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New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019
Daily Beast ^ | December 31, 2014 | Dave Majumdar

Posted on 12/31/2014 5:11:05 AM PST by C19fan

The Pentagon’s newest stealth jet, the nearly $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, won’t be able to fire its gun during operational missions until 2019, three to four years after it becomes operational.

Even though the Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, is supposed to join frontline U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadrons next year and Air Force units in 2016, the jet’s software does not yet have the ability to shoot the onboard 25mm cannon. But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.

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


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: aerospace; air; armsbuildup; bhodod; f35; force; stealth
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Of course anything from the Daily Beast needs to be taken with a ton of salt.But are we entering F-111 TFX territory with this plane?
1 posted on 12/31/2014 5:11:05 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan
Flammable boats (LCS).

ROE not permitting a return of fire.

ROE not permitting DESTROYING the Enemy.

Jets without Guns.


2 posted on 12/31/2014 5:13:31 AM PST by Diogenesis ("When a crime is unpunished, the world is unbalanced.")
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To: C19fan
Software?

The code monkeys in India and China can't get the job done on time?

Get the guys who programmed the Manned Lunar Missions back on teh job.

3 posted on 12/31/2014 5:15:17 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

Lordy. We are so screwed.


4 posted on 12/31/2014 5:20:58 AM PST by moovova
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To: C19fan

Does anyone have any insight on which language is more difficult to learn - Russian or Mandarin?


5 posted on 12/31/2014 5:33:10 AM PST by Junk Silver
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To: Junk Silver

Mandarin, hands down.


6 posted on 12/31/2014 5:35:59 AM PST by Old Sarge (Its the Sixties all over again, but with crappy music...)
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To: Diogenesis

Agreed.


7 posted on 12/31/2014 5:36:16 AM PST by Old Sarge (Its the Sixties all over again, but with crappy music...)
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To: Paladin2
A P-51 Mustang carried about 2000 rds of ammo and a F-16 carries about 500 so I guess that makes the P-51 more effective than an F-16.

In the early 2000s B-52s carry a huge number of unguided gravity bombs but a strike fighter using JDAMS was more effective with only few bombs.

It's not how much ordnance an aircraft carries, it's about how much of it actually hits the target.

The questions to ask is just how accurate are the F-35s guns going to be and why does the F-35 require such sophisticated fire control software.

8 posted on 12/31/2014 5:41:29 AM PST by rdcbn
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To: rdcbn

The gun would seem to be there to support ground troops (missiles for dogfights). The A-10 likely performs the ground support mission in better fashion.


9 posted on 12/31/2014 5:43:26 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: Junk Silver

Russian proficiency can be picked up after 40-60 hours of instruction. Learning the alphabet and basic vocabulary isn’t hard.


10 posted on 12/31/2014 5:46:58 AM PST by Bogey78O (We had a good run. Coulda been great still.)
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To: Paladin2

They’re dead, Jim.


11 posted on 12/31/2014 5:51:26 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.)
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To: C19fan

Can’t out-run. Can’t out-turn. Can’t out-climb.
And now, it can’t even hide.

It’s only purpose is to funnel billions of dollars to defense contractors who will kick millions back to congressmen for “contributions” / bribes.


12 posted on 12/31/2014 5:53:02 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Paladin2

I suspect drones will make the A-10 obsolete. But there is and never was and never will be a superior ground support aircraft. And all these people who wet their pants worrying about “swarming” Iranian patrol boats should consider the scenario of one A-10 vs. the entire Iranian Navy.


13 posted on 12/31/2014 5:53:22 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (This is known as "bad luck". - Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: Paladin2

I’ve heard that because the F-35 has small wings it has to keep flying at a higher velocity to stay in the air. That makes it hard to support ground troops. It also burns up fuel so it can’t stay around long.

The A-10 can loiter for hours over an area and take its time... with a very big gun to shoot.


14 posted on 12/31/2014 5:55:27 AM PST by PastorBooks
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To: PastorBooks

I’m sure the details of their flight envelopes are very different, but apparently the Brass want the F-35 to do all missions.


15 posted on 12/31/2014 5:57:12 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

I suspect that the Air Force will want drones to make the A-10 obsolete, but the A-10 will remain superior for certain jobs nonetheless.


16 posted on 12/31/2014 5:59:46 AM PST by MortMan (All those in favor of gun control raise both hands!)
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To: Paladin2

“the Brass want the F-35 to do all missions”

I’ll bet the Marines on the ground would rather some slow-movers were taking their time in the sky above them.


17 posted on 12/31/2014 6:10:28 AM PST by PastorBooks
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To: C19fan

Remember the early F4 did not have any gun. Those in charge thought it was only going to need missiles....


18 posted on 12/31/2014 6:19:08 AM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: Paladin2

Put an ad on CL for an app.


19 posted on 12/31/2014 6:20:24 AM PST by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.)
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To: Paladin2

The gun would seem to be there to support ground troops (missiles for dogfights). The A-10 likely performs the ground support mission in better fashion.


History has shown that a gun is a vital component of air to air combat and that guns get used more often than the Pentagon planners assume.


20 posted on 12/31/2014 6:22:45 AM PST by rdcbn
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