Tag: F-35

Closing Thought–29Aug19

I have not been a fan of the newest super jet fighter that the defense industry is making and selling around the world….personally I think it is a worthless waste of money and I have written as much…..https://lobotero.com/2016/11/03/f-35-the-flying-turd/

After $1.45 trillion….. yep that is trillion with a “T”….and this brick still cannot get off the ground….

The fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flying in the critical operational testing phase is struggling to stay airborne, which could delay the troubled program’s great leap forward into mass production.

As I recently reported for the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), a document from the program’s test force shows that the fleet’s test aircraft, housed at California’s Edwards Air Force Base, have netted an average 11 percent “fully mission capable rate”—the key measure of how often an aircraft can perform all of its assigned missions—since the process began last December. 

Why the $1.45 Trillion F-35 Still Can’t Get Off the Ground

This plane is the state of the art in electronic devices and weaponry….and yet we let the Chinese make parts for the “super fighter”…..

On Jun. 14, 2019 Sky News reported that a Chinese-owned company has been manufacturing key circuit boards for F-35 Lightning II fifth generation fighters flown by the U.K. and U.S.

Exception PCB, based in Gloucestershire, southwest England, which produces the parts was acquired in 2013 by its Chinese parent, Shenzhen Fastprint.

The circuit boards control many of the F-35’s core capabilities, including its engines, lighting, fuel and navigation systems, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a press release.

However the MoD said Exception PCB is an established manufacturer and presents no risks to the fighter F-35’s supply chain.

Chinese-owned company produces parts for F-35 Fifth Generation Fighters

Let me get this straight….on the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world and we out-sourced the production of needed parts?

Seriously?  We go to the Walmart of the defense industry for the top secret parts?

Wonder why NO infrastructure then look no further than this piece of crap…..now ask why?

Where were the so-called “deficit hawks” on this one?

God I love this stuff!

Learn Stuff!

“Lego ergo Scribo”

Closing Thought–31Jan19

A-10 vs F-35  Mash Up!

The Pentagon has had a brain fart and wanted to replace the close support plane A-10 with this high tech brick, the F-35.

The A-10 Warthog…..

I have been following this story in support of keeping the A-10 as the primary close troop support plane…….some of my thought…..https://lobotero.com/2018/03/05/a-10-vs-f-35-remix/

There has been an evaluation going on with the A-10 and F-35…..and the next stage will begin soon…..

The Pentagon-led F-35 vs. A-10 Close Air Support assessment is nearing its next phase of evaluation, following an initial “first wave” of tests in July of this year — designed to test which of the two aircraft might be best suited to confront heavy enemy fire when performing high-risk CAS missions.

“Mission performance is under evaluation,” Vice Adm. Mat Winter, Program Executive Officer, F-35 program, told reporters earlier this year.

Pre- Initial Operational Test & Evaluation test phases, are currently underway at Edwards AFB and Naval Air Station China Lake, officials said.

https://defensemaven.io/warriormaven/air/pentagon-f-35-vs-a-10-close-air-support-evaluation-hits-next-phase-qXj6tgp6g06nCJvtEMrzKg/

Personally, there is NO contest….the ‘Hog has been saving troops lives for decades and should keep doing what it does best.  I mean the Pentagon keeps upgrading the old B-52 and the same can be done with the A-10 and it would be cheaper than a fleet of flying bricks, F-35.

The A-10 does not need a replacement…..it carries out its duties just fine.

Closing Thought–01Oct18

I have not been a supporter of the new jet fighter the defense department has spent billions on…..I have not very lovingly called it a “flying brick”…….I have written numerous times how much I dislike this airplane……

https://lobotero.com/2018/03/05/a-10-vs-f-35-remix/

Well it seems that news about this plane has been anything but good….and recently the plane did what I predicted…..flew like a brick.

The F-35 is the US military’s most expensive fighter jet, notes Foreign Policy, and the aircraft just had one of the best and worst weeks in its controversial history. The good part came on Thursday, when the Marines conducted the first-ever airstrike with its version of the jet—a successful hit against a Taliban target in Afghanistan, reports CNN. The bad part came Friday morning, when another of the Marines’ F-35 jets crashed during a training mission in South Carolina, causing the pilot to safely eject. The $100 million-plus stealth jet is a total loss, and the cause is under investigation, but as the Washington Post reports, this is the first “full-blown crash” of an F-35 in the program’s 17-year history.

The Marines’ version of the aircraft is called the F-35B Lightning II, and it’s capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, reports the AP. Friday’s crash occurred near Marine Corps Station Beaufort, where pilots from militaries around the world come to train on the jet. The F-35 program has been besieged by cost overruns and delays, but the Pentagon announced a milestone of sorts on Friday: It struck a deal with Lockheed Martin that will bring the cost of the most common version of the jet, the F-35A, to its lowest total yet: $89 million, notes the Post. However, the Marines’ version will go for $115 million and the Navy’s for $108 million.

This weapon was a huge waste of time, money and resources……all it is doing is making the M-IC more wealthy selling this “Brick” to our allies.

This thing costs billions to develop and it continues to cost billions to “get it right”….time to cut the losses and scrap this “Brick”…..spend the money on something useful….like education.

A-10 Vs F-35–Remix

My Closing Thought–05Mar18

I have given my opinion on the idea that the A-10 needs replacing for the US military….but instead of writing more than I have to here is a post that I did that explains my thinking…..with other links within……

https://lobotero.com/2016/08/26/finally-the-a-10-is-essential/

If you read the post then you know that I think that the ‘Hog cannot be replaced as for close combat support…..and now it looks like there will be an answer to the question of which is best coming this April……

Before moving into operational testing, the joint strike fighter will have to prove its mettle as a close-air support plane to the Pentagon’s independent testers, the F-35 program head said Wednesday.

This April, the Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation will scrutinize the F-35’s close-air support and reconnaissance capabilities during a series of flights at Edwards Air Force Base and the Point Mugu Sea Range in California, said Vice Adm. Mat Winter, who leads the F-35 Joint Program Office.

Winter said he isn’t sure whether the close-air support assessment in April — the second increment of tests ahead of this September’s initial operational test and evaluation, or IOT&E — would include the much-hyped F-35 versus A-10 flyoff. But it’s coming soon.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/02/28/the-f-35-may-be-heading-into-its-faceoff-with-the-a-10-this-april/

I will be following this and reporting back as soon as possible…..I feel if the tests are up and up then I know which will win the “fly off”…..

My Monday is done….time for a beer and a burrito….see you guys tomorrow and we can pick up where we leave off today……chuq

Closing Thought–15Dec16

Trump Craps On Flying Brick!

I have been ranting fort a couple of years over the amount of cash being pissed away on a new fighter, the F-35….or as I call it the Flying Brick….why?  I seems to be not very good at continuous work without a massive and expensive  repairs….

At least there are a couple of things that I can agree with coming from Trump’s mouth….he seems to see what a piece of crap the f-35 is and will continue to be…….

Last week, Donald Trump criticized “out of control” costs for Boeing’s 747 Air Force One jets. On Monday, the president-elect took a new swing at the Pentagon, this time coming down on the cost of the country’s fighter jet program, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The F-35 program and cost is out of control,” he tweeted. “Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.” Although no specific company was mentioned, Lockheed Martin—the nation’s largest defense contractor—is the developer of the F-35, and its shares dropped 4% after Trump tweeted, Reuters reports. Shares of United Technologies and BAE Systems, both suppliers to Lockheed and the F-35 program, also dipped after Trump’s remarks. Trump didn’t elaborate on how he’d save those billions.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has come under fire before for high costs—the GAO has called it the Pentagon’s “most costly acquisition program,” per the Journal—with 2,400 replacement planes on the DOD’s shopping list at a cost of nearly $400 billion (a pilot’s helmet by itself could cost $400,000). Jeff Babione, general manager for Lockheed’s F-35 program, says the company is open to any questions Trump has about the program and that it “[understands] the importance of affordability.” Babione told reporters in Israel they’ve been trying to cut down the jet’s price by 70% from the original planned cost. “We project it to be about $85 million in the 2019 or 2020 time frame,” he said. No one’s sure what spurred Trump’s criticism, though CNNMoney notes that defense chief Ash Carter is in Israel for the delivery of two F-35 jets and that Trump often tweets “relatively quickly after seeing something reported on TV.”

For all my bitching and now the future president is doing it also…there will be NO stopping the program….even Israel has bought some these worthless and unreliable toys.

A great waste of taxpayer dollars….but that is what Washington does and will continue to do…..even under the guidance of his manship…..