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Government
Missing from the F-35: A Clear Purpose
2014-03-13
Yep. It's not an air superiority fighter (unless we're fighting Zimbabwe), and it's no better attack plane than the F-18, F-16 and A-10.

If I were president (or, better, Fred were president and I was national security advisor), my advise would be this:

1) kill the F-35. Kill it dead, dead, dead, today
2) restart the F-22 production line, get up to about 600 aircraft total
3) retire the F-15 as F-22s become available
4) upgrade the F-16 for the Air Force
5) upgrade the F-18 for the Navy and Air Force
6) develop an A-10 successor specifically to do what it does
7) more and better drones, especially for the Navy
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#11  A-10s are heavily up armored, Sandys not so much if any armor.


Wasn't the F-4 supposed to be the fighter for all needs. And they forgot to put a gun on it.
Posted by: Bugs Hitler6550   2014-03-13 20:03  

#10  Go watch Flight of the Intruder for some Sandy action.....
we damn near crashed one when he clipped a wing tip
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2014-03-13 18:54  

#9  According by the end of the Vietnam war the Norty Vietnamese were making mince meat with the Sandys and that was forty years ago.
Posted by: JFM   2014-03-13 17:58  

#8  A Clear Purpose?
Part of the 'Bankrupt China' strategy.
Posted by: Skidmark   2014-03-13 17:27  

#7  It's like trying to take apart an engine with a crescent wrench

Pliers - and needle nose ones to boot.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2014-03-13 17:07  

#6  What are the Sandys?

The old Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Called Sandy when used in a search & rescue / helicopter escort role in Viet Nam. Good at flying low and slow, and blowing stuff up. Things the A-10 does *very* well.
Posted by: SteveS   2014-03-13 16:28  

#5  What are the Sandys?

BTW In France they say: "Good for everything, good for nothing"
Posted by: JFM   2014-03-13 16:13  

#4  It's like a Super Hornet with More Super! and a super-sized price tag. The idea of a do-it-all plane is appealing, especially to bean counters, but more the roles you add, the worse it is at any of them.

It's like trying to take apart an engine with a crescent wrench instead of a set of sockets. Sure, it *should* work...

My advice to the Army: Unionize. Your President will support you. Then go on strike until they let you keep the A-10. Or bring back the Sandys.

Posted by: SteveS   2014-03-13 16:10  

#3  It was supposed to be a do all plane. Then the truth about modification costs for each role came up. The reality about a strike fighter being converted to a ground support aircraft went away with the breeze. The fighter community wants to fight planes not ground enemies. It is beneath them, pardon the pun.

Turn the A10 into a drone.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2014-03-13 14:22  

#2  Once upon a time it had a clear purpose. Then the Clinton kids kept adding requirements on it till it looked like a Christmas tree. Then, to get costs down they started removing features until it couldn't fight a bumble bee. It still cost a lot though.

For the record, I was in favor of canceling the f-35 back when it was the Next Big Thing. I caught considerable heat on the 'Burg for suggesting the Superfighter had no clothes. Where are those great defenders of the F-35 now?

Al
Posted by: Florida Al   2014-03-13 13:41  

#1  Did they ever come up with a replacemtent refueling tanker? I thought the old ones were about worn out, and none of those fast-movers are worth a dime without go-juice.
Posted by: Glenmore   2014-03-13 12:19  

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