http://youtu.be/RwA4RaaJSeI

 

Great video, Grumble. I saw a similar one fom Australia.

 

The only people I've ever talked to that have anything good to say about the airplane, all have pay checks that come from LHM.

 

Or have a vested interest as Initial Cadre in the USAF/USN/USMC.

They know if they play nice, their bread will be buttered.

Saw an article (can't remember where) two days ago. Might have been the piece in The Atlantic. A Senator or Congressman from Vermont was a harsh critic of the program.

But, when he found out they could be based in Burlington with the Guard, he changed to "We can't stop it; it's the future, so we might as well have it."

 

That is really a great read... thanks!

 

@ 4:15 - 'instead of a new fighter for each of the three services; the the Navy, the Army, the Air Force ....'



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVR_ajL_Eo

 

The 2015 NDAA keeps the A-10 alive for another year.

Inside the beltway, this is considered a slight loss for lockmart which had hoped to redirect hog funding to the F-35. The F-35 was funded according to schedule, but without any bonus funding which might have been acquired from the hog.

 

Everyone needs to take a step back and let the F-35 program develop. A majority of the info "leaked" about the program is just 1- Pure BS or 2-taken out of context. Yes the program is expensive and has suffered set backs along the way but that is pretty standard for new technology and especially something produced on such a massive scale.
Most of the information on the F-35 we would want to know as experienced aviators is talked about in rooms with music playing in the wall's. Not in magazine articles.
The problem with the F-35 is it should have been created in parallel with the F-22 (for timing). The strike fighter shortfall that the services are experiencing is a product of poor planning. No one imagined the utilization rates we experienced in the last 15 years.
For todays war I want A-10's and F-18's/16's supporting me for CAS. For tomorrow's war, no matter where it is or what level of sophistication my enemy has, I want a section of F-35's overhead with 12(or more) SDB-II's a piece and the ability to communicate with me without a word spoken on the net.
Before the crap starts slinging my way for defending the program let me say I do not work for LM, I am an F-18 pilot and have spent a year on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a FAC and have worked in aviation requirements as my staff tour. I was initially a hater but my eyes have been opened. If money is being diverted from everyone's "favorite" platform, we all have one, to support the F-35 than take a look at your services leadership. Not the aircraft. All the services have spent silly amounts of cash on complete BS programs through the years. Most of them not even part of a kill chain. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

 

I will say that I saw a video on the F-35 and 'Rooster' Schimdle (now a 3-star) was featured in it and he had some good things to say about it. 'Rooster' is a former squadron CO of mine and certainly a figure head of old in the Marine Fighter/Attack community. Actually knowing this person, though he has long since joined the ranks of the military politicans in my opinion, I do respect him greatly as an officer and as an aviator. One of my biggest beefs with the program in general is the F-35B version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ-YPy4gZdY

 

I agree with you regarding Rooster as a politician. Even more so now that he has moved on to the Joint Staff. One of the better decisions made by the USMC, in my pea-brained opinion, was to buy some F-35C variants as well. The F-35B's lift fan is made with "wizardry" and could become a maintenance issue at some point. Good to see an old "Bolt" on here USMCFLYR. S/F