KaJuN
Disco Inferno
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2006
- Messages
- 9,743
- Location
- Dayton, Ohio
- Car(s)
- Mini Cooper S, Landy Series III, Vulcan 900 Custom
There's more to the story than just per-aircraft cost. The real intended benefit of the F-35 is that it will help consolidate maintenance and support costs across different military agencies. The US DoD can buy in bulk the needed spare parts and ground support equipment and have it standardized across the USAF, Navy, and Marines. Basically, they save money by not having to establish numerous contracts to cover the needs of all three agencies as well as logistical costs to distribute and maintain that equipment. It will also cut down on the need to transport said support equipment between bases for contingency operations. For example, an F-15 might require a different hydraulic fluid servicing cart than an F-18 does. So if an F-18 unit deploys to a predominantly F-15 base they have to bring all their specialized equipment with them. Shipping all that stuff isn't cheap. In the long run I don't think it will be as much as a financial catastrophe that it's being made out to be right now.
Was it also his idea to not put guns on the F-4? That was a brilliant idea by the engineers.
He did NOT co-design the F-16. He helped come up with the specs for the original LWF proposal. He was also deridded by the USAF and most of his theories have been proven wrong time and again. He was dead against his baby getting anything other than a ranging radar. He has railed agains the F-15 since the beginning and has been wrong every single time.
Prior to the first Gulf War he kept giving interviews about how the much more nimble MiG-29's and other Russian planes were going to wipe the floor of the big, complex, lumbering allied planes. He says low observability does not work, and that claims no BVR shot has ever happened. He is full of half truthes and full on lies. He also hasn't had access to classified data since the 80's.
As for his baby... It has gained weight, pods and conformal fuel tanks to stay relivent and useful.
His ideal aircraft is basically an upengined F-5 with no radar, a pair of wingtip mounted Sidewinders and that's it. He has no understanding about how modern electronics are many times more reliable than the old stuff in the 60's and 70's. He also has no understanding of how data links are a game changer.
Was it also his idea to not put guns on the F-4? That was a brilliant idea by the engineers.