F-35 Lightning II
I'd wished the F-22 Raptor should have taken its place.
What do you think?
Posted on 11/25/2009 1:45:46 AM PST by myknowledge
Defence Minister John Faulkner has announced the Government has approved buying the first batch of Joint Strike Fighters.
Senator Faulkner says the Government will buy 14 of the next generation aircraft at a cost of about $3 billion, to be delivered from 2014.
He says the fighters are expected to be ready for testing in five years and in operation from 2018.
The Government plans to buy 100 of the fighters, which would be Australia's biggest defence purchase.
Senator Faulkner says the Joint Strike Fighters will make sure Australia maintains its strategic capability.
"This decision was underpinned by an unprecedented level of analysis and evaluation by Australia, the United States and the seven international Joint Strike Fighter partners," he said.
"Australia's air combat capability is of immense importance to our national security."
Senator Faulkner says the Government will deal with all the risks of buying the Joint Strike Fighters.
"Of course costs and schedule risks will remain as the Joint Strike Fighter is developed. However, any risks will be carefully measured, mitigated and managed," he said.
Opposition defence spokesman David Johnston believes the Government underestimated the cost of its Joint Strike Fighter program and expects the project costs to be higher.
"I don't think there's any weapons with these aircraft and I think the costs are running away from us a bit," he said.
"What the Minister is saying doesn't bring us up to speed with the accounting and economic support that is necessary in terms of dollars for this project," he said.
F-35 Lightning II
I'd wished the F-22 Raptor should have taken its place.
What do you think?
F-22. The 35 is a clunker by comparison.
The F-35 Lightning II is basically a reincarnation of the F-105 Thunderchief.
That is why I like them. Any plane even a strike eagle has to drop the package to engage air threats.
The trick is to establish air superiority.
Nope. First night of Desert Storm two F/A-18 Hornets from VFA-81 Sunliners were inbound carrying four Mk-84 2000lb bombs each when the were confronted by two Iraqi MiGs (or maybe Su’s) The Bugs turned, engaged and splashed the MiGs with Sparrows, then returned to their original course an successfully attacked their target (iirc an airfield).
What folks keep forgetting is that each aircraft has different missions.
The F22 air superiority, the F35 CAS and Attack. Is it an absolutely perfect replacement for the four (F15E, F16, F18, A10) aircraft it’s supposedly replacing. Probably not. But it is an extremely capable design trying to integrate all of the capabilities of those into one and once the aircraft starts proving it, then we’ll have had the F22 discussion redux.
Folks were all PO’d about the F22 until it started showing what it’s capable of. Sheesh, the first Flight Test bird just arrived at PAX to start testing and folks have been writing it off before it made its first flight.
Before anyone writes its eulogy, why don’t we see what it’s going to do?
SZ
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