F-22 Or F-35: The Plane Truth

Investors.com ^ | February 4, 2010 | INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Staff

[Kaslin]

Defense: The administration decision to scrap a proven aircraft in favor of a supposedly cheaper, more flexible replacement is proving to be an expensive mistake. We may wind up defenseless and broke.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that was supposed to be America's frontline fighter for the foreseeable future is in big trouble. Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the general in charge of the program this week amid concerns of spiraling costs and program delays.

Gates also announced he is withholding $614 million in fees from the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin. Daniel J. Crowley, one of Lockheed Martin's project managers, has acknowledged that the program is running at least six months behind schedule.

Gates was questioned about the program at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. He said he was unaware of a report by a special Pentagon assessment team in late 2008 that found development of the plane could be delayed by 2 1/2 years with $16.6 billion in cost overruns. Judging by his decisions, he is not unaware that the F-35 program, designed to fill the needs of all three services, is in trouble.

After hearing Gates' testimony, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said: "I'm still concerned about whether the services will get the (Joint Strike Fighters) when they need them."

He's right to be concerned: Further program delays will drive up per-unit costs, the wings are literally falling off our F-15s and F-16s, and the administration has killed further production of the F-22 Raptor. With what will we fight?

[When do we get liberated?]

Don’t worry, when we have a second rate military and full US rights for enemy combats, the thousands of civilian casualties will have free medical care!

This is like the satire administration.

[tanknetter]

The administration decision to scrap a proven aircraft in favor of a supposedly cheaper, more flexible replacement is proving to be an expensive mistake.

The "expensive mistake" was ("were" actually):

1.) Not building the F-22 with a weapons-bay large enough to handle 2000lb class weapons.

2.) Not building the F-22N NATF.

[Michael Barnes]

C'mon google/images, lets go look at some warbird pr0n.
These people don't know what their doing.

;-)

[Sleeping Freeper]

Great links and pics.... you missed a few.... well, more than a few.... Patton would not survive in today’s military.... He was a “real” soldier.

[myknowledge]

I'd settle for the F-22 Raptor. It's matured, already in production and has all-aspect stealth, supercruise, supermaneuverability and dogfighting capability.

The Raptor's program cost ~$65 billion. The Lightning II's program has cost ~$300 billion and overrunning.

[mkboyce]

The Russians just unvieled a test version of their newest 5th generation fighter. It looks like a hacked-up F-22.

Regardless, the main point here is that a one size-fits-all approach (F-35) isn’t working...while proven, overwhelmingly dominating technology (F-22) is being effectively shelved for good.

All decided upon by a Harvard lawyer with zero engineering, military or foreign policy experience.

Heckuva job Barry!

[myknowledge]

The original plan was to replace some 1500 F-15s with 750 F-22s and now we say 187 is all we need.

The original pre-QDR (Quadrennial Defense Review) plan envisioned a force of ~750 F-22 Raptors (A and C models of various blocks, plus proposed navalized Sea Raptors and a proposed FB-22 Strike Raptor variant to replace the F-15E Strike Eagle), to equip as many as 32 fighters squadrons with up to 24 jets per squadron.

[PIF]

As predicted - it will be killed.

[Heliand]

India has more fighters on order? And your point is we face some dire threat from India that we need to counter? otherwise, who cares?

[Sola Veritas]

The public should demand that both Admiral Mullen and General Casey resign. It is not right that ADM Mullen can publically endorse a political policy while in uniform and the rank and file cannot express their views. General Casey’s political correctness is getting people killed.

[hopespringseternal]

India has more fighters on order? And your point is we face some dire threat from India that we need to counter? otherwise, who cares?

People thought the same thing about Japan in the 20s and 30s.

[Sequoyah101]

Time for the colonels to take over.

[SunkenCiv]

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that was supposed to be America's frontline fighter for the foreseeable future is in big trouble. Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the general in charge of the program this week amid concerns of spiraling costs and program delays. Gates also announced he is withholding $614 million in fees from the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin. Daniel J. Crowley, one of Lockheed Martin's project managers, has acknowledged that the program is running at least six months behind schedule.

Number one, we need both; number two, we need drones, and lots of them, and lots of personnel to maintain and operate them; number three, we need to rid our country of traitors, because the first serious threat is obviously from within. Thanks Kaslin.

[cranked]

Agreed.

[JudgemAll]

Yep. UN resolutions on disarming America and tanking its fighter programs. The new consciousness of America is now ruling what our soldiers “really want” and need to fight against.

This is all horsecrap.

People kept criticizing the V22, but guess what. Marines are not ready to get rid of it now that they have it and needed it really bad for troop landing and fast takeoff safety reasons while getting in firefights.

[AFreeBird]

India has more fighters on order? And your point is we face some dire threat from India that we need to counter? otherwise, who cares?

No, the point is: India is going to end up with more new fighters than we will have; Russia's production lines are working, and they have a new design out that just flew.

The world did not stop when the F-22 came out; our enemies did not throw up their hands and say GAME OVER.

They're working on counters to our new planes. And they will keep their production lines open, and they will sell them to our enemies. The F-22 may be more capable for the time being, but its numbers have now been capped. And as capable as the Raptor is, they can get overwhelmed by numbers. That's a lesson Russia learned some time back. Don't think others didn't take notice.

[JudgemAll]

Drones are good but they are ruled from the ground and without risks taken. This is a major drawback and source of expenses and waste and lack of battle calculated risks.

We need a “philosopher” in the cockpit to make life critical decision making and to rule the consciousness of the skies. Robots cannot do that. Flying pilots will always be needed for a real combined war fighting mindset. There are so many possible errors and communication issues and means, man’s eyes in the sky are part of it.

[Army Air Corps]

Pingaroo.

[Army Air Corps]

...plus proposed navalized Sea Raptors....

Just the name "Sea Raptor" sounds delightfully lethal.

[myknowledge]

If the U.S. Navy had them, just one or two Raptors with 16 GBU-39/40 SDBs can sink a whole enemy fleet of ships by dropping them in their smokestacks and fusing them to detonate at their keels.