexas111
The U.S. made a massive strategic mistake by choosing the sleek F-35 over the “ugly” but brilliant Boeing X-32 in the Joint Strike Fighter competition. While unconventional in appearance, the X-32 was designed for simplicity, affordability, and manufacturing efficiency—qualities better suited for a long-term great power conflict.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalsecurityjournal.org ...
“Yes, she was not so pretty. But she might have been better than the F-35. Maybe we could have saved a few trillion?”
That is if you trust Boing! (misspelling intentional).
USAF has no interest in these things.
Too ugly.
From the people that brought the 737 Max and who leave wrenches inside the hollow spaces of KC-46s? (and 737s as well). Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.
Glad to see that the Boeing social media team is still at work.
It is easy to spend the money to improve if you don’t have to spend the time on the original research.
The X-32B STOVL version used pure jet thrust for lift, which limited it's vertical lift capacity. The X-35B's lift fan provided much more lift, allowing a larger bring-back payload.
Boeing also altered the wing and tail design, but too late for it's X-32 demonstrator, so the final design was untested.
No, the X-32 was not better than the X-35, and the F-32 is a complete unknown quantity.
Meanwhile, as of 2025 over 1,100 F-35s have been delivered.
The 35 is still a moonpig with higher wing loading than an F-104, a joke of a gun, and mediocre stealth… none if you hang stores.
I don’t really believe it. I watched a documentary on the process and selection. BTW, a STOL variant is very important to future warfare.
What matters is offensive capability AND survivability. The radar cross section of that guppy must be monsterous.
“Forget the F-35: Boeing’s X-32 Stealth Fighter Was Better”
yeah, except that it’s a Boeing ...
There’s a saying in the aerospace manufacturing community: “If it don’t look right, it ain’t right”. The X32 just don’t look right.
As I understand it the VTOL was sub par. Besides it was too damn fugly for the USAF.
It was a perfect candidate for the Canadian Air Force however.
No kick backs on the X - 32
Mueller, Comey and left gleaned million on the f -35
I liked the Boeing X-32 with it’s big mouth , I’m going to eat you ,LOL
The National Security Journal is a group of elites few of whom have ever worn a uniform or been pointed.straight up at zero airspeed with an unfriendly hosing away at you.
They are against any system the military develops and procures and have a mission of undermining our defense posture with pseudo analysis and fault finding of any equipment our military posses.
Reading some of the comments in this thread from people who couldn’t tell you what an F-pole or G limiter was shows how effective these academics and journalists at NSJ are in trying to shape public awareness to damage our defense posture.
Whatever it is - the F-35, the B-2, the F-22, the F-47 - they will find something wrong with it and we shouldn’t buy them. And make sure they throw in the perennial pejorative about the evil Military Industrial Complex, a mythology that doesn’t exist.
The F-35 and X-32 both have a major flaw... One engine. The F-18 is the best fighter out there and they should’ve made something based on that design. Two is always better than one.
That being said... One word... Drones.
That’s the real future of warfare... Not manned hundred million dollar dinosaurs.
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