Air Force still committed to F-35 program

[unhappycamper]

Air Force officials said April 13 that they're still committed to the F-35 program. The military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition said the Joint Strike Fighter is "our solution to recapitalization."



Air Force still committed to F-35 program
Staff report
Posted : Wednesday Apr 14, 2010 5:53:53 EDT

The Air Force is not looking at new options to extend the service life of its fighter fleet despite continued setbacks in the F-35 program, service officials told legislators Tuesday.

The service will move forward with plans to upgrade its F-16s, F-15s and A-10s but will not launch any new programs, officers said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s air-land subcommittee.

The F-35, the Air Force’s preferred aircraft to replenish its fighter fleet, continues to have development delays and cost increases.

Air Force officers on Tuesday said they expect the F-35 to reach initial operational capability is predicted for 2016, a three-year delay from the original plan.

“The Air Force is committed to the (F-35) Joint Strike Fighter to be our solution to recapitalization,” said Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition. “We are focused on the fifth-generation fighter.”


Rest of article about this $200+ million dollar pig in a poke at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/04/airforce_f35s_041310w/%20



unhappycamper comment: The next 21 F-35s produced for the Navy will be cost you $243 million dollars each. Ka ching!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8124128#8124155

". . . For the next Pentagon budget proposal for fiscal year 2012, the unit cost - counting only production, not RDT&E, costs - appears painfully reasonable: the Navy will produce 21 copies of its F-35 versions for $5.1 billion. That calculates to $243 million each. That is what Navy F-35s are actually costing these days."

[Sherman A1]

1. A program that should be killed.

and start over from scratch with a completely blank piece of paper after we figure out just what we need, why we need it and who are we supposed to use these critters against.

[MadHound]

2. Billions for failed weapons systems,

But education get crumbs from the Federal government, and now has to do a deal with the devil to get those crumbs.

Just goes to show the fucked up priorities of not just this administration, but all of our administrations going back the past sixty plus years.

[old mark]

3. Recall the old P-35 (Seversky) fighter from the late 1930's - It was

then the supposedly most modern, advanced and heavily armed fighter going, and was totally obsolete when it was delivered, before WWII started.
Seems like the F-35 will be like its predecessor, a waste of money.

Link to the old P-35:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seversky_P-35


The P-35 also never lived up to its claimed performance, was more expensive than its competition, and no one who bought them had much use for them.

mark