Boeing unveils updated F/A-XX sixth-gen fighter concept

Flight International ^ | 04/07/2013 | Dave Majumdar Washington DC

[John Valentine]

Nice thought, but not exactly on topic...

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Not exactly off-topic.

How are we going to build these, when all “our” manufacturing is going to China?

[PLMerite]

Boeing's entry in that contest was the x-32, which I liked because it had a maw like a pelican:

[jpsb]

I don’t think the F-35 is deployed yet. Perhaps a few trainers are but it is not deployed for combat. That is still years away.

[OneWingedShark]

what's a horrible joke is the f-35!!!

On the technical/software side I've heard the project uses C++ and not Ada like the F-22 does/did. {I'm unclear as to whether the F-22 transitioned to C++ or not; I seem to remember an article talking about it because they "had difficulty" finding Ada programmers... as if the cost to training competent programers to use it was less than the cost of hiring incompetent/unwilling programmers.}

Personally I want to use a language that helps me catch stupid mistakes rather than just pass detectable mistakes into production.

[null and void]

That's just how long these things take.

Really? How long did it take to develop and deploy an atomic bomb from a cold start?

With slide rules, chalk, and all manual machine tools?

How long should it take now with high performance computers, CAD/CAM, CNC machine tools and 3-d printers?

[null and void]

*sigh*

[null and void]

AKA, the Monica...

[DoodleDawg]

The Boeing F/A-XX concept is a response to a USN request for information (RFI) from April 2012 soliciting data for a replacement for the service's Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets in the 2030s.

Which means it will be delivered in the mid-2040's and hundreds of billions overbudget.

[TalonDJ]

No, not for combat yet...but very little is deployed for combat right now because we aren’t fighting anything. The training squadrons are operational and have been for a few some months now. It takes time top build up enough supply of planes and pilots. The F22 was fully operational for several years before they sent one to a war zone.

[TalonDJ]

A modern fighter is much more complex than an atomic bomb. You can make computers and Cad twice as fast but that does not make an engineer twice as productive.

[TalonDJ]

They aren’t. Don’t believe everything you read.

[null and void]

Yep. And any job will expand to consume all the time and money it is allowed to.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Don’t tell VMFA-121 that they don’t have any F-35Bs or that their TOE will not be at full complement by the end of CY 2013.

[A.A. Cunningham]

What is Mil Spec on code generation? How many lines of code were written, beta tested, reviewed, corrected and released during the Manhattan project? Any idea how many lines of code are required for each variant of the F-35?

[Mr. Jeeves]

These are probably being developed for sale to China so we can fund ObamaCare. ;)

[TalonDJ]

Yup. And unless we are willing to double the bill UP FRONT and have two companies compete all the way to production, then we are stuck with that. I would rather we did that. At least then the costs would ONLY double (hopefully :P).

[TalonDJ]

Millions. Several of them. And every one has to be thoroughly reviewed and tested.

[laplata]

Definately better looking.

[John Valentine]

Manufacturing fighter jets is still something we can do at home.