Thread: The RAAF and the F35 program

It's just amazing that we will only see two of these things by 2020. The original two involved in all the testing will need replacing before they even become operational.

I noticed recently the US Government finally admitted that cancelling the F-22 project just as it was becoming cost effective (cheaper than current F-35 prices) was the dumbest thing possible and were giving consideration to somehow re-opening the F-22 line - good luck with that idea.

The F-35 was always planned on having F-22's providing the air-superiority role so they could get down to their maid-of-all work without harassment. Kind of like the F-4 and F-105 relationship. Let's see what happens.....

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

It's just amazing that we will only see two of these things by 2020. The original two involved in all the testing will need replacing before they even become operational.

There is a report in a defence magazine which is not positive to the F-35. Just a few snippets- " the airframe's weight, high drag, and wing loading means the single engine needs to be the highest thrust engine available, and it is.[ There is no room for improvement.] Engine reliability is poor, and has a long way to go to meet program goals".
The 2014 Commander of Air Combat Command summed up " If I do not keep the F-22 fleet viable, the F-35 frankly will be irrelevant. The F-35 is not built as an air superiority fighter, it is geared up for ground attack, it needs the F-22. "
The most disturbing news, IMO, is that " before each flight, the f-35's mission data files must be updated with the latest electronic signatures of friendly forces and air and surface threats.Without this, the God's eye view provided to pilots may be inaccurate, and potentially dangerous, and misleading. For optimum f-35 survivability and effectiveness the mission data files need to be updated constantly. [If not , you have the possibiklity of firing on civilian airliners, or allies.] "

Here's the kicker, the only place this can be done is in the USA. There are two mission data reprogramming laboratories planned, one in California, at NAS point Mugu, which will support Japan and Israel, while Eglin AFB Florida will support the USA, Norway, Italy, Australia and the UK. The American location of the reprogramming laboratories reflects that the US is reticent about granting too much access to the aircrafts' software code.

" the updating of the of the mission data files [ each twice as large as comparable f-22 files. ] before every sortie seems an inherently complex process, which involves extensive support by advanced in- theatre intelligence , surveillance, and reconnaissance systems , teams of skilled analysts to make sense of the raw data, unimpeded communication links back to the US of this info., on call skilled software teams able to quickly translate the evolving tactical circumstances into mission data files, and then retransmission to distant locations to load onto each f-35 before each sortie. This process will need following by each f-35 user nation involved, given each user nations mission data file is unique to that nation."

What could possibly go wrong..........?

Hey Bob,

If you want to know what can possibly go wrong, this was released earlier this month by POGO (Project on Govt Oversight). It's pretty frightening reading.....

F-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat

Why not just resurrect the TSR-2 ?
TSR-2 - or, the betrayal of the British aircraft industry

Or the AVRO Arrow. ?

CF-105 Arrow, Avro Canada

I'm guessing that either option would be quicker to implement AND le$$ $$$ than the current (political?) choice, with no 'updating' before every flight...

But I'm only a Bolshie & Grumpy Old Man who thinks that 'cutting edge' technology slices as deep on the owner as it does the target...

Originally Posted by cripesamighty

Hey Bob,

If you want to know what can possibly go wrong, this was released earlier this month by POGO (Project on Govt Oversight). It's pretty frightening reading.....

F-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat

OH. MY. GOD. I'm gob smacked. I am passing that on to the publicity officer of the Redcliffe VVAA. And I will e-mail same to my local Federal MP. [ Wayne Swan}.

ignore the eco bit,, scroll down the page for the vid----

Scrapping This Crappy Jet Could Provide The Entire Country With 23 Years Of Free College… | Eco Snippets

This could be an option.

[ame]https://youtu.be/inN8zSrr8OA[/ame]