Posted on 04/08/2015 6:30:38 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The F-111 ended up being a phenominal interdiction/strike medium bomber, and the USN’s requirements changed to place a lot more emphasis on ACM.
As it was the USN’s F-111 replacement, the F-14 Tomcat, was getting new engines, new avionics and new sensors by the late 1980s and early 1990s, only about 15 years after it’s initial deployments.
The F-35 has been oversold, and it’s having the usual developmental problems that any weapons system integration effort of this magnitude can be expected to have. But from what this writer is stating I really have to wonder whether he’s being paid to flack for Rafale and/or Eurofighter Typhoon.
Consider that the official he interviews is only talking about notional future upgrades, which is being portrayed as an admission of obsolescence rather than a realistic statement that a weapon that will be in service for 30 or 40 or 50 years will need to be upgraded over the course of it’s life.
Again, the Tomcat is a great example. Perhaps even better is the B-52, which had major structural changes, avionics and new engines in the 8-10 years of progression between the XB/YB-52/B-52A and B-52H.
Precisely. Just imagine trying to design electronics today that would not be obsolete in 2045.
Ping.
Says they spent $400B so far and projected unit cost will be $250M per fighter, and its never been used having too many problems still fixing, and its already obsolete having taken so long needed major redesigns.
Unfortunately most of the GOP candidates led by Grahanmesty and McCain would respond:
“Dab-nab-it, I don't care if we spent $400T on it so far and it doesn't work, its national security, nothing but the BEST for our troops...DADADA, flags waving, I love Americure”
It’s pretty bad when your procurement, design and development cycle is so long that the plane is obsolete before it even enters service.
Jack of all trades, master of none.
We are getting very little value from these aircraft, very expensive, gold plated pieces of fecal material.
1943 actually.
F-35: the flying LCS
I want to photoshop a propeller onto that thing, but I don’t do photoshop
“We out spent everyone else into irrelevance.”
OK, and now that they are gone, why do we continue to spend until we are irrelevant?
“There must be some darn good lobbyists from the avionics industry working overtime out there.”
Yep. Met a number of them. There really isn’t a need to lobby though. The industry, especially the Air Force officers, are dying to get into new projects and programs. They see it as promotional opportunities plus a commercial job once they retire.
“decision not to buy more F22s looks more and more like a disaster brought to you by Barack Obama”
Actually, the F-22 has some serious issues of its own and was canceled long before Obama even ran for office.
Problem is you never know who wins the bid to build the next aircraft. If it’s a different company that becomes an issue. Also potential design constraints that need to be broken.
““Dab-nab-it, I don’t care if we spent $400T on it”
Watch how much money they funnel to McCain & Graham.
The Korean war woke up the Air Force when the MIG showed up then they went back asleep after the war only to realize in Vietnam they still need a gun on a fighter then they went back to sleep again and produced this F-35. The next war may not give us time to get the the sleep heads out of the way.
Bombs away!!!!
Meanwhile B52s 80 years old are still flying,, after being retro’ed a few times..
That’s what happens when an airplane has a 20 year gestation period.
1943? But, the Germans had the first Jet fighter in 1945.
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