8 vs. 1

[Jolly]

For the price of 1 F-35, you get 8 of these:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28260781

Plus, the operational costs are 1/6 of a F-16.

For things like border patrol, or even missions where the U.S. has established air superiority. A wing (36 aircraft) would only cost around $720M and that's an awful lot of bang for the buck.

Besides, I think it's a good thing when companies pursue innovation on their own nickel, without waiting for Uncle Sugar. When company risk produces a product that can be useful and economic for U.S. defense, the powers that be ought to at least consider it.

[Yvonne's hubby]

I notice they are having a little trouble establishing a reliable market... wonder if those ISIS boys might be interested?

[AmericanStand]

I cant see it selling here. The military establishment isn't trained to brag about the economy car in the garage when there can be a Lamborghini in the driveway.

[copperkid3]

If I could afford it, would most likely find a place in the garage to park it.

Can never tell when something like that would
be needed to thin out the Zombi herd heading your way......

The Pentagon is missing a unique opportunity with this one....
but then they seem to keep doing that on a regular basis and as S.O.P.

Have always been endeared to the lowly Toyota
pickemup truck over the domestic Ford, Chevy or GM models.

[Ozarks Tom]

Considering the history of Pentagon purchasing, I'd be a little hesitant to be an investor. They recently shut down testing for a new infantry weapon when a competitor started outdoing their favored M-4.

[plowjockey]

The F-35 is the pinnacle of U.S. Military-Industrial welfare.

High-paying make-work jobs everywhere, which equals votes for Politicians.

Why would anybody want to get rid of it, especially with something less expensive?

[Bellyman]

Originally Posted by AmericanStand

I cant see it selling here. The military establishment isn't trained to brag about the economy car in the garage when there can be a Lamborghini in the driveway.

But like the article points out, that Lamborghini just isn't the best choice for a 50 mile commute day in and day out when you don't need to and can't drive 200 mph on the interstate. (Try standing on that cutch for an hour in stop and go traffic and see if you don't wish for a better commuter vehicle...)

Another example might be hunting. Sure you can hunt squirrel with a 50 cal but a cheap .22 or even a decent .177 would sure be a whole lot cheaper and the squirrel would be just as dead.

You hear the old saying, "Don't send a boy to do a man's job" often enough but when a boy is more than capable of doing the job, aren't there better uses for the man?

[AmericanStand]

Bellyman I agree with you I just think these things tend to be driven by testosterone not sense !

[fordy]

...............That F35 is a piece of high priced cappola ! To expensive , to heavy , the operational combat radius is a joke . , fordy

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by fordy

...............That F35 is a piece of high priced cappola ! To expensive , to heavy , the operational combat radius is a joke . , fordy

True and everybody knows it, but that's not stopping them from dumping truckloads of welfare money onto it.

[Jim-mi]

I went to the Traverse City Michigan air show this summer. The Blue Angles were the huge main attraction. . . .

But there also was a F22 doing a most --AWESOME-- demonstration.
And absolute thunder as that F22 went slowly (50 mph ???) at a 45 degree angle across the sky . . . . .absolutely AWESOME.....
It did that maneuver over the water so there were no homes underneath to have their windows blown out.
The vertical climb was amazing . . to say the least.
My eyes were very wet when the F22 and a WW11 P51 Mustang did a wing tip to wing tip giant circle over head..........

My point is . .The price tag . . .. Of the F22 and F35 . . . .Few folks realize the MONSTER dollars being spent on those Gee-Wizz machines.......

When will the budget be bridled in on this out of control military spending . .???????

[DEKE01]

This is not the first time industry has developed a low cost fighter plane that is better than all but maybe 2 or 3 competitor planes our enemies might fly. They never sell because the USAF has a "not invented here" and Lamborghini mentality. Nothing else but the cutting edge best will do for them and why not, they aren't paying the bill.

Other countries won't buy a fighter without the US military backing because there is no 20 - 30 year supply chain guaranteed. The last thing you want as a foreign buyer is a shiny new plane that you can't get parts for. Also, no US military means there are no maintenance training programs.

The A-10 Warthog is a fantastic plane in the ground support role and the USAF has never wanted it. It is slow, so in their mind it is not sexy. For years it was forced on the USAF mostly because the Army loved it and said they would start flying the A-10 if the USAF gave it up. The USAF chose to fly it rather than lose a part of their monopoly on ground based fixed wing planes. The USAF continues to try to eliminate the proven, cheap, survivable, successful, and highly effective A-10 in favor of solutions that cost many times more and do not do as good a job.

I highly appreciate and value the people who make the military their career, but somewhere in the Pentagon things go wrong and the bureaucrats do not serve us well.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Jim-mi

I went to the Traverse City Michigan air show this summer. The Blue Angles were the huge main attraction. . . .

But there also was a F22 doing a most --AWESOME-- demonstration.
And absolute thunder as that F22 went slowly (50 mph ???) at a 45 degree angle across the sky . . . . .absolutely AWESOME.....
It did that maneuver over the water so there were no homes underneath to have their windows blown out.
The vertical climb was amazing . . to say the least.
My eyes were very wet when the F22 and a WW11 P51 Mustang did a wing tip to wing tip giant circle over head..........

My point is . .The price tag . . .. Of the F22 and F35 . . . .Few folks realize the MONSTER dollars being spent on those Gee-Wizz machines.......

When will the budget be bridled in on this out of control military spending . .???????

............Same thing for the B2 , on a bombing mission to Afghanistan they flew it over there from an air base in Indiana(?) , rather than basing it in the region . Two billion a copy , it is simply too expensive to be shot down by posting some of them in Harm's way ! , fordy

[plowjockey]

This is really about government welfare - at the very highest level.

In the hands of a skilled pilot, a 36 year old F-16, could complete nearly any mission and take out any adversary in the sky. New models - for export only, have upgraded radar evasion systems and other enhancements.

But what would happen to our "military industrial complex", of hundreds of thousands of very high paying defense aircraft jobs, in practically every state?

They HAVE to keep designing and building new aircraft. the more complex and expensive the better - for them. Schedule delays and costs overruns, more better.

[mmoetc]

$157m apiece leaves a lot of room to pay for retired generals to go back and lobby the next generation in the Pentagon and show them how good retirement can be for those who make the "right" purchasing recommendations.

[gweny]

Cost effectiveness will not be a priority to our military until the politicians are more concerned about survival than bank account.
Unfortunately, by then the fight will probably be local. Be it invasion, epidemic, revolution, or natural disaster; that is the only thing that will motivate a person that has sold out to do the right thing.

[watcher]

Ya'll are forgetting something. Americans want to see high tech fancy gizmos not 'its simple and ugly but it works'.

[DEKE01]

Originally Posted by watcher

Ya'll are forgetting something. Americans want to see high tech fancy gizmos not 'its simple and ugly but it works'.

I don't know. People who have seen film of the A-10 in combat love it. Yep, it is simple, slow and ugly, but the enemy fears the "braaaaap" when the Warthog is getting the job done.

[haley1]

maybe they will sell if they throw in an iphone 6?

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by watcher

Ya'll are forgetting something. Americans want to see high tech fancy gizmos not 'its simple and ugly but it works'.

For sure, but if so, they they need to remember, that we are paying for "fancy", with money we do not have.