Step 1. Disband all government unions and end all government union contracts.
Step 2. Scrap F-35.
Step 3. USAF and USN announce a competition for a new all-weather, around-the-clock dedicated strike aircraft. Contract to be awarded to the designer who combines best overall design with best cost control and highest use of off-the-shelf components.
Scrapping the JSF would be the most idiotic thing the US can do right now. Despite its issues, it’s still better than most of its rivals in the strike role and would be invaluable as a first-day-of-war weapon. Besides too much has been invested in it domestically and internationally for it to be scrapped.
Any new design would take close to a decade to come close to trial stage. And the F-15/F-16 fleets are’nt going to stay young for ever.
The problem with step-3 is that the ‘joint’ part of the JSF is significantly responsible for its problems. The services should go their own ways.
Because the last joint fighters have worked out soooo well. Remember the F-111? It was supposed to be a carrier-based fighter for the Navy as well as an interceptor for the Air Force!
F-35 looks to be going the same way.
But unfortunately, it’s all we have now that the F-22’s been cut.
The other thing is that while strategic stealth may be questionable now, the F-35 still has tactical stealth. It’s pretty hard to shoot down an airplane with a missile when your missile can’t see what you’re trying to shoot it at, and that’s something that none of the other ‘rivals’ can boast. The F-15 is still one huge radar and IR target even with the “Silent Eagle” mods, the Super Hornet is much the same.