Posted on 12/16/2010 8:39:50 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Incoming House Armed Services Committee Chair, Howard “Buck” McKeon, today laid out his stance on defense spending as the top man on the committee, backing the embattled F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, its alternate engine program and the Pentagon’s efforts to reduce costs.
While the U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B short take-off and vertical landing version of the jet has experienced numerous testing delays over the past year and is unlikely to meet its scheduled operational date of 2012, McKeon said he doesn’t want to see it cut.
“If you take that away then what plane are the Marines going to have,” asked the congressman. “I would not be supportive of cutting that.”
I hope “Buck” knows as much about airplanes as he does about boots, belt buckles and cowboy hats.
Sounds like all he is going on is that the Marines need an airplane and if they don’t get this one they won’t have an airplane anymore. Can’t let that happen.
Maybe a Super Hornet? How about it “Buck” would that work?
Actually it would not work.
They want a replacement for the Harrier because of specific abilities - short takeoff ability, and vertical landing capability to places normally not accessible to conventional fighters.
Really? So what are they going to use that will work?
Ummm.... Hey Buck, had you noticed that the effing country is broke. But that’s ok. Just put it on the DoD Mastercard.
The one that us private sector taxpayers have to pay the balance on.
Buck was my Congressman in California. I like Buck.
No, it wouldn't.
I agree. Buck is a great guy.
Number one, the TAI should be shredded and those three squadrons brought back home and the fourth, that's slated to be added in FY2012, should stay put as well. It's long past time for the Navy to get its act together and start staffing its TOEs with its own bodies and birds, not the Corps'.
Number two, NAVAIR needs to get off their collective a**es and expedite CBR+ and SLEP B and start pulling airframes from AMARC if necessary.
At this stage the addition of yet another airframe, when the goal is to get to a single one, isn't the solution. The solution is to hold LMs feet to the fire and force them to produce. Your proposal calls for an additional (AW) squadron which isn't budgeted either. Where do you propose getting the money and the bodies for that, particularly in light of the scuttlebutt about cutting manpower in the not too distant future? How many people and programs are you willing to screw over to get what you want?
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