next, equally sensible step: replace the C-130s with A400Ms.
What's wrong with the A400M?
I've heard many sides to the F35 arguments, I'm inclined to say it's crap, but who knows.
next, equally sensible step: replace the C-130s with A400Ms.
Where to start... the propeller gearboxes tear themselves to bits and the engine control software needs some serious work because it has caused a fatal crash. Much more on Wikipedia.What's wrong with the A400M?
next, equally sensible step: replace the C-130s with A400Ms.
Where to start... the propeller gearboxes tear themselves to bits and the engine control software needs some serious work because it has caused a fatal crash. Much more on Wikipedia.
The F-35 purchase will more or less eat up all funds for new equipment for all branches of our armed forces for the next 10 years so new transporters are a headache we can't afford for better or for worse...
But getting new transporters, tankers or AWACS instead of fighters would make more sense as an eagerly contributing member of NATO / US allied since there is plenty of fighters to go around. But that means we would be without our own air defences having to rely on our neighboors instead which could get problematic if shit actually hits the fan.
Why not purchase a bunch of Eurofighters? I could bet large sums of money it would be overall more capable and a lot cheaper than the F-35
Also gives jobs to more Europeans etc etc.
F-35: USD 95 mio -10/+25 %.
Super Hornet: USD 136,3 mio -5/+5 %.
Eurofighter: USD 138 mio -5/+5 %.
F-35: 28 aircraft.
Super Hornet: 38 aircraft.
Eurofighter: 34 aircraft.
The thing is that all the costs from the Super Hornet and Eurofighter can be drawn from real world use and experience where the costs for the F-35 come from assumptions, projections, estimates and so on.
I would personally have preferred the Eurofighter as well but there are economical arguments for the F-35 - in theory:
First of all F-35's made for european customers will be made and maintained in Italy by Finmeccanica so some of the money stays in the EU.
The RDAF has had a special office work with the fighter purchase for the best part of a decade and they actually concluded that the F-35 would be the cheapest of the 3 for Denmark.
Price per aircraft:
How on earth did they land on those numbers you say? Without being specific they state that the "Fly away cost" (aircraft + engine) is lower for the Super Hornet and Eurofighter, as expected, but if you count in the estimated support equipment, mission specific equipment, spare parts, simulators, training etc. you get the prices above pr. aircraft.
The total cost of the purchase is also lower for the F-35 because theoretically it's airframe is more durable than the others, meaning less aircraft can cover the needed flight hours over the programs lifespan. They calculated that the number of aircraft needed to cover the fligth hours would be:
The thing is that all the costs from the Super Hornet and Eurofighter can be drawn from real world use and experience where the costs for the F-35 come from assumptions, projections, estimates and so on.
In the end it's always easier to ask for forgivenes rather than permission (on a realistic foundation).
Edit: Found the estimated uncertainty in the prices for each candidate and added them above.
There is some talk of refreshing the old bird because of the current Syrian war.
Can I suggest a new version? I'd call it "A-10 FoG" (Full of Guns) and it would only have gatling guns, but some would also be strapped to its wings. Because rockets are lame.
A10-appropriate guns would blow the wings right off :lol: just make a dual-fuselage A10 with two GAU-8s.
First of all F-35's made for european customers will be made and maintained in Italy by Finmeccanica so some of the money stays in the EU.
EgyptAir Flight 804 heading from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar with 69 people on board, the airline said.
The plane was flying at 37,000 feet when it disappeared shortly after entering Egyptian airspace, the airline tweeted. It said the Airbus A320 had 59 passengers and 10 crew members.
On May 20th 2016 The Aviation Herald received information from three independent channels, that ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) messages with following content were received from the aircraft:
00:26Z 3044 ANTI ICE R WINDOW
00:26Z 561200 R SLIDING WINDOW SENSOR
00:26Z 2600 SMOKE LAVATORY SMOKE
00:27Z 2600 AVIONICS SMOKE
00:28Z 561100 R FIXED WINDOW SENSOR
00:29Z 2200 AUTO FLT FCU 2 FAULT
00:29Z 2700 F/CTL SEC 3 FAULT
no further ACARS messages were received.
Early May 21st 2016 the French BEA confirmed there were ACARS messages just prior to break down of communications warning however that they are insufficient to understand the causes of the accident until flight data or cockpit voice recorders have been found. Priority as of current is to find the wreckage and the recorders.