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2013-03-10 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by Bobby 2013-03-10 09:15|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 To the plane's backers, including senior leaders of the Air Force and Marine Corps, the benefit is worth the cost. Unlike the infantry, which still accepts battlefield casualties as part of war, military aviators have grown accustomed to a different risk calculus

Yep.
EXPERTS

Posted by Shipman 2013-03-10 10:53|| 2013-03-10 10:53|| Front Page Top

#2 Ship, I was once told that should be 'ex-spurts', as a reminder of those that can't anymore.

Posted by Skidmark 2013-03-10 11:12|| 2013-03-10 11:12|| Front Page Top

#3 Lockheed Martin has spread the work across 45 states -- critics call it "political engineering" -- which in turn has generated broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.

Same "political engineering" technique appears to be working for Obamacare as well.

Posted by Besoeker 2013-03-10 11:45|| 2013-03-10 11:45|| Front Page Top

#4 Of course they're going to talk about how Everything Else is better: it's reached LRIP.

Now all they have to do is _keep_ it in LRIP and voila! Disarmament!

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-03-10 11:55|| 2013-03-10 11:55|| Front Page Top

#5 "We don't want to win 51-49. We want to win 99 to nothing," said Lt. Gen. Frank Gornec

What a bully! That's just mean. Except that winning 99-zip means you have more of your expensive stuff and valuable people left over at the end. And being able to win 99-zip might mean you don't have to fight in the first place.

Posted by SteveS 2013-03-10 12:38|| 2013-03-10 12:38|| Front Page Top

#6 Air Force Magazine has a telling article in which the F-35 is severly criticized by the test pilots; no visibility to the rear, unreliable ejection seats, small control surfaces limit manuverability( sez that stealth=small) and the the fbled Lawn dart can fly rings around it. Time to kill this Edsel. Or upgrade with Lithium-ion batteries.

Posted by USN,Ret. 2013-03-10 12:47|| 2013-03-10 12:47|| Front Page Top

#7 The Defense Department and Lockheed Martin, the giant contractor hired to design and build the plane, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, have constructed what amounts to a budgetary force field around the nearly $400 billion program.

Funny how spending on the military tends to be the only type of spending that's objectionable to the press...

Posted by Raj 2013-03-10 14:40|| 2013-03-10 14:40|| Front Page Top

#8 This project helps keep military aviation engineering and manufacturing capability available. Way overpriced and overpoliticized, but not entirely a bad thing. For example, the B-17 was created in 'peace' time, and only manufactured in any quantity after we entered the war, where it was a most important factor.

Posted by Glenmore 2013-03-10 14:45|| 2013-03-10 14:45|| Front Page Top

#9 I'm only annoyed because they used Air Force and Marine Corp in the same sentence exclusive of infantry.

Every Marine an Aviator, no wait....
And trust me, at some point the Army (other infantry) is going to be wanting some of that sweet CAS that an F-35B will be able to provide.

Also not a good idea to leave the Royal Navy in the lurch, they can't fly F-18s, the catapult war is over for them. Cancel the F-35B and you also may as well cancel the Prince of Wales and QE.

Posted by Shipman 2013-03-10 17:10|| 2013-03-10 17:10|| Front Page Top

#10 #7 That's right, Raj, it's actually a three-fer: the Mil-Ind Complex, a new product, and much more money for 'more important' things - like social engineering.

Posted by Bobby 2013-03-10 17:38|| 2013-03-10 17:38|| Front Page Top

#11 Lockheed Martin has spread the work across 45 states -- critics call it "political engineering"

That's what Rockwell did with the B-1 bomber. It is the only way to assure funding from Democratic politicians. Unfortunately the only way democrats will support a defence program is as pork. That they can understand. Patriotism, or concern for people who risk their lives to protect us, is completely beyond these people.

Posted by Frozen Al 2013-03-10 20:23|| 2013-03-10 20:23|| Front Page Top

23:07 Classical_Liberal
22:15 49 Pan
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21:13 Zhang Fei
20:43 Barbara
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20:09 Skidmark
20:02 rammer
19:34 trailing wife
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18:47 USN,Ret.
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